Battle tactics on m4 sherman. Tank M4 Sherman Engine

There is an interesting monument in the Israeli Armored Forces Museum. There are three tanks on a pedestal of stones - a British Cromwell and an American Sherman. The symbolism is clear: these are the machines that won the Second World War. And the lot of "Sherman" tests fell no less than the "thirty-four".

From 1942 until the end of the war, the M4 formed the basis of the American tank forces, having fought with the Japanese militarists in Asia and with the Nazis in Europe. As part of the British troops, the Shermans fought in Africa and landed in Italy. Soviet M4 liberated Ukraine and reached Berlin. And for many years the tank, developed back in the early forties, was actively used and won in battles with more modern vehicles.

The history of the creation of the tank

The United States met the beginning of World War II by just starting production of the M2 medium tank. An analysis of the battles in Poland showed that the tank did not at all correspond to the real conditions of the war, after which the order was reduced, and the produced tanks were reclassified into training tanks.

To replace the M2 in an emergency (even prototypes were not made), the M3 tank was developed (later called "Lee" and "Grant"). It was considered a temporary measure, and the creation of a new modern tank began immediately after the completion of work on the Lee.

To reduce the time for development and implementation in production, the tank was unified as much as possible with the M3.

Specifically, the engine, lower body casting and suspension were borrowed with minimal changes.

In September 1941, a prototype with a cast body was built, which received the T6 index. It differed from subsequent serial vehicles by the presence of two additional machine guns in the forehead of the hull, as well as the presence of a hatch for the crew in the side of the hull.

Serial production of M4 tanks began in the winter of 1942. The first tanks were assembled at the Lima locomotive plant and belonged to the M4A1 series. And these first tanks were produced for Britain.

Design

The Sherman has the following layout: the transmission is in the front of the hull, the engine is in the stern. The fighting compartment and the tower are located between them, almost in the center. The height of the transmission box and the need to place a radial engine in the hull predetermined the size of the tank - it turned out to be high.

All modifications of the Sherman, except for the M4A1, had a welded hull made of rolled armor.

On the M4A1, the body was cast. Common to all versions was the lower front part of the hull, which at the same time served as a transmission cover. The upper armor plate had a thickness of 51 mm and was installed at an inclination of 56 degrees (later - 47 degrees). The sides are vertical, 38 mm thick, the stern armor has the same thickness.

The thickness of the forehead of the cast turret is 76mm (at an inclination of 60 degrees), the sides and stern are 51mm. Early towers had one hatch - for the commander and gunner, later a loader's hatch was added. The tower had an electro-hydraulic or electric drive for the turning mechanism.

In the event of a failure of the mechanism, it was possible to turn manually.

The tower of the "long-barreled" "Shermans" differed in the thickness of the armor - 64mm in a circle.

Armament

The original armament of the Sherman was a 75mm M3 gun. This gun was a development of the French field gun of the 1897 model, adopted by the United States. In the M2 variant, the gun was mounted on early M3 tanks, while the later Lees and Shermans received the M3 with a barrel length increased to 40 calibers.

The armor penetration of the gun when using a solid M72 projectile reached 110 mm, the M61 chamber projectile penetrated armor slightly worse - up to 90 mm. In the initial period of the war, however, this was enough to deal with any enemy tanks.

The three-inch M1 gun was developed in 1942, when the characteristics of the short-barreled M3 became insufficient, and the more powerful M7 gun for the Sherman turned out to be too heavy.

The “long-barreled” Shermans went into battle in 1944. The penetration of the M62 armor-piercing chamber projectile exceeded 120 mm, which was no longer enough to deal with the most heavily armored German vehicles. But the M93 sub-caliber projectile pierced over 200 mm at short distances.

Interestingly, the production of Shermans with the M3 gun did not stop - the former gun had a more powerful high-explosive fragmentation projectile, which was critically important for the American tank doctrine. Within its framework, the main task of the tanks was to support the infantry, with which the “long-barreled” Shermans coped weaker.

Over 2,000 M4A1 and M4A4 Shermans delivered to Great Britain were re-equipped with a 17-pounder 76.2 mm gun. These machines were named Firefly (firefly). A solid armor-piercing projectile fired from the “seventeen-pounder” pierced armor up to 157 millimeters thick, which made the “Firefly” capable of fighting any German tanks.

The course machine gun from the Fireflies was removed in order to increase the ammunition load of the gun. This led to the reduction of the crew to four people. The gun stabilizer was dismantled.

Some Shermans of the M4 and M4A3 series were armed with the 105mm M4 howitzer. They were to become assault guns» for close infantry support. For anti-tank purposes, howitzer Shermans were not supposed to be used, but, nevertheless, the M67 cumulative projectile, penetrating up to 130 mm of armor, was included in the ammunition load.

They had such machines and some design differences - the gun did not have a stabilizer, the frontal armor was strengthened.

Additional weapons, according to the standards of that time, were a course machine gun mounted in a ball mask in the frontal sheet and a machine gun coaxial with a cannon.

In both cases, the M1919A4 model was used. Caliber - 7.62mm (.30-06). The gunner-radio operator fired from the course machine gun, and the gunner from the coaxial machine gun, with the help of an electric trigger.

Above the commander's hatch in the turret was a 12.7mm M2HB machine gun, suitable for anti-aircraft fire. Equipping a tank with a large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun at that time was an innovation, and only towards the end of the war did it begin to be used everywhere.

Since 1943, a mortar was installed on all Shermans for setting smoke screens.

Crew accommodation and tank equipment

The crew of five was placed in the tank as follows: the seats of the driver and his assistant (he is also a gunner-radio operator) on both sides of the box with the transmission. Each had a hatch with an observation periscope, located in the ledge of the frontal part or in the roof in front of the turret. The gunner and the tank commander sit one after another in the right half of the tower, and the loader occupies the left.

On the linear Shermans, a VHF radio station was installed, located in the rear niche of the tower. Her antenna was displayed on the roof of the tower. The commander's tanks additionally had a shortwave radio station in the right fender, with an antenna brought out through the frontal armor plate.

The tank intercom was part of a regular radio station, and a telephone could be additionally installed to communicate with the accompanying infantry tank.
For driving in difficult weather conditions, the tank was equipped with a gyrocompass.

The tank with a 75mm gun was equipped with a triple M55 telescopic sight and an M38A1 backup sight built into the gunner's periscope.

Howitzer tanks had the M77C model instead of the M38A1 sight. “Long-barreled” M4s were equipped with M51 and M47A2 sights.

Later they were replaced by a universal M10 periscope, in which two telescopic sights were built - six-fold and without magnification. This device replaced all the previous variety of sights. For firing from closed positions, an indicator of gun aiming angles was used. The M3 and M1 guns had a gyroscopic stabilizer.

Engine and transmission

Different versions of the Sherman had different engines. The R975 radial engine was installed on the M4 and M4A1. M4A2 received a power plant from two interlocked two-stroke diesel engines GM 6-71. The M4A3 was equipped with a Ford GAA eight-cylinder gasoline engine (designed as an aircraft engine, but found use only in armored vehicles).

In the elongated body of the M4A4 tank, a structure of five automobile six-cylinder engines manufactured by Chrysler was mounted. Finally, the limited-edition M4A6 had a Caterpillar radial diesel engine. The power of the motors ranged from 350 to 500 hp.

In contrast to the variety of engines, there was only one gearbox for the Sherman - a five-speed mechanical, with synchronizers.

The transmission was located in the frontal part of the hull, and its outer body made of armored steel simultaneously served as the lower frontal part.

This placement of the transmission provided better weight distribution, increased its maintainability, and if it hit, its nodes could protect crew members from being hit. The disadvantage was the increased vulnerability of the transmission itself, which could be disabled by secondary armor fragments even without breaking through it.

Chassis

The suspension of the tank as a whole is similar to that used on the M3 tanks, with three two-roller bogies. Each of the carts has two vertical springs. During combat use, the shortcomings of such a suspension were revealed - on a soft surface, the tank's patency fell, the service life of the units was low.

As a result, by the end of the war, a suspension with horizontal springs and double rubber-coated rollers went into production.

Early suspension was designated as VVSS, later - HVSS.

Special tanks, self-propelled guns and armored vehicles

On the basis of the A3 series tank, the M4A3E2 Jumbo assault tank was created. Additional armor plates 38 mm thick were welded onto the frontal plate and the top of the side, and the transmission cover was reinforced. "Jumbo" was not intended for tank battles, he carried the M3 cannon, but later some tanks re-equipped the long-barreled M1 and used it as heavy tank destroyers.

On the roof of the turret of some tanks, the Calliope MLRS was installed - 60 guides for launching 114mm M8 missiles. There were several variants of the Sherman flamethrower.

"Shermans" equipped with mine trawls and bulldozer knives were used in engineering units. The amphibious modification DD was used for forcing rivers.
On the basis of the Sherman, "tank destroyers" were built - highly mobile lightly armored vehicles with an open turret. These include the M10 with a 76mm gun and the M36 with a 90mm gun.

The M7 self-propelled guns were equipped with a 105mm howitzer in an open cabin, and guns with a caliber of up to 203mm were installed on a special chassis with an open platform.

For repair and evacuation work, the M32 machines and its upgraded version of the M74 were created. They were equipped with a crane, winches and a bulldozer knife. M32 without evacuation equipment served as an artillery tractor.

Post-war options

After the war, countries that could not afford the latest tanks tried to improve the efficiency of the Sherman with upgrades.

In Israel, the Shermans underwent their first rearmament in 1956. They were assigned the index M50. Three hundred of these tanks received the French 75mm gun. During the next upgrade, in 1962, the Israeli M4A1 was equipped with Cummins VT8-460 diesels, the gun was replaced with a 105mm gun, and was named M51. In the 1970s, some cars were transferred to Chile, where they served until the 90s.

Egyptian "Shermans" were M4A4, with a diesel engine from M4A2. Instead of the “native” turret, an AMX-13, swinging from a light tank, was installed. The turret came with a 75mm gun and an automatic loader.

Lend-Lease supplies and combat use

British troops received 17181 tanks from the issued Shermans. "Shermans" were finalized to meet British standards and received new designations. The changes included, for example, the replacement of walkie-talkies with British ones, the installation of a smoke mortar, and additional fire extinguishing systems.

For the first time, British Shermans went into battle in Africa in mid-1942.

As part of the British forces, they took part in the battle of El Alamein, and, according to the British, made a significant contribution to the victory. At the end of the same year, American Shermans appeared in Tunisia. The African campaign proved the high combat qualities of the M4, but after the appearance in Tunisia German tanks“Tiger”, the insufficient armament of the tank became obvious.

Since 1943, diesel M4A2s have been supplied to the USSR, in the amount of 4065 units.

Tanks in the Red Army were appreciated - the crews praised the ease of use, the quality of instruments and communications. The Sherman's lower noise level made them well suited for stealth attacks. At the same time, insufficient cross-country ability in winter conditions and a tendency to overturn due to the high center of gravity were noted.

In the Soviet Union, the first Shermans took part in Battle of Kursk. True, at that time there were few of these tanks. But since 1944, the number of incoming Shermans made it possible to create even separate corps from them. Soviet М4А2 took part in all subsequent battles of the war, including the defeat of the Kwantung Army.

In Europe, "Shermans" appeared during the landing in Sicily. And by the time of the invasion of Normandy, modifications with enhanced weapons had already been prepared. But during the first battles, the M4 tanks failed to realize (due to specific natural conditions) their advantage in mobility, and the tankers suffered heavy losses.

The situation changed only after the Allied forces entered the operational space. Also during the battles, the lack of adaptability of the Sherman to urban battles became obvious. But by this time the tank was already assessed as obsolete, and this problem had to be solved with new tanks.

In the Pacific theater of operations, the Shermans were rarely encountered. The enemy tanks were too few and weak in armament to be an effective force. The nature of the fighting made it possible to fully reveal all the strengths of the American tank, as well as its missile and flamethrower modifications.

By the beginning of the Korean War, the Sherman was already considered obsolete, but only Shermans could be quickly transferred to the front from Japan.

And later it turned out that the more powerful and modern M26 in the Korean mountains have insufficient mobility. So the Sherman remained the main American tank in that war. In battles with the T-34-85, both tanks proved to be approximately equal opponents, and often the outcome of the battle was decided by the best training of American tankers.

During the Suez Crisis, modernized Egyptian Shermans clashed with modernized Israeli ones. As a result, most of the Egyptian vehicles were either destroyed or captured by the Israelis.

By the 1967 war, Israel's Shermans were used in secondary areas, but managed to prove themselves there too, destroying, for example, a convoy of Egyptian T-54s.
Both sides used the Shermans as second-line vehicles in the Indo-Pakistani wars. According to some reports, in the 1990s Shermans were used in Yugoslavia, but there is no exact confirmation of this.

Tactical and technical characteristics

The table shows the characteristics of the "early" and "late" Shermans in comparison with its closest analogues.

It should be noted that the modification of the Pz.IV tank given in the table is "intermediate" between early and late. But it differed from the previous T-4s mainly in its optimized design without changing the main characteristics, and in later series the changes were reduced to simplification and reduction in cost. So the Sherman was clearly not inferior to the main rival, and if he could meet him in 1941, he would have surpassed him.

Machine evaluation

Armament "Sherman" at the time of its appearance can be considered "adequate". The 75mm M3 cannon matched the characteristics of the Soviet F-34 and ZiS-5 guns in terms of its characteristics, allowing it to fight any enemy medium tanks. The appearance of Pz.IV tanks with enhanced armor, as well as Tigers and Panthers, made it ineffective.

The 76mm M1 gun was only slightly inferior to the Soviet 85mm D-5 gun in terms of armor penetration, and even surpassed it when using a sub-caliber projectile. Such “Shermans” could fight even heavy enemy tanks. The main drawback of the gun was the low power of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile. Due to the high initial velocity, the wall thickness of the projectile had to be increased, while reducing the mass of the explosive charge to a minimum.

On the whole, the M4's armament corresponded to modern medium tanks, and even surpassed it in terms of its effectiveness due to high-quality optics and the presence of a stabilizer.

Assessing the security of the Sherman, it should be remembered that during the years of its development, the typical weapons of most tanks were 40-45mm caliber guns.

And the infantry had at its disposal only anti-tank rifles and heavy machine guns. In comparison with the T-34, the Sherman was inferior to him in terms of the thickness of the sides, devoid of slope. But the sides of even the later versions of the German Pz.IV had a thickness less than that of the M4.

The frontal armor of the Sherman, according to the results of German tests, with a slight turn of the hull, could withstand hits from the 88mm gun of the Tiger. The M4A4E2, with enhanced armor protection, of course, outperformed its competitors, but there were few such tanks.

Early Shermans with ammo racks located in fenders suffered from detonation of ammunition when breaking through the hull. This shortcoming was corrected by placing the ammunition rack on the floor of the hull in boxes with a water jacket (the so-called “wet” ammunition rack).

The tactical and strategic mobility of the Sherman was highly rated. The tank, due to its small dimensions, was easily loaded onto all types of transport, including rail. When moving under its own power, the motor resource made it possible to travel long distances, rubber-coated tracks did not break roads, and the suspension design provided the crew with some comfort.

The Sherman had a good speed, good maneuverability, which was somewhat limited by the impossibility of turning on the spot. On tanks of the E2 series, other transmission ratios were used to maintain mobility with an increased mass.

Reliability

The high culture of production at American factories gave the Shermans high quality workmanship and very good reliability. Tank units did not require frequent adjustment. The maintainability of the tank deserves the highest praise. Soviet tanks were also inferior to the Sherman in this regard.

Due to the low culture of production and technological equipment, the tolerances were such that the nodes had to be adjusted manually.

The flip side was the exactingness of the tanks to the skill level of the service personnel.

Tank analogues

The Soviet counterpart, the T-34, was somewhat superior to the Sherman in terms of the effectiveness of side armor, was approximately the same in armament, and significantly lost in terms of crew comfort.

The later T-34-85 had a powerful high-explosive fragmentation projectile (the absence of which forced the production of “short-barreled Shermans”), and its efficiency improved due to the separation of duties of the gunner and commander. It is worth noting that in the “fire hazardous” Sherman, the fuel tanks were located in the engine compartment, while in the T-34, in the fighting compartment.

The main German analogue of the M4 was the Pz.IV.

Its early models were inferior to the Sherman in all respects, but by the middle of the war they were approximately equal in terms of armament and armor protection. At the same time, the late Panthers (Pz.V (T-5)) were distinguished by poor build quality.

Although the “Panther” was superior to the “Sherman” both in terms of armament power (with an equal gun caliber) and armor thickness. Its main disadvantage was low reliability.
The British army had two tanks of its own design, roughly similar to the Sherman. The first is the Cromwell, which went into battle in 1944. Its 57mm gun was inferior to American guns, and it was also weaker protected.

The second tank is the Komet, armed with a shortened version of the 17-pounder. In terms of firepower, it was approximately equal to the American Shermans (but somewhat inferior to the Fireflies), had equivalent protection and greater mobility due to a powerful engine.

The Sherman tank was a real triumph for American industry. Not having much experience in tank building, the Americans were not only able to develop a tank of a successful and well-thought-out design in the shortest possible time - they mass-produced it, while maintaining high quality workmanship and finish. And the modernization potential of the Sherman allowed him to successfully withstand more modern tanks.

Video

Despite the fact that in the 20-30s of the twentieth century, the Americans carried out quite intensive work in the field of tank building, and the famous "Christie" constantly submitted more and more new ideas, they attached little real importance to tanks. So, by the beginning of World War II, the US Army had no more than 400 vehicles of this type, and only 18 of them belonged to the medium category.

But after the German invasion of Poland and France and the events that followed, the attitude towards armored vehicles changed dramatically. Already in 1941, the production of the M-3 model started. This tank was quite original, as it had two guns at once: a 75 mm cannon and a 37 mm gun. Since the first one was installed in a sponson, only a 37 mm cannon was really used, which at least could be rotated. In addition, the height of more than three meters made "General Lee" an excellent gift for German gunners.

Realizing this, the Americans already in the autumn of that year began intensive work in the field of creating a new, more maneuverable and adapted vehicle for modern combat. This is how the Sherman tank was born. Perhaps it was the best American armored vehicles of that period.

A new approach to building a hull

To simplify and speed up production, the hull was made of rolled armor steel sheets. Unlike the "rectilinear" Germans, US engineers placed the top sheet at an angle of 47 °, its thickness was 50 millimeters. The stern plates were located at an angle of 10-12 °, the sides were straight.

The thickness of the side and stern sheets was 38 millimeters, on the roof - only 18 millimeters. Fastening of the forward part of the hull to the power elements is bolted. Note that the frontal part was assembled from seven rolled blanks at once, so the manufacturers had a difficult task to ensure the highest quality of welds. We can say that they coped with the task perfectly.

Why such a conclusion? In the small village of Snegiri there is a monument of two Shermans. Their hulls have long since turned red with a layer of rust, but the welded joints are still in perfect condition.

It should be noted that the Sherman tank produced in 1943-1944 is distinguished by an additional armor plate on the starboard side. This was done in order to place an additional set of shells on the floor of the fighting compartment (to ensure the security of the ammunition load). One pad was welded on the left side.

However, this did not help much against the Tigers' cannons: the history of the Sherman tank knows many cases when their shells pierced the car right through. But this could be said about any Allied tank, with the possible exception of the IS-2 and Pershing, which appeared at the very end of the war.

We can say that the duel - the Sherman tank against the Tiger in most cases ended in victory for the latter. The M-3 cannon pierced this model of a German tank almost from a pistol shot, while the KwK 36 L / 56 gun from the "German" could effectively hit the "Sherman" from about a kilometer.

Tower

The tower in the Sherman tank is cast, cylindrical. Mounted on a swivel base. Its frontal and side parts were protected by armor 75 and 50 mm thick. The stern of the tower had a thickness of 50 millimeters, the roof - 25 millimeters. The mantlet of the gun was the best protected, since the thickness of the armor in this place was 90 millimeters.

As you can see, the Sherman tank (the drawings of which are in the article) did not differ much in terms of protection from the legendary domestic T-34. Despite the assertions of American designers about the invulnerability of the gun mask, there were several cases throughout the war when enemy shells pierced the mask right through. This, as a rule, was the cause of the death of the loader.

This was especially pronounced in Normandy: the Panthers and Tigers easily hit the Sherman tank. General Eisenhower's rage was beyond description. Presumably, it was he who forced scientists and engineers to hurry up with the development of a normal tank with a good gun, which could fight on equal terms with German counterparts.

In principle, the general did not achieve much success: the Pershing appeared only at the end of the war, and he treated heavy tanks rather conditionally.

Armament

The American Sherman tank was armed as standard:

• The main weapon is the M3 cannon. Caliber 75 mm, subsequently introduced a long-barrel modification of 76 mm.
• Large-caliber machine gun "Browning" M2NV, located directly above the hatch of the tank.

Do you play World of Tanks? The Sherman in this game roughly corresponds to the T-34 in terms of weapon balance, which reflects the real state of affairs. So, the armor-piercing shells of the "American" were much better than domestic ones, but they pierced a smaller armor thickness. On the other hand, domestic products were better in ballistics, only the tankers themselves rarely saw such shots, since the tungsten carbide used in their manufacture was very scarce and expensive.

Useful properties of armor

The Sherman tank had a good reputation among domestic tankers. And the point here is not only the convenience of internal equipment. So, the Americans had no problems with nickel and other armor additives. As a result, their armor turned out to be viscous: even if the hull was pierced, if the projectile did not kill one of the crew or disable the engine, the tank continued to perform its combat mission.

In domestic vehicles, the armor was solid. If the projectile pierced it (even in an area free from the engine or crew), a whole hurricane of small fragments of scale raged inside the car. Many tankers were killed or maimed for this very reason.

Crew working conditions

By the way, how did the crew of the Sherman tank feel in general? Quite decently, when compared with the conditions of Soviet cars. Firstly, everyone noted the high quality of the observation devices, which is why the tankers always had an excellent view. In addition, in addition to the main engine, a small gasoline engine was mounted in the tank for the charging station generator. Why was it valuable?

The fact is that the tank always needed a charged battery. To charge it on the T-34 in parking conditions, it was necessary to drive the main engine in vain. As a result - a huge waste of fuel and the exhaustion of an already meager motor resource. Finally, the inside of the Sherman tank was much more spacious, and the quality of the finish was higher.

"Lifebuoy"

In the back of the Sherman's hull there was a niche where a regular radio station was installed. The entrance hatch was located on the roof of the tower and was closed with a double-leaf lid. An anti-aircraft machine gun turret was also mounted there. In this way, the Sherman tank differed from Soviet vehicles, on which the machine gun began to be mass-produced only after the appearance of the IS-2. Since 1943, the towers began to be equipped with an oval hatch, designed for the loading and disembarking of the loader.

The fact is that the loader himself, the radio operator and even the mechanic simply could not get out of one hatch. Why did the driver also get out through it? It's simple: often the gun turned out to be jammed as a result of a successful hit by the enemy, after which the driver simply could not use the exit intended for him.

Soviet tankers on the T-34 suffered greatly from the gas contamination of the tower. The fact is that the fans, borrowed from the BT, “dangled” somewhere in the front of the tower, while the gun breech protruded strongly back. The power of the installation was so-so, and therefore most of the powder exhaust remained right there.

The Americans with their M-3s had roughly the same problem. But it was decided just the same in Sherman, by installing three fans at once, protected by armor caps.

Did the various modifications of the tank differ from each other?

Note that during the Second World War there were the following modifications of the Sherman tank:

• M4. It featured a Continental R-975 carburetor engine and a simple welded body.
• M4A1. The engine is the same as in the previous case, but the body is cast.
• M4A2. Features a General Motors 6046 diesel engine (loved by Soviet tankers), welded hull.
• M4A3, ("Sherman 3"). The tank was equipped with a carburetor-type Ford GAA power plant. The case is standard, made by welding.
• Tank "General Sherman" M4A4. Again diesel RD -1820. Also made by welding.
• M4A6. Similar to the previous variety in everything. Represents a late, post-war modification. It is distinguished by greater manufacturability and workmanship, the best radio station was installed on the car.

In addition, there was a "theoretical" model of the Sherman tank, M4A5. This name was reserved in case a facility producing American cars was also opened in Canada. These plans were not destined to materialize, but the name was never used. More precisely, the Canadian version (Grizzly 1) was actually produced from September 1942 to the autumn of 1943, but then the release was curtailed, since American supplies more than covered the needs of the country.

Model differences

Despite such a variety, outwardly these models practically did not differ from each other (except that the shape of the tower was excellent). The exception is the M4A1, which stood out sharply from the background of others with its cast body. The placement of the units, the gun and the undercarriage on all Shermans were exactly the same. It should be noted that American vehicles differed significantly from their Soviet and German counterparts in that they were equipped with overhead armor sets.

The tanks of the first series had viewing slots in the front plate. Only then they were completely covered with casings and periscopes were installed. Subsequently, the slope of the frontal armor also changed significantly: it was 47 °, and became 56 °. It is for this reason that the car in the World of Tanks game has average characteristics. "Sherman" there in many respects corresponds to the T-34. However, this is true (judging by the feedback of veterans).

Engine

In general, the M4 Sherman tank is a unique phenomenon in some way, since no one had such a number of engines that were installed on it. What caused it? Everything is simple. Until the Second World War, it seemed to the Americans that they did not need medium and heavy tanks in principle. Emphasis was placed on the development of aviation and navy, and in this area they did an excellent job.

When medium tanks were needed, the question arose of which engines to use for them? Aviation, of course, since there were plenty of aircraft manufacturing plants in America. By the way, it was precisely because of the star-shaped engine that was installed on the first Shermans that the car turned out to be high, because otherwise the motor would simply not fit there.

In addition, a “civilian” transmission was used, originally adapted for mass and cheap trucks. Its dimensions were large, since the designers in this case did not particularly bother with its compactness. However, the Sherman is a tank, the characteristics of which are quite consistent with the spirit of the times. In particular, the Germans also massively used parts from trucks in the development of the Pz.II, one of the most massive vehicles of that era.

Why were so many power plants used? Everything is also simple. During the war, the Americans not only needed aircraft themselves, but also supplied them to their allies. Accordingly, those enterprises that manufactured engines for them worked at the limit of their capabilities. Often, there were simply no motors planned for the design of tanks, which made it necessary to look for analogues. However, first things first.

Characteristics of power plants

The first modifications, that is, the M4 and M4A1, were powered by the Continental R975 C1 radial aircraft engine. He developed 350 horsepower, the number of revolutions was 3500 rpm. For comparison, the B-2 of the legendary T-34 developed an operating power of 400 horsepower, delivering 1700 rpm.

Detailed history of the Wright engine (Continental)

Initially, this motor was used for light aircraft. To make a Sherman tank engine out of it, the engineers had to work very hard. For example, it was necessary to "screw" the gearbox, which, for obvious reasons, was not needed by the aircraft. In addition, it was necessary to sharply increase the torque at low revs, as well as create a normal air purification system (dust clouds are rarely found in the sky), along with reducing the amount of oil consumed by the engine.

After a year of work, bench tests were carried out, on which the engine showed quite acceptable results. In 1940, the M2, the common ancestor of the Lee and Sherman with the Wright engine, was tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. In addition, British vehicles participated in the tests, which seemed "sluggish" next to the American tank. The military were satisfied, they liked the model, which would later be called the Sherman tank. The reviews were very good, it was recommended to take the car into service as soon as possible.

The total weight of the power plant was 515 kg. It should be noted that aviation fuel with an octane rating of at least 92 should have been used as fuel. The compression ratio was 6.3:1.

Some disadvantages

However, further tests showed that the military rejoiced early: at the slightest increase in the mass of the test vehicle, a lack of power began to be felt, and the cooling system could not cope with the increased load at all. In addition, due to the increase in temperature in the carburetor itself, the density of the air entering there sharply decreased, which caused a dangerous drop in power. Under such conditions, the engine of the Sherman tank could only work for 100 hours, after which it needed a full overhaul.

Reorientation of production

Because of this circumstance, they decided to take the production from the Wright company and transfer the issue to the larger Continental company. It was assumed that at least a thousand motors would be manufactured at its factories every month. By the way, for all the previous time, the Wrights produced only 750 engines.

New engineers enthusiastically undertook to clean up design flaws. First, the cooling system was redesigned. Secondly, they developed a new air purification filter. Finally, the production itself set strict requirements for the tolerances of manufactured parts, which is why the overall quality of the engines has increased significantly.

The M4A2 was equipped with a pair of six-cylinder diesel engines GM 6046. The engine developed a power of 375 horsepower. Number of revolutions - 2100 rpm. As we said above, our tankers liked the motor for its unpretentiousness, reliability and maintainability. Moreover, its engine life was several times higher than that of the T-34. In fairness, it's worth noting that these two medium tanks rarely endured more than three or four battles at the beginning of the war.

By 1944-1945 and 1946 (the war against Japan), the B-2 engine was somewhat brought to mind, so that the difference became not so noticeable. So, Sherman tanks in the Red Army, together with Soviet equipment, reached Manchuria under their own power. There were no special claims to Soviet or American-made cars.

Tanks with what engines were delivered to our country?

It is officially believed that only this model was supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. But some Soviet tankers, who described the M4 Sherman tank, said that "it flared up like a match." Often there are also references to gasoline engines. All this suggests that the M4 or M4A1 were also supplied to the Soviet Union.

In addition, it can be assumed that a certain number of gasoline Shermans came to our country from England, where the United States supplied both diesel and gasoline modifications (British troops were equally provided with gasoline and diesel fuel). The Americans themselves used mainly gasoline modifications. The only exception was the marines, which had an unlimited supply of ship diesel fuel.

Actually, that is why the Sherman diesel was so popular in our country. The tank in the USSR (as well as in the USA) until about the 30s was considered an auxiliary unit, a consumable. When something more serious was required, it turned out that there was simply not enough gasoline for the tank hordes. I had to use diesel fuel, which in those years was considered a waste of oil refining.

The most "advanced" model was the M4A3. For her, a V-shaped eight-cylinder Ford GAA engine was specially developed. Its power was 500 horsepower. The most complex and cumbersome design was the M4A4: five car engines (regular, serial) set the tank in motion. Just imagine what and how the unfortunate mechanics who were forced to repair this miracle of engineering thought in case of breakdowns said.

Where are these cars now?

And where can you see the Sherman tank today? "Fury" (the historical facts in this film are more or less close to reality) shows these machines in the cinema. The troops of Paraguay (as of 2013) still have as many as four of these tanks. Many half-flooded and half-wrecked cars are found on the coast of the Philippines, where the Shermans were massively used to break through the Japanese defenses. The Sherman tank is advertised by the World of Tanks game, where it is quite popular.

In this series of posts, I will talk about the main serial modifications, operation features and the history of the development and use of this overseas unit. (I plan 3-4 parts in total. In the first part, about the main modifications made in the USA)

M4 "Sherman» - US main medium tank period of the Second World War, well, or almost the main tank in general, because they sawed a bunch of modifications for different tasks and I decided to unearth this whole pile in the name of the Satan of mankind.

History of creation (briefly, no seriously, very briefly):

By the beginning of the Second World War, the United States came up without a single adequate model of a medium or heavy tank in production and in service, there was only a handful of "medium" "tanks" M2. The M3 "Lee" tank, developed in an emergency, was considered obsolete in design already at the development stage, therefore, there were already requirements for a tank that would replace it ... We decided (not unreasonably) that using the components and assemblies of the "Lee" tank would be a good idea - so the development started February 1, 941, the prototype appeared on September 2 of the same year.

The tank inherited the undercarriage, lower part of the hull and the gun of its predecessor, however, they abandoned the stubborn design with a gun in the fuselage of the hull and stuffed it into the turret. True, the dimensions remained approximately the same. Tank received the designation M4, and in February 1942, its serial production was started. M4 turned out to be simpler, more technologically advanced and cheaper to manufacture than the M3.
On this, the history of creation can end and begin to disassemble quietly - what were they, "Shermans"?

T6 Sherman Prototype

Modifications:

There will be only serial American cars, Canadian, English and engineering cars, I will describe in another post. Only key differences will be indicated, riveters may not even write anything in comments

To begin with, it is worth saying that the feature of the production of the M4 was that almost all of its variants were not the result of upgrades, but had purely technological differences and were produced almost simultaneously. That is, the difference between the M4A1 and the M4A2 does not mean that the M4A2 denotes a later and more advanced version, it only means that these models were produced at different factories and have differences in design (which will be discussed below). Modernizations, such as changing the ammo rack, equipping with a new turret and cannon, changing the type of suspension, all types underwent generally at the same time, receiving army designations W, (76) and HVSS. Factory designations are different, and include the letter E and a numerical index. For example, the M4A3(76)W HVSS had the factory designation M4A3E8.

The number in brackets indicated the gun mounted on the tank, if there is no numerical designation, then a standard 75mm gun is installed, and for example, in the M4A1 (105) marking it is clear that this is a Sherman with a cast hull and a 105mm howitzer.

Cast body. M4A1 (perhaps the most familiar appearance for me when you imagine the very first M4 Sherman)

Welded hull of the M4 tank

Perhaps the most interesting version from the Detroit factory: M4 Composite Hull (cast front plate with other welded parts)

In fact, the tank almost completely corresponded to the T6 Prototype prototype (in the cast hull version). The only difference was the gun (the prototype had the M2 gun) and the absence of two fixed and fucking useless machine guns. E its main armament was an American tank gun 75 mm M3 with a length of 37.5 calibers. The gun made it possible to deal with most enemy tanks at the time of adoption, although the tank as a whole was considered an infantry support vehicle, because the high-explosive action of the projectile was more important.

The highlight of the M4 tank (and subsequent modifications with a "regular" gun and not a howitzer) was a vertical stabilizer, quite primitive, but it reduced the time until the gun was completely stabilized after stopping (this was also facilitated by a rather soft suspension). Also, the M4 tank was armed 105mm babahalka M4 howitzer and turned out to be somewhat more effective as an infantry support tank, but lost anti-tank properties and a vertical stabilizer.

During the war, SUDDENLY, it turned out that the Germans had both new models of tanks and improved old ones, because in 1944 they began to install 76 mm gun M1 with a barrel length of 55 calibers. True, to install the gun, I had to build a new turret (from an experimental T23 tank), but it's easier and cheaper than sawing a new tank. (As far as I understand, the stabilizer on this gun remained, but I could be wrong). In terms of anti-tank properties, it was on a par with the 85mm T-34-85 cannon, inferior to the 75mm Panther cannon and the 88mm Tiger cannon, surpassing the later modifications of the Panzer 4.

M4A1 with 76mm gun

The engine on the tank was a 350-horsepower radial, gasoline. He generally met the requirements for mobility, although he slightly increased the fire hazard of the car.
The booking was 51/38/38mm, front plate set at an angle of 56 degrees.

M4A2


M4A2(76)W. Let there be only 1/3 of all M4A2s released, but the piccha is here for a change. (By the way, here you can see the muzzle brake on the 76mm cannon. And also in the background you can see either the SU-85M or the SU-100. From here we can understand that these are Soviet Lend-Lease vehicles)

In fact, the A2 modification differed only in a twin diesel engine with a total power 375 pony horses (by the way, the tank could well move with one engine, this will be a little later in the story about "Shermans" in the USSR). It was the M4A2 that was supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease, since one of the requirements for the tank was the presence of a diesel engine. The tank was produced only in its welded version, the production of a cast hull was more laborious and had no advantages over a welded one. Booking identical to M4

M4A3 (and its modifications)

M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" ( "Easy Eight" - a new type of suspension, about which a little later)

M4A3

Again, essentially the same M4 with a welded hull, but the highlight of the tank is a 500-strong, 8-cylinder V-shaped gasoline engine from Ford, which, with approximately the same weight, noticeably increased mobility. Armament, as in previous modifications, ranged from 75-76mm to 105mm guns. Booking is identical to M4.

It is worth noting the modification M4A3E2 "Sherman Jumbo" and M4A3E8 "Easy Eight".

M4A3E2 "Sherman Jumbo" it differed from the "simple" "Sherman" in reinforced frontal armor in a 100mm frontal plate and a thick cast turret, the side armor was also increased to 76mm, however, due to the fact that the modification was conceived as an assault gun, the choice of guns fell on the 75mm and 105mm guns and from 76mm guns were abandoned due to the weak high-explosive impact of the projectile (no matter how strange it was, but the 75mm high-explosive projectile was more powerful than the 76mm). Later, at the numerous requests of the military, a certain number of 76mm cannons were supplied to fight tanks and on the tank, with a long-barreled cannon installed with virtually no significant modifications. For the increase in armor protection, Jimbo paid with a significant decrease in mobility. The maximum speed along the intersection was only 22 km / h. On the highway, the speed remained practically the same. The specific pressure on the ground also increased, which reduced its permeability.


M4A3E2 (in the photo we can see the 76mm M1 gun)

M4A3E8 "Easy Eight"- It differed from the M4A3 in the presence of a new, horizontal type of suspension. At the end of March 1945, the suspension was modernized, the rollers became double, the springs were horizontal, the shape and kinematics of the balancers were also changed, hydraulic mortizers . Suspension received wider, 58 cm, caterpillars. Tanks with such a suspension (dubbed Horisontal Volute Spring Suspension, "horizontal") had the abbreviation HVSS in designation. The "horizontal" suspension differs from the "vertical" one by lower specific pressure on the ground, and gives the upgraded tanks a slightly higher cross-country ability. In addition, this suspension is more reliable and requires less maintenance. Due to slightly less ground pressure, they received the nickname "Easy Eight"

M4A4

М4А4(76)W

It features a simple propulsion system consisting of 5 gasoline engines with a total capacity of 470 horses. The hull had to be lengthened so that this miracle would fit, which had a little effect on the growth of the tank's mass. Also (as seen in the photo above), the place of the Driver and his assistant was protected by additional armor plates due to the fact that they are located at a smaller angle of inclination with the same thickness.
Basically, the car was used in the British army under the index Sherman V and went to rework under Sherman Firefly (about which in another post)

M4A6

M4A6
It features a multi-fuel engine installation. Similar in design to the M4A4. Only 75 pieces were produced, so there is not much information about it. M4A6 did not take part in the battles and were used to train crews in the 777th tank battalion at Fort Knox

On this with the main modifications, I will finish. About engineering machines and foreign-made machines - in the next post

P.S. I apologize for some inconsistencies with M4A3E2, I fixed everything after reading some additional information

M4 Sherman what it is - the main American medium tank of the Second World War period. It was widely used in the American army at all battlefields, and was also supplied in large quantities to the allies (primarily Great Britain and the USSR) under the Lend-Lease program.

Tank M4 Sherman - video

After the Second World War, the Sherman was in service with the armies of many countries of the world, and also participated in many post-war conflicts. In the US Army, the M4 was in service until the end of the Korean War. The name "Sherman" (in honor of the American General of the Civil War, William Sherman) received the M4 tank in the British army, after which this name was assigned to the tank in the American and other armies. The Soviet tankers had the nickname "emcha" (from M4).

The M4 became the main American tank platform during World War II, and a large number of special modifications, self-propelled guns, and engineering equipment were created on its basis.

A total of 49,234 tanks were produced between February 1942 and July 1945 (excluding Canadian-made tanks). This is the third (after the T-34 and T-54) the most massive tank in the world, as well as the most massive American-made tank.

By the beginning of World War II, the United States came up with no model of medium or heavy tank in production and in service, except for 18 pieces of M2. Enemy tanks were supposed to be destroyed by anti-tank artillery or self-propelled anti-tank guns. The medium tank M3 "Lee", which was urgently developed on the basis of the M2 and put into production, did not satisfy the military already at the development stage, and the requirements for a new tank intended to replace it were released on August 31, 1940, even before the completion of work on the M3. It was assumed that the new tank would use the M3 units already worked out and mastered by the industry, but its main gun would be located in the turret. However, the work was suspended, until the full development and mass production of the previous model, and began only on February 1, 1941. The prototype, named T6, appeared on September 2, 1941.

The T6 retained many of the features of its M3 predecessor, inheriting the lower hull, undercarriage design, engine, and the M2 75mm tank gun. Unlike the M3, the T6 received a cast hull and a classic layout with the main armament placed in a rotating cast turret, which eliminated most of the shortcomings inherent in the M3 design.

The tank was quickly standardized, designated M4, and mass production began in February 1942. The first tanks were of the M4A1 cast hull variant and were built by Lima Locomotive Works under contract with the British Army. Despite the fact that the tank was supposed to be equipped with the M3 gun, due to the unavailability of the new gun, the first tanks received the 75 mm M2 gun, borrowed from their predecessor.

The M4 was simpler, more technologically advanced and cheaper to manufacture than the M3. The cost of various variants of the M4 ranged from $45,000-$50,000 (in 1945 prices), and was about 10% lower than the cost of the M3. The most expensive was the M4A3E2 (Sherman Jumbo) at $56,812.

The 75-mm Sherman gun was suitable for infantry support and allowed the tank to withstand PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV on equal terms during use in North Africa. The penetration of the M3 gun was lower than that of the KwK 40 L/48. Shortly before the end of the battles in North Africa, the tank begins to confront the PzKpfw VI Tiger I, which completely outmatched the M4 and could only be destroyed by a joint attack by several Shermans at close range and from behind.

At first, the artillery and technical service began to develop the T20 medium tank as a replacement for the Sherman, but the US Army decided to minimize the separation of production and began upgrading the Sherman using components from other tanks. This is how the M4A1, M4A2, and M4A3 modifications appeared with a larger T23 turret equipped with a 76 mm M1 gun with improved anti-tank properties.

After D-Day, Tigers were a rarity, yet half of all German tanks on the western front were Panthers, which were clearly superior to the early Sherman models. Shermans with 76mm guns were sent to Normandy in July 1944. The anti-tank properties of the 76 mm M1 gun were approximately equal to the gun of the Soviet T-34/85 tank. The M4A1 was the first Sherman with the new gun to be used in actual combat, followed by the M4A3. By the end of the war, half of the American Shermans were equipped with a 76-mm gun.

One of the most important improvements of the Sherman was the reworking of the suspension. Combat use revealed a short service life of the spring suspension, taken from the M3 tank, and could not withstand the greater weight of the Sherman. Despite the high speed on the highway and over rough terrain, the tank's maneuverability sometimes left much to be desired. In desert North America rubber tracks worked well, in the hilly landscape of Italy, the Shermans outperformed the German tanks. On soft surfaces, such as snow or mud, narrow tracks showed worse maneuverability than German tanks. To temporarily solve this problem, the US Army released special track connecting strips (platypuses) that increase the width of the track. These platypuses were factory fitted to the M4A3E2 Jumbo to compensate for the increased weight of the machine.

To overcome these shortcomings, a new HVSS suspension (Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension) was developed. In this suspension, the buffer springs were moved from vertical to horizontal. HVSS and a new track increased the weight of the machine by 1300 kg (with T66 tracks) or 2100 kg (with heavier T80s).

The new model received the designation E8 (which is why the M4 tanks with HVSS were nicknamed "Easy Eight"). A 76 mm gun was installed on the tank (the initial velocity of an anti-tank projectile was 780 m/s, the projectile pierced 101 mm of armor at a distance of 900 m).

Production of the M4A3E8 began in March 1944 and continued until April 1945. The new tank entered service 3 (English) Russian. and 7 armies (English) Russian. in Europe, where he received the nickname "Super Sherman". Despite the fact that the tank still could not compete with the Panther or the Tiger, its reliability and powerful armament ensured it a long life.

After the deployment of full-scale serial production of the M4 tanks and a line of derived models of armored vehicles, the International Harvester Corp. won a state contract for the production of three thousand M7 medium tanks, however, the contract was soon withdrawn by the customer and only seven serial samples were produced.

Production

An experimental prototype of the T6 was built by the military personnel of the Aberdeen Proving Ground. In the serial production of Sherman tanks, ten large American contractors from the private sector (in the field of mechanical engineering and production of rail rolling stock) were involved, each of which was responsible for the production of one or another modification of the tank or armored vehicles on its chassis (indicating structural divisions and modifications made).

Of which, 6281 M4 tanks were produced at the Lima, Paccar and Pressed Steel factories until December 1943. The Chrysler and Fisher factories produced 3,071 M4A3 tanks. In total, by the end of World War II, 49,422 M4 tanks of all modifications and armored vehicles on its chassis were produced (traditionally, this figure is rounded up to fifty thousand). Enterprises of the locomotive industry produced 35919 tanks (or 41% of the total number of tanks produced). In general, locomotive building enterprises were more prepared for the transition to tank building than automotive companies, which had to catch up with them in terms of production rates and quality of products directly in the production process, moreover, the former successfully combined the production of tanks with the production of industrial rail rolling stock, manufactured in the same workshops and on the same equipment as armored vehicles. In addition to American contractors, the production, repair and re-equipment of tanks, individual components and assemblies, were carried out by machine-building companies of other states - members of the anti-Hitler coalition. Own production was established in Canada:

Montreal Locomotive Works - a total of 1144 M4 tanks, of which 188 are Grizzly I tanks.

Not all enterprises had a full production cycle, therefore, in addition to the production of tank hulls and assembly, a limited number of enterprises were engaged in the production of tank turrets, supplying them to everyone else for assembly. In addition, not all of the enterprises listed above had the ability to build engines, so even aircraft manufacturing companies were involved in the production of the engine-transmission group.

The production of tank guns was established at the Watervliet Arsenal of the US Army, Watervliet, New York, as well as at the following private enterprises:

Empire Ordnance Corporation, Philadelphia, PA;
- Cowdrey Machine Works, Fitchburg, Massachusetts;
- General Motors Oldsmobile Division.

Design

The M4 tank has a classic English layout, with the engine compartment at the rear and the transmission compartment at the front of the tank. Between them is the fighting compartment, tower circular rotation installed almost in the center of the tank. This layout is generally typical for American and German medium and heavy tanks of WWII. Despite the rejection of the sponson placement of the main tank gun, the height of the tank's hull, although smaller compared to the M3, still remained significant. The main reason for this is the vertical arrangement of the radial aircraft engine used on this tank, as well as the forward location of the transmission, which determines the presence of a high box for drivelines from the engine to the gearbox.

Armored corps and turret

The hull of most modifications of the M4 tank has a welded structure made of rolled armor steel sheets. NLD, which is also the cover of the transmission compartment, cast, assembled from three parts with bolts (subsequently replaced by a single part). During the production process, there were many variants of the tank hull, which differed slightly in shape and very significantly in manufacturing technology. Initially, the tank was supposed to have a cast hull, but due to difficulties in mass production of castings of this size, only the M4A1, which was produced at the same time as the welded M4, received a cast hull.

The lower part of the hull was the same as the M3 tank, except that welding was used instead of riveting, including for tanks with a cast hull. On the first versions of the tank, the upper front part of the hull had a slope of 56 degrees and a thickness of 51 mm. VLD was weakened by ledges welded into it with hatches for viewing devices. On later modifications, the hatches were moved to the roof of the hull, the VLD became solid, but due to the transfer of the hatches, it had to be made more vertical, 47 degrees.

The sides of the hull consist of vertically mounted armor plates 38 mm thick, the rear part has the same armor. On the prototype, the side of the tank had a large enough hatch for the crew, but it was abandoned on production vehicles.

In the bottom of the hull, behind the gunner-radio operator, there is a hatch designed for the relatively safe exit of the tank by the crew on the battlefield under enemy fire. In some cases, this hatch was used to evacuate wounded infantrymen or crew members of other tanks from the battlefield, since the interior of the Sherman was large enough to temporarily accommodate several more people.

The tank turret is cast, cylindrical in shape with a small aft niche, mounted on a chase with a diameter of 1750 mm with a ball bearing, the thickness of the armor of the forehead of the turret is 76 mm, the sides and stern of the turret are 51 mm. The forehead of the turret is slanted at an angle of 60°, the gun mantlet has 89 mm armor. The roof of the tower has a thickness of 25 mm, the roof of the hull is from 25 mm in the front to 13 mm in the rear of the tank. In the roof of the tower there is a commander's hatch, which is also the entrance for the gunner and loader. Late production turrets (starting from August 1944) have a separate hatch for the loader. The cover of the commander's hatch is double-leaf, an anti-aircraft machine gun turret is installed on the hatch. The turret turning mechanism is electro-hydraulic or electric, with the possibility of manual turning in case of failure of the mechanisms, the time of a full turn is 15 seconds. On the left side of the tower there is a loophole for firing a pistol, closed with an armored shutter. In February 1943, the pistol embrasure was abandoned, but at the request of the military, it was introduced back at the beginning of 1944.

The ammunition of the gun is placed in horizontal ammunition racks located along the sides of the hull in the fenders (one ammunition rack in the left sponson, two in the right one), in a horizontal ammunition rack on the floor of the turret basket, and also in a vertical ammunition rack in the back of the basket. Outside, on the sides of the hull in the places where the ammunition was placed, additional armor plates 25 mm thick were welded (with the exception of tanks of the earliest series). The combat use of the Shermans showed that when armor-piercing shells hit the sides of the hull, the tank is prone to ignite powder charges of ammunition. From the middle of 1944, the tank received a new design of ammo racks, which were moved to the floor of the fighting compartment, water mixed with antifreeze and a corrosion inhibitor was poured into the gaps between the nests of shells. Such tanks received the index "(W)" in the designation, and outwardly differed from earlier versions by the absence of additional side armor plates. The "wet" ammunition rack had a significantly lower tendency to ignite when the sides of the tank were hit by shells, as well as in case of fire.

Most of the produced tanks had an internal lining made of foam rubber, designed to protect the crew from secondary fragments when the tank was hit by shells.

Armament

75mm M3

When the M4 went into mass production, its main armament was the American 75 mm M3 L/37.5 tank gun, inherited from later versions of the M3 tank. In the tanks of the first series, the gun was mounted in the M34 mount. In October 1942, the mount was upgraded with a reinforced gun mantlet covering not only the gun itself, but also the machine gun coaxial with it, as well as the gunner's direct telescopic sight (before that, aiming was carried out through a telescopic sight built into the periscope). The new installation received the designation M34A1. The vertical aiming angles of the gun are −10…+25°.

The M3 has a caliber of 75 mm, a barrel length of 37.5 calibers (40 calibers is the full length of the gun), a semi-automatic wedge breech, unitary loading. The rifling pitch is 25.59 calibers.

The M3 was generally in line with the Soviet F-34, with a slightly shorter barrel, similar caliber and armor penetration. The gun was effective against German light and medium tanks (except for the latest modifications of the PzKpfw IV), and on the whole it fully met the requirements of the time.

The gun is equipped with a Westinghouse gyroscopic stabilizer, which worked in a vertical plane. The peculiarity of mounting a gun in a tank is that it is mounted turned 90 degrees to the left relative to the longitudinal axis of the gun. This greatly facilitated the work of the loader, since with this mounting, the shutter controls move horizontally, not vertically.
Ammunition is 90 shots.

76mm M1

During the war, with the appearance in the German armored units of PzKpfw IV medium tanks with long-barreled 75 mm guns, PzKpfw V "Panther" medium tanks and PzKpfw VI "Tiger" heavy tanks, the problem of insufficient armor penetration of the American 75 mm M3 guns arose. To solve this problem, work was carried out to install the turrets of an experimental T23 tank with a 76-mm long-barreled M1 gun in the M62 mask mount on the M4. Serial production of the M4 tanks with the T23 turret continued from January 1944 to April 1945. All Sherman tanks with 76-mm guns received the index "(76)" in the designation. The new tower had a commander's cupola. Reservation tower T23 circular, 64 mm.

M1 rifled gun, caliber 76.2 mm, barrel length 55 calibers, semi-automatic sliding bolt, unitary loading. There are several weapon options. The M1A1 differs from the M1 in having trunnions shifted forward for better balance, the M1A1C has a thread on the muzzle end of the barrel to install the M2 muzzle brake (if the muzzle brake is not installed, the thread is closed with a special protective sleeve), the M1A2 has a shortened twist rate, 32 caliber instead of 40.

17 pounder

There were also variants in the British army, re-armed with the British 17-pounder MkIV anti-tank gun, called Sherman IIC (based on the M4A1) and Sherman VC (based on the M4A4), better known as the Sherman Firefly. The 17-pounder gun was mounted in a conventional turret, the mask mount was specially designed for this gun. The gun stabilizer was dismantled due to the heavy weight of the gun barrel.

The Ordnance QF 17 pounder Mk.IV gun is rifled, caliber 76.2 mm, barrel length 55 calibers, rifling pitch 30 calibers, horizontal sliding bolt, semi-automatic, unitary loading. The gun was equipped with a muzzle brake with a built-in counterweight.

The ammunition load of the gun is 77 rounds, and is placed as follows: 5 rounds are placed on the floor of the turret basket, another 14 rounds are in the place of the driver's assistant, and the remaining 58 rounds are in three ammunition racks on the floor of the fighting compartment.

An interesting fact is that the British, not satisfied with the power of the M3 gun, began work on equipping the M4 with a 17-pound gun long before the American command was seriously concerned about this issue. Since the British had obtained very good results, they suggested that the Americans produce a 17-pound gun under license and install it on American Shermans, especially since it did not require a new tower to install it. Due to the reluctance to install foreign weapons on the tanks, the Americans, after several experiments, decided to abandon this decision, and began to install their own less powerful M1 gun.

SVDS shells first appeared in the British army in August 1944. By the end of that year, the industry had produced 37,000 of these shells, and another 140,000 by the end of the war. The shells of the first series had significant manufacturing defects, which made it possible to use them only at short distances.

105 mm howitzer M4

A number of different types of M4s received as their main armament the American 105 mm M4 howitzer, which was a modified M2A1 howitzer for use in a tank. These tanks were intended for direct artillery support of the infantry.

The howitzer is mounted in a mask mount M52, the ammunition capacity is 66 rounds, and is placed in the right sponson (21 rounds), as well as on the floor of the fighting compartment (45 rounds). Two more shots were stored directly in the tower. The tower does not have a basket, since the latter makes it difficult to access the ammunition rack. Due to difficulties with balancing the gun, there is no stabilizer, in addition, the turret does not have a hydraulic drive (it was returned to some tanks in the summer of 1945).

Howitzer M4 rifled, caliber 105 mm, barrel length 24.5 caliber, rifling pitch 20 calibers. Sliding shutter, unitary loading.

The M4 howitzer can also fire all types of artillery rounds intended for the M101 army howitzer. All types of shots, except M67, have a variable charge.

Auxiliary armament

A rifle-caliber M1919A4 machine gun is paired with the tank's cannon. The gunner fired from a coaxial machine gun using an electric trigger made in the form of a solenoid mounted on the machine gun body and acting on its trigger guard. The same machine gun is installed in a movable ball mask on the frontal part, the driver's assistant fired from it. On the roof of the turret, in a turret combined with a commander's hatch, a large-caliber M2H machine gun was installed, which was used as an anti-aircraft gun.

Ammunition is 4750 rounds for coaxial and course machine guns, 300 rounds for heavy machine guns. Cartridge belts for the course machine gun were located in the fenders to the right of the driver's assistant, belts for the coaxial machine gun were located on the shelf in the turret niche.

Starting in June 1943, the tank was equipped with a 51 mm M3 smoke mortar mounted in the turret roof on the left side at an angle of 35°, so that its breech was inside the tank. The mortar is a licensed version of the English "2 inch bomb thrower Mk.I", has a regulator that allows you to fire at a fixed range of 35, 75 and 150 meters, ammunition 12 smoke shells. The fire from it was usually led by the loader. Ordinary mines from a 50-mm mortar were also used.

In order to increase the defense capability of the crew, tanks of all modifications were equipped with an M2 machine gun for the M1919 machine gun and a Thompson submachine gun.

Crew accommodation, instrumentation and sights

The crew of the tank consists of five people, for all modifications, except for the Sherman Firefly. In the hull of the tank, on both sides of the transmission, there is a driver (on the left) and a gunner-radio operator (driver's assistant), both have hatches on the upper part of the frontal part (for early modifications) or on the roof of the hull in front of the turret (for later modifications). The fighting compartment and the turret accommodate the tank commander, gunner and loader. The place of the commander is in the rear right side of the tower, in front of him is the gunner, and the entire left half of the tower is given to the loader. The seats of the driver, assistant driver and tank commander are adjustable and can move vertically in a fairly wide range, about 30 cm [not in the source]. Each crew member, except the gunner, has a 360-degree rotating observation periscope M6, the periscopes can also move up and down. Tanks of early models had viewing slots for the driver and his assistant, later they were abandoned.

Sights consist of an M55 telescopic sight with a three-fold increase, rigidly fixed in the gun mask, and an M4A1 gunner's periscope, which has an integrated M38A2 telescopic sight, which could be used as a backup. The sight built into the periscope is synchronized with the gun. Two metal indicators are welded on the roof of the turret, which serve to enable the tank commander to turn the turret in the direction of the target, observing through the periscope. The course machine gun does not have sights. Tanks armed with 105mm howitzers received the M77C telescopic sight instead of the M38A2. For the 76mm gun, the M47A2 was used instead of the M38A2 and the M51 was used instead of the M55. Subsequently, the sights were improved. The tank received a universal gunner's periscope M10 (or its modification with an adjustable reticle M16) with two built-in telescopic sights, with a single and a sixfold increase. The periscope could be used with any type of weapon. Direct telescopic sights M70 (improved quality), M71 (five-fold magnification), M76 (with extended field of view), M83 (variable 4-8 × magnification) were also installed. The tank gun has indicators for vertical and horizontal aiming angles, which made it possible to conduct fairly effective artillery fire from closed positions.

The tank is equipped with one of three types of VHF radios mounted in the turret niche - SCR 508 with two receivers, SCR 528 with one receiver, or SCR 538 without a transmitter. The radio station antenna is displayed from the left rear side of the tower roof. The command tanks were equipped with an SCR 506 radio station located in front of the right sponson of the KV, with an antenna displayed in the upper right part of the VLD. The tank is equipped with an internal intercom BC 605, which connects all crew members, and is part of the radio station. An optional RC 298 communications kit with accompanying infantry could also be installed, equipped with an external telephone BC 1362, located on the right rear of the hull. Also, the tank could be equipped with an AN / VRC 3 mobile radio station, which served to communicate with the infantry SCR 300 (Walkie Talkie). The T23 turret has a commander's cupola with six fixed periscope observation devices. Later versions of tanks with 105-mm howitzers were equipped with the same turret. For operations in conditions of poor visibility, the tank is equipped with a gyrocompass. In Europe, gyrocompasses were practically not used, but they were in demand in North Africa during sandstorms, and were also occasionally used on the Eastern Front, in winter conditions.

Engine

Among other WWII medium tanks, the Sherman stands out for perhaps the widest range of engines installed on it. In total, five different variants of the propulsion system were installed on the tank, which gave six main modifications:

M4 and M4A1 - Continental R975 C1 radial aircraft engine, 350 hp. With. at 3500 rpm.
- M4A2 - twin six-cylinder diesel engines GM 6046, 375 hp With. at 2100 rpm.
- M4A3 - specially designed gasoline V8Ford GAA, 500 hp With.
- M4A4 - 30-cylinder Chrysler A57 multibank power plant, consisting of five L6 automotive gasoline engines.
- M4A6 - Caterpillar RD1820 diesel.

Initially, the layout of the tank and the dimensions of the engine compartment were calculated for the star-shaped R975, which gave enough space to install other types of engines. However, the A57 30-cylinder power unit was not large enough to be installed in a standard engine bay, and the M4A4 variant received a longer hull, which was also used in the M4A6.

The M4A2 was supplied to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program, since one of the requirements for a tank in the USSR was the presence of a diesel power plant. In the US Army, diesel tanks were not used for logistical reasons, but they were available in the Marine Corps (which had access to diesel fuel) and in training parts. Also, diesel tanks accounted for about half of those delivered to the UK, where both gasoline and diesel vehicles were used.

The tank is equipped with a gasoline single-cylinder auxiliary power unit, which serves to recharge the batteries without starting the main engine, as well as to warm up the engine in low temperatures.

Transmission

The transmission of the tank is located in front of the hull, the torque from the engine is transmitted to it by a cardan shaft passing in a box along the floor of the fighting compartment. The gearbox is mechanical 5-speed, there is a reverse gear, 2-3-4-5 gears are synchronized. The transmission has a Cletrac type double differential and two separate brakes with which control is exercised. Driver's controls - two brake levers (with servo), clutch pedal, gear lever, foot and hand accelerator, hand brake. Subsequently, the hand brake was replaced with a foot brake.

The cast transmission housing is also the lower frontal part of the tank hull, the transmission compartment cover is cast from armored steel and is bolted to the tank hull. Massive parts of the transmission to a certain extent protected the crew from being hit by armor-piercing shells and secondary fragments, but on the other hand, this design increased the likelihood of damage to the transmission itself when shells hit its body, even if there was no armor penetration.

During the production process, the transmission design was not subjected to significant alterations.

Chassis

The suspension of the tank as a whole corresponds to that used on the M3 tank. The suspension is blocked, has three support carts on each side. The bogies have two rubber-coated track rollers, one support roller on the rear side, and two vertical buffer springs. Tanks from the earliest series, until the summer of 1942, had suspension with bogies from the M2, the same as the early versions of the M3. This suspension option is easy to distinguish by the support rollers located on the tops of the bogies.

Small-link caterpillar, with a rubber-metal parallel hinge, 420 mm wide, 79 tracks on M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, 83 tracks on M4A4 and M4A6. Track tracks have a steel base. The first versions of the tracks were equipped with a fairly thick rubber tread, which was even thicker to increase the life of the track. With the beginning of the Japanese advance in the Pacific, access to natural rubber became limited, and tracks were developed with riveted, welded or screwed steel tread. Subsequently, the situation with raw materials improved, and the steel tread was covered with a layer of rubber.

There were the following track options:

T41 is a track with a smooth rubber tread. Could be equipped with a spur.
- T48 - a track with a rubber tread in the form of a chevron.
- T49 - track with three welded steel parallel grouser.
- T51 - a track with a smooth rubber tread, the tread thickness is increased compared to T41. Could be equipped with a spur.
- T54E1, T54E2 - track with welded steel chevron protector.
- T56 - a track with a simple bolted steel tread.
- T56E1 - bolt-on steel chevron tread track.
- T62 - track with riveted steel chevron tread.
- T47, T47E1 - track with three welded steel grouser, covered with rubber.
- T74 - track with welded steel chevron tread, covered with rubber.

The Canadians developed their own type of caterpillar C.D.P. with cast metal tracks with an open metal sequential hinge. These tracks closely resembled those used on most German tanks of the time.

Such a suspension has the designation VVSS (Vertical Volute Spring Suspension, "vertical"), in the name of the tank, this abbreviation was usually omitted.

At the end of March 1945, the suspension was modernized, the rollers became double, the springs were horizontal, the shape and kinematics of the balancers were also changed, and hydraulic shock absorbers were introduced. The suspension received wider, 58 cm, tracks T66, T80 and T84. Tanks with this suspension (dubbed Horisontal Volute Spring Suspension, "horizontal") had the abbreviation HVSS in the designation. The "horizontal" suspension differs from the "vertical" one by lower specific pressure on the ground, and gives the upgraded tanks a slightly higher maneuverability. In addition, this suspension is more reliable and requires less maintenance.

The HVSS suspension track had three main options:

T66 - cast steel tracks, sequential metal open hinge.
- T80 - rubber-metal hinge, tracks with a steel tread in the form of a chevron, covered with rubber.
- T84 - rubber-metal hinge, tracks with a rubber tread in the form of a chevron. Used after the war.

Modifications

Main serial variants

A feature of the production of the M4 was that almost all of its variants were not the result of upgrades, but had purely technological differences and were produced almost simultaneously. That is, the difference between the M4A1 and the M4A2 does not mean that the M4A2 denotes a later and more advanced version, it only means that these models were produced at different factories and have different engines (as well as other minor differences). Modernizations, such as changing the ammo rack, equipping with a new turret and cannon, changing the type of suspension, all types underwent generally at the same time, receiving army designations W, (76) and HVSS. Factory designations are different, and include the letter E and a numerical index. For example, the M4A3(76)W HVSS had the factory designation M4A3E8.

The serial versions of the Sherman were as follows:

M4- a tank with a welded hull and a carburetor radial engine Continental R-975. It was mass-produced from July 1942 to January 1944 by Pressed Steel Car Co, Baldwin Locomotive Works, American Locomotive Co, Pullman Standard Car Co, Detroit Tank Arsenal. A total of 8389 vehicles were produced, 6748 of them were armed with the M3 cannon, 1641 M4 (105) received a 105-mm howitzer. M4s manufactured by Detroit Tank Arsenal featured a cast frontal part and were named M4 Composite Hull.

M4A1- the very first model that went into production, a tank with a cast hull and a Continental R-975 engine, almost completely consistent with the original T6 prototype. Produced from February 1942 to December 1943 by Lima Locomotive Works, Pressed Steel Car Co, Pacific Car and Foundry Co. A total of 9677 vehicles were produced, 6281 of them were armed with the M3 gun, 3396 M4A1(76)W received the new M1 gun. The tanks of the very first series had a 75 mm M2 cannon and two fixed forward machine guns.

M4A2- a tank with a welded hull and a power plant of two General Motors 6046 diesel engines. It was produced from April 1942 to May 1945 by Pullman Standard Car Co, Fisher Tank Arsenal, American Locomotive Co, Baldwin Locomotive Works, Federal Machine & Welder Co. A total of 11,283 tanks were produced, 8053 of them were armed with the M3 gun, 3230 M4A2(76)W received the new M1 gun.

M4A3- had a welded body and a Ford GAA carburetor engine. Produced by Fisher Tank Arsenal, Detroit Tank Arsenal from June 1942 to March 1945 in the amount of 11,424 pieces. 5015 had the M3 gun, 3039 M4A3(105) 105mm howitzer, 3370 M4A3(76)W new M1 gun. In June-July 1944, 254 M4A3s with M3 guns were converted into M4A3E2s.

M4A4- a machine with a welded elongated body and a Chrysler A57 Multibank power unit of five automobile engines. Produced in the amount of 7499 pieces by the Detroit Tank Arsenal. All were armed with the M3 gun, and had a slightly modified turret shape, with a radio station in the aft niche and a pistol firing port on the left side of the turret.

M4A5- a designation reserved for the Canadian Ram Tank, but never assigned to it. The tank is interesting because, in fact, it was not a version of the M4, but a very heavily modernized version of the M3. The Ram Tank had an English 6-pounder gun, a cast hull with a side door like the T6 prototype, a cast turret of the original shape, the undercarriage was the same as the M3, except for the tracks. Montreal Locomotive Works produced 1948 machines. Ram did not participate in battles due to too weak a gun, but served as the basis for numerous armored vehicles, such as the Kangaroo TBTR.

M4A6- welded body, similar to M4A4, with a cast frontal part. The engine is a Caterpillar D200A multi-fuel diesel engine. 75 tanks were produced by Detroit Tank Arsenal. The turret was the same as the M4A4.

grizzly bear- M4A1 tank, mass-produced in Canada. Basically similar to the American tank, differing from it in the design of the drive wheel and caterpillar. A total of 188 were produced by the Montreal Locomotive Works.

Prototypes

Tank AA, 20mm Quad, Skink- An English prototype of an anti-aircraft tank on a Canadian-made M4A1 chassis. The tank was equipped with four 20 mm Polsten anti-aircraft guns, which are a simplified version of the 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun. although the Skink was brought to mass production in January 1944, only a few were made, as total Allied air superiority precluded the need for air defenses.

M4A2E4- an experimental version of the M4A2 with an independent torsion bar suspension, similar to the T20E3 tank. Two tanks were built in the summer of 1943.

Centipede- An experimental version of the M4A1 with leaf spring suspension from the T16 half-track.

T52- American prototype anti-aircraft tank on the M4A3 chassis with one 40-mm M1 gun and two .50 M2B machine guns.

Special tanks based on the Sherman

The conditions of the war, and especially the desire of the allies to provide their large-scale landing operations with heavy armored vehicles, led to the creation of a large number of specialized Sherman tanks. But even ordinary combat vehicles often carried additional devices, such as blades for passing through the "hedges" of Normandy. Specialized versions of the tanks were created by both the Americans and the British, the latter being especially active.

The most famous specialized options:

Sherman Firefly- tanks M4A1 and M4A4 of the British army, rearmed with a "17-pounder" (76.2 mm) anti-tank gun. The alteration consisted of changing the gun and mask mount, moving the radio station to an external box mounted on the rear of the turret, and eliminating the driver's assistant (a part of the ammunition was placed in its place) and the course machine gun. In addition, due to the large length of the relatively thin barrel, the traverse fixation system of the gun changed, the Sherman Firefly turret turned 180 degrees in the stowed position, and the gun barrel was fixed on a bracket mounted on the roof of the engine compartment. In total, 699 tanks were reworked, which were delivered to British, Polish, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand units.

M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo- assault heavily armored version of the M4A3 (75) W. It differed from the regular M4A3 Jumbo in additional 38 mm thick armor plates welded onto the VLD and sponsons, a reinforced transmission compartment cover, and a new turret with reinforced armor, developed on the basis of the T23 turret. The mask mount M62 was reinforced with additional armor, and received the name T110. Despite the fact that the M62 was usually equipped with the M1 cannon, the Jumbo received the 75 mm M3, since it had a higher explosive action, and the Jumbo was not intended for tank combat. Subsequently, several M4A3E2s were re-armed in the field, given the M1A1 cannon, and used as a tank destroyer. Booking Sherman Jumbo was as follows: VLD - 100 mm, transmission compartment cover - 114-140 mm, sponsons - 76 mm, gun mantlet - 178 mm, forehead, sides and rear of the tower - 150 mm. Due to the reinforced booking, the weight increased to 38 tons, as a result of which the gear ratio of the highest gear was changed.

Sherman DD- a specialized version of the tank, equipped with the Duplex Drive (DD) system for swimming through water obstacles. The tank was equipped with an inflatable rubberized canvas casing and propellers driven by the main engine. The Sherman DD was developed in England in early 1944 to carry out the numerous amphibious operations that the Allied armies were to conduct, primarily for the Normandy landings.

Sherman Crab- the most common English specialized minesweeper tank, equipped with a strike trawl for making passages in minefields. Other options for anti-mine "Shermans" - AMRCR, CIRD, and others, mostly of the roller type.

Sherman Calliope- tank M4A1 or M4A3, equipped with a turret-mounted multiple launch rocket system T34 Calliope, with 60 tubular guides for 114-mm M8 rockets. Horizontal guidance of the launcher was carried out by turning the turret, and vertical guidance was carried out by raising and lowering the tank gun, the barrel of which was connected to the guides of the launcher with a special thrust. Despite the presence of missile weapons, the tank completely retained the weapons and armor of the conventional Sherman, which made it the only MLRS capable of operating directly on the battlefield. The crew of the Sherman Calliope could fire rockets while inside the tank, the withdrawal to the rear was required only for reloading. The downside was that the thrust was attached directly to the barrel of the gun, which prevented firing from it until the launcher was dropped. In the T43E1 and T34E2 launchers, this shortcoming has been eliminated.

T40 Whizbang- a version of the rocket tank with a launcher for 182-mm M17 rockets. In general, the launcher was structurally similar to the T34, but had 20 guides, armor protection. Such tanks were used mainly in assault operations, including in Italy and in the Pacific theater of operations.

- The Sherman variant with an M1 or M2 bulldozer blade mounted in the front. The tank was used by engineering units, including mine clearance, along with special anti-mine variants.

Sherman Crocodile, Sherman Adder, Sherman Badger, POA-CWS-H1- English and American flamethrower versions of the Sherman.

Self-propelled guns based on "Sherman"

Since the Sherman was the main tank platform in the American army, a fairly large number of self-propelled artillery mounts for various purposes, including heavy tank destroyers, were built on its basis. The American concept of self-propelled guns was somewhat different from the Soviet or German ones, and instead of installing the gun in a closed armored cabin, the Americans placed it either in a rotating turret open from above (on tank destroyers), in an open armored cabin (M7 Priest) or on an open platform, in the latter case, firing operated by outside personnel.

The following ACS variants were produced:

The 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 is a tank destroyer also known as the Wolverine. Equipped with a 76 mm M7 gun.
- 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 - tank destroyer known as the Jackson. Equipped with a 90 mm M3 gun.
- 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 - Priest self-propelled 105 mm howitzer.
- 155 mm GMC M40, 203 mm HMC M43, 250 mm MMC T94, Cargo Carrier T30 - heavy gun, howitzer and ammunition transporter based on the M4A3 HVSS.

The British had their own self-propelled guns:

Tracked self-propelled 25 pounder Sexton I, II - an approximate analogue of the M7 Priest on the chassis of the Canadian Ram Tank.
- Achilles IIC - M10, rearmed with the British 17-pound gun Mk.V.

The Sherman chassis also served as the basis for the creation of self-propelled guns in some other countries, such as Israel and Pakistan.

BREM

The American army had a fairly wide range of armored recovery vehicles, created mainly on the basis of the M4A3:

M32, chassis M4A3, with an armored superstructure installed in place of the turret. The BREM was equipped with a 6-meter thirty-ton A-shaped crane, and had an 81-mm mortar to provide protection for repair and evacuation work.

M74, an improved version of the ARV based on tanks with HVSS suspension. The M74 featured a more powerful crane, winches, and a front-mounted dozer blade.

M34, an artillery tractor based on the M32 with the crane removed.

The British had their own versions of BREM, Sherman III ARV, Sherman BARV. The Canadians also produced the Sherman Kangaroo TBTR.

Post-war options

Several hundred M4A1 and M4A3 tanks with 75 mm guns were rearmed with 76 mm M1A1 guns without changing the turret. The alteration was carried out at the enterprises of Bowen-McLaughlin-York Co. (BMY) in York, Pennsylvania and at the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois. The tanks received the E4(76) index. These machines were delivered in particular to Yugoslavia, Denmark, Pakistan and Portugal.

Israeli Shermans

Of all the numerous post-war modifications of the Shermans, perhaps the most interesting are the M50 and M51, which were in service with the IDF. The history of these tanks is as follows:

Israel began to buy Shermans during the War of Independence, in September 1948, they were mainly M1 (105) bought in Italy in the amount of about 50 pieces. In the future, purchases of Shermans were carried out from 1951 to 1966, in France, Great Britain, the Philippines and other countries, in total, about 560 pieces of various modifications were purchased. Basically, the dismantled tanks that remained after the Second World War were purchased, their restoration and acquisition were carried out in Israel.

In the IDF, "Shermans" were designated by the type of installed gun, all tanks with the M3 gun were called Sherman M3, tanks with a 105-mm howitzer were called Sherman M4, tanks with a 76-mm gun were called Sherman M1. Tanks with HVSS suspension (these were M4A1 (76) W HVSS purchased in France in 1956) were called Super Sherman M1 or simply Super Sherman.

In 1956, Israel began re-equipping the Shermans with the French 75-mm CN-75-50 gun, developed for the AMX-13 tank, in Israel it was called the M50. Ironically, this gun was a French version of the German 7.5 cm KwK 42 mounted on the Panthers. The prototype was made by "Atelier de Bourges" in France, the rearmament work itself was carried out in Israel. The gun was installed in an old-style turret, the back of the turret was cut off, and a new one, with a large niche, was welded in place. In the IDF, the tanks received the designation Sherman M50, and in Western sources they are known as "Super Sherman" (despite the fact that in Israel they never had such a name). In total, until 1964, approximately 300 tanks were re-equipped.

In 1962, Israel showed interest in re-equipping its Shermans with even more powerful guns to counter the Egyptian T-55s. And here the French helped again, offering a 105-mm CN-105-F1 gun shortened to 44 calibers, designed for the AMX-30 (in addition to the shortened barrel, the gun also received a muzzle brake). In Israel, this gun was called the M51, and was installed on Israeli M4A1(76)W Shermans in a modified T23 turret. In order to compensate for the weight of the gun, the tanks received a new SAMM CH23-1 recoil system, new American Cummins VT8-460 diesel engines, and modern aiming equipment. The suspension of all tanks was changed to HVSS. In total, about 180 tanks were upgraded, which received the designation Sherman M51, and became better known in Western sources as the "Israeli Sherman", or simply "I-Sherman". Israeli Shermans took part in all the Arab-Israeli wars, during which they faced both World War II tanks and much newer Soviet and American tanks.

In the late 1970s, about half of the remaining 100 M51s in Israel were sold to Chile, where they were in service until the end of the twentieth century. The other half, along with some M50s, was transferred to South Lebanon.

In addition to the original Shermans, as well as the modifications mentioned, Israel also had a large number of self-propelled guns, ARVs and armored personnel carriers of its own production based on the Sherman. Some of them are still in service today.

Egyptian Shermans

Egypt also had Shermans in service, and they were also rearmed with French CN-75-50 guns. The difference from the Israeli Sherman M50 was that the FL-10 turret from the AMX-13 tank was placed on the M4A4, along with a gun and a loading system. Since the Egyptians used diesel fuel, the gasoline engines were replaced with diesels from the M4A2.

All work on the design and construction of the Egyptian Shermans was carried out in France.

Most of the Egyptian Shermans were lost during the Suez Crisis of 1956, and during the Six Day War of 1967, including in clashes with Israeli Sherman M50s.

Reviews

“Sherman was much better than Matilda in terms of maintainability. Do you know that one of Sherman's designers was the Russian engineer Timoshenko? This is some distant relative of Marshal S.K. Timoshenko.

The high center of gravity was a serious drawback of the Sherman. The tank often tipped over on its side, like a nesting doll. I'm leading a battalion, and, on the turn, my driver hits the car on the pedestrian curb. So much so that the tank turned over. Of course, we were hurt, but we survived.

Another drawback of Sherman is the design of the driver's hatch. In the Shermans of the first batches, this hatch, located in the roof of the hull, simply leaned up and to the side. The driver opened a part of it, sticking his head out so that it was better seen. So we had cases when, when turning the turret, the hatch was touched by a cannon and, falling, twisted the driver's neck. We had one or two such cases. Then this was eliminated and the hatch was raised and simply moved to the side, as on modern tanks.

Another big plus of Sherman was recharging the batteries. On our thirty-four, to charge the battery, it was necessary to drive the engine at full power, all 500 horses. In Sherman's fighting compartment, there was a charging gasoline walk-behind tractor, small, like a motorcycle. Started it up and it charged your battery. For us it was a great thing! »

D. F. Loza

Lend-Lease deliveries

To UK

The UK was the first country to receive the M4 under the Lend-Lease program and the first to use these tanks in combat. In total, the British received 17,181 tanks, almost all modifications, including diesel vehicles. The Shermans delivered to England were reopened before entering the troops and underwent minor modifications to ensure their compliance with the standards adopted in the British army. The modifications were as follows:

The British set Radio Set #19 was installed on the tanks, consisting of two separate radio stations and an intercom. The radio stations were housed in an armored box welded to the rear of the turret; a hole was cut in the rear wall of the turret for crew access.
- An English 2-inch smoke mortar was mounted on the tower, later it began to be installed on all Shermans at the factory.
- The tank was equipped with two additional fire extinguishing systems.
- Boxes for spare parts were mounted on the turret and rear hull plate.
- Some tanks received a rear-view mirror mounted on the right front of the hull.

In addition, the tanks were repainted in the standard colors adopted for the theater, received English markings and decals, and also underwent minor modernization depending on the intended place of use. For example, tanks intended for operations in North Africa received additional wings over the tracks to reduce the cloud of dust raised during movement. All these alterations were carried out in specialized workshops after the tanks arrived in England.

The British army adopted its own designation system, different from the American one:

Sherman I - M4;
- Sherman II - M4A1;
- Sherman III - M4A2;
- Sherman IV - M4AZ;
- Sherman V - M4A4.

In addition, if the tank was armed with a gun other than the standard 75 mm M3 gun, then the letter was added to the model's own English designation:

A - for the American 76-mm gun M1;
B - for the American 105-mm howitzer M4;
C - for the British 17-pounder.

Tanks with HVSS suspension received an additional letter Y.

The full list of designations adopted by the British is as follows:

Sherman I - M4, 2096 delivered;
- Sherman IB - M4 (105), 593 units delivered;
- Sherman IC - M4, with an English 17-pounder gun (Sherman Firefly), 699 units;
- Sherman II - M4A1, 942 units delivered;
- Sherman IIA - M4A1 (76) W, 1330 units delivered;
- Sherman IIC - M4A1, with an English 17-pounder gun (Sherman Firefly);
- Sherman III - M4A2, 5041 units delivered;
- Sherman IIIA - M4A2(76)W, 5 units delivered;
- Sherman IV - M4AZ, 7 units delivered;
- Sherman V - M4A4, 7167 units delivered;
- Sherman VC - M4A4, with an English 17-pounder gun (Sherman Firefly).

Many of the tanks supplied to the UK served as the basis for various English-made combat vehicles.

American tank M4A3E8 HVSS "Sherman" of the 21st tank battalion of the 10th armored division on Rosswalden street in Germany. Now it is a district of the city of Ebersbach an der Fils.

IN THE USSR

The USSR became the second largest recipient of Shermans. Under the Lend-Lease Law, the Soviet Union received:

M4A2 - 1990 units.
- M4A2(76)W - 2073 units.
- M4A4 - 2 units. Trial deliveries. The order was canceled due to gasoline engines.
- M4A2 (76) W HVSS - 183 units. Delivered in May-June 1945, they did not take part in hostilities in Europe.

In the USSR, "Shermans" were often called "Emcha" (instead of M4). In terms of their main combat characteristics, Shermans with a 75-mm cannon roughly corresponded to the Soviet T-34-76, with a 76-mm gun - T-34-85.

The tanks entering the USSR were not subjected to any modifications, they were not even repainted (Soviet identification marks were applied to them at the factory, since the stencils of American and Soviet stars generally coincided, it was only necessary to change the color), many tanks did not have any national identification marks at all . The reactivation of tanks was carried out directly in the troops, while tactical numbers and identification marks of the units were manually applied to them. A certain number were re-equipped with F-34 guns by field workshops, due to the fact that at the initial stage of operation in the Red Army there was a shortage of American 75-mm shells. After the supply was established, the alterations stopped. The exact number of re-armed tanks, called M4M, is unknown, apparently it is insignificant.

At first, in the conditions of autumn-spring thaw and in winter, spurs were welded onto the tracks in an artisanal way in the troops. Later, the Shermans were supplied with removable spurs in the kit, and such a modification was no longer necessary. Some tanks were converted into ARVs by dismantling the gun or turret, as a rule, these were tanks damaged in battle. No other alterations were made in the USSR. Despite some shortcomings, such as not very high-quality armor on the vehicles of the first batches (a drawback that was soon eliminated), the M4 earned a good reputation among Soviet tankers. In any case, having received the classic layout with the main gun in a 360-degree rotating turret, they differed very favorably from their predecessor, the M3 medium tank. Another plus was the presence of powerful radio stations.

The Americans had special representatives in the USSR who supervised the operation of American tanks directly in the troops. In addition to acting as technical advisors, these representatives were also responsible for collecting feedback and complaints, sending them to manufacturing companies. Noticed shortcomings were quickly eliminated in the following series. In addition to the tanks themselves, the Americans also supplied repair kits; in general, there were no problems with the repair and restoration. However, a fairly large number of battle-damaged Shermans were dismantled for spare parts, and the parts were used to restore their more successful brethren. The Sherman equipment set included coffee makers. What made a great impression on the Soviet mechanics who prepared the tanks for operation.

In addition to Great Britain and the USSR, Shermans were supplied under Lend-Lease to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Free France, Poland, and Brazil. Canada also had its own production of the M4.

Combat use

North Africa

The first Sherman arrived in North Africa in August 1942, it was an M4A1 with an M2 cannon, used to train tankers and maintenance personnel. In September, the first batch of new tanks arrived, and on October 23 they entered the battle near El Alamein. In total, at the beginning of the battle, the British 8th Army had 252 M4A1s in the 9th Tank Brigade and the 1st and 10th Tank Divisions. Despite the fact that by that time several dozen PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IV with long-barreled guns had already entered service with the Afrika Korps, the Shermans showed themselves very well, demonstrating good reliability, maneuverability, adequate armament and armor. According to the British, the new American tanks played a fairly significant role in their victory in this battle.

The Americans first used Shermans in Tunisia on December 6, 1942. The inexperience of the American crews and the miscalculations of the command led to heavy losses in counterattacks against well-prepared anti-tank guns. Subsequently, American tactics improved, and the main losses of the Shermans did not relate to the opposition of German tanks, but to anti-tank mines (which caused the development of the Sherman Crab), the actions of anti-tank artillery and aviation. The tank received good reviews in the troops, and very soon the Sherman became the main medium tank in the American units, replacing the M3 medium tank.

In general, the M4 proved to be a very suitable tank for operations in the desert, which was confirmed by its post-war history. In the very vast and flat African expanses, its reliability turned out to be very useful, good speed course, the convenience of the crew, excellent visibility and communication. The tank lacked range, but the Allies solved this problem through excellent supply services, in addition, tankers often carried additional fuel with them in canisters.

February 14, 1943 in Tunisia, the first clashes between the Shermans (1st Tank Regiment and 1st Armored Division) and the new heavy German tank PzKpfw VI Tiger (501st Heavy Tank Battalion) took place, in which the inability of the M4 to fight on equal terms was manifested. with heavy German armored vehicles.

Eastern front

The Shermans began to arrive in the USSR in November 1942 (the 5th Guards Tank Brigade received the first tank), but this tank appeared in noticeable quantities in the Soviet troops only at the end of 1943 (several dozen Shermans participated in the Battle of Kursk - 38 M4A2 as part of the troops of the 48th Army and 29 Shermans as part of the 5th Tank Corps). Starting in the spring of 1944, Shermans took part in almost all battles on all fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The tankers received the American tanks well, they especially noted the convenience of the crew compared to Soviet tanks, as well as the very high quality of instrumentation and communications. To get to serve on a "foreign car" was considered good luck. The positive assessment of the tank was also influenced by the fact that, on the one hand, it was much more perfect than its predecessor M3, and on the other hand, the Red Army had already mastered the intricacies of operating American technology by that time.

In the winter of 1943, some shortcomings of the M4A2, specific to winter Russian conditions. Tanks supplied by the USSR had a smooth rubber track protector, which caused quite serious problems when driving on icy winter roads. Insufficient grip of the tracks with the ground was exacerbated by the high center of gravity, and the tank rolled over quite often. In general, the tank almost completely corresponded to the Soviet T-34 (yielding to it in terms of side protection) and was used in the same way, without any special differences. The much lower noise of the Shermans was often used, compared to Soviet tanks, and infantry fire from armor while moving was also practiced, which was provided by soft suspension. The T-34-85 already had additional advantages in the caliber of the gun, and the security of the frontal projection of the turret.

In the USSR, tanks received under Lend-Lease were tried to be combined into separate units (at the level of tank battalions or brigades), to simplify the training of crews and supplies. A large number of Shermans arriving in the USSR made it possible to create entire corps (for example, the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, 9th Guards Tank Corps), armed only with this type of tank. Often, American medium tanks and Soviet-made T-60 and T-80 light tanks were used in the same units. The M4A2(76)W HVSS received in the summer of 1945 were sent to the Far East and took part in the war against Japan.

Shermans in Western Europe

The first use of the M4 in Europe refers to the landing in Sicily on July 10, 1943, where the 2nd Armored Division and the 753rd Independent Tank Battalion were operating. By the time Operation Overlord began, the Allied command realized that the Sherman, which appeared in mid-1942, was already outdated in 1944, since collisions with heavy German equipment in Italy showed the insufficiency of booking, and most importantly, the weapons of the Sherman. The Americans and the British reacted to this situation in different ways.

The British urgently began work on installing their new 17-pound anti-tank gun on their Shermans, which showed excellent results in the fight against German tanks, including heavy Tigers and Panthers. The work went quite well, but the scale of the rearmament was limited by the insignificant production of the gun itself, and ammunition for it. The Americans, who were offered to produce the 17-pounder in their factories, refused this offer, preferring to produce their own models. As a result, by the beginning of active hostilities in France, the British had only a few hundred Sherman Firefly, distributing them among their tank units, approximately one per tank platoon.

The Americans, despite their fairly solid experience in the use of tanks by that time (albeit less than that of the British), were of the opinion that tanks should primarily be used to support infantry, and to combat enemy tanks it is necessary to use special highly mobile tank destroyers. This tactic could have been effective in countering the "blitzkrieg" tank breakthroughs, but for the type of fighting that was characteristic of the second half of the Second World War, it was not suitable, since the Germans stopped using the strategy of concentrated tank strikes.

In addition, after the victories in North Africa, the Americans were characterized by some arrogance. Commander-in-Chief of the US Army, General McNair, in particular, said:

The M4 tank, especially the M4A3, has been hailed as the best battle tank to date. There are indications that the enemy believes the same. Obviously, the M4 is the perfect combination of mobility, reliability, speed, armor protection and firepower. Apart from this strange request, representing the British view of the problem, there was no evidence from any theater of operations about the need for a 90-mm tank gun. In my opinion, our troops do not experience any fear of the German T.VI ("Tiger") tanks ... There is and cannot be any basis for the production of the T26 tank, except for the concept of a tank destroyer tank, which, I am sure, is unreasonable and unnecessary . Both British and American combat experience has shown that anti-tank guns, in sufficient numbers and in the right positions, are completely superior to tanks. Any attempt to create a heavily armored and armed tank capable of surpassing an anti-tank gun inevitably leads to failure. There is no indication that the 76mm anti-tank gun is inadequate against the German T.VI.

— General Leslie McNair.

As a result of this approach, the Americans approached the Normandy landings with only M4 medium tanks, including those with enhanced weapons, despite the presence of quite successful programs to replace the M4 with a new type. The production program for the M26 Pershing heavy tank was also not implemented.

In addition to conventional tanks, such a colossal landing operation also required huge amount engineering and sapper equipment, which gave rise to a large number of specialized variants of the M4, the most famous of which was the Sherman DD. The creation of such equipment was mainly carried out by the British, in the Hobart group, using for this not only American, but also English tanks. In addition to amphibious tanks, there were also Shermans that received snorkels to overcome shallow water.

During the landing itself, the “Hobart toys” were supposed to clear the road from mines and other obstacles of the Atlantic Wall, and the Sherman DDs that came ashore were supposed to support the infantry breaking through the coastal fortifications with their fire. In general, this happened, with the exception that the Americans largely neglected specialized assault equipment, relying mainly on their infantry and naval gun support. The situation was aggravated by the fact that in the Omaha landing site, amphibious tanks were launched much further from the coast than planned, and as a result sank before they could make landfall. In other areas, amphibious, assault and sapper tanks worked perfectly, and the landing took place without much loss.

An American M4 abandoned by the crew at the Utah Beach landing site during Operation Overlord. The tank is equipped with two snorkels for operations in shallow water.

After capturing the bridgehead, the Allies had to come close to the German tank divisions that were thrown into the defense of Fortress Europe, and then it turned out that the Allies underestimated the degree of saturation German troops heavy types of armored vehicles, especially Panther tanks. In direct clashes with German heavy tanks, the Shermans had very little chance. The British, to a certain extent, could count on their Sherman Firefly, whose excellent gun made a great impression on the Germans (so much so that the crews of German tanks tried to hit the Firefly first of all, and then deal with the rest). The Americans, who were counting on their new gun, quickly found out that the power of its armor-piercing shells was still not enough to confidently defeat the Panther in the forehead.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that the natural conditions of Normandy, especially its "hedges", did not allow the Shermans to realize their advantage in speed and maneuverability. In addition, these same conditions did not make it possible to make tank breakthroughs of a strategic scale, for which the Sherman, with its speed and reliability, was perfectly suited. Instead, the Allies had to slowly gnaw through the "hedges", suffering very heavy losses from the German tanks and "faustpatrons" operating against them (the latter took advantage of the terrain in order to approach the distance of actual fire).

As a result, the Allied tank crews mainly had to rely on their overwhelming numerical superiority, excellent repair services, as well as on the actions of their aviation and artillery, which processed the German defenses before the tank offensive. Allied aviation very effectively suppressed the communications and rear services of the German tank forces, which greatly fettered their actions.

According to the book "Death traps" by Belton Cooper, who was responsible for the evacuation and repair of tanks, the 3rd Panzer Division alone lost 1348 Sherman medium tanks in battle in ten months (more than 580% of the regular strength of 232 tanks). ), of which 648 were completely destroyed. In addition, non-combat losses amounted to approximately 600 tanks.

In Normandy, a lot of Shermans were subjected to field modifications, for example, home-made and factory devices were mounted on them to overcome the "hedges", armor was strengthened by welding additional armor plates, and also simply by hanging spare tracks, sandbags, improvised anti-cumulative screens. The underestimation of infantry cumulative anti-tank weapons led to the fact that the American industry did not produce such screens until the very end of the war.

After the Allied armies entered the operational space in France, the excellent strategic mobility of the Shermans manifested itself in full. On the other hand, it turned out that the M4s were not very suitable for combat operations in cities, mainly due to poor armor, and the small caliber of tank guns. There were not enough specialized Sherman Jumbos, and artillery support tanks with 105 mm howitzers in the city were too vulnerable.

Sherman rocket variants, as well as flamethrower tanks, were very actively and successfully used (especially when storming long-term fortifications on the German border). But the actions of the M10 tank destroyers were not very effective, because, in addition to the insufficient power of their guns, there was also insufficient armor, in addition, the crews in the open turrets turned out to be very vulnerable to mortar and artillery fire. The M36 performed better, but it also had an open turret. In general, the tank destroyers did not cope with their task, and the main burden of tank battles fell on the shoulders of ordinary Shermans.

Sherman DDs were quite actively used to force rivers, such as the Rhine.

By the end of 1944, 7591 Shermans were in the US and British forces, not counting the reserves. In total, at least 15 American tank divisions operated in the Western European theater of operations, not counting 37 separate tank battalions. The main problem of the American tank forces in this theater was not the shortcomings of the M4 itself, which proved to be very effective weapon, but the fact that there were no heavier types of armored vehicles capable of engaging in confrontation with German tanks on an equal footing. The Sherman was conceived as an infantry support tank, and in this capacity showed its best side, but it was not very effective in operations against the German Panthers, Tigers and Royal Tigers.

Marines take cover behind a tank in Saipan. Tank M4A2, with a snorkel installed for operations in shallow water (apparently, this tank was in the forefront during the landing on the island).

"Shermans" against Japan

The first Shermans appeared in the Pacific Ocean during the operation on Tarawa, November 20, 1943, as part of the US Marine Corps. Since the American fleet had no problems with diesel fuel, mainly diesel versions of the M4A2 operated against the Japanese. After Tarawa, the Sherman became the main type of American tank in the Pacific theater, completely replacing the M3 Lee, which remained mainly in garrison service. In addition, the Shermans also replaced the Stuarts, since the use of light tanks in assault operations was considered inappropriate (their advantage in mobility meant nothing on small islands). The situation in the Pacific theater was fundamentally different from the actions in Europe and North Africa. Japanese tanks were very few in number, outdated, and for the most part belonged to light types, they could not directly withstand the American M4. Developed in 1944 specifically to counter the Shermans, the new Chi-Nu type did not take part in hostilities, since it was intended for the defense of the Japanese islands directly.

Since almost all the operations of the American marines and the army in this theater were in the nature of a breakthrough in the long-term defense of the Japanese, the Shermans mainly served as infantry support tanks, that is, exactly the role for which they were created. The Japanese tanks could not provide sufficient resistance due to the weakness of their weapons, unable to penetrate the armor of the Shermans. Americans have problems with defeat Japanese tanks usually didn't have. This led to the fact that the Japanese mainly used their tanks as improvised long-term firing points, operating from specially prepared trenches. Attempts to actively use Japanese tanks were also hindered by the very poor tactical training of Japanese tank commanders, who had no experience in tank battles. The Americans encountered the greatest activity of the Japanese tank units in the Philippines, where the 2nd tank division Shobu group, under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita. In total, the Japanese had about 220 tanks there, most of which were lost during the American offensive in the direction of San Jose.

In the Pacific Theater of Operations, the Sherman has established itself as an excellent infantry support tank, plus it was also relatively light weight and dimensions, which made it easy to transfer tanks from island to island. The tank turned out to be adapted to operate in a hot, humid climate, and had no particular problems with reliability and maneuverability. The main losses of American tanks came from explosions on anti-tank mines. Lacking sufficiently effective anti-tank artillery and infantry anti-tank weapons, the Japanese often used the tactics of suicide attacks, sending their infantry against American tanks with knapsack, magnetic and pole mines, anti-tank grenades, etc. Rocket tanks, artillery support tanks, and also flamethrower tanks.

The specific nature of the fighting led to the fact that tanks were used as part of separate tank battalions that supported infantry divisions. Tank divisions were not formed in the Pacific theater of operations, due to the lack of need for concentration armored vehicles, and also because of the impossibility of strategic maneuver of tank units.

Post-war conflicts

The post-war history of the tank was no less eventful.

In the US Army, "Shermans" of modifications M4A3E8 and M4A3 (105) were in service until the mid-1950s, and in parts of the National Guard - until the end of the 1950s. A large number of tanks remained in Europe, where they were in service with the American and British occupying forces. A large number were also transferred to the armies of the liberated countries in order to provide military assistance.

"Shermans" had a chance to participate in almost all world conflicts of the 50s, 60s, and even 70s. The geography of their service included almost the entire globe.

Korean War

The offensive of the North Korean troops put the American command in a very difficult position - the only tanks in South Korea there were a number of light American M24 Chaffees. The solution could be an urgent transfer of tanks from Japan, but there were only options with 75 mm M3 guns, since the need for a 76 mm gun during the Pacific War did not arise. Since these tanks were seriously inferior in terms of firepower to the T-34-85s available in the Korean People's Army, it was decided to rearm them with 76 mm M1 guns. The re-equipment was carried out in the Tokyo Arsenal, the guns were installed in conventional M4A3 turrets, a total of 76 tanks were converted. The first re-armed Shermans arrived in Korea on July 31, 1950 as part of the 8072nd medium tank battalion, and on August 2 they entered the battle at Chungam Ni. Subsequently, tanks from the United States began to arrive, and a total of 547 Sherman tanks of various modifications, mainly M4A1E4 (76), participated in the Korean War. The Sherman Firefly was in service with the British forces.

The main opponent of the Sherman in this war was the T-34-85, which was in service with the North Koreans and the Chinese. After the arrival of American medium and heavy tanks, the dominance of the T-34 on the battlefield came to an end, and tank battles usually ended in favor of the American tankers. Having approximately the same armor as the T-34, the Sherman outperformed it in terms of accuracy and gun rate of fire, mainly due to better optics and the presence of a stabilizer. The guns of both tanks were powerful enough to penetrate each other's armor at almost all distances of a real battle. But the main reason for the failures of the Korean and Chinese tankers was the higher level of training of their American opponents.

From July 21, 1950 to January 21, 1951, 516 M4A3 tanks participated in the hostilities as part of the 8th Army and the 10th Army Corps, of which, according to incomplete data, 220 tanks were lost (120 irretrievably). Level irretrievable losses was the highest among all massively used tanks. A large number of tanks broken down and abandoned during the retreat were captured by the North Koreans and the Chinese. On April 1, 1951, there were 442 M4A3 tanks in Korea. From January 21 to April 8, 1951, 178 tanks of this type were lost. From April 8 to October 6, 1951, 362 Sherman tanks were lost.

At the beginning of the war, the Americans widely used the heavier M26 Pershing tanks, but it soon became clear that despite the powerful gun and good armor, this tank could not operate effectively in the Korean mountains, since it had the same engine as the Sherman, with significantly more weight. As a result, the Shermans took on the main burden of the war, despite the fact that they were worse armed and more lightly armored.

In general, the combat service of the Shermans in Korea was quite successful, except that once again the insufficient power of 76-mm high-explosive shells was manifested. Artillery Shermans were more successful in this sense. The passive phase of the war was characterized by a large scale of tank battles, and the main role played by American tanks was infantry support, patrolling, and shelling the enemy from closed artillery positions. Tanks were also used as a kind of mobile firing points, helping the infantry to repel the Chinese "human waves".

Arab-Israeli Wars

Only two M4A2 tanks, which the Israelis inherited from the British, participated in the War of Independence. By the time of the Suez Crisis of 1956, there were 122 Shermans in the IDF (56 Sherman M1 and Sherman M3, 25-28 Sherman M50 and 28 Super Sherman M1), and they formed the basis of the Israeli armored forces, Israeli Sherman losses are unknown, they probably accounted for half out of 30 lost tanks. Egypt had several dozen M4A2s, including those with French turrets, of which 56 were lost in action.

In 1967, Israel had 522 Shermans of various types, which was about half of its tank fleet. By this time, he was the only country in the Middle East that had these tanks in service. However, during the Six Day War they were used mainly in secondary areas, the main striking force was the English heavy Centurions, which had heavier weapons and better armor. On the Sinai front, there was a case when a Super Sherman company, having come to the aid of a unit attacked by the Egyptians, destroyed five more modern Egyptian T-55s.

Before the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Shermans were gradually withdrawn from service, and after the war they were either converted into self-propelled guns and other vehicles, or sold to other countries.

Indo-Pakistani Wars

India received the first tanks during the Second World War, and they took part in the fighting in Burma. These were both American and British versions of the Shermans. In the future, tanks were actively purchased by both India and Pakistan.

In the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965, the Shermans participated on both sides of the conflict. At the start of the war, India had 332 Shermans. various types, and Pakistan - 305. These were mainly M4A1 and M4A3, many tanks that had a 75 mm gun were rearmed with a 76 mm M1 gun. In India, attempts were made to re-equip the French gun by analogy with the Israeli Sherman M50. Indian "Shermans" participated in the defeat of the Pakistani "Patton" M47 / 48 during the battle of Asal Uttara.

Despite the fact that the Shermans made up slightly less than half of the tank fleet of both sides, they were used mainly in secondary directions, as well as for flank attacks. The tanks of the first line were less mobile, but more heavily armed and better armored Pattons (from the Pakistani side) and Centurions (from the Indian side).

War in Yugoslavia

According to M. Baryatinsky, Sherman tanks were used during the civil war in Yugoslavia in 1991-1995.

Machine evaluation

Design and development potential

The layout of the Sherman was typical of American and German WWII tanks, with the engine at the rear of the tank and the transmission at the front. One of the most distinctive features of the M4 was its height, which is greater than that of any other comparable tank, with the exception of the M3. There are three reasons for this. Firstly, the front transmission, which increases the height of the tank due to the need to locate the cardan shaft in the fighting compartment. Secondly, the tank was designed for a radial engine located vertically. Thirdly, the high-mounted crankshaft of the engine was connected to the transmission by an obliquely mounted cardan shaft, which ran high enough above the floor of the fighting compartment. German designers solved this problem by using compound cardan shafts, or by trying to position the engine so that its crankshaft was at the same height as the transmission input shaft. The Americans did not take these measures, primarily for reasons of simplifying the design.

Due to the vertical sides and the overall high height, the M4 was distinguished by a large amount of booked space, still being one of the leaders in this indicator (but inferior to the M3). Despite the fact that this did not have the best effect on the security of the tank (the vertical sides were especially vulnerable, which also had a decent area), the tank was loved by the crews for the convenience of internal placement. Vertical sides and large fenders made it possible to make a large diameter turret shoulder strap. In general, the layout of the tank did not improve its combat qualities (especially security and stealth), but it had a positive effect on the comfort of the crew, made it possible to spread vital components in space, and, in addition, gave the tank a decent potential for further modernization.

The design of the undercarriage was typical for pre-war tanks, by the time the Sherman appeared, it was somewhat outdated. Nevertheless, there were no particular complaints about the undercarriage, and the caterpillars with a rubber-metal hinge were a fairly progressive solution at that time. Initially, the suspension design was designed for the lighter M2 and M3, but with the start of mass production, the bogies were reinforced. Subsequently, the tank received an HVSS suspension with horizontal springs and support rollers on the hull. The visibility of the tank was quite acceptable, the quality of the survey optics was good. Tanks of later releases differed for the better, as they had a commander's cupola. Nevertheless, the Sherman was slightly inferior to the German tanks in this respect, but significantly superior to the Soviet ones. The design of the tank, by American standards, is very technologically advanced, and is suitable for mass production in automobile factories. The components used were also suitable for mass production. The only technologically complex detail was the gun stabilizer, but the Americans had a very developed instrumentation (which worked mainly for the needs of aviation).

The Sherman had a very large potential for modernization, mainly due to the large volume of the fighting compartment, which made it possible to place ammunition for fairly large guns, and also because of the large diameter of the turret ring, which made it possible to change the turret to a more spacious one. In addition, the placement of chassis elements made it possible to almost completely change its design, without affecting the rest of the tank in any way (the chassis was also replaced on already produced tanks). The tank had a significant weight reserve, and a spacious engine compartment made it possible to have a wide range of engines. In general, the design of the Sherman was quite successful and modern. On the other hand, there were no innovative solutions for world tank building in the design of this tank, and to a certain extent it was a simple and quick response of American industry to the requirements of the army. The layout of the tank, the design of its undercarriage, the type of transmission, etc. did not become the standard, and the Sherman was not destined to become the founder of the post-war series, unlike the T-34, which was further developed in the T-44 and T-54 models .

Destroyed German tank Pz.Kpfw. VI Ausf. E "Tiger" from the 508th heavy tank battalion (schwere Panzer-Abteilung 508) and a New Zealand American-made M4 "Sherman" tank from the 20th Armored Regiment (20th Armored Regiment) on the road between Giogoli (Giogoli) and the city of Galuzzo (Galuzzo) south of Florence.

Armament

At the time the Shermans appeared on the battlefield, its 75-mm M3 gun could successfully fight all types of German and Italian tanks. In terms of armor penetration, it was inferior to the German 7.5 cm KwK 40 L / 43 mounted on the PzKpfw IV Ausf. F2. However, almost simultaneously with the Sherman, the PzKpfw VI Tiger I began its military career, whose frontal armor was not penetrated by the Sherman gun, and the 8.8 cm KwK 36 cannon significantly outperformed the M3 in all respects. Since the American military industry at that time did not produce tanks with more powerful weapons, we can say that the Sherman's weapons were outdated almost at the time of their appearance. The M3 gun was almost identical to the Soviet F-34 mounted on the T-34, differing only in the lower muzzle velocity of armor-piercing shells. The American high-explosive 75-mm projectile M48, which was also used in British tank guns of this caliber, had a mass of 6.62 kg and contained 670 g of explosive and was inferior to Soviet high-explosive fragmentation projectiles in efficiency. In addition, unlike the F-34, the M3 ammunition did not have mass-produced cumulative or sub-caliber projectiles.

The 76 mm M1 gun outperformed the 7.5 cm KwK 40 L/48 in terms of armor penetration, and almost equaled the 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56 Tiger 1, but was significantly inferior to the 7.5 cm KwK 42 Panthers, and 8, 8 cm KwK 43 "King Tiger". With regard to the fight against unarmored targets, rearmament on the M1 was rather a step backwards, due to the smaller destructive effect of the fragmentation projectile, and the smaller range of ammunition. The M1 gun had comparable armor penetration with the same types of shells as the Soviet 85 mm D-5 and ZIS-S-53, but the supply of shells with a tungsten core M93 was established earlier than the BR-365P sub-caliber ones.

A very big plus of the Sherman's weapons was that its gun was equipped with a gyroscopic stabilizer that worked in a vertical plane. Since the telescopic sight was paired with the gun, and the periscope was synchronized with it, the gunner's field of view also remained stabilized. The performance of the stabilizer did not allow aimed cannon fire from the move, but it worked as a very effective vibration damper - the target remained in the gunner's field of view all the time, and the interval between stopping the tank and opening fire was very short. In addition, the tank could conduct aimed fire from a coaxial machine gun on the move. On the other hand, the effective use of the stabilizer required some crew training, so many crews preferred to turn it off.

The presence of a stabilizer, the high quality of the manufacture of cannon barrels and shells, as well as the good quality of the tank's optics, made the Sherman's fire very accurate, which partially compensated for the insufficient power of the gun. Compared to the T-34, the hydraulic drive of the turret was much more accurate and smooth, compared to the German tanks - it provided a faster (16 sec.) full rotation of the turret (for the T-34-85 - 12 sec., for the T- 34 - 14 sec, 26 sec for the PzKpfw IV, 69 sec for the Tiger). The disadvantage of such a drive was its greater fire hazard compared to electric. Another important feature of the armament of this tank was its equipping with a Browning M2 heavy machine gun in a turret above the commander's hatch; no other tank of that time, except for the heavier IS-2, had a heavy machine gun. The downside was the lack of sights for the course machine gun. It was assumed that firing from it would be carried out blindly, with tracer ammunition, under the leadership of the tank commander. In practice, this did not always work.

In general, we can say that the armament of the Sherman tank corresponded to the armament of the T-34, and, like the latter, was inferior to the armament of German medium and heavy tanks, starting from March 1942. The Sherman gun made it possible to fight all types of light and medium German tanks, but was not powerful enough to fight heavy types. Rearmament could not fundamentally change the situation, although it made it possible to surpass the German medium tank PzKpfw IV in this indicator.

security

Booking "Sherman" roughly corresponds to the level of other medium tanks of WWII. The armor of the turret was more powerful compared to the T-34, and about the same as that of the T-34-85 and PzKpfw IV. The smaller angle of inclination of the frontal armor of the hull was compensated by greater thickness, but the large size and vertical side reduced security. The downside was too high placement of the ammunition rack, later this drawback was eliminated. In an effort to maximize the maintainability of the tank, the designers equipped it with a front transmission that can be easily removed even in the field and externally located hardpoints. But this led to a relatively low survivability of these nodes. The forward location of the transmission and its insufficient protection guaranteed to deprive the tank of mobility when penetrating the lower part of the frontal armor, and could also burn the crew with hot oil, and when firing at the lower part of the side, even from small arms, the suspension failed. Therefore, the crews of the Shermans had to pay for high maintainability with more frequent repairs due to combat breakdowns. They struggled with the last drawback by hanging external armor plates from the sides, which, however, were thin and made their way through any kind of artillery weapons. In addition to the possibility of splashing hot oil from the gearbox when breaking through the front armor, the fire-hazardous electro-hydraulic turret traverse drive and the use on most modifications of gasoline engines also deserve attention. However, the location of the tanks in the engine compartment, the armored partition between the engine and fighting compartment, the presence of an automatic and manual fire extinguishing system made the tank relatively safe even despite the potentially high flammability. Compared to heavy German and Soviet tanks, the Sherman's armor was insufficient. The exception was the M4A3E2, but these tanks were produced in small numbers and, for the most part, had relatively weak armament.

The armor of the Shermans was not cemented, and therefore was more viscous than that of German and Soviet tanks. This reduced the chance of ricochets or shell splintering, but such armor produced much less secondary fragmentation, which was highly appreciated by the crews.

Early models of Shermans suffered from a tendency to catch fire when hit by a projectile with a high muzzle velocity. Shermans received such ominous nicknames as "Tommyzharka" (eng. Tommycooker) (from the Germans, who called the English soldiers "Tommy") and "Ronson" (from the British, after the brand of lighter, which was advertised under the slogan "Light up the first time, every time!"). Polish tankers called them "burning graves", and Soviet tankers called the tank "a mass grave for five." This vulnerability increased crew losses and greatly reduced the maintainability of damaged tanks. The US Army investigation showed that the main reason for this was the storage of ammunition in sponsons without proper protection. The prevailing opinion that the gasoline engine was to blame for the fires remains unconfirmed; most tanks of that era had gasoline engines. Initially, the problem was solved by welding additional inch-thick armor plates onto the vertical sponsons at the locations of the ammunition baskets; in subsequent models, the ammunition was moved to the bottom of the hull, with additional water jackets surrounding the shell storage. This modification greatly reduced the likelihood of "roasting".

Mobility

Strategic Mobility

The M4 met all the requirements for a medium tank in terms of strategic mobility. Light weight and small width made it easy to transport it by all modes of transport, including rail. Loading and unloading was also not a problem. The reliability and service life of the power units, transmission and chassis made it possible to carry the Shermans over long distances on their own, the rubberized caterpillar did not break roads, the tank withstood most of the bridges. The speed was acceptable, the soft suspension kept the crew relatively comfortable. In this respect, the Sherman was superior to all Soviet tanks, as well as most German ones.

The disadvantage was high fuel consumption (greater than that of other medium WWII tanks), and as a result, a small cruising range, on most early gasoline modifications - no more than 190 km, and even less later - 160 km.

Tactical mobility

With regard to tactical mobility, the Sherman was also rated quite highly. The power-to-weight ratio is good, at the level of the best WWII medium tanks, depending on the type and model of the installed engine. Formally, the tank was inferior in this regard to the Soviet T-34, but in practice the difference in engine power was compensated by the more successful Sherman transmission and the best selection of gear ratios in the gearbox. The speed both on the highway and on rough terrain was good, the control of the tank was easy, thanks to the amplifiers. The tank was not prone to pitching like the T-34. The maneuverability of the tank was somewhat limited by a large length-to-width ratio, as well as the use of a Cletrac-type transmission, the disadvantage of which was the impossibility of turning on the spot. This caused certain difficulties when maneuvering on the battlefield, and was especially evident when maneuvering in cramped conditions, for example, when loading or unloading.

Patency on soft soils M4 with VVSS suspension was worse than that of Soviet and German tanks, due to the greater ground pressure. The HVSS suspension brought the Sherman to one of the leading positions in this indicator. The geometric patency of the tank was limited by the high location of the center of gravity; when one caterpillar hit a high obstacle, the tank could roll over, especially if the collision took place at high speed. The advantage was high ground clearance. The gripping properties of the tracks depended on the type of tracks, they were generally satisfactory, but the tank was inferior to the German and Soviet models when driving on ice and other slippery surfaces. The problem was partially solved due to removable spurs, however, it mainly manifested itself during operations in Russia, and very little in other theaters.

Rubber-metal hinges and rubber-coated tracks made the tank quiet in motion, which was complemented by the quiet operation of the engines. This made possible, firstly, a relatively covert regrouping of tanks directly on the front line, and secondly, it made it possible to perform covert maneuvers, which was especially evident on the Eastern Front (Soviet tanks were very noisy, and quiet Shermans were often an unpleasant surprise for the Germans).

Reliability

The reliability of almost all Sherman units was very high; however, this applied to almost all American tanks of that time. The reason for this was a high engineering and production culture, as well as the use of fully developed units, the source of which was the automotive and tractor industries. The design of the tank was relatively simple, which also had a positive effect on its reliability.

The engines of all variants had a long resource, rarely required maintenance, and almost did not need adjustments, which favorably distinguished American tanks from both Soviet and German models. The transmission didn't pose any problems either. The caterpillar, thanks to the rubber-metal hinge, had a resource that exceeded the resource of all other types of caterpillars. Requirements for the quality of fuels and lubricants were at an average level, varying depending on the type and model of the engine. As a rule, tanks worked well on available fuels and lubricants.

In general, the Sherman was one of the most reliable and unpretentious WWII tanks, and the best medium tank of the war in this indicator. The downside was its smaller, in relation to Soviet tanks, maintainability, especially in the field. In addition, the tank required more qualified maintenance and repair personnel.

The crew of the American tank "Sherman" M4A3E2 (Sherman M4A3E2 Jumbo), company C, 37th tank battalion, 4th armored division (4th Armored Division), on December 26, 1944, was the first to enter the city of Bastogne, initiating the release of American troops surrounded in the town. The car had its own name "Cobra King".

Analogues

"Sherman" belonged to the category of medium tanks, the most numerous and diverse among all presented during WWII and after it. Almost every country that had a tank industry at that time produced a tank comparable to the M4:

The T-34 is the closest analogue of the Sherman in terms of characteristics, which appeared several years earlier. It is somewhat superior to the latter in terms of mobility and side armor, is approximately equivalent to it in terms of armament power (compared to the Sherman with a 75-mm cannon), like the Sherman has an outdated chassis, but less reliability and much worse working conditions for the crew.

T-34-85 - a modernized version of the T-34, appeared six months earlier than the Sherman with a 76-mm gun. It also somewhat surpasses the Sherman in terms of mobility and side armor. Armor penetration is similar to the 76-mm M1A2 gun (yielding, however, in armor penetration to the Sherman Firefly version), the power of the high-explosive fragmentation projectile is much higher. Like the T-34, it has the worst working conditions for the driver, but otherwise the backlog from the Sherman has been reduced.

PzKpfw IV - the main German counterpart, also older. It had comparable characteristics, surpassing American tanks in mobility (except for the M4A3), gun power (from the PzKpfw IV Ausf F2 modification in comparison with the Sherman with a 75-mm gun). The tank was not equipped with a stabilizer, but had the best aiming devices.

PzKpfw V - "Panther" became the main and most serious enemy of the "Shermans" on the Western Front. Despite the fact that the Panther belongs to a heavier weight category, according to the German classification, it is considered a medium tank, which corresponds to the degree of saturation of German troops with these tanks by the end of the war. "Panther" is completely superior to "Sherman" in all major combat indicators, second only in reliability. The Panther appeared a year later than the regular Sherman, but before the M4(76), while surpassing them both. Comparable only with the small-scale M4A3E2.

Cruiser Mk VIII Cromwell is an English cruiser tank of about the same weight category, and appeared later than the Sherman. It is inferior in armament and armor power, but has a better power-to-weight ratio. It had a spring suspension similar in design to the T-34 suspension.

Cruiser, Comet, A34 - the most advanced English cruiser tank of the Second World War, appeared later than the Sherman. Surpasses the Sherman in all major combat indicators. Despite a slightly larger weight, it has a significantly higher power-to-weight ratio and better mobility. The gun roughly matches the Sherman Firefly.

It can be said that among its counterparts, Sherman stood out primarily for its simplicity and manufacturability of design, combined with high quality workmanship. This allowed him to become, along with the T-34, the main tank of World War II.

The Comb (comb)

M4A4 in the Israeli Museum. You can see the mask of an early model gun, the absence of a periscope sight, the wings modernized for operations in the desert. A comb is visible on the left near the factory marking on the cover of the transmission compartment.

One rather curious story is connected with the Sherman tank. For a long time, post-war historians and enthusiasts were haunted by the question of what kind of strange object is found in many photographs of early Shermans and even comes across on some surviving tanks. The object is a small metal bar with several slots or hooks welded onto the cover of the transmission compartment under the course machine gun, and its designs are very diverse. Among enthusiasts, the mysterious detail was called "Comb" (the Comb). This detail is not described in the "Operation Manual", it is not mentioned in the memoirs of veterans and generally looks rather mysterious.

Whatever assumptions were made. The "comb" was considered an antenna mount, a device for cutting wire, someone believed that it was needed to clean dirt from tankers' shoes, and some even called it a bottle opener. Even the version was considered that this is a device for quick emergency dumping of a tank from a trailer for transportation.

When the riddle was solved, it turned out to be a device for blocking the tank's brakes in position for transport by sea or by rail. A cable loop was thrown over the brake levers, it was passed into the bracket behind the driver's seat, the purpose of which is also for a long time was a mystery, and was brought out through the machine-gun port (in tanks coming from the factory, the course machine gun was dismantled and was inside the tank in a mothballed state). The comb served to ensure that the cable could be pulled and secured, thereby fixing the levers in the rear position. At the same time, the tank was in a stalled state, and the transport personnel could quickly reset the cable, unlocking the tank, and move the tank to a new location. Without such a device, this would not have been easy, since the hatches of the tanks were in the closed position, and, as a rule, were sealed.

Gifts for tankers

In the book of the Hero of the Soviet Union tank officer D.F. Loza "Tankman on a foreign car" a rather interesting case is described. The Shermans arriving in the USSR under Lend-Lease were reactivated directly in the troops, to which they came in the same form in which they left the factory gates. Representatives of American firms told Soviet tankers that factory workers usually leave small gifts in the tank for the tankers, but despite the fact that the tanks arrived mothballed, nothing interesting could be found in them.

The mothballed tanks arrived with two plugs of cannon fat in the gun barrel: one on the side of the bolt, the other in the muzzle. During re-preservation, the corks were knocked out with a banner. When another cork was knocked out of the barrel, a bottle of whiskey fell out and broke. Curiously, the diameter of a standard bottle of whiskey is just 3 inches, which matches the caliber of the M2, M3 and M1 guns mounted on the Shermans. After that, the trunks began to be re-opened very carefully.

The lower evacuation hatches of the Shermans were a constant object of theft by American infantrymen - they made improvised roofs of individual rifle cells out of them. This led to the fact that the hatches were additionally fastened with chains.

Tank M4A3 "Sherman" (M4A3 Sherman) from the 9th US Army, stuck in the mud during the German offensive in the Ardennes. The operation had the German code name "Wacht am Rhein" (Watch on the Rhine).

The performance characteristics of the M4 Sherman

Crew, people: 5
Layout scheme: control compartment and transmission in front, engine rear
Manufacturer: Lima Locomotive Works, American Locomotive Company, Baldwin Locomotive Works and Pressed Steel Car Company
Years of production: 1942-1945
Number of issued, pcs.: 49 234

Weight M4 Sherman

Dimensions M4 Sherman

Case length, mm: 5893
- Hull width, mm: 2616
- Height, mm: 2743
- Clearance, mm: 432

Armor M4 Sherman

Armor type: homogeneous steel
- Forehead of the hull (top), mm / city: 51 / 56 °
- Forehead of the hull (bottom), mm / city: 51 / 0-56 °
- Hull board, mm/deg.: 38 / 0°
- Hull feed, mm/deg.: 38 / 0…10°
- Bottom, mm: 13-25
- Hull roof, mm: 19—25 / 83—90°
- Tower forehead, mm / city: 76 / 30 °
- Gun mask, mm / city: 89 / 0 °
- Tower board, mm / city: 51 / 5 °
- Tower feed, mm / city: 51 / 0 °
- Tower roof, mm: 25

Armament M4 Sherman

Gun caliber and brand: 75 mm M3 (for M4), 76 mm M1 (for M4 (76)), 105 mm M4 (for M4 (105))
- Type of gun: rifled
- Barrel length, calibers: 36.5
- Gun ammunition: 97
- Angles HV, degrees: −10…+25
- Sights: telescopic M55, M38, periscope M4
- Machine guns: 1 × 12.7 mm M2HB, 2 × 7.62 mm M1919A4

M4 Sherman engine

Engine type: radial 9-cylinder air-cooled carburetor
- Engine power, l. c.: 400 (395 European hp)

Speed ​​M4 Sherman

Highway speed, km/h: 48
- Cross-country speed, km / h: 40

Range on the highway, km: 190
- Specific power, l. s./t: 13.0
- Suspension type: interlocked in pairs, on vertical springs
- Specific ground pressure, kg/cm²: 0.96
- overcome wall, m: 0.6
- Crossable ditch, m: 2.25
- Crossable ford, m: 1.0

Photo M4 Sherman

Tank M4 "Sherman" from the 66th Armored Regiment of the US Army (66th Armor Regiment), lined in the German city of Korschenbroich (Korschenbroich). The photo shows that the strengthening of the frontal armor in the form of bags of cement saved the tank from penetration.

As you know, during the Second World War, several modifications of the most massive American medium tank M4 "General Sherman" were produced. It should be emphasized that all of them did not fundamentally differ from the basic version in terms of their tactical and technical characteristics. The reasons that prompted the factories to start producing them were more of a technological nature, taking into account the capabilities of a particular enterprise, traditional allied factories, etc. From February 1942 to July 1945, six main modifications of the M4 tank were in mass production. the main distinguishing features of which were the type of power plant and the method of manufacturing the hull. So, the M4 and M4A1 models were equipped with Continental R-975 star-shaped carburetor engines and had a welded and cast body, respectively. General Motors 6046 diesel engines were installed on the tanks of the M4A2 variant, Ford GAA carburetor engines, M4A4 - blocks of five Chrysler A57 carburetor automobile engines and, finally, on the M4A6 - diesel RD-1820. All these modifications had welded hulls.

From the point of view of the layout of the power compartment, the General Motors 6046 and Ford GAA engines turned out to be the most successful. However, the first, which was a pair of automobile diesel engines, did not meet the requirements of the US Army, in which the carburetor engine was considered standard. Therefore, the M4A2 tanks were mainly supplied to the allies of the United States in the anti-Hitler coalition and only in small quantities entered service with the US Marine Corps. As for the second, it became the "heart" of the most massive modification of the Sherman.

The first copy of the new tank, designated M4AZ, was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company at the end of May 1942. Serial vehicles of early production still had viewing slots in the frontal part of the hull, but the transmission hatch cover was already cast, and the upper frontal hull sheet, unlike other models, was welded from a smaller number of parts. The release of the first M4AZ series with a 75-mm cannon and a dry ammo rack was completed in September 1943, and in February 1944, the production of these tanks, but with a wet ammo rack (model M4A3 (75) W), was started by the Fisher Tank Arsenal plant. Tanks with a 76-mm gun began to leave the shops of the Detroit Tank Arsenal plant, which was part of the Chrysler concern, in March 1944. Until the end of September, 1400 M4A3 (76) W were manufactured, which also had a vertical suspension and tracks 421 mm wide. But already in August, they began to produce the M4A3(76)W HVSS variant with a horizontal suspension, in the production of which from September to December 1944 the Fisher Tank Arsenal plant also took part, which produced 525 units. The production of the M4A3(76)W HVSS in Detroit ended in June 1945, when the last 1217th tank of this modification left the plant. Thus, a total of 1742 M4A3(76)W HVSS tanks were shelled.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning right away that the official index assigned by the Military Department is M4A3 (76) W HVSS, which contained in encrypted form all the main stages of modernization of the M4AZ tank (“76” - 76-mm cannon, W - wet ammo rack, HVSS - horizontal suspension system), did not take root in the troops. A simpler version of the index - M4A3E (J, which this tank was designated at the testing stage, on the contrary, gained wide popularity. Everyone called this car - from a soldier to a general. The letter "E" in the index, which in the American notation is received prototypes, the soldiers deciphered in their own way, giving the tank they loved the nickname Easy Eight - “convenient eight”. On this machine, deservedly considered the best version of the M4AZ, it makes sense to dwell in more detail.

The hull of the M4AZE8 tank was welded from rolled armor plates. Its frontal part consisted of a massive cast part, which simultaneously served as a transmission hatch cover and a crankcase for the turning mechanism, and a top sheet 108 mm thick, located at an angle of 56 ° to the vertical. In its lower part, on the right, a ball mount of a 7.62 mm Browning М1919А4 machine gun was mounted. The sides of the hull were vertical and had a thickness of 38 mm.

The aft part of the hull consisted of two inclined (10 ° ... 12 °) sheets - upper and lower. The upper one was offset relative to the lower one so that a pocket was formed between them for the exit of air coming from the fans. In front of the hull roof above the control compartment, there were oval landing hatches for the driver and his assistant, located across the hull and having MB observation devices built into the covers; between hatches - exhaust fan. In the middle part of the roof of the hull, a fixed shoulder strap of the tower was attached, around which a protective armored visor was welded. In the aft part of the roof there was a large overhead hatch, closed with a double-leaf lattice cover.

On the roof of the T23 cast tower there was a commander's cupola with six triplex glass blocks and a MB periscope observation device, an oval loader hatch, an MB observation device hatch, an anti-aircraft machine gun bracket and an antenna input. On the left side of the tower there was a hatch for firing personal weapons, and a fan of the fighting compartment was mounted on the stern. The walls of the tower had a thickness of 63.5 mm, the roof - 25.4 mm. In front of the turret, in the M62 mask installation (armor shield thickness - 90 mm), a 76-mm M1A1S or M1A2 gun with a barrel length of 52 calibers was placed. The gun barrel was equipped with a two-chamber muzzle brake. Vertical aiming was possible in the range from -10 ° to + 25 °. The gun had a vertical wedge gate and copier-type semi-automatics. A coaxial Browning M1919A4 machine gun was mounted next to the cannon in a mask, and a 12.7 mm Browning M2NV anti-aircraft machine gun was mounted on the roof of the turret. A 2-inch MZ smoke grenade launcher was located on the left front of the turret roof. The aiming of the gun at the target was carried out using the M71D telescopic sight and the M4A1 periscope sight with the built-in M47A2 telescopic sight. The gun was stabilized in the vertical guidance plane. The Westinghouse stabilizer belonged to the type of gyroscopic stabilizers with indicator pendulum gyroscopes and a power hydraulic servo system.

The tower was driven by a hydroelectric rotary mechanism or manually. With the help of a hydroelectric mechanism, the tower could be rotated 360 ° in 15 seconds. The mechanism had an additional drive to the tank commander, when turned on, the gunner's drive was turned off.

The tank's ammunition consisted of 71 artillery arrows, 600 rounds of 12.7 mm caliber, 6250 rounds of 7.62 mm caliber and 12 smoke fans. The M4AZE8 tank had a so-called wet-type ammunition rack, as evidenced by the letter W in its designation (W - wet - wet). The ammunition was stored in two boxes located on the bottom of the hull and filled with water. So that the water does not freeze in winter, ethylene glycol was added to it. The placement of ammunition on the floor of the fighting compartment increased the survivability of the vehicle, and filling it with water helped save it from detonation.

In the power department, an 8-cylinder V-shaped Ford GAA liquid-cooled carburetor engine with a maximum power of 500 hp was installed. at 2600 rpm. The capacity of the fuel tanks was 635 liters of gasoline with an octane rating of at least 80.

The torque from the engine, located in the stern, with the help of a cardan shaft passing under the rotating polycom of the tower, was transmitted to the double-disk main located in the control compartment in the bow of the tank.

dry friction clutch, gearbox, double cylindrical differential and final drives Gearbox five-speed, mechanical with .. helical gears of constant mesh with synchronizers in all gears, except 1st and reverse

The undercarriage of the M4AZE8 tank in relation to one bot consisted of six double rubber-coated road wheels, interlocked in pairs in three balanoir trucks suspended on two horizontal buffer springs each, three single and two double support rollers of a rubber-coated guide wheel of the drive wheel of the front location with removable gear rims (engagement lantern) In each caterpillar there were 79 single-ridged toaks with a width of 584.2 mm (23 inches), the track pitch was 152 mm. Metal or rubber-metal tracks with a silent block. A hydraulic shock absorber was installed in each suspension bogie.

The engine, transmission and chassis allowed the 33.7-ton combat vehicle to reach a maximum speed of 42 km / h on the highway. The cruising range was 160 km.

All tanks were equipped with radio stations SCR 508, 528 and 538 The SCR 506 radio station was available only on command tanks.

M4AZE8 tanks began to enter the American troops in Europe on December 1, 1944 - at the height of the German counteroffensive in the Ardennes. In particular, the 4th Panzer Division of the 3rd American Army successfully used them in heavy battles near Bastogne in late December - early January 1945. From the previous version - M4A3 (76) W - these tanks differed only in the chassis, but also this turned out to be a lot. Wide tracks made it easier for new tanks to move through snow and muddy ground, for which they immediately fell in love with tankers. And no wonder - // the body pressure in M4AZE8 was 0.77 kg / cm2 versus 1 kg / cm2 in M4A3! The use of T66 greasy caterpillars with developed grousers further improved patency. The crews also evaluated the characteristics of the horizontal suspension - it turned out to be much softer than the vertical one. When driving over rough terrain, the tank got rid of the longitudinal buildup, and on the highway, in terms of ride comfort, it became comparable to a car. The increased smoothness of the course also had a positive effect on the accuracy of shooting, reducing the load on the gun guidance stabilizer. All these advantages of the M4AZE8, combined with the reliability and ease of operation traditional for Shermans, apparently became the reason for its nickname.

In the troops, the “comfortable eights” were not subjected to any alterations and improvements, with the possible exception of the constant desire of the crews to at least somehow strengthen their armor protection. . tanks of those years of the Soviet T-34-85 and the German Pz.IV. With the latest M4AZE8, he could generally fight on an equal footing! But the Germans also had a "Panther" and an 88-mm cannon Pak 43 - the worst nightmare of American tankers. Both of them easily "pierced" american tank at a distance of 1000 m and even more, In fact, from the moment of landing in Normandy, American tankers began to hang garlands of caterpillar tracks on the sides of combat vehicles. In the 14th Panzer Division, they went even further and welded frame structures filled with sandbags onto the sides. But perhaps the most professional and thorough approach to solving this issue was in the 3rd Army of General George Patton. After the end of the fighting in the Ardennes, armor plates began to be welded onto the M4A3E8 hulls. carved from wrecked American and German tanks. Moreover, exactly the same sheet was welded onto the inclined sidewall sheet, which doubled its thickness. Thinner sheets were fastened to the cast cover of the transmission side of the hull and turret. Very quickly, the 3rd Army realized that it would not be possible to cope with such work with the help of army repair shops alone. Therefore, in February 1945 By the end of the month, 106 M4AZE8 tanks for three tank divisions - the 4th, 6th and 11th - were involved in strengthening the armor protection of the tanks. Thus, each received 36 cars.

Work on strengthening the armor of tanks turned out to be very popular with the crews of Tak nappimer. according to tankers from the 6th Panzer Division, tanks with additional armor easily withstood the shelling of the 75-mm gun of the Panther tank. As a result, in March 1945, the armoring of combat vehicles continued. The example of the 3rd Army was followed by separate formations of the 7th and 1st armies. In some, for example, in the 3rd Panzer Division, additional armor was carried out according to the appeal developed in the army by General Paton, in others they created their own schemes.

In the meantime, in the 3rd Army, ridimo not satisfied with one additional armor, they started re-arming the "convenient eights" On the part of the machines, a coaxial 7.62-mm machine gun for yenili on a large-caliber - 12.7-mm At the same time, its barrel protruded noticeably beyond the dimensions of the anti-aircraft mask installation the heavy machine gun was moved forward by welding its bracket in front of the loader's hatch. Well, in front of commander's cupola they placed a bracket for a non-standard 7.62-mm Browning М1919А4 machine gun. With this rearmament, the air defense capabilities increased slightly, since it was impossible to shoot at aircraft from both machine guns at once - they simply interfered with each other. But for fighting in a populated area, for shelling the lower floors of buildings where they could sit down German "faustniks". two machine guns were most welcome

The M4AZE8 tanks, as well as the Shermans of other modifications, fought until the end of the Second World War, and then were in service with the battalions of medium tanks of tank divisions until the mid-1950s. These combat vehicles were actively used in the war in Korea

I must say that the situation with the tank units of the United States by the summer of 1950 was deplorable. Numerous American armored forces after the end of the Second World War were almost completely demobilized. On the territory of the country there were only three (!) Tank battalions of the 6th (M26 tanks), the 70th training in Fort Knox (M4AZ and M26 / and the 73rd in the infantry school in Fort Beniing (M26; Under these conditions, the command The 8th Army, which was located in Japan and South Korea, removed from storage and repaired 54 M4AZE8 tanks and formed the 89th battalion from them, which arrived at the Pusan ​​bridgehead at the end of July 1950, and 2 August entered the battle. A company of "Shermans" attacked the Serero-Korean positions near Masan, "ran into" the positions of a platoon of 45-mm anti-tank guns, lost 8 tanks and retreated

There were few tank battles in Korea. The main losses of the side were from artillery fire, bazooka and anti-tank rifles. Poot Korean T 34-85 tanks, the Americans sought to use their M26 and M46, which surpassed the Soviet machine both in firepower and in armor protection. The first clash between the T-34-85 and M4AZE8 occurred at the end of September 1950, when the American troops that landed at Inchon made their way towards the troops from the Pusan ​​bridgehead. M4AZE8 were knocked out in a matter of seconds. Then one T-34-85 “ironized” the transport convoy, smashing 15 trucks and jeeps to pieces, and was hit by a point-blank shot from a 105-mm howitzer. Another four T-34-85s became victims of bazooka fire, and the core of the Serero-Korean tanks knocked out the main forces of the 70th tank battalion that had approached from the rear

At the end of 1950, American troops in Korea numbered 1,326 tanks, 679 of which were M4AZE8. The Chinese People's Volunteer troops went on the offensive in October 1950, at first they had no tanks at all. However, having abandoned 31 infantry divisions against 18 American ones, the Chinese pushed them back beyond the 38th parallel by the beginning of 1951. By mid-January, 670 tanks remained in the 8th Army, of which 317 were M4AZE8 and M4AZE5). In April, active hostilities on the land front in Korea ended. At the same time, the combat career of the "convenient eight" practically ended.

They were not supplied to other countries - there were enough "Shermans" of other modifications, which turned out to be in abundance in the USA, Great Britain and France after World War II. Apparently, the most recent and noticeable combat episode with their participation is associated with Cuba. Seven M4AZE8 were in service with the Batista regime and were used against the rebels. In December 1958, in the city of Santa Clara, the partisans captured five Shermans without a fight - Che Guevara persuaded the tankers and they went over to the side of the rebels. On January 1, 1959, Havana rebelled, Batista's regime was swept away. And on January 8, the Rebel Army entered the city. Fidel Castro greeted the jubilant havanzers, standing in the open hatch of a comfortable figure eight.

M. Baryatinsky,
"Model designer" No. 3 "2006