![]() ![]() The main differences were based on engine type, cast hulls or welded hulls and main armament calibre.Ī famous variant was the Firefly, a Sherman equipped with a British high-velocity 17-pounder (76.2 mm) gun. The Sherman went through several upgrades. It saw action in North Africa, Italy, North–West Europe, the Easternįront, the Far East and the Pacific islands. The Sherman was used by the US Army and Marine Corps as well as British,Ĭanadian and other Commonwealth armies, Polish and Free French forces as well as China and the Soviet Union. It first entered service with the British Army in North Africa in October 1942. ![]() In British and Canadian service, the Sherman had a five-man crew: commander, gunner, loader/radio operator, driver and co-driver/hull machine gunner.ĭesigned to be mass-produced, the Sherman was inexpensive, simple to build and easy to maintain. They were drivenīy either gasoline or diesel engines, which generated between 400 and 500 horsepower. Most Shermans weighed about 30 to 33 tonnes, had a maximum speed of 38 to 46 km/h and a range of 160 to 240 km. Depending on the model, frontal armour thicknesses could range from 50.8 mm to 108 mm. 30 calibre in the hull for the co-driver. 30 calibre coaxial one aligned with the main gun and another. Most early production Shermans’ armament consisted of a 75 mm low-velocity gun in aįully traversing turret, plus three machine guns: a turret roof-mounted. Its designers emphasized speed and mobility over armour thickness and size of main armament. The M4 Sherman evolved from the M3 and production began in February 1942. While the modified British version was called the General Grant. In British service, the tank was known as the General Lee, Eventually, 6,258 M3s were built by late 1942. The gun was limited to a 30-degree traverse, which severely limited its ability to quickly engage multiple targets on the battlefield.Īlthough a fully rotatable turret was preferred, it was beyond American industrial capacity at the time. To get a new tank into production quickly, the M3 had its 75 mm main armament gun mounted on the right front side of the hull. ![]() In July 1940, the War DepartmentĪpproved the development of a new tank. ![]() American leaders quickly realized they needed a new tank that could fight German ones. The fall of France in June 1940 after a short German blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) campaign shocked and surprised the United States. ![]()
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