M4 Sherman
In service 1942 - 1970s (foreign service)
Reliable, easy to maintain and available everywhere - the tank that equipped the Western Allies and much of the world afterwards.
Built byChrysler, Fisher, ALCO, Pressed Steel Car
Development history
The Sherman was designed for mass production, shipping and serviceability rather than for duels with Tigers, and its mechanical dependability and superb gun stabiliser and turret traverse repeatedly mattered more than armour thickness. British crews solved its firepower gap with the 17-pdr Firefly conversion, and US units later fielded the 76 mm and HVSS suspension. Post-war it soldiered on with Israel, France and many others into the 1970s.
Photo gallery
Period photographs with source and licence details.
Variants
One canonical record, 7 recorded variants.
M4
1942Welded hull, R975 radial engine, 75 mm M3 gun.
M4A1
1942Rounded cast upper hull; first version in British service as Sherman II.
M4A2
1942GM twin diesel; supplied in quantity to the Soviet Union and Royal Marines.
M4A3
1943Ford GAA V8, the preferred US Army version; later wet stowage and HVSS.
M4A3E8 Easy Eight
194476 mm gun, HVSS wide-track suspension, wet ammunition stowage.
Sherman Firefly
1944British conversion with the 17-pdr in a modified turret - the best Allied tank gun in Normandy.
M4A3R3 Zippo / Crocodile
1944Flamethrower conversions used in the Pacific and north-west Europe.
Related vehicles
Separate records that derive from this vehicle, grouped by how they relate to it.
Notable actions
- Second Battle of El Alamein (1942)
- Italian Campaign (1943-45)
- Normandy (1944)
- Arracourt (1944)
- Korean War (1950-53)