By: Eric
The M4 Sherman was an American tank used in World War II. The Sherman was named after an American Civil War general William T. Sherman. The M4 Sherman is one of the most iconic tanks in World War II and one of the most famous tanks in history. Although the Sherman did not get its reputation from its performances, but more from the sheer numbers of them made. The first factory that produced the M4 was the Lima Locomotive Works. A total of 49,324 Sherman tanks were produced in 11 plants between 1942 and 1946.Pressed Steel Cars Co., Pacific Car & Foundry, Baldwin Locomotive Works, American Locomotive Co., Pullman Car, Chrysler’s Detroit Tank Arsenal, Pullman Standard Car Manufacturing Co., Federal Welder, Fisher and Grand Blanc in Michigan. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union.
Although, there was several different types and variations of Sherman, from the M4 to the M4A6. It also came with many different equipment that could be installed on the tank, from Different gum calibers, to mine excavators/plows, to flame throwers, to Rocket Launchers. The hulls (front) upper and lower glacis is made of large welded parts and steel plates. Other external parts were either bolted or welded on.The armor was 76 mm (2.99 in) thick on the upper glacis, 50 mm (1.96 in) on the turret and 30 mm (1.18 in) everywhere else.
Here is an image of the M4A4, so you can get a general understanding
of the design of the tank.
 |
| M4A4: 1 - Lifting
ring, 2 - Ventilator, 3 - Turret hatch, 4 – Periscope, 5 – Turret hatch race, 6
– Turret seat, 7 – Gunner's seat, 8 – Turret seat, 9 – Turret, 10 – Air
cleaner, 11 – Radiator filler cover, 12 – Air cleaner manifold, 13 – Power
unit, 14 – Exhaust pipe, 15 – Track idler, 16 – Single water pump, 17 –
Radiator, 18 – Generator, 19 – Rear propeller shaft, 20 – Turret basket, 21 –
Slip ring, 22 – Front propeller shaft, 23 – Suspension bogie, 24 –
Transmission, 25 – Main drive sprocket, 26 – Driver's seat, 27 – Machine
gunner's seat, 28 – 75 mm gun, 29 – Drivers hatch, 30 – M1919A4 machine gun. |
Overall, the Sherman had a simple design and was designed from a latter tank called the M3 Lee, making the design and production of the Sherman to be cheap, fast, and an easy to produce vehicle. This is why so many were produced (about 50,000) and why the Sherman is such an iconic tank. The Sherman had a lake of armor and fire power, especially compared to the German tanks, like the Panzer (PZ.Kpfw.IV Ausf. H), Panther and Tiger. So, the overall design wasn’t the best during World War II, but the Sherman made up for it with its speed, reliability, and sheer numbers.
Sources
Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"M4 Sherman Tank and M18 Hellcat Tank ." BR Howard. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"M4 Sherman (Medium Tank, M4) - Development and Operational History, Performance
Specifications and Picture Gallery." M4 Sherman (Medium Tank, M4). N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
"M4 Sherman (1942)." Tanks Encyclopedia. N.p., 28 Nov. 2014. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.
I didn't know any of the parts to a tank until now! Considering the fact this is a simple design I couldn't imagine how the other tanks compare to this one nice job!
ReplyDeleteYeah, compared to the M1A1 Abrams tank this Sherman is simple. There are parts on the M1A1 Abrams that are classified, like the stabilizer for the turret ring.
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