#M4 sherman commander radio driver#
#M4 sherman commander radio plus#
#M4 sherman commander radio free#

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.

#M4 sherman commander radio free#

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.

#M4 sherman commander radio driver#

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.

#M4 sherman commander radio plus#

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. Gift of the West Bank Optimist Club, 2000.The fall of France in June 1940 after a short German blitzkrieg (“lightning war”) campaign shocked and surprised the United States. The names typically started with the letter of the company to which the vehicle was assigned. It was common practice in the US Army and Marine Corps to have nicknames for armored vehicles. The tank’s nickname, “Draftee,” is from a tank in the unit commanded by Staff Sergeant Julian Czekanski of Cleveland, Ohio. The tank was restored with the markings of an actual vehicle which served with D company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division. Restoration work began in late October 2004, when the tank received a running Ford GAA engine and a new paint job. When the Sherman tank arrived at the Museum in December 2000, its engine was completely rusted and it was painted in a color appropriate to the Korean War era rather than World War II.

Because the tank was manufactured in 1943, it is almost certain that it was deployed overseas during the war, although no battle damage was discovered. No unit markings were discovered when previous coats of paint were removed from the tank. The Museum’s Sherman is an M4A3, built by Ford Motor Company in 1943. This particular tank, a rare M4A3E9 model (only a few hundred were built), carries appliqué armor for additional protection.

Though frequently outgunned by their German counterparts, Shermans proved easier to maintain-often fixed on the battlefield.

The Sherman tank’s primary role was infantry support, spearheading attacks as well as bolstering defensive positions. Notorious for their flammability, Shermans were nicknamed “Ronsons” after a lighter with the slogan “lights every time.” The model proved itself somewhat effective against German Mk II and Mk IV Panzers, but it was thoroughly outclassed by the Tiger, Panther, and King Tiger tanks. Initially developed to replace the M3 'Grant/Lee' medium tank, the first Shermans were manufactured in 1942 and some early productions examples saw combat in North Africa in 1943. They were used in all combat theaters-not only by the United States, but also by Great Britain, the Free French, China, and even the Soviet Union. More than 50,000 Shermans were produced between 19. The Sherman tank was the most commonly used American tank in World War II.