The M4 US Medium Tank, the Sherman, was the workhorse of Allied armoured divisions during WW II and afterwards worldwide. Nearly 50, 000 Shermans were built, production beginning in July 1942. It was first bloodied at Alamein when some 270 Shermans arrived in time to assist the British Eighth Army in October 1942. Considered highly manoeuvrable, it weighed 30 tons and was powered by a nine-cylinder 400 hp radial engine, giving a speed of 25 mph (40 km/ph), and a range of 85 miles (137 km). At the time of introduction, the Sherman was a big improvement on British models, but that was not saying much. Its dual-purpose 75 mm gun, which could fire both armour-piercing (AP) and high-explosive (HE) ammunition, started to challenge equivalent German tank guns in range and muzzle velocity. But its lightly armoured petrol tanks meant that Shermans often caught fire when hit, and were not unsurprisingly dubbed ‘Ronsons’ (after the cigarette lighter) by crews and German anti-tank gunners alike. In the Western Desert, the Afrika Korps called them ‘Tommy cookers’. For the invasion of Normandy, the British modified one Sherman in four into a ‘Firefly’ packing a powerful 17-pounder gun. This made it superior to the Mark IV Panzer, the most numerous German tank of the period, but it remained appallingly inferior to both the ‘Tiger’ and ‘Panther’. Shermans were also used as the basis for some ingenious specialist armour, of which the ‘DD’ (Duplex Drive) swimming tank, the ‘Crab’ minefield flail, and the M10 ‘Wolverine’ Tank Destroyer were prime examples. By 1945, an improved model (M4A3E8) had entered service with the US army, with a power-traverse turret mounting a 76 mm gun, improved suspension and a wider body, but weighing 35 tons. This version saw service in Korea, before replacement in 1955. Prior substantial modification including up-gunning and the replacement of the lethal petrol with diesel engines. The last major conflicts in which the type was involved were the Arab-Israeli wars.
— Peter Caddick-Adams
