Between 1946 and 1948, argentina would acquire 360 americanbuilt m4 shermans from belgium, of which 206 were exbritish sherman fireflies and 154 were shermans armed with the 75 mm gun some sources state a. Design designed as a replacement for the m3 lee medium tank, the plans for the m4 were submitted to the u. This book is part of ospreys new vanguard series, volume 73 in fact. You have to understand that most weapons were considered expendable. The sherman was americas best worst tank war is boring. First, the sherman was designed for mass production and this allowed the allies to enjoy a 41 superiority in numbers. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. After use in the field, commanders objected to main armament flame throwers chiefly because they replaced the tank s main gun. Tank development in the united states after world war ii was dominated by the expected conflict with the soviet union in europe. The sherman mounted six different guns, but not on all versions, now with gun data sheets. The m4a1 sherman tank, g104 g523 g503, was produced in the year 1943 during world war ii and has been fully restored. Coopers indictment of the sherman tanks inferiority compared to the heavier german panther and tiger tanks ignores many important facts. In 2012, years after the war, jeb stuart is alive with alzheimers and using his sword to attack and scratch his sherman tank into the walls of his house. With production in excess of 55000 the sherman tank was eventually in service with most allied armies of the second world war and by the time of the.
Canadian indestructible roller device cird the sherman crab was the most successful mine clearing sherman variant. These books are really aimed at modelers, and people into less detailed history. Christened sherman by the british, who named their u. The men from charlie company who took part in the battle of tarawa and their uniforms. Sherman tanks of the british army and royal marines. Sherman tank, officially m4 general sherman, main battle tank designed and built by the united states for the conduct of world war ii. Mar 19, 2020 in the spring of 1941, months before pearl harbor but well after the war had begun in europe, edsel ford henry fords only son and charlie sorensen, the companys foremost production guru. Long row of m4a376 w sherman hvss tanks enter eichstatt germany 25 april 1945.
The hotchkiss was used in the israeli war for independence. Armored warfare was a salient feature of the second world war. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order 1toz. Most had the m3 75mm gun, or the m1a1 76mm gun, but many were also equipped with the british 17 pounder, the m3 90mm, 3 inch at gun and the m2m4 105mm howitzer. The m4 was employed in north africa, sicily, italy, and western europe and throughout the pacific theatre. Tank busting blowing up the myth of the mighty m4 sherman. The book focuses on the sherman tank in its development and application in wwii. While the pershing was ten tons heavier than the sherman, it. Its more a history of mr cooper in his job of recovering shermans after a battle, not a lot of tactics talk but will give you a great understanding of what the sherman was and what its crews had to live through. Death traps, belton coopers aptly name book about american armored divisions in ww2 evidences this fact. The british named the tank after the american civil war general william tecumseh sherman. Army and marine corps but also by british, canadian, and free french forces. The m4 sherman named after the famous american civil war general william t.
Sherman is one of the few really iconic fighting vehicles of the allies during world war two, and one of the most famous tanks in history. Us m4 sherman tanks battle of the bulge january 1945. Army had cause to regret one of its most fateful choices of world war ii. The british named the usbuilt tanks after famous generals from the us civil war. That is, hits that would cause the tank to either explode or catch on fire violently. Spearhead is a wwii book on tank strategy, but humanity is central. According to the seller, it has received a brand new set of rubber tracks and she is completely ready for display at a museum or to be used for reenactment or parade purposes. It also had an upgraded 76mm gun with an improved rate or fire and better accuracy. Sherman tanks were not nearly as efficient or as armored as the primary german tank, the panzer iv. The united states world war 2 main battle tank, the m4 sherman was obsolete by 1944. The sherman tank site has been up for just over two years. During the european campaign, the division had some 648 sherman tanks completely destroyed in combat and we had another 700 knocked out, repaired and put.
The m4 sherman tank was hell on wheels and a death trap. It was also the basis of several successful tank destroyers, such as the m10, achilles and m36. The united states built a staggering 49,234 sherman tanks between 1942 and 1945. Looking for good booksprimary documents on the sherman. I have been seeing this guy show up in documentaries for years on various ww2 subjects. That is why sherman feels disproportionally stronger to pz ivs and pz iiis. Within seconds of the halftrack hit, captain robert shaw, our company commander, ordered the four tanks ahead of us to destroy whatever was firing on our supporting units. Crew of m4 sherman tank eternity checking the tank after landing at red beach 2, sicily, 10 jul 1943. In the forward to harmons book a spencer tucker of the virginia military. Shermans were undergunned when fighting german tiger tanks and outmaneuvered when facing german panther tanks. This list of of books that look specifically at the history, development, and technical aspects of the famous m4 sherman tank. Consequently, the book is riddled with mistakes and falsehoods. Moran argued that the m4 sherman tank was the best u.
After world war 2, argentina decided that buying surplus tanks would be more economical than massproducing their domestic nahuel d. Cooper served with united state armys 3rd armored division fighting the germans in 19441945. Tank armor sherman tank ww2 photos military pictures armored fighting vehicle battle tank world of tanks ww2 tanks luftwaffe american tank m4a1 sherman from the 3rd tank division of the united states on fire after being hit by antitank fire in west germany. The official name was the m4a376w hvss, but sherman easy eight is the nickname this tank is widely remembered. New vanguard 73, m4 76mm sherman medium tanks 194365 by steven j. The m4 sherman was the workhorse medium tank of the u.
Pools second tank was hit by friendly fire after lasting between july 1st and 17th august, 1944. Death traps by belton cooper is a memoir of his us army service in world war 2. The sherman tank was the most commonly used american tank in world war ii. A total of 49,324 sherman tanks were produced in 11 plants between 1942 and 1946. How detroit factories retooled during wwii to defeat hitler. Spearhead is a wwii book on tank strategy, but humanity is central focus.
Dispelling the myths surrounding the m4 sherman knowledge glue. The m4 general sherman was the most widely used tank series among the western allies, being employed not only by the u. The m4 sherman, officially medium tank, m4, was the most widely used medium tank by the united states and western allies in world war ii. Read download sherman tank manual pdf pdf download. Oct 23, 2014 the sherman tank remained in service with both the army and the marine corps after world war ii, and saw action throughout the korean war.
Kindly recommend books on tanks and tank tactics for wwii. The m4 sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. After the defeat of the french army in 1940 in the face of the german armys flash war strategy, the united states pointed out the importance of armored units on the battlefield. Intended as a general purpose manual for the platoon leader, tank commander and crew, this fm 1776 field manual shows how to achieve efficient execution of mounted and dismounted action, and precision. The sherman was one of the swimming tanks, known as dd tanks, because they were duplex drive vehicles. Spearhead is a wwii book on tank strategy, but humanity is.
Despite being inferior to the heavier german tanks it was a reliable and capable tank and would play a part in winning the war. Wwii gunner at a loss for words as he rides a sherman tank. World war ii ended 74 years ago so what happened to the hundreds of millions of weapons that were made for it. How long were the shermans kept after ww2 for combat use. M4 sherman tank the national wwii museum new orleans. The indigenous german tank forces were a success due to tactical innovation more than tank quality. Two m4a3e8 sherman tanks, with poacwsh5 double barrel flamethrower equipment, from the flame platoon, first tank bn, first marine division, korea, circa 1950. Hero of the soviet union dmitriy loza has carefully crafted his world war ii experiences with americanprovided sherman tanks into a highly readable memoir. Coopers experiences in the battle to defeat germany. The earliest of iterations for the kangaroo troop carrier design was based on the m3 5 stuart platform.
The sherman in its various configurations filled gaps in the zahal order of battle over the course of several decades, until the. Wwii tanks 1944 pictorial sherman m4 panther german. Larger than normal entry in the images of war series looking at the m4 sherman tank, with a good range of photos, including some unusual pictures of tanks under construction, the interior of the sherman and individual components, all supported by good captions and useful chapter introductions. British sherman tank of xiii corps, eighth army in the streets of francofonte, sicily, 14 jul 1943. A s we talked about in the last post on the army has a series of history books they published shortly. In the past he has shown up saying he was a tank mechanic that welded a bar on the front of sherman tanks just after the dday invasion. The most powerful tank of world war ii, a single 67ton tiger ii could hold up a dozen sherman tanks, and often did.
Commanding the red armys sherman tanks is the first available detailed examination of the red armys exploitation of american war material during world war ii and provides firsthand testimony on tactical command decisions, group objectives and how they were accomplished. Nov 22, 20 death traps, belton coopers aptly name book about american armored divisions in ww2 evidences this fact. That is why american military engineers are ordered to immediately set up a tank for world war ii. Shermans of the 25th tank battalion, 14th armored division. Aug 14, 2018 how israel used old world war ii tanks to win war after war. The t34 saw itself in service in northkorea and in yugoslavia. Usa 1941 medium tank 49,234 built quantity and quality. Compares the sherman to other tanks, including the panther and tiger. Normandy campaign 1944 tankcraft oliver, dennis on. Some tank crews referred to the american m4 sherman tank as a. M4 sherman tank, formally known as the medium tank m4 was the main tank used by the u. See more ideas about ww2, sherman tank and ww2 tanks.
The survival of an american armored division in world war ii is a 1998 memoir by belton y. Modeling the sherman tank in 172nd scale references page 1. German tank maintenance united states army center of. The complete illustrated history of soviet armoured theory and design, harrisburg penn stackpole books. M4 sherman at war and millions of other books are available for amazon. Some tank crews referred to the american m4 sherman tank as a death trap. British designations for us medium tanks and related afvs. Seventyfive years ago the most quintessentially american tank was built. I had nicknamed our tank icanhopit, and by the end of the war we were in icanhopit 4. Feb 22, 2019 one of the last functioning sherman tanks rolled down the streets of allentown friday, providing world war ii tank gunner clarence smoyer a deja vu ride to a vfw post for a book signing. Ww2 picture photo m4 sherman tanks firing against german tanks 2635. How israel used old world war ii tanks to win war after war.
In his book death traps belton cooper believes that the m4 got many american servicemen unneedlessly killed due to intentionally poor construction. Despite the fact that they were outclassed by the medium and heavy tanks of nazi germany late in the war, the m4 sherman proved to be cheaper to produce, very. The sherman saw service in the israeli up until the 1980s and was in the indopakistani war of 1965 and 1971. As an apc, the turret of the stuart was removed, and in some cases, the top of the hull as well. Even after the united states replaced the sherman with the m48 patton main battle tank during the 1950s, the sherman served with u. Destroyed sherman war, history war, tanks military.
The book relates coopers experiences during world war ii and puts forth an argument against the us armys use of the m4 sherman tank during the war. The m4 sherman line had been by far the most largely manufactured, most commonly used, as well as most essential of all the tanks operating by us, british, as well as other allied armies in ww2. During the early 1950s, us ordnance military depots andor outsourced private civilian contractors installed the 76 mm m1 tank gun in the older smalltype turret designed for the original 75 mm m3 tank gun of m4a1 and m4a3 shermans. It took the fall of the soviet empire before firsthand information like. The story opens in september 1944, three months after the dday invasion. Sherman tank, main battle tank designed and built by the united states for use. Furthermore, the author puts his main effort into an oversimplified indictment of the american sherman tank as a death trap that delayed eventual victory in the second world war. M26 pershing heavy tank, texas military forces museum, camp mabry, tx, 30 january 2006. Tens of thousands were distributed through the lendlease program. Today, more than seven decades after the end of the greatest war in. The m4 went on to be produced in large numbers, being the most produced tank in american history.
Army and marine corps, which underwent a massive wartime expansion. Was the sherman tank really the worst tank of wwii or that. The american tank ace that killed 12 tank and 258 armoured. Postworld war ii sherman tanks news newspapers books scholar jstor august. This post will cover the sherman related images in the war against germany and italy, mediterranean and adjacent areas. Unique chance for you m4 sherman medium tanks, for sale. Second, fewer than 50% of the german armor in france in 1944 were tigers or panthers.
Death traps goodreads meet your next favorite book. Other wwii tanks 1944 pictorial sherman m4 panther german remote control baby tank click image to enlarge. T34s were on paper an amazing tank, having a powerful gun, decent armor that was strengthened by be. Nov 09, 2018 ever since theyd come ashore, three weeks after dday, this m4a1 sherman had been their home in easy company, 32nd armor regiment, of the 3rd armored division, one of the armys two heavy tank. This allowed for more space in the tank, but left its. In both books the rate of loss of shermans is really staggering, especially so in hills book. George patton, believed that the sherman helped win world war ii. After transferring to the university of michigan to study marine architecture. Tank designs were evaluated by criteria that led steadily to faster, heavier, more armored, more powerfully and accurately armed tanks while competing lighter designs were ignored. Variant history us sherman tanks as foreign military aid. Sherman tanks of the us army official history books.
Author is a worldrenowned expert on the sherman tank and american armor. More than 50,000 shermans were produced between 1942 and 1945. Its m4 sherman medium tank was a decent enough armored fighting vehicle when it entered combat in 1942. When ww2 ended where did all the 100s of millions of weapons go. An american tank gunner, his enemy, and a collision of lives in world war ii. Although it is not really the most efficient allied tank in qualitative conditions, and definitely unfavorable in hitting power as well as armour to the top german and soviet medium tanks like the. The soviets t34 medium tank total of some 64,549 wartimeproduced examples, split roughly 55%45% between 76 mm and 85 mm gunned examples was the only tank design produced in larger numbers during world war ii. Army at the end of world war ii was the m26 pershing, developed to replace the m4 sherman. It was not the most heavily armored tankit was tall and ungainly. Most shermans in their service with of the m4a4 variant, purchased from the british military forces in egypt after wwii. Jan 02, 2017 most shermans of the m4 variety were written off and given to allies. The sherman spearheaded many offensives by the western allies after 1942. E4e6 shermans two of what would become the last of the usproduced sherman tank variants.
Winter war 19391940 and continuation war 19411944 russo german war 19411945. One of concords earlier books by zaloga, this one covers both allied and axis tanks during and after the dday invasion in 1944. The sherman remained a mainstay after wwii, and saw service in korea, during the arabisraeli wars, and in conflicts between india and pakistan. Sep 12, 2017 8 the american infantryman in world war ii by robert rushto close us off, we can make another comparison between an infantry and tank unit, the 70th tank battalion and 3rd infantry regiment, both of which saw extensive combat from tunisia to the end of the war, and the 70th also has the title of having suffered the most casualties for. The 3rd armored division entered combat in normandy with 232 m4 sherman tanks. He is the editor of wwii history magazine and the world war ii desk.
The french sold the syrians a dozen panzer4s and they used it in the sixday war. This article deals with sherman tanks extensive use around the world after world war ii and. Seventyfive years after it first rumbled into service, the m4 sherman remains the. Today is the first time i have ever heard he was an officer. With regards to ww2, many socalled experts have determined that the american m4 sherman tank was one of the worst weapons fielded by the allies. Out armored and out gunned early in the war, the stuarts were relegated to support roles. They were used in all combat theatersnot only by the united states, but also by great britain, the free french, china, and even the soviet union. The website is paid up for another year, and i have some very interesting books on the way that should expand the selection of rare technical drawings. Only thing wrong is a pitiful damage of l40 gun on pz iv and this strange behaviour of german tanks to explode after slightest damage.
In fact hills was the only surviving tank commander officer in his regiment who survived. The sherman tank and its chassis was host to a variety of guns. This book is pretty short but gets a decent amount of the 76mm sherman story into it. Nicknamed as the easyeight or e8, this tank was a quicker, slightly better armored version of the m4 sherman.
Aug 21, 2016 with regards to ww2, many socalled experts have determined that the american m4 sherman tank was one of the worst weapons fielded by the allies. M4 sherman medium tank is the most quintessentially american tank ever conceived and the most numerous battle medium tank used by the united states and some of the other western allies in world war ii. Was the sherman tank really the worst tank of wwii or that is. I thought i had all of the material i needed since i have r. There is a great book by belton cooper called death traps. Known variously as the tiger b, king tiger, and royal tiger, the tiger ii carried a crew of five, had a 600horsepower engine and a maximum speed of 21. Nov 10, 2014 the united states built a staggering 49,234 sherman tanks between 1942 and 1945. The following article on ww2 tanks is an excerpt from barrett tillman dday encyclopedia.
The book itself is called death traps and it refers to the thousands of crew members who died or were injured in sherman tanks because the tank was designed by a committee and it was no match for german panzers with far superior armour and firepower. Smoyer is part of an m4a1 sherman tank crew attached to easy. While most people like to think about the famous tiger panzer vi or t34 and how amazing they were, the truth is they werent. Flag images indicative of country of origin and not necessarily. The m103 was americas tiger tank the national interest. This was a fact even before the upgrading of panzer gun barrels and armor in 1943. Sherman m4a3e8 earned the nickname from its experimental e8 designation. The m4a4e8s were kept on depending on their war weariness.
M4 sherman tanks equipment for battle coming ashore 4th tank battalion marines iwo jima 3 february 1945. In 1940, after the evacuation of the british expeditionary force from dunkirk on. The americanbuilt sherman medium tank was admittedly inferior to its. The standard format for these concord books is a couple pages of background text that sets the stage for the photographs that follow. Soviet tanks and combat vehicles of world war two, london. During this time, pools combat command a was on the verge of clearing the german forces from fromental village when p38 knocked out the sherman. In this occasion you can be the owner of two great armoured jewels from world war ii time.
679 1264 103 998 1220 1445 616 1052 235 858 432 752 894 117 1624 244 105 1199 362 1377 931 108 919 609 1326 775 1533 573 854 120 383 1071 1313 43 1311 1369 1169