M4 Sherman

The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States and the other Western Allies in World War II, and proved to be a reliable and highly mobile workhorse to win the war, despite being outmatched by heavier German tanks late in the war. Thousands were distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union, via lend-lease. The M4 was the second most produced tank of the World War II era, after the Soviet T-34, and its performance and role in its parent nation's victory was comparable to that of the T-34. It has been the general conception that in the United Kingdom, the M4 was named after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals, and that subsequently the British name found its way into common use in the U.S. This has however been put into question since U.S. documents of proposed names for equipment was found, naming several tanks including the M4.

The M4 Sherman evolved from the Grant and Lee medium tanks, which had an unusual side-sponson mounted 75 mm gun. It retained much of the previous mechanical design, but added the first American main 75 mm gun mounted on a fully traversing turret, with a gyrostabilizer enabling the crew to fire with reasonable accuracy while the tank was on the move. The designers stressed mechanical reliability, ease of production and maintenance, durability, standardization of parts and ammunition in a limited number of variants, and moderate size and weight. These factors made the M4 superior in some regards to the earlier German light and medium tanks of 1939-41. The M4 ended up being produced in large numbers, and formed the backbone of most offensives by the Western Allies, starting in late 1942. In Project Reality, the M4 Sherman is the medium tank of the United States Army(1940).

Trivia

 * The shape of the hull on the M4 Sherman causes difficulty for crewmen trying to enter the vehicle. Thus, it is recommended that drivers and gunners stay in their seats at all times.