M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman
The US Army absorbed the lessons learned by both sides in early World War II tank warfare, and realized that their current inventory of M2 light tanks were completely inadequate. Design began on the M4 medium tank, which would be much larger than the M2 series and arm a 75mm gun. Production was delayed while manufacturers worked out how to cast turrets large enough to accommodate a bigger gun (a problem that led to the interim M3 Grant/Lee series), but once that was done, production began. By this time, the British practice of nicknaming American tanks after famous generals became accepted (if not adopted by the US Army until after the war), and the M4 became known as the Sherman.
The M4's design was based around US Army tank doctrine, which held that speed and reliability were more important than armor and an antitank weapon, as tanks were expected to act as a breakthrough and exploitation force. As a result, the M4 had decent speed for its size and superb reliability--it was very easy to repair a Sherman, especially for American crews who were used to doing maintenance on their cars back home. The 75mm proved successful in both US and British service in North Africa against the earlier German Panzer IIIs and IVs, and against Italian tanks, and because of its stabilization system, it gave the Sherman limited ability to fire on the move.
After the D-Day landings, however, and engagements with newer German tanks like the Panther and Tiger, the Sherman's drawbacks appeared. The armor was too thin and easily penetrated by German high-velocity 75mm and 88mm guns, which would set off the gasoline engine of the M4, leading the tank to "brew up," catch fire, and explode. In return, the 75mm could not penetrate the Germans' armor. Crash programs and field modifications were enacted to improve the Sherman; some additional protection could be had by throwing sandbags on the front of the tank, or by welding additional plates, though this caused extra weight and reduced the M4's top speed. The US Army began upgunning the Sherman with a 76mm, while the British had more success with their 17-pounder: the latter, on the Sherman Firefly, could knock out even the mighty Tiger.
The Sherman's biggest advantage was that there were so many of them: nearly 50,000 would be produced during the war, which outstripped German tank production of all types. While a Tiger could be relied on to destroy two or three Shermans in an engagement, the fourth or fifth would get behind the German tank and knock it out. Because Shermans were easily fixed, those that broke down were quickly returned to action, while German tanks--which broke down more frequently, and with crews that did not know how to fix them--were simply abandoned.
Shermans were also used in the Pacific, where they outclassed all Japanese tanks; Japanese tank doctrine was to use light tanks in jungle warfare to support infantry. The Sherman could easily knock out any Japanese tank.
By the end of World War II, the US Army recognized that a better tank would need to be designed, leading to the M48/M60 Patton main battle tank series. The Sherman remained in US service until the Korean War, because of its reliability. Many more were supplied to friendly countries, and would be used in many postwar conflicts; the Israeli Army, with upgunned Shermans carrying 105mm guns, would use their modified M4s into the early 1970s.
The lack of armor was painfully apparent to US Army armored divisions by 1944, so a crash program was started to uparmor the Sherman. This resulted in the M4A3E2, known as the "Jumbo" Sherman. The Jumbo was essentially a standard M4A3, but with an extra inch of armor on the forward hull and on the sides of the turret, giving the Jumbo a slab-sided appearance. The additional armor could stop a German 75mm high-velocity shell, though an 88mm would still go through it (though a poorly-fused 88mm--often sabotaged by slave laborers--would break up on hitting the additional armor). The Jumbo was slower than a regular M4A3, but crews were willing to take the tradeoff. Jumbo Shermans would remain in service after the war, though they were generally replaced by the "Easy Eight" M4A3E8; a few were field-modified by adding 76mm guns.
This Jumbo is on display at the National Museum of Military Vehicles' Battle of the Bulge display; it lacks unit markings, though it is displayed with a crew. It's also displayed next to a M4A3E9 Sherman and a German Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer--the difference in profile between the Sherman and the latter can be seen in this photograph.
M4A3E2 Jumbo Sherman
The US Army absorbed the lessons learned by both sides in early World War II tank warfare, and realized that their current inventory of M2 light tanks were completely inadequate. Design began on the M4 medium tank, which would be much larger than the M2 series and arm a 75mm gun. Production was delayed while manufacturers worked out how to cast turrets large enough to accommodate a bigger gun (a problem that led to the interim M3 Grant/Lee series), but once that was done, production began. By this time, the British practice of nicknaming American tanks after famous generals became accepted (if not adopted by the US Army until after the war), and the M4 became known as the Sherman.
The M4's design was based around US Army tank doctrine, which held that speed and reliability were more important than armor and an antitank weapon, as tanks were expected to act as a breakthrough and exploitation force. As a result, the M4 had decent speed for its size and superb reliability--it was very easy to repair a Sherman, especially for American crews who were used to doing maintenance on their cars back home. The 75mm proved successful in both US and British service in North Africa against the earlier German Panzer IIIs and IVs, and against Italian tanks, and because of its stabilization system, it gave the Sherman limited ability to fire on the move.
After the D-Day landings, however, and engagements with newer German tanks like the Panther and Tiger, the Sherman's drawbacks appeared. The armor was too thin and easily penetrated by German high-velocity 75mm and 88mm guns, which would set off the gasoline engine of the M4, leading the tank to "brew up," catch fire, and explode. In return, the 75mm could not penetrate the Germans' armor. Crash programs and field modifications were enacted to improve the Sherman; some additional protection could be had by throwing sandbags on the front of the tank, or by welding additional plates, though this caused extra weight and reduced the M4's top speed. The US Army began upgunning the Sherman with a 76mm, while the British had more success with their 17-pounder: the latter, on the Sherman Firefly, could knock out even the mighty Tiger.
The Sherman's biggest advantage was that there were so many of them: nearly 50,000 would be produced during the war, which outstripped German tank production of all types. While a Tiger could be relied on to destroy two or three Shermans in an engagement, the fourth or fifth would get behind the German tank and knock it out. Because Shermans were easily fixed, those that broke down were quickly returned to action, while German tanks--which broke down more frequently, and with crews that did not know how to fix them--were simply abandoned.
Shermans were also used in the Pacific, where they outclassed all Japanese tanks; Japanese tank doctrine was to use light tanks in jungle warfare to support infantry. The Sherman could easily knock out any Japanese tank.
By the end of World War II, the US Army recognized that a better tank would need to be designed, leading to the M48/M60 Patton main battle tank series. The Sherman remained in US service until the Korean War, because of its reliability. Many more were supplied to friendly countries, and would be used in many postwar conflicts; the Israeli Army, with upgunned Shermans carrying 105mm guns, would use their modified M4s into the early 1970s.
The lack of armor was painfully apparent to US Army armored divisions by 1944, so a crash program was started to uparmor the Sherman. This resulted in the M4A3E2, known as the "Jumbo" Sherman. The Jumbo was essentially a standard M4A3, but with an extra inch of armor on the forward hull and on the sides of the turret, giving the Jumbo a slab-sided appearance. The additional armor could stop a German 75mm high-velocity shell, though an 88mm would still go through it (though a poorly-fused 88mm--often sabotaged by slave laborers--would break up on hitting the additional armor). The Jumbo was slower than a regular M4A3, but crews were willing to take the tradeoff. Jumbo Shermans would remain in service after the war, though they were generally replaced by the "Easy Eight" M4A3E8; a few were field-modified by adding 76mm guns.
This Jumbo is on display at the National Museum of Military Vehicles' Battle of the Bulge display; it lacks unit markings, though it is displayed with a crew. It's also displayed next to a M4A3E9 Sherman and a German Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer--the difference in profile between the Sherman and the latter can be seen in this photograph.