M4 Sherman Tank

The M4 Sherman Tank was the staple in the American military for tank warfare during World War II. The M4 was invented as a response to the German invasion of France. The Sherman also had several flaws that made it an easier kill for German tank crews. By the end of the war, there had been many upgrades to the very reliable M4 so that it could perform roles that a normal tank could not.
According to Britannica online, the tank was the major weapon of choice as much as the airplane had been in World War I. As war broke out in 1939, the United States was far behind other countries in development of weapons of war. As Germany invaded France, the U.S. was shocked and immediately ordered a new medium tank to be produced. After some early problems with the M3, the M4 Sherman was born. However, the developers of the M4 majorly cut back on armament; just a 75-mm low-velocity gun was installed, and armor, at the maximum three inches, so it could have better speed and maneuverability. Another drawback was that the M4 had a gasoline engine, so when a shell pierced the thin armor of the Sherman, the gasoline would catch the tank on fire. The Sherman’s first foray into combat came with the British in North Africa. There it roughly competed with the early versions of the German Panzer IV. By 1944 the Sherman was outclassed by the superior upgraded German Panzer and Tiger tanks. The M4 was hindered from being upgraded by the American doctoral thinking for mass production, which was the thinking from World War I. So the tank was still “easy pickings” for German tank crews until the firepower was upgraded late in the war. As a result, Sherman tank crews came up against better and better German tanks where they were no match. The Sherman was faster and had a greater rate of fire than the most of the German tanks it came up against. The German Panzer and Tiger tanks in particular had greater range and accuracy coupled with greater survivability than the M4. Because of that, the Sherman had to rely on numbers to defeat the German tanks. Though the Sherman had many drawbacks, its reliability and design made it a perfect contender for the roles needed in the D-Day invasion and the push through France. For the initial Normandy invasion, the British added a minesweeper attachment on the Sherman so that it could clear the beaches for the soldiers. Probably the most famous attachment was given to the Sherman by the U.S. forces. The Sherman was given collapsible flaps on the sides that made it float. This would have been perfect for saving the lives of those many marines on the Omaha beach where the M4’s should have gone, but disaster struck and the Shermans were sent out too soon; they all sank due to the waves. Since that tragic event happened, over two thousand marines died on Omaha Beach. Other attachments included a plow on the front that could bust up the hedgerows in France that were used as a defensive barrier by the defending Germans to kill lots of tanks and men. The Sherman also transformed into the M4 Mobile Assault Bridge Carrier and the M32 Tank Recovery vehicle during the war. The Sherman’s durable, reliable chassis made it the workhorse of the Allied armies in World War II.
The M4 Sherman Tank has remained a fascinating vehicle because of its major role in World War II for the Allies. Without the Sherman, the Allies would have had a much harder time winning the war.


Works Cited
"Sherman tank." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 31 Jul. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/540138/Sherman-tank