by TIMOTHY J. THOMPSON

Created on: May 26, 2009   Last Updated: May 29, 2012

During the Second World War, the United States of America produced more than 102,600 tanks. Approximately 55,000 of these were called: Shermans; named for the Northern Civil War Hero, William Tecumseh Sherman. Manufactured by Ford Motor Company out of Detroit, Michigan, the Sherman Tank was one of the most famous weapons in the history of warfare, seeing combat in all major and minor theaters of operation.

All told, there were nine different versions of the Sherman Tank. However, the M4 A2 was the best and most produced. Classified as a medium tank, the M4 Sherman's vital statistics and specifications were as follows. First, it was nineteen feet and two inches long, eight feet and seven inches wide, an even nine feet tall, and weighed between 27 to 34 tons. It was operated by a five man crew. They were: the driver, co-driver, commander, loader, and gunner.

The M4 Sherman was driven by a 400 horse power Buick Continental R975 C1 gasoline powered engine. When at full speed, the engine churned at 2400 revolutions per minute. The drive shaft was supported by a special Vertical Volute Spring Suspension system equipped with a drive train, twelve lower wheels, four upper wheels, and two rear wheels [Both sides combined].

The tank had fuel capacity for 175 gallons, which gave it an impressive cruising range of 120 miles. Speedy and maneuverable, the M4 Sherman could reach a top speed of 38.5 miles per hour on a paved road, and a maximum speed of 24 miles per hour over land.

In order to make the Sherman fast and maneuverable, armor protection was sacrificed, however. This meant that the frontal armor was only about 3 1/2 inches thick, with the side and turret armor just an even three inches. In addition, the rear armor was a very thin two inches in thickness. This made the M4 Sherman little more than a traveling coffin in a shootout with the "Big Cats" of Nazi Germany. [The Tigers and Panthers].

The Sherman Tank had several gun types with much different muzzle velocities. The standard gun was the short barreled, 75 mm. This was completely useless against a Panther or Tiger, even at point blank range. So, in desperation, a long-barreled 75 mm was added to many Shermans during late July of 1944. And, the British even outfitted some of theirs with their excellent quality 20 pounder artillery piece. Despite these improvements, however, the Sherman continued to be easy prey in battle with its German counterparts. So, the Allies simply used their massive quantitative advantages,

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