In World War II the Allies faced the challenge of much superior and hard to beat German technology in the weapons regime. Being at a disadvantage because allied tanks had to be shipped via Liberty and Merchant vessels, there were loading dimension limitations within the cargo holds. The US which had not been prepared for an all-out war only has the Sherman Medium tank ready for deployment, and at that it still needed to be re-armored in order to have a chance when meeting the German Tiger and Panzer IV main battle tanks. Problem was that the Sherman had never been designed to face off against main battle tanks weighing tons more and being that the Sherman was designed for troop support as a medium tank, but improvements were rapidly made as the war in Europe went on, and the Sherman became a fearsome foe for the heavier German opponents!

Submarine torpedoes

This doesn’t even address the heavy toll taken upon the numbers of armor vehicles lost to German U-Boat tactics that sunk many a US Merchant Ship or Liberty Ship which sometimes broke in half at sea due to hasty construction! Then there were the Sherman tanks delivered to the Russians via the Lend Lease Act. American production was at an all-out pace, but this also put limits on research and development budgets!

Worst nightmare

The major fear for any American or British crew driving the Sherman was being hit and penetrated by a Tiger shell or Panzer IV projectile which would cause a fatal fire within the crew compartment and assured flaming death! This created a morale problem among US tank crews! Even though the Sherman handled terrain better, was faster and more maneuverable, and had a turret rotating time much faster than a Tiger, the ability of the Tiger to resist direct hits by a Sherman’s 75 millimeter gun unless the Sherman crew could get within 500 yards was a true handicap that presented deadly consequences when the Tiger or Panzer IV could stand off at more than 1,000 yards and reduce Shermans to flaming wreckage!

Several incarnations!

The M-26 tank was late in being introduced into the war so in order to make do, the allies used M-4 Shermans in a number of variant roles from land mine clearing to carrying a heavier main gun that could penetrate German armor at superior distances to improved suspension for more crew comfort, the M-4 Sherman medium tank would prove to be useful, flexible, reliable, and most of all, deadly when it came to fighting off the Nazi defense and counter attacks. The initial plan by high command was to overwhelm the German’s superiority in sheer numbers, but high losses in the beginning proved to be a morale problem for tank crews that saw going into battle head to head with the Tigers and Panzer IV’s as virtual suicide.

Compensating tactics

Tactics had to be developed to compensate for the shortcoming of thinner armor and less fire power. The allies relied upon ambush tactics, camouflaging Shermans who would lie in wait for the Tigers and Panzer IV’s to advance not knowing Shermans were stealthily positioned so that when the enemy got close enough, a penetrating shot could be achieved that would defeat the heavy German tanks! Swarming the Germans with several Sherman’s at once using their superior speed was another tactic that was risky, but successful if the German gunners didn’t have time to fire, reload, and recalculate their next shot! However, this usually cost valuable lives and hardware even if the allies did manage to knock out the fewer in number German juggernauts!  

New variants!

The first meaningful variant was the M4AS which had an improved 76 mm. canon with a high velocity capability which gave the Sherman the ability to finally penetrate German frontal armor. By March of 1944 the “Jumbo” Sherman was delivered with 250 tanks arriving but they weren’t enough to fill the need. In 1943 the anti-tank gun used by the British, the 17 pounder 76.2 mm cannon was fitted onto a modified Sherman platform to offset the added size of the artillery and its weight. Now the “Firefly” as it was called had the long range standoff capability of its German counterparts! The 17 pounder could devastate a Tiger or Panzer IV and its crew, but it was still vulnerable to the German tank armament! The heavier gun and altered suspension also slowed the speed of this Sherman variant from 30 mph to 22 mph.

Survivability!

Perhaps the greatest improvement that enhanced the faith of US Sherman tank crews was the advent of liquid ammunition storage in the “Easy 8” M4A4 Sherman. Under the floor of the tank crew compartment was a storage area bathed in radiator coolant that acted as a flame retardant so that tanks that once had a 60% to 80% chance of igniting after taking a Tiger or Panzer IV hit down to a 15% chance of catching fire. Tank crews often stacked sand bags on the front of their tank’s sloping frontal armor in hopes of stopping a German tank round as well.

Disadvantages of the Nazi tanks

Tradeoffs are always in the equation when modifications are necessary in the life and death struggle of the battlefield armor. By the time the American M-26 Pershing was finally delivered it was 1945, and the US had little opportunity to deploy them though they were the ultimate answer to the German heavy tanks. One of Germany’s top Panzer commanders once admitted they he would rather have had Shermans under his direction as they were faster, better at overcoming terrain, and were extremely reliable! The Panzers and Tigers with their diesel engines often had frozen fuel lines in the harsh winters of Europe and oil pump problems. When they’re engines had to be restarted every 45 minutes to avoid freezing this could give away their positions to Allied artillery or tanks seeking the enemy.

Numbers Count!

There was a saying among German “Tankers” as they called themselves, “Where you find one Sherman, you can expect to see 19 more,” this revealed the superior manufacturing capability of American industry and how the sheer production capability overwhelmed Germany’s war machine. One tactic that grievously frustrated the Germans was the Sherman tactic of targeting the German troops were following behind the Tigers and Panzer IV’s when advancing. This way the troops were slaughtered with Sherman explosive anti-personnel shells which defeated the whole purpose of the German tank’s tactics and allowed American small arms and machine guns to keep the Tigers and Panzers buttoned up until an anti-tank weapon of Sherman could get close enough to deliver an armor penetrating blow!

Without the Sherman?

Like the P-40 Warhawk, the only really capable US fighter in frontline services into 1943, and yet it was under estimated for its role, so too was the Sherman tank who served throughout the war and even into the 3 years of the Korean War! Both machines served admirably at the hands of brave crews who fought a ruthless enemy. Without the Sherman there were only the obsolete Grant tanks and the Chafee light reconnaissance tanks that were no match at all for the Panzer IV or the Tiger tank. The British Cromwell main battle tank had exhibited many deficiencies when in battle, so it was the Sherman that carried the day.