The M4 Sherman, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
. . . "When the M4 tank went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at El Alamein in the autumn of 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armour over German armor and was superior to the lighter German long-barrel 50 mm-gunnedPanzer III and the howitzer-like, short-barrel 75 mm-gunned earliest examples of the Panzer IV. For this reason, the US Army believed the M4 would be adequate to win the war, and no pressure was exerted for further tank development. " . . . Leading to death for thousands of tank crewmen.
. . . "When the M4 tank went into combat in North Africa with the British Army at El Alamein in the autumn of 1942, it increased the advantage of Allied armour over German armor and was superior to the lighter German long-barrel 50 mm-gunnedPanzer III and the howitzer-like, short-barrel 75 mm-gunned earliest examples of the Panzer IV. For this reason, the US Army believed the M4 would be adequate to win the war, and no pressure was exerted for further tank development. " . . . Leading to death for thousands of tank crewmen.
The Crew and their Stations: The Human Part of the Tank
The tanks were death traps going against German antitank guns, Panthers and Tigers
. . . "Because of their insufficient armor, the insides of Sherman tanks were prone to catching fire during combat. This problem was compounded when fires ignited shells and other munitions inside a tank. Sherman M4’s were jokingly referred to by British soldiers as “Ronsons”, a brand of lighter whose slogan was “Lights up the first time, every time!”[iv] Polish soldiers referred to them simply as “The Burning Grave”."
The tanks were death traps going against German antitank guns, Panthers and Tigers
. . . "Because of their insufficient armor, the insides of Sherman tanks were prone to catching fire during combat. This problem was compounded when fires ignited shells and other munitions inside a tank. Sherman M4’s were jokingly referred to by British soldiers as “Ronsons”, a brand of lighter whose slogan was “Lights up the first time, every time!”[iv] Polish soldiers referred to them simply as “The Burning Grave”."
The song of German panzer troops From the movie, "Battle of the Bulge. Not a very historically accurate movie, certainly not of the caliber of "Saving Private Ryan".
Jentz, Panzer Truppen Vol 2, pp 150-151 discusses the Sherman from the point of view of one German source: "The preferences of the crews for lighter, more manoeuvrable Panzers was recorded in a report written on November 1944 by Albert Speer on his trip to Italy during 19 to 25 October 1944:"
"On the Southwest Front, opinions are in favour of the Sherman tank and its cross-country ability. The Sherman tank climbs mountains that our Panzer crews consider impassable. This is accomplished by the especially powerful engine in the Sherman in comparison to its weight. Also, according to reports from the 26.Panzer-Division, the terrain-crossing ability on level ground (in the Po valley) is completely superior to our Panzers. The Sherman tanks drive freely cross-country, while our Panzers must remain on trails and narrow roads and therefore are very restricted in their ability to fight.
All Panzer crews want to receive lighter Panzers, which are more manoeuvrable, possess increased ability to cross terrain, and guarantee the necessary combat power just with a superior gun. This desire by the troops corresponds with conditions that will develop in the future as a result of the drop in production capacity and of the fact that, because of a shortage of chrome, sufficient armour plate can't be produced to meet the increased production plans. Therefore, either the number of Panzers produced must be reduced or it will be necessary to reduce the thickness of the armour plate. In that case, the troops will unequivocally ask for a reduction of the armour thickness in order to increase the total number of Panzers produced."
But the Sherman was hated by many tankers:
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