Microsoft Close Combat manual Mm Sherman Tank Panzer IV H Tank

Chapter 5 Weapons 105

(75-mm) “Sherman” Tank

Panzer IV H Tank

Weight 30,160 kg (66,352 lbs)

Maximum speed 38 km/h (23 mph)

Main gun 75 mm (2.95 in.)

Armor 25 to 51 mm (0.98 to 2 in.)

The American M4 medium tank, nicknamed the “Sherman,” was the primary tank of the Allied armies; between 1941 and 1946 over 40,000 were built. Although more reliable than most German tanks, the Sherman was handicapped by its high profile, thin armor, and inadequate main gun. M4A1 Shermans were routinely knocked out and set ablaze by hand-held antitank rockets, antitank guns, and 88-mm armor-piercing rounds, while shells from their own 75-mm guns simply bounced off German Panthers and Tigers. Many crews added sandbags or logs to their tanks’ armor. American tankers often referred to the Sherman as the “Ronson” (a popular cigarette lighter) because of its tendency to catch fire when hit. While this was commonly attributed to the Sherman’s gasoline engine (rather than diesel, as used in German tanks), the main cause was the ammunition inside the tank. As the war progressed, the model M4A3 Sherman (described separately) was developed to counter the threat of increasingly heavy and powerful German tanks.

Weight 25,000 kg (55,000 lbs)

Maximum speed 38 km/h (23 mph)

Main gun 75-mm (2.95-in.) L/48

Armor 8 to 80 mm (0.31 to 3.15 in.)

The German Panzer IV medium tank, introduced in 1937, was manufactured in larger numbers, over a longer period, and in a greater number of variants, than any other German tank. It remained in produc- tion until 1945. Early models were armed with a short-barreled 75-mm gun; models F and later mounted a long-barreled, high-velocity version. The Panzer IV chassis also carried a variety of self-propelled guns and special-purpose vehicles. Despite its inferiority in firepower and armor to later German tanks, the Panzer IV provided a mix of mobility, armament, and armor that kept it in production throughout the war.