The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. It was also distributed to the Allies via lend lease. Production of the M4 medium tank exceeded 50,000 units and its chassis served as the basis for numerous other armored vehicles such as tank destroyers, tank retrievers, and self-propelled artillery. In the United Kingdom the M4 was given the name Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently the British name found its way into common use in the US. Following World War II the M4 medium tank was used by the US until the end of the Korean War. Many nations continued to use the tank in both training and combat roles into the late 20th century.
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Medium Tank M4 |
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An M4A3E8 76mm armed Sherman tank made during the Second World War |
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Type |
Medium tank |
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Place of origin |
United States, Canada |
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Service history |
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In service |
1942–1955 (USA) |
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Used by |
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Soviet Union |
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Wars |
World War II, Greek Civil War, Arab-Israeli War, Korean War, Suez Crisis, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Six-Day War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Yom Kippur War |
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Production history |
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Designed |
1940 |
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Produced |
1941– |
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Number built |
48,000 |
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Specifications |
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Weight |
30.3 tonnes (66,800 lb) |
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Length |
5.84 m (19 ft 2 in) |
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Width |
2.62 m (8 ft 7 in) |
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Height |
2.74 m (9 ft) |
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Crew |
5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver) |
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Armor |
62 mm |
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Primary |
High Velocity 75 mm M3 L/40 gun |
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armament |
?90 rounds |
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Secondary |
.50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun (300 rounds), |
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armament |
2 × .30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns (4,750 rounds) |
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Engine |
Continental R975 C1 gasoline |
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Power/weight |
400 hp (298 kW) gross at 2,400 rpm |
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350 hp (253 kW) net at 2,400 rpm |
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14 hp/tonne |
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Suspension |
Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) |
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Operational |
120 miles at 175 US ga (193 km at 660 l; 80 octane) |
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range |
38.5 km/h (25 mph) |
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Speed |
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