The Sherman Tank what an amazing vehicle!!

This site has some real clear shots of the guts of Chrysler A57 Multibank.

Sherman M4A4 Restoration Part 1: The beginning

 

Whatever is said about it,the allies needed it in ww2.
It was'nt that great from a technical standpoint,but it was easy to produce in large numbers,like the t34,which in the end was the telling factor.
Unfortunately,as has been said by veterans who knew this tank,losing many tanks also meant losing many lives and the policy of producing a mediocre tank in great numbers took a big toll on the tankies who fought in them.
Mediocre tank,but essential for the war effort due to the fact there was so many of them and losses could be replaced relatively easily which was a luxury that the Germans did'nt posses in both terms of men and equipment.

 

Why have armored versions of Cat and AC dozers? There were far more Shermans around then crawler tractors and the modifications required to produce a Sherman dozer seem much simpler than to armor a D7. Plus it could still function as a tank if required, either with or without the dozer blade.

 

Nicolas Moran gives a good tour of the inside of a Firefly

 

Another gem from Belton Cooper:

“To make matters worse, the committee was apparently dominated by Yankees, who decided to name this tank(M3) the ‘Grant’ , after the Union general and later president. The Southerners were aggravated further by the later naming of the M4, known as the ‘Sherman’, after the Union general who burned a path through Georgia.”

By Yankees he must mean British, I guess.

 

Some forum members may recall the hullabaloo about the new book on the "Sherman scandal" that was going to rock the world. Thankfully the book sank like a stone.
However I thought I'd share this review which I think is one of the best I've read on that tome:
For Want of a Gun - The Sherman Tank Scandal of WWII

Worthwhile bookmarking if you ever run across a defender of the work

 

That was the worst beating I've seen since the second Liston fight.

 

Here is another winner from Belton:

"The Ford Motor Company, under the direction of the ordnance department, had taken the British Rolls Royce Merlin engine and cut it down to eight cylinders."

 

Wow, I mean, what. That is so stupid it makes it difficult for me to think coherently.

 

Claustrophobic in the extreme! I'd prefer to walk.

 

Sherman farm tractors

Retired from Battle: M4 Sherman Tank Tackles Farming - Tractors - Farm Collector Magazine

 

Shermans in sci-fi movies

 

Found this one today. Seems like the idea is to keep enemy infantry away from the hatches.
Must have made everyday use by the crew difficult. The hatches could be locked from the inside so I wonder what the whole story is.

 

Completely free from pigeon infestations as well.

 

Good point. Probably more likely pelicans in those latitudes, and if you've ever seen on of those jettison cargo ......

 

Yes, significant mass, multi-hued and with more than a hint of seafood.