M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943–65 (New Vanguard, 73)

This book concentrates on the versions of the United States World War II M4 Sherman medium tank armed with the 76mm M1 series of cannon. Much of Zaloga's usage analysis is helpful with details not found elsewhere (at least by me). All sorts of data are provided concerning the tanks themselves including production, tank strengths, and combat experiences. He explains the frustrations of tankers trying to fight the 1944 war with a 1943 gun and their cleverness in overcoming limitations and the ebb and flow of combat and the desire for more protection based on sand bags or armor stripped from disabled vehicles (friend and foe alike). The need for wider tracks for flotation. How the 76mm was better than the 75 against armor but it came slow to the theater; and how tungsten based HVAP rounds were better than normal shot but not the solution to dealing with thick armor and even then it came in small numbers and was heavily rationed. How the British offer to provide 17 pounders was taken up once the Panthers hit the fan in 1944 but by then the Army had lost so many M4s and the British were trying to build up their own stock of 17 pounder armed M4s so the end product came only after the war's ended. [I have learned since posting this that the British did not have the 200 x 17 pounders + ammo per month to spare; the offer was made before they learned how bad a supply situation they were in.] In the end, the war was won and over, though not without a good does of angst and frustration and almost comical neglect by the men sitting in the high chairs of authority.These sorts of books are not technical manuals. Use any technical concepts expressed in them with a big dose of caution! The 3-inch Gun M7 was never a “76mm” gun and was always the 3-inch Gun M7. The 52 calibers long 76mm was standardized as the 76mm M1; the 57 calibers long T1 pilot was never standardized. Two balance issues occurred - one involving mounting in the M34 mount of the 75mm gun and the second effecting the turret traverse. Before and after ballistics concerning the barrel length change have never been released by any researcher so whether or not any significant muzzle velocity and hence armor penetrating was lost is an iffy subject.If the Armored Forces had made an earlier requirement to fix the issues noted in Gillem's memo the Ordnance Department would have had time to fix those that were in fact actual issues like muzzle blast. The 3-inch guns of the Tank Destroyers would have also benefited. The Armored Forces failed to see the need for the 17 pounder when the British first offered 200 plus ammunition per month and let it slip past. Another source based on Ordnance Department records indicates that Devers denied a request by the Ordnance Department to design a version of the T23 tank armed with the 90mm gun in 1942 delaying development until the M26 was on hand in 1945 not 1944. Without a keyed reference in Zalogas's book there is no way to compare references. Mounting the 90mm gun carrying M36 turret on the M4 hull would have required approval by the Armored Forces and probably only resulted in small numbers being received in August-September 1944 like the M36 itself and then only if the project was implemented with haste.Zaloga mentions Eisenhower's famous comment about being told by “Ordnance” that the 76mm would handle everything only to find it could not; and in other books there are claims that “Ordnance” told “them” that the 76mm could knock out the Panther and Tiger at 2,000 yards/meters or so. No one has provided a reference for such quotes, which go against the Ordnance Department's goals at the time and do not coincide with any tests performed nor data provided in manuals for 1944.The 17 pounder and 76mm projectiles did not weigh “about the same”, the 17 pounder projectile was 10% heavier. To compare cannon power, calculate the foot tons/kilojoules of energy generated by the weight and velocity of primary projectiles using the same types. German caliber lengths were not based on bore length as were U.S. and British cannon; they were based on either overall length in the case of most early cannon or the average of overall length and bore length in the case of most (but not all) cannon after 1938. Chamber pressure is not useful for direct comparisons; the 37mm Gun had a chamber pressure of 50,000 psi.On page 10 Zaloga states that the 75mm M3 had only a pound/0.45 kilograms of propellant; the armor penetrating rounds used around 2.2 pounds (1 kilogram) (quotes vary). Recently he has stopped calling the M64 White phosphorous round the M89 (which was a plain smoke round; Michael Green has done the same). In “Armored Thunderbolt” he labeled of the 75mm M3 as an “L/32” caliber cannon. It had a bore length of 37.5 calibers and overall length of 40.1.

This Osprey New Vanguard title, M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65, details the search for a tank gun on the M4 "Sherman" tank that could meet the challenge of the German tank guns in 1944-45. The book also shows how the tank was still in use long after WWII.The situation is simple: US Army commanders in charge of armored vehicle development arrogantly proclaimed that the M4 was the best tank in the world despite the admonitions from their ally, the British, that German tank guns/armor were always being upgraded based on the desperate fighting on the Eastern Front. US forces landed in Normandy and found out that the Sherman was vulnerable at any realistic combat range while it could not do the same in return.This book is about the M4(76mm) tanks that would, it was hoped, be able to better deal with effective German weapons. The book does a good job of chronicling the development of the 76mm gun and the upgraded M4 Shermans that carried them as well as the other options such as adopting the British 17 pounder (a very effective anti-tank gun) as well as talk of putting a 90mm gun into the M4. There are comparisons of the 76mm gun in terms of armor penetration against the British 17 pounder and German L70 75mm gun on the Panther. Even though it was better than the standard 75mm gun, it was woefully inferior to the other weapons on the battlefield.This book does a good job of detailing the development of the 76mm gun, the need for better tank guns once the better German tanks were encountered, the production of the upgraded Sherman and the distribution of them in the American army's armored divisions. The author does talk about the lend-lease shipments of thousands of these tanks to allies such as the Soviet Union, post-war use of these tanks in Korea and in the hands of allies as well as other countries such as Israel who acquired them from allies. The Israelis would continue to use the Sherman in upgraded form for decades, only retiring them completely in the 1990s.There's a lot of good here, although I would have liked to have seen some comparison as to how well these tanks performed versus the standard Sherman, the British Sherman "Firefly", etc. In conclusion, it's a solid 4 star book on the subject.

but I would have enjoyed fewer external pix and more of the interior (controls, dials/gauges, accommodations, etc.)

Another fine work by Steven Zaloga. If you want to know about WWII armored vehicles, read books by Zaloga. He covers each subject in excellent detail and often includes new information not previously available. The photographs and illustrations are excellent. I have Zaloga's name in my Amazon search list and look forward to buying as many of his publications as are available and that I can afford,

This book provides descriptions of the variants of the M4 tanks in WWII and beyond. Interesting and helpful in understanding the evolution of the weapon.

Enjoyed reading about this variant of the Sherman tank series utilizied during WW2 and afterward. Good for reference material an great phots.

Good summary.

Good read.

Very interesting book but it would have been better if there were information on the Israeli variants of the sherman.

An excellent, concise guide.

Super.

Very informative

Es un libro muy breve, pero es un magnífico resumen de la evolución de este carro en su versión armada con el cañón de 76 mm. Todos los libros de este autor han sido, hasta ahora, una garantía de calidad.