American medium tank M4A1 Sherman COBI 3126 - World War II 1:35

Did you know:

• The M4 Sherman tank was produced in many versions from 1942 to 1945 in six different American and British factories.
• Besides numerous modifications, the tank was also made with a welded (angular) or cast (rounded) hull. Crews preferred the cast version because they believed it offered higher resistance to enemy fire. This fact was never independently verified.
• The last units were retired from the US Army only in 1974.
• A total of 49,234 Shermans were produced in various versions.
• In addition to many modernizations, there were versions such as bulldozer, pontoon carrier, recovery tank, mine-clearing vehicle, and flamethrower.
• The tank had ammunition stored in water with glycol to reduce the risk of fire in case of a hit.
• Only the Soviet Union produced more tanks, specifically the T-34 model.
• The Czechoslovak Independent Armored Brigade, composed of young men who had escaped occupation, also had Shermans in their arsenal.
• This armored brigade replaced a British group at the siege of the fortified port of Dunkirk at the turn of August and September 1944.
• More than 4,000 units were also delivered to the Soviet Union as part of aid.
• Among Red Army crews, the tank was very popular for its high reliability. The steel tracks of the T-34 lasted about 2,500 km, while the rubberized tracks on the Sherman lasted more than twice that. Nevertheless, the Sherman also had weak points. The driver’s hatch opened in such an unfortunate way that when the turret turned, the cannon barrel could hit it, and you can imagine what happened when the 20 kg heavy hatch fell on the driver’s head.
• This particular tank, serial number 3174062, was produced at the Presse Steel Car Company factories in Pittsburgh in 1943.

Technical Specifications:

• Length 6.2 m (7.5 m with cannon), width 2.9 m, height 2.9 m
• Weight 30,200 kg
• Front armor thickness up to 51 mm
• Propulsion: gasoline engine DOHC Continental R975-C3 with 298 kW output
• 5 forward speeds + 1 reverse
• Maximum speed 39 km/h
• Fuel tank capacity 660 liters
• Range 160 km on road
• Fording depth 0.91 m
• Main weapon: M3 cannon, 75 mm caliber
• Maximum range 13,716 m
• Turret rotation 360° in 15 seconds
• Secondary weapons: 1x Browning M2HB MG, 12.7 mm caliber + 2x M1919A4 MG, 7.62 mm caliber
• Crew: 5 persons

From the memoirs of Colonel Dmitry Fyodorovich Loza, commander of the Soviet 46th Guards Tank Brigade:

,,The first American tanks arrived at our unit in June 1943. I immediately went, full of curiosity, to take a look. Words cannot describe it! The Shermans were magnificent, beautifully painted. The seats were very comfortable, covered with some kind of artificial leather. Whenever an abandoned Sherman appeared somewhere, within minutes the Russian infantry stripped all the upholstery off it. You could make perfect boots out of it."