Quote:
Originally posted by General der Infanterie Friedrich H:
Certainly the Sherman was not very appreciated by Soviet crews... I think their own T-34 could deal with the German tanks much better than any Western-Allies' tank they sent.
|
Well, the Sherman was certainly looked down on by the T-34 crews, but I'm not so sure about the people using the Sherman. In the Soviet Union there was a cerain stigma attached to using foreign equipment, and users were expected to not heap praise on it. For example, in "The Spitfire Story" there is an interview with a Guards pilot who states that their old Polikarpov I-16 fighters had many advantages to the Spitfire Vb lend-lease aircraft they later received(!). So there may be a reason for these disparaging comments during the Soviet years.
Going back to the Sherman, there are numerous advantages to it compared to the T-34, which were well received by the crews.
- Softer armour. Non-penetrating hits on the hard but brittle armour of the T-34 tended to spall off and kill/injure crew - not so on the Sherman.
- Shermans were less likely to explode when knocked out, and more refined US explosives less likely to brew up due to fire.
- Longer engine lifetime.
- Better crew compartment and layout.
- Excellent HF and VHF radio sets. HF was used for coms to higher command, while VHF was used for company/battalion.
- Intercom system.
The disadvantages mentioned by Russian sources are ususally the high profile and center of gravity. Armour, speed and armament is generally similar, with the T-34 having better cross-country mobility but the Sherman having an advantage on roads.
It is also worth pointing out that 3 out of 9 Guards Mechanized Corps were equipped with Shermans by the end of the war. These were some high-prestige units, and were given Shermans late in the war. The 3rd Guards was entirely re-equipped with Shermans in June '44, 9th Guards became an all-Sherman unit in December '44, while the 1st Guards handed in their T-34/85s in January '45 for M4A2s.