I have to wonder about an enthusiate of WWII that cannot differentiate between first run M4s and the ones that saw most of the action. The Sherman was a medium tank that was often against heavy tanks. It was not the best protected or the best armed, but it was one of the most cost effective. Especially when you look at the lend lease models, and all of the variants used.

The Sherman was considered an ideal breakthrough tank. Its reliability and numbers meant that it could keep up with the troops in a tactical situation. The original nickname 'Ronson' was due to the flaw of the dry storage system, but later models with the 1" overlay were a lot better and the below deck wet storage was the best system. The name 'Ronson' was also used as the nickname of the flamethrower model, just as the M48 flamethrower was nicknamed 'Zippo'. The reliabilty factor is really important in the cost effective consideration.

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Lord, let me be the person my dog thinks I am.