Different types of Shermans

I'm really confused about different types of Sherman tanks, there seems to be umphteen different models: Jumbo's, Fireflies, ones with 75mm guns, ones 76mm guns, ones with different engines, different suspension etc. What all those different markings (A2, A3, HVSS etc) mean and sum up main specifications behind those cryptics? Could somebody (Danyel maybe?) clear things up?

Thanks in advance.

 

This would actualy be useful to document and place in my notebook. I'll have a report of American/British/Canadian designations and what they mean writen up by tommarow.

 

There was sherman bulldozers,rocket launchers,beach recovery vehicles, main battle tank,and mine exploder, and of course the MBT, in which there were 2 types , the british "firefly" with an enlarged gun and the american one with the standard 75mm.

 

CSP there were several American versions with a long gun as well.

 

M4 and M4A1 same engine (Continental radial) but M4 welded hull plates and M4A1 cast upper hull.
M4A2 twin diesel engines on M4 type hull (welded)
M4A3 Ford engine on M4 type hull
M4A4 longer hulled M4 type with 5 Chrysler engine/ M4 hull type
[M4A5 Canadian made tank]
M4A6 only 75 made, no combat use, on hybrid M4/M4A1 hull
This for the basic marks
Late Detroit built M4 were made with hybrid M4A1 (front) and M4 (rear) parts (yes, same as M4A6!)

The armament :
all previous delivered with 75mm turret

From January 1944
Long barrel (76mm) only made on M4A1, M4A2 (only to USSR) and M4A3 with modified hulls (steeper glacis)
105 howitzer only made on M4 and M4A3 modified hulls

Modified suspension (HVSS from mid 1944) used during WW 2 on
M4A3 76, M4 105 and M4A3 105, maybe M4A1 76 and M4A2 76 in USSR
Just scratches the subject, but...
HTH
And I can add more

PS Fireflies were made on M4A4 and M4 (including hybrids) from 1944, all 75mm turrets

 

Didn't the original (75mm) M4A3 also have the characteristic steeper but thicker glacis?

The M4A1/76(w) HVSS did indeed exist. It consisted of a standard M4A1 cast hull with new HVSS suspension and the new turret with 76mm gun.

 

'British and American Tanks of World War Two' ( Chamberlain / Ellis ) describes what seems to be at least every production model type by type. I'll make a summary here for you to comment on.

M4 - Three main models, described as 'early', 'late' and 'very late'. Differs in details as nose, vision slots and gun mounts. All had the Continental R-975 engine and welded hull. Total production was 6748 vehicles.

M4A1 - First Sherman model to go into production. The earliest production models had M3 type boogie units, M2 75mm gun and twin fixed MGs in the hull front. All later models had the M3 75mm gun and twin MGs and hull vision slots eliminated. Nose and gun mount was changed during production run. Similar to M4 but with cast hull. Total production was 6281 vehicles.

M4A2 - Second type of Sherman to go into production. Similar to the M4 and with corresponding production changes. Differed from the M4 by having twin General Motors 6-71 diesel engines. Total production was 8053 vehicles.

M4A3 - Fifth type in production. Welded hull. Ford GAA V-8 gasoline engine. Production changes as for the M4, but retained the one-piece nose for the whole production run. Later improvements included 'wet storage'. Most advanced 75mm Sherman. Total production was 3071 vehicles.

M4A4 - Fourth production type. Chrysler WC Multibank engine and lenghtened rear hull. Early and late models differed in details as vision slots and gun mounts. All models had the three piece bolted nose. Total production was 7499 vehicles.

M4A5 - Designation allocated, but not used for the Canadian Ram.

M4A6 - Final basic production model. Similar to the M4A4 except for having a Caterpillar RD-1820 radial diesel engine and improved hull including a cast/rolled front for increased armour protection. Total production was 75 vehicles.

M4 (105mm) - As M4, but with 105mm gun. 800 produced.

M4 (105mm) HVSS - As M4 (105mm), but with improved armour, 'wet storage', HVSS suspension and other detail improvements. 841 produced.

M4A1 (76mm) - As M4A1, but with 76mm gun, improved armour, 'wet storage' and other detail improvements. Late production models had HVSS suspension. 3396 built.

M4A2 (76mm) - As M4A2, but with 76mm gun, improved armour, 'wet storage' and other detail improvements. Late production models had HVSS suspension. 1615 built.

M4A3 (76mm) - As M4A3, but with 76mm gun, improved armour, 'wet storage' and other detail improvements. 1925 built.

M4A3 (76mm) HVSS - As M4A3 (76mm), but with HVSS suspension. 1445 built.

M4A3 (105mm) - As M4A3, but with improved protection, 105mm gun and other detail improvements. 500 built.

M4A3 (105mm) HVSS - As M4A3, but with improved protection, 105mm gun, HVSS suspension and other detail improvements. 2539 built.

M4A3E2 Assault Tank 'Jumbo' - modified M4A3 with additional armour. 75mm gun, but some were refitted with M1 76mm gun in service. 254 built.

I'll continue with the British variants, special purpose variants and experimental vehicles later.

 

British basic variants :



Sherman I - Standard M4.

Sherman Hybrid I - Late production M4 with combination cast/rolled hull front.

Sherman IB - M4 (105mm ).

Sherman IBY - M4 (105mm) HVSS.

Sherman II - Standard M4A1.

Sherman IIA - M4A1 (76mm).

Sherman IIC Firefly - M4A1 rearmed with 17pdr gun.

Sherman III - Standard M4A2.

Sherman IIIAY - M4A2 (76mm) with HVSS suspension.

Sherman IV - Standard M4A3.

Sherman IVA - Standard M4A3 (76mm).

Sherman IVB - M4A3 (105mm).

Sherman IVC Firefly - Standard M4A3 rearmed with 17pdr gun.

Sherman V - Standard M4A4.

Sherman VC Firefly - M4A4 rearmed with 17pdr gun.

Sherman VII - Standard M4A6. Few or none delivered.

Sherman V ( Rocket) - Field modification. Twin launchers for 60lb aircraft rockets. Included a few Sherman VC Fireflies as well.

 

Special purpose variants :

Tank Recovery Vehicle M32 - Modification based on the standard M4. Turret and gun replaced by fixed turret and an 81mm mortar. Equipped with a 60.000lb winch, an A-frame jib mounted on the hull and other recovery items.

Tank Recovery Vehicle M32B1 - As M32, but based on M4A1.

Tank Recovery Vehicle M32B2 - As M32, but based on M4A2.

Tank Recovery Vehicle M32B3 - As M32, but based on M4A3.

Tank Recovery Vehicle M32B4 - As M32, but based on M4A4.

Full-Track Prime Mover M34 - Tractor for heavy artillery guns. M32B1 with all recovery gear removed.

M4 Mobile Assault Bridge - Field modification consisting of a double track bridge supported by an A-frame jib.

 

It also has about 3 pages of experimental models...

 

And they will be included, but on a thread of its own :

http://www.fun-online.sk/forum/viewtopi ... 6132#66132

This is work in progress.

 

American Terms

M4 – The Model 4; the Sherman Tank.

A – Alteration. Slight internal or external difference. The M4 went through 4 alterations called the A1, A2, A3, and A4. A6 was a Canadian built A1.

HVSS – Horizontal Volute Suspension System. Tanks with this suspension were often known as “Easy Eights” due to the smooth ride afforded by this suspension.

(75) - This denoted a Sherman armed with a 75mm gun. This became used when Shermans began being produced with different armaments.

(76) – This denoted a Sherman armed with a 76mm gun. Tanks without such a designation assumed to be armed with a 75mm M2/3.

(105) - This denoted a Sherman armed with a 105mm gun. Tanks without such a designation assumed to be armed with a 75mm M2/3.

w – Signifies wet storage, a system to automatically drown ammunition in water stored in racks around the ammunition in the event of fire. Also denotes late production Sherman with steeper and thicker glacis, higher-quality armor, elimination of shot traps, and new turret arrangements.

Puberty
In July of 1943 a project was began to eliminate the problems found in the M4 Medium to make it competitive once again. Production of all 75mm-armed M4 variants were cancelled except for the M4A3. It was decided that some of the M4A3s produced would remain armed with the 75mm M3 gun because of to its superior HE shell performance, while the majority of the M4s produced would be armed with the 76.2mm M1A1 gun.

These changes were based on the requested modifications from combat seen in 1942 and 1943. In order to standardize these modifications, a major redesign of the M4 needed to be undertaken. It was decided that almost all of the M4s produced would be armed with the 76.2mm M1A1 gun in place of the 75mm M3 gun. A new turret would be required in order to accommodate the 76.2mm gun and a new commander’s vision block cupola would be installed in place of the older style split hatch type. Wet storage for the ammunition would be incorporated into all new tanks to better protect the crew from fires inside the fighting compartment. Thicker armor for both the gun shield and the front hull was incorporated in the new designs, along with a decrease to slope to eliminate the two “bulges” that created shot traps. Improvements to the engine provided greater mobility and reliability.

The armament chosen was a 76.2mm armament. However, the 3’ M7 on the M10 Tank Destroyer was deemed to big for the turret, so a compromise was made. The Breech of the 75mm M3 would be married to the barrel of the 3’ M7. The result was a good tank gun. This 76.2mm gun, referred to as the M1A1, M1A1C or M2, was chosen as the armament. The M1A1 was an earlier version of the gun that was not threaded for a muzzle brake. The installation of a muzzle brake greatly reduced recoil and the amount of dust kicked up by the gun by directing the muzzle blast to the sides. The addition of a long cord primer to the ammunition reduced the amount of smoke in the muzzle blast, and both of these implements greatly reduced the amount of target obscuration after the firing of the main gun. The M1A1C and the M1A2 both were threaded for muzzle brakes, while the newer M1A2 gun also had tighter rifling in the barrel, which resulted in greater projectile stability and accuracy while slightly increasing armor penetration.

Fitting this new gun into the existing turret was found to be unsatisfactory, so a new turret was needed. The turret originally designed for the T-23 tank (What would later become the Pershing) was chosen. The gun was dropped into an M62 Gun mount and lined up with the M71D tank optic, and the turret was complete. The new gun was able to comfortably penetrate any Mk. IV Panzer at ranges of 1,500 meters.

New SCR-508 radios, 5 M3 .45 caliber sub machine guns and 12 hand grenades rounded out the changes to crew load out. The Engine was also changed, though this varies from model to model.

All alterations of the Sherman were ordered to begin production with the new 76mm gun and specifications immediately except for the A3, which was to have its production still partially dedicated to 75mm variants. Even still, however, it was to have the new hull specifications of new engine, ticker armor, and steeper slope to eliminate shot traps.


American armor:

Cast: Sub-par quality. Cast Sherman was the result of the need for mass production. It was worried that America would not be able to keep up with the production demands of the new tank which at one point was over 1,000 vehicles a month. Factories without experience in forming RHA or who otherwise couldn’t were given specifications and tools for a cast hull Sherman to increase the number of factories producing tanks. The M4A1 relied on slightly thicker armor and greater slope to make up for the poor quality of American cast, but the net result was a tank felt to be unfit for combat. Where possible, RHA Sherman took the lead and M4A1 Shermans helped behind the lines.

RHA: Much better than cast. Shermans with this type of armor found to be much more suited to the rigors of combat.

Note: It was determined reliably that a large proportion of USA armor, both RHA and cast, produced prior to November 1943 was flawed to such an extent that it resisted about 5% to 50% less than it should have, with a mean resistance around 85% of 1944 and 1945 armor plate.

American/British designations:

M4 (Sherman I): Welded hull. Three piece bolted nose. Initial models had narrow M34 gun mount. Later production models had wider M34A1. Late 1943 hull was combination cast/rolled. Used the Wright R-975-C1 series of engines.

M4A1 (Sherman II): Cast hull. Early models had M3 bogie units, M2 75 mm gun with counter weights and twin fixed MGs in hull. Soon hull MGs eliminated and M3 75 mm gun used. M34A1 mount and sand shields were added. Had the Continental R-975 motor.

M4A1 (76)w (Sherman IIA): Late version. 76.2mm gun, thicker glacis, wet storage, new radios, new engine. Used Continental R-975-C1, air cooled.

M4A2 (Sherman III): Welded hull. Some early vehicles had spoked wheels. Used only by USMC and Lend Lease (Mostly Russia.) Had the GM 6-71 6046 motor.

M4A3 (Sherman IV): Welded hull. Used mainly by US Army. Had the GAA-III V-WC motor.

M4A3 (75)w (Sherman IV): Late version. Thicker glacis, wet storage, new radios, new engine. Used GAA-III V-WC Ford water cooled motor.

M4A3 (76)w (Sherman IVA): Late version. 76.2mm gun, thicker glacis, wet storage, new radios, new engine. GAA-III V-WC Ford water cooled motor.

Will be updated after I get some sleep.

Sources as of right now are
http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/tanks_m ... erman.html
http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/m4sherman.html
http://www.freeweb.hu/gva/weapons/usa.html
http://www.combatmission.com/articles/u ... s/m4a1.asp

Skua, mind if I add your descriptions of the tanks to my document?

 

Not at all. They are just short versions of the descriptions found in the book 'British and American Tanks of World War Two' by Chamberlain/Ellis. I can type out the full descriptions if you wish, just give me the variants you are interested in.

 

The 1690 original M4A3s were built with the same welded hull as the M4, with differences related to the powerplant.
They crossed the Atlantic late in the ETO campaign, and known photos (less than 10) date from March-April 1945.

The M4A1/76(w) HVSS did indeed exist. It consisted of a standard M4A1 cast hull with new HVSS suspension and the new turret with 76mm gun.[/quote]
You're right but my point was "used during WW2", and no firm information has surfaced it seems.

 

The Latest M4A2 75 VVSS were built with the new hull BUT did not get the wet stowage and so were the only to be fitted (at the factory) with the supplementary armour plates on the sides (over the ammunition bins).
They all went to USSR or the USMC in 1944.

 

You're right, aparently the M4A3 was the only 75mm armed tank to get wet storage.

 

http://www.afvnews.ca/muzzle.html

According to this website, 1 hybrids were also converted to firefly's.

 

British special purpose variants :

Sherman III, ARV Mk.I - Based on M4A2. Turret removed. Fitted with winch, A-frame jib and other standard British ARV equipment.

Sherman V, ARV Mk.I - As Sherman III, ARV Mk.I, but based on M4A4.

Sherman V, ARV Mk.II - M4A4 conversion with dummy turret, dummy gun, two jibs, winch and rear earth spade ( fitted to same standard as Churchill ARV Mk.II ).

Sherman II ( M32B1 ), ARV Mk.III - Standard M32B1.

Sherman BARV - Recovery vehicle specially made for beach work. Based on Sherman ARV Mk.I with added superstructure, bilge pump and engine intake trunking for deep wading.

Sherman Kangaroo - Armoured personell carrier. Turret removed. Converted from Sherman III and M7.

Sherman Fascine Carrier - Field conversion. Various models with turret removed, fitted with framework and release gear to carry two or three fascines.

Sherman Gun Tower - Field conversion of M4A2 as towing vehicle for 17pdr gun. Turret removed.

 

That's right and here's what I wrote "PS Fireflies were made on M4A4 and M4 (including hybrids) from 1944, all 75mm turrets"