Tank M4 Sherman Engine. The weight. Dimensions. Armament. Serial modifications of the M4 Sherman tank Tactics of the game on the M4 Sherman

The first 26 Shermans arrived in the USSR in November 1942. The first new tanks received the 5th Guards tank brigade and the 563rd separate tank battalion of the North Caucasian Front. On January 5, 1943, the 563rd separate battalion consisted of nine Shermans and 21 MZ Stuarts, and on January 17, 1943, the 5th Guards Tank Brigade had only two Shermans, four MZ Lees, 16 MZ Stuarts and 18 Walltains.

In accordance with order No. 08 / OR of the front commander, the 563rd separate battalion became part of the 5th guards tank brigade. At the same time, all Shermans from both units were assembled as part of the 5th GvTB, and the 563rd battalion received nine MZ Stuart tanks from the 5th Guards Brigade.

These rearrangements were aimed at completely transferring the battalion to light tanks, since it was planned to use it in the amphibious assault in South Ozereyka.

Tank M4A2 "Sherman" senior lieutenant Sumarokov, 3rd Ukrainian Front, winter 1944.

BT-5 and M3A1 "Stuart", 192nd tank brigade. Kalinin Front, December 1942.

M4A2 Sherman tanks, 71st separate tank regiment, 5th Guards Cavalry Corps, 2nd Ukrainian Front, Romania, September 1944.

M4A2 Sherman, 6th Tank Army of the 2nd Ukrainian Front, Botosani, Romania, August 1944.

M4A2 Sherman tanks, 6th Panzer Army, Romania, August 1944.

Destroyed and abandoned M4A2 Sherman cars from an unidentified unit, Kovel region, April 1944.

German tank M4A2 "Sherman" from the 14th tank division. Previously, the tank belonged to a unit of the 2nd Baltic Front, October 1944.

Column of M4A2 Sherman tanks, 5th Guards Tank Army, May 1944

M4A2 Sherman, 2nd Panzer Army, Lublin region, July 1944. A column of Polish infantry from the 1st Infantry Division.

M4A2(76W) "Sherman", 1st Guards Mechanized Corps. Tank supporting infantry action, Vienna, April 1945.

Lieutenant I. G. Dronov and Sergeant N. Idrisov in front of the Sherman, 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, Vienna, April 16, 1945.

M4A2 (76) Sherman tanks, 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Guards Tank Army, Vienna, April 1945.

M4A2(76)W Sherman, 1st Guards Mechanized Corps, Vienna, April 1945.

M4A2(76)W Sherman, 2nd Tank Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, Berlin, April 1945.

M4A2(76) Sherman tanks, 2nd Ukrainian Front, Berlin, May 1945.

Top photo - M4A2 Sherman medium tanks, unknown cavalry unit, Poland, autumn 1944. The tank is equipped with T49 tracks.

Bottom photo - M4A2(76)W Sherman, 2nd Panzer Army of the 1st Belorussian Front, Berlin, April 1945.

M4A2 (76) "Sherman", 64th Guards Tank Regiment of the 2nd Belorussian Front, Gdansk region, January 1945.

M4A2 "Sherman", unknown unit. Crossing near Narva, February-March 1944.

Top photo - Sherman, 2nd Panzer Army, Lublin suburbs, July 26, 1944.

Bottom photo - M4A2(76)W Sherman, 9th Mechanized Corps, 6th Tank Army, Trans-Baikal Front, Manchuria, August 1945.

Soviet tankers well received the M4A2 Sherman tanks. On October 23, 1943, the 5th Guards Tank Brigade reported:

“Due to its high speed, the M4A2 tank is very convenient for pursuit, has great maneuverability. The armament is quite consistent with its design, as it has fragmentation and armor-piercing shells (blanks), the penetrating ability of which is very high. The 75-mm cannon and two Browning machine guns are trouble-free in operation. The disadvantages of the tank include high altitude that is the target on the battlefield. Armor, despite the large thickness (60 mm), is of poor quality, as there were cases when at a distance of 80 meters it made its way from the PTR. In addition, there were a number of cases when Yu-87s bombed tanks from 20-mm cannons and pierced the side armor of the turret and side armor, as a result of which there were losses among the crews. Compared to the T-34, the M4A2 is more easily controlled, more enduring when making long marches, since the engines do not require frequent adjustment. In combat, these tanks work well."

The smoothness of the Shermans was appreciated by the paratroopers. Old soldiers recalled that in the second half of 1944, M4A2 tanks were used to hunt German Faustniks. Six to eight machine gunners climbed onto the tank, who tied themselves with straps to the brackets on the armor. The tank was driving, and the soldiers fired at all suspicious objects at a distance of 100-150 m from the tank.

Such tactical technique got the nickname "broom". Only Shermans were suitable for its implementation. On the T-34, due to the too rigid suspension, the landing force was shaking and there was no question of any aimed shooting. It should also be noted that the crew of the Sherman is more comfortable than the thirty-four.

In July 1943, the 299th separate tank regiment, with 38 M4A2 tanks, arrived in the 48th Army of the Central Front. But mass equipping of tank units of the Red Army with Sherman tanks began only in the spring of 1944.

Two types of units equipped with M4A2 Sherman tanks can be distinguished: separate mixed tank regiments and tank or mechanized corps. The regiments usually had 11 M4A2 tanks and ten Valentine IX tanks. They acted as part of combined arms armies on various fronts.

Tank and mechanized corps were part of tank armies. For example, the 3rd Stalingrad Guards Mechanized Corps operated as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front on June 22, 1944, had 196 tanks: 110 M4A2, 70 Valentine IX, 16 T-34. The 2nd and 4th Guards Mechanized Corps were fully equipped with Soviet tanks.

The 3rd Guards Tank Corps (1st Baltic Front) was also equipped with allied tanks. On August 15, 1944, the corps had 99 Shermans and 23 Valentine IXs. In May 1944, the 1st Mechanized Corps was equipped with allied tanks. Red Guard of the 1st Belorussian Front. The brigades and regiments of the corps had 136 M4A2 tanks, 44 Valentine IX tanks, five Valentine X tanks, 21 SU-76 self-propelled guns, 21 SU-85 self-propelled guns, 43 BA-64 armored vehicles and 47 Scout Cars. From July 29, 1944, the corps participated in the battles near Slutsk and Baranovichi, and later participated in the liberation of Brest. The 5th Guards Tank Army - the main strike force of the 3rd Belorussian Front during Operation Bagration - was the largest strike formation, equipped with a noticeable number Western technology. In total, the army had 350 T-34 tanks. 64 Shermans, 38 Valentine IX tanks, 29 IS-2 tanks, 23 ISU-152, 42 SU-85 self-propelled guns, 22 SU-76, 21 M10 and 37 SU-57.

With the liberation of Belarus begins the qualitative development of the Soviet tank troops. According to the degree of training, experience and ability to conduct combat operations Soviet tank units caught up with units and formations of all levels of the Wehrmacht and SS troops.

On July 2, 1944, five Sherman tanks, led by senior lieutenant G. G. Kiyashko (from the 9th Guards Mechanized Brigade of the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps) attacked the enemy and crossed the Berezina in the first echelon. Then the tankers received an order to immediately break into the town of Krasnoe, and in the absence of enemy resistance, take the place. The enemy garrison did not expect an attack, so the tanks broke into the streets of the town, clogged with German trucks. Shooting from cannons and machine guns, throwing hand grenades, crushing tank tracks, tankers destroyed Nazi equipment. Several tanks broke through to the neighboring railway station.

The commander of another platoon, Lieutenant Smirnov, received a radio message from Kiyashko and managed to intercept two locomotives and several wagons from which military equipment was being unloaded. Soon the Nazis were finally driven out of the town. During the battle, the guards destroyed four field guns, almost 30 cars, killed 80 German soldiers, while losing only one "Sherman" foreman A. E. Bashmakov. The tankers cut the highway and the railway leading to Minsk. Kiyashko ordered that three serviceable Shermans organized an ambush, and the car of E. N. Smirnov, which, as a result of a ram, received damage to the turret rotation mechanism, took the wounded and retreated to the location of the main forces of the brigade.

Soon remaining soviet tanks were attacked by a German group departing from Minsk to Molodechno through Krasnoe. Against the crews of three Soviet tanks, 20 tanks and self-propelled guns (including several Panthers) and up to an infantry battalion were thrown. In a few hours of battle, three Shermans knocked out six German PzKpfw IV tanks, one Panther and a StuG III self-propelled artillery mount, destroyed up to a company of infantry. But the forces were not equal. All Soviet tanks were hit, the rest of the crews managed to get through to their own.

Meanwhile, with the approach of the main forces of the brigade, the battles for the city of Krasnoe flared up with renewed vigor. On July 3, having lost seven Shermans, the tankers did not take the city. The German defense was solid. The next day, bypassing the city from the flanks, our units forced the enemy to begin a retreat, and on July 5, the Soviet cavalry of General Oslikovsky broke into Krasnoe and completely cleared the city of the Germans.

Tank chassis M4A2 (76) W HVSS "Sherman" with 23-inch tracks. The chassis was used to start generators until the end of the 60s. Separate machines were used in practice as early as 1996! In the summer of 1945, the USSR managed to get a batch of such tanks that it used in the war with Japan.

Tanks M4A2 (76) W "Sherman", 9th mechanized corps of the 6th tank army. Trans-Baikal Front, building before the start of the war with Japan, August 8, 1945.

Tanks "Sherman" were used in the Red Army until the end of the war. For example, the 8th Guards Alexandria Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Belorussian Front on January 14, 1945 had 185 M4A2s, five T-34s, 21 ISs, 21 SU-85s, 21 SU-76s, 53 Scouts, 52 BA-64s and 19 ZSU M17. The 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Ukrainian Front on August 10, 1944 consisted of 100 M4A2, 40 Valentine IX and three SU-76s, and the 5th Guards Cavalry Corps on August 5, 1944 had 26 T-34, 41 M4A2 and 19 SU-76s. Tanks "Sherman" took Vienna (as part of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps) and participated in Berlin operation(as part of the troops of the 2nd tank and 33rd armies). They ended their combat path in the Red Army in the Pacific Ocean: during the war with Japan, more than 250 of these vehicles were part of the troops of the Trans-Baikal Front, in the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Guards Tank Army there were 137 Shermans, in the 201st tank brigade - 65, and in the 48th separate tank battalion two T-34s, two Shermans and two SU-100s.

Despite the fact that in the 20-30s of the twentieth century, the Americans carried out quite intensive work in the field of tank building, and the famous Christie constantly submitted more and more new ideas, real value tanks were given little there. So, by the beginning of World War II, the US Army had no more than 400 vehicles of this type, and only 18 of them belonged to the medium category.

But after the German invasion of Poland and France and the events that followed, the attitude towards armored vehicles changed dramatically. Already in 1941, the production of the M-3 model started. This tank was quite original, as it had two guns at once: a 75 mm cannon and a 37 mm gun. Since the first one was installed in a sponson, only a 37 mm cannon was really used, which at least could be rotated. In addition, the height of more than three meters made "General Lee" an excellent gift for German gunners.

Realizing this, the Americans already in the fall of that year began intensive work in the field of creating a new, more maneuverable and adapted for modern combat cars. This is how the Sherman tank was born. Perhaps it was the best American armored vehicles of that period.

A new approach to building a hull

To simplify and speed up production, the hull was made of rolled armor steel sheets. Unlike the "rectilinear" Germans, US engineers placed the top sheet at an angle of 47 °, its thickness was 50 millimeters. The stern plates were located at an angle of 10-12 °, the sides were straight.

The thickness of the side and stern sheets was 38 millimeters, on the roof - only 18 millimeters. Fastening of the forward part of the hull to the power elements is bolted. Note that the frontal part was assembled from seven rolled blanks at once, so the manufacturers had a difficult task to ensure the highest quality of welds. We can say that they coped with the task perfectly.

Why such a conclusion? In the small village of Snegiri there is a monument of two Shermans. Their hulls have long since turned red with a layer of rust, but the welded joints are still in perfect condition.

It should be noted that the Sherman tank produced in 1943-1944 is distinguished by an additional armor plate on the starboard side. This was done in order to place on the floor fighting compartment an additional set of shells (to ensure the security of ammunition). One pad was welded on the left side.

However, this did not help much against the Tigers' cannons: the history of the Sherman tank knows many cases when their shells pierced the car right through. But this could be said about any Allied tank, with the possible exception of the IS-2 and Pershing, which appeared at the very end of the war.

We can say that the duel - the Sherman tank against the Tiger in most cases ended in victory for the latter. The M-3 cannon pierced this model of a German tank almost from a pistol shot, while the KwK 36 L / 56 gun from the "German" could effectively hit the "Sherman" from about a kilometer.

Tower

The tower in the Sherman tank is cast, cylindrical. Mounted on a swivel base. Its frontal and side parts were protected by armor 75 and 50 mm thick. The stern of the tower had a thickness of 50 millimeters, the roof - 25 millimeters. The mantlet of the gun was the best protected, since the thickness of the armor in this place was 90 millimeters.

As you can see, the Sherman tank (the drawings of which are in the article) did not differ much in terms of protection from the legendary domestic T-34. Despite the assertions of American designers about the invulnerability of the gun mask, there were several cases throughout the war when enemy shells pierced the mask right through. This, as a rule, was the cause of the death of the loader.

This was especially pronounced in Normandy: the Panthers and Tigers easily hit the Sherman tank. General Eisenhower's rage was beyond description. Presumably, it was he who forced scientists and engineers to hurry up with the development of a normal tank with a good gun, which could fight on equal terms with German counterparts.

In principle, the general did not achieve much success: the Pershing appeared only at the end of the war, and he treated heavy tanks rather conditionally.

Armament

The American Sherman tank was armed as standard:

• The main weapon is the M3 cannon. Caliber 75 mm, subsequently introduced a long-barrel modification of 76 mm.
• Large-caliber machine gun "Browning" M2NV, located directly above the hatch of the tank.

Do you play World of Tanks? The Sherman in this game roughly corresponds to the T-34 in terms of weapon balance, which reflects the real state of affairs. So, the armor-piercing shells of the "American" were much better than domestic ones, but they pierced a smaller armor thickness. On the other hand, domestic products were better in ballistics, only the tankers themselves rarely saw such shots, since the tungsten carbide used in their manufacture was very scarce and expensive.

Useful properties of armor

The Sherman tank had a good reputation among domestic tankers. And the point here is not only the convenience of internal equipment. So, the Americans had no problems with nickel and other armor additives. As a result, their armor turned out to be viscous: even if the hull was pierced, if the projectile did not kill one of the crew or disable the engine, the tank continued to perform its combat mission.

In domestic vehicles, the armor was solid. If the projectile pierced it (even in an area free from the engine or crew), a whole hurricane of small fragments of scale raged inside the car. Many tankers were killed or maimed for this very reason.

Crew working conditions

By the way, how did the crew of the Sherman tank feel in general? Quite decently, when compared with the conditions of Soviet cars. Firstly, everyone noted the high quality of the observation devices, which is why the tankers always had an excellent view. In addition, in addition to the main engine, a small gasoline engine was mounted in the tank for the charging station generator. Why was it valuable?

The fact is that the tank always needed a charged battery. To charge it on the T-34 in parking conditions, it was necessary to drive the main engine in vain. As a result - a huge waste of fuel and the exhaustion of an already meager motor resource. Finally, the inside of the Sherman tank was much more spacious, and the quality of the finish was higher.

"Lifebuoy"

In the back of the Sherman's hull there was a niche where a regular radio station was installed. The entrance hatch was located on the roof of the tower and was closed with a double-leaf lid. The turret was mounted there anti-aircraft machine gun. In this way, the Sherman tank differed from Soviet vehicles, on which the machine gun began to be mass-produced only after the appearance of the IS-2. Since 1943, the towers began to be equipped with an oval hatch, designed for the loading and disembarking of the loader.

The fact is that the loader himself, the radio operator and even the mechanic simply could not get out of one hatch. Why did the driver also get out through it? It's simple: often the gun turned out to be jammed as a result of a successful hit by the enemy, after which the driver simply could not use the exit intended for him.

Soviet tankers on the T-34 suffered greatly from the gas contamination of the tower. The fact is that the fans, borrowed from the BT, “dangled” somewhere in the front of the tower, while the gun breech protruded strongly back. The power of the installation was so-so, and therefore most of the powder exhaust remained right there.

The Americans with their M-3s had roughly the same problem. But it was decided just the same in Sherman, by installing three fans at once, protected by armor caps.

Did the various modifications of the tank differ from each other?

Note that during the Second World War there were the following modifications of the Sherman tank:

• M4. It featured a Continental R-975 carburetor engine and a simple welded body.
• M4A1. The engine is the same as in the previous case, but the body is cast.
• M4A2. Features a General Motors 6046 diesel engine (loved by Soviet tankers), welded hull.
• M4A3, ("Sherman 3"). The tank was equipped with a carburetor-type Ford GAA power plant. The case is standard, made by welding.
• Tank "General Sherman" M4A4. Again diesel RD -1820. Also made by welding.
• M4A6. Similar to the previous variety in everything. Represents a late, post-war modification. It is distinguished by greater manufacturability and workmanship, the best radio station was installed on the car.

In addition, there was a "theoretical" model of the Sherman tank, M4A5. This name has been reserved in case an enterprise producing american cars will also be open in Canada. These plans were not destined to materialize, but the name was never used. More precisely, the Canadian version (Grizzly 1) was actually produced from September 1942 to the autumn of 1943, but then the release was curtailed, since American supplies more than covered the needs of the country.

Model differences

Despite such a variety, outwardly these models practically did not differ from each other (except that there was great shape towers). The exception is the M4A1, which stood out sharply from the background of others with its cast body. The placement of the units, the gun and the undercarriage on all Shermans were exactly the same. It should be noted that American vehicles differed significantly from their Soviet and German counterparts in that they were equipped with overhead armor sets.

The tanks of the first series had viewing slots in the front plate. Only then they were completely covered with casings and periscopes were installed. Subsequently, the slope of the frontal armor also changed significantly: it was 47 °, and became 56 °. It is for this reason that the car in the World of Tanks game has average characteristics. "Sherman" there in many respects corresponds to the T-34. However, this is true (judging by the feedback of veterans).

Engine

In general, the M4 Sherman tank is a unique phenomenon in some way, since no one had such a number of engines that were installed on it. What caused it? Everything is simple. Until the Second World War, it seemed to the Americans that they did not need medium and heavy tanks in principle. Emphasis was placed on the development of aviation and navy, and in this area they did an excellent job.

When medium tanks were needed, the question arose of which engines to use for them? Aviation, of course, since there were plenty of aircraft manufacturing plants in America. By the way, it was precisely because of the star-shaped engine that was installed on the first Shermans that the car turned out to be high, because otherwise the motor would simply not fit there.

In addition, a “civilian” transmission was used, originally adapted for mass and cheap trucks. Its dimensions were large, since the designers in this case did not particularly bother with its compactness. However, the Sherman is a tank, the characteristics of which are quite consistent with the spirit of the times. In particular, the Germans also massively used parts from trucks in the development of the Pz.II, one of the most massive vehicles of that era.

Why were so many power plants used? Everything is also simple. During the war, the Americans not only needed aircraft themselves, but also supplied them to their allies. Accordingly, those enterprises that manufactured engines for them worked at the limit of their capabilities. Often, there were simply no motors planned for the design of tanks, which made it necessary to look for analogues. However, first things first.

Characteristics of power plants

The first modifications, that is, the M4 and M4A1, were powered by the Continental R975 C1 radial aircraft engine. He developed 350 horsepower, the number of revolutions was 3500 rpm. For comparison, the B-2 of the legendary T-34 developed operating power 400 horsepower, giving out 1700 rpm.

Detailed history of the Wright engine (Continental)

Initially, this motor was used for light aircraft. To make a Sherman tank engine out of it, the engineers had to work very hard. For example, it was necessary to "screw" the gearbox, which, for obvious reasons, was not needed by the aircraft. In addition, it was necessary to sharply increase the torque at low revs, as well as create a normal air purification system (dust clouds are rarely found in the sky), along with reducing the amount of oil consumed by the engine.

After a year of work, bench tests were carried out, on which the engine showed quite acceptable results. In 1940, the M2, the common ancestor of the Lee and Sherman with the Wright engine, was tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. In addition, British vehicles participated in the tests, which seemed "sluggish" next to the American tank. The military were satisfied, they liked the model, which would later be called the Sherman tank. The reviews were very good, it was recommended to take the car into service as soon as possible.

The total weight of the power plant was 515 kg. It should be noted that aviation fuel with an octane rating of at least 92 should have been used as fuel. The compression ratio was 6.3:1.

Some disadvantages

However, further tests showed that the military rejoiced early: at the slightest increase in the mass of the test vehicle, a lack of power began to be felt, and the cooling system could not cope with the increased load at all. In addition, due to the increase in temperature in the carburetor itself, the density of the air entering there sharply decreased, which caused a dangerous drop in power. Under such conditions, the engine of the Sherman tank could only work for 100 hours, after which it needed a full overhaul.

Reorientation of production

Because of this circumstance, they decided to take the production from the Wright company and transfer the issue to the larger Continental company. It was assumed that at least a thousand motors would be manufactured at its factories every month. By the way, for all the previous time, the Wrights produced only 750 engines.

New engineers enthusiastically undertook to clean up design flaws. First, the cooling system was redesigned. Secondly, they developed a new air purification filter. Finally, the production itself set strict requirements for the tolerances of manufactured parts, which is why the overall quality of the engines has increased significantly.

The M4A2 was equipped with a pair of six-cylinder diesel engines GM 6046. The engine developed a power of 375 horsepower. Number of revolutions - 2100 rpm. As we said above, our tankers liked the motor for its unpretentiousness, reliability and maintainability. Moreover, its engine life was several times higher than that of the T-34. In fairness, it's worth noting that these two medium tanks rarely endured more than three or four battles at the beginning of the war.

By 1944-1945 and 1946 (the war against Japan), the B-2 engine was somewhat brought to mind, so that the difference became not so noticeable. So, Sherman tanks in the Red Army, together with Soviet technology under their own power reached Manchuria. There were no special claims to Soviet or American-made cars.

Tanks with what engines were delivered to our country?

It is officially believed that only this model was supplied to the USSR under Lend-Lease. But some Soviet tankers, who described the M4 Sherman tank, said that "it flared up like a match." Often there are also references to gasoline engines. All this suggests that the M4 or M4A1 were also supplied to the Soviet Union.

In addition, it can be assumed that a certain number of gasoline Shermans came to our country from England, where the United States supplied both diesel and gasoline modifications (British troops were equally provided with gasoline and diesel fuel). The Americans themselves used mainly gasoline modifications. The only exception was the Marine Corps, which had unlimited supply ship solar.

Actually, that is why the Sherman diesel was so popular in our country. The tank in the USSR (as well as in the USA) until about the 30s was considered an auxiliary unit, a consumable. When something more serious was required, it turned out that there was simply not enough gasoline for the tank hordes. I had to use diesel fuel, which in those years was considered a waste of oil refining.

The most "advanced" model was the M4A3. For her, a V-shaped eight-cylinder Ford GAA engine was specially developed. Its power was 500 horsepower. The most complex and cumbersome design was the M4A4: five car engines (regular, serial) set the tank in motion. Just imagine what and how the unfortunate mechanics who were forced to repair this miracle of engineering thought in case of breakdowns said.

Where are these cars now?

And where can you see the Sherman tank today? "Fury" ( historical facts in this film are more or less close to reality) shows these machines in the cinema. The troops of Paraguay (as of 2013) still have as many as four of these tanks. Many half-flooded and half-wrecked cars are found on the coast of the Philippines, where the Shermans were massively used to break through the Japanese defenses. "Advertising" tank "Sherman" world game of Tanks, where he is quite popular.

Almost in parallel with the design of the MZ, the development of a new tank began, in which it was supposed to eliminate the shortcomings of the latter, in particular, the unsuccessful placement of the 75-mm gun, and at the same time make the most of existing components and assemblies. In June 1941, a full-size wooden model of the tank was made, which received the designation T6. Then, in Aberdeen, the assembly of a prototype with a cast upper hull began. At the same time, a machine with a welded hull, but without a turret, was being created in the Rock Island Arsenal. The Aberdeen prototype was ready by 2 September 1941 and demonstrated to representatives of the Armored Forces Command and the Ordnance Department.

Subject to a number of amendments, the US Congress Arms Committee on September 5, 1941 recommended that this vehicle be adopted by the United States Army under the designation "M4 Medium Tank". By a protocol dated December 11, 1941, the armaments committee assigned the designation M4 to a tank with a welded hull, and M4A1 to a cast one. In the American army, all models of the M4 medium tank were called "General Sherman", and in the English simply "Sherman". However, with the light hand of the British, it was the second name that became the most common.

Medium tank M4A2 during testing at the NIIBT Polygon in Kubinka. Summer 1942.

Tank M4A2 (76) W at the NIIBT Polygon in Kubinka near Moscow. 1945 Under its American index, this modification of the Sherman never appeared in Soviet documents of the war years.

One of the two M4A4 tanks delivered to the USSR during World War II at the Kubinka training ground. 1945

From February 1942 to July 1945, 6 main modifications of the M4 tank were in serial production. In principle, all models of the Sherman tank (M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4AZ, M4A4, M4A6) did not differ from each other. In appearance, only the M4A1 stood out sharply with its cast body. Guns, towers, placement of components and assemblies, chassis - everything was the same. All models eventually received a single cast frontal part - the transmission compartment cover (instead of the three-piece assembly used earlier), the oval hatch of the loader, bulwark, side armor and much more. Initially, the tanks had viewing slots in the frontal hull plate, then they were covered with armor casings and periscopes were introduced, and finally, at the end of 1943 - the beginning of 1944, a one-piece frontal plate appeared, and the hatches were moved to the roof of the hull. True, it was necessary to reduce the angle of inclination of the frontal armor from 56 ° to 47 ° from the vertical.

The main difference between the "Shermans" from each other was the type of power plant. So, on the M4 and M4A1, a 9-cylinder radial carburetor engine "Continental" R-975 was used; on M4A2 - a spark of GMC diesels; for the M4AZ, a carburetor 8-cylinder Ford GAA-8 engine was designed (by the way, the most powerful of all those used on the Shermans - 500 hp at 2600 rpm) and, finally, on the M4A4, five were installed in a single block gasoline engines "Chrysler Multibank" A-57. To install such a unit, it was necessary to slightly lengthen the body. The M4A6 hull was the same length, but the Caterpillar RD1820 diesel engine was used as a power plant. On all modifications, the transmission was located in the front of the hull, which led to the relatively high height of the tank.

By the beginning of 1943 the command armored forces the US Army came to the conclusion that the war could not be ended with the tanks produced modifications. This point of view led to the first major modernization associated with the installation of new cast turrets with 76 mm long guns and 105 mm howitzers. Modernization did not affect only the M4A4 and M4A6 tanks.

By February 1944, Chrysler had developed design documentation and produced prototypes for all new models. In these tanks, the ammunition rack was moved from the hull fenders to the floor of the fighting compartment and placed on both sides of the cardan shaft. An interesting feature of this so-called "wet" ammo rack was the placement of cannon shots in cassette boxes, the double walls of which were filled with water. It was assumed that if a projectile hit the ammunition rack, the water would spill and prevent a fire. On tanks with 105-mm howitzers, the ammunition was "dry", in armored boxes.

The appearance of a commander's turret with a periscope device and six beveled triplex blocks made it possible to dramatically improve visibility from the commander's seat. Somewhat later, the loader's oval hatch was replaced with a round double-leaf hatch.

Installing a powerful 76-mm M1A1 gun (with a muzzle brake - M1A2) with initial speed armor-piercing projectile 810 m / s allowed the Shermans to fight heavy German tanks.

The second major modernization of the General Sherman tanks was the introduction of the so-called horizontal suspension and a new 24-inch track. The prototypes were designated as M4E8, M4A1E8, M4A2E8 and M4AZE8. The mass of the tank increased slightly, but due to the use of wider tracks, the specific pressure on the ground decreased, and the patency not only did not decrease, but even increased. At the end of March 1945, the production of General Sherman tanks with a horizontal suspension began. All modifications produced at that time received a new chassis. It is rather difficult to single out any of them as the best, since there were no fundamental differences in performance data between them. It should be noted that only M4AZ tanks of various variants were not supplied to anyone under Lend-Lease and, as a result, they accounted for more than half of the Shermans available in the US Army. The remaining modifications were intensively exported. Suffice it to say that only 17,174 M4 (Sherman I), M4A1 (Sherman II), M4A2 (Sherman III) and IW4A4 (Sherman V) tanks were delivered to England under Lend-Lease. The name "Sherman IV" was given to M4AZ, 7 of them were delivered to England - the only exported tanks of this modification.

Medium tank M4A2(76)W HVSS with horizontal suspension and 23-inch track during testing at the NIIBT Proving Ground in Kubinka in 1945.

According to American data, 4063 M4A2 tanks of various variants and two M4A4 tanks were delivered to the Soviet Union. Since the M4A2 tanks accounted for more than a third of all tanks received by our country from the Lend-Lease allies during the war, it makes sense to dwell on the design of these combat vehicles in more detail.

The hull of the M4A2 tank was welded from rolled armor plates. Its frontal part consisted of a massive cast part (on tanks of the first series - welded, detachable from three parts), which simultaneously served as a transmission hatch cover and a crankcase for the turning mechanism, and a top sheet 50 mm thick, located at an angle of 56 ° to the vertical. The cast frontal part was bolted to the top sheet, side sheets and bottom. On the outside, final drive housings were attached to it from the sides.

The upper frontal sheet was welded to the sides and roof of the hull. In its lower part, on the right, a machine gun ball mount was mounted, to the right and above which there was a cylindrical antenna input socket (in case the tank was equipped with two radio stations). In the upper part of the frontal sheet there were two protrusions, in which there were viewing slots with triplexes that opened from the inside of the tank. From the second half of 1942, armor plates were welded to the ledges, and then cast caps; instead of viewing slots, periscope observation devices MB were installed. At the end of 1943, a one-piece upper frontal plate without viewing slots was introduced, located at an angle of 47 ° to the vertical.

The sides of the hull are vertical. On tanks produced in 1943–1944, before the ammo rack was transferred to the floor of the fighting compartment, two armor plates were welded to the upper right side plate and one to the upper left side plate. The aft part of the hull consisted of two inclined (10 ... 12 °) sheets - upper and lower. The upper one was offset relative to the lower one so that a pocket was formed between them for the exit of air coming from the fans. The armor of the sides and stern had a thickness of 38 mm, the roof of the hull - 18 mm.

In front of the hull roof above the control compartment, there were oval landing hatches for the driver and his assistant, located along the hull and having observation devices built into the covers. Two fans were installed on either side of the hatches. Since the end of 1943, the hatches were located across the hull, the design of the covers was changed, one fan was kept, placed between the hatches.

The tower is cast, cylindrical in shape with a small aft niche. The forehead and sides were protected by 75 mm and 50 mm armor, respectively, the stern - 50 mm, and the turret roof - 25 mm. A mask-installation was attached to the front of the tower (armor thickness - 90 mm). On the roof of the tower there was a landing hatch, a ventilation hatch in the fighting compartment, closed with an armored cap, two hatches for observation devices and an antenna input. The landing hatch was closed with a double-leaf lid, hinged in a rotating turret of an anti-aircraft machine gun. Since December 1943, an oval loader's hatch appeared on the roof of the tower.

The tower was driven by a hydroelectric rotary mechanism or manually. With the help of a hydroelectric mechanism, the tower could be rotated 360 ° in a time of 16 to 840 s, depending on the angle of rotation of the control handle. The mechanism had an additional drive to the tank commander, when turned on, the gunner's drive was turned off.

Since May 1944, a new cast turret of increased size was installed on the tank, but with the same diameter of the turret ring in the clear. Armament was mounted in a new mask-installation (armor thickness - 100 mm). On the roof of the tower there was a commander's cupola with six triplex glass blocks and a periscope observation device, an oval loader hatch, an observation device hatch, an anti-aircraft machine gun bracket and an antenna input. On the left side of the tower there was a hatch for firing personal weapons, and a fan of the fighting compartment was mounted on the stern.

The Sherman tractor from the Morozovskaya railway station in the North Caucasus is now on display at the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow. On the frontal armor of the hull, traces of welding of the attachment points of the crane-boom are clearly visible.

The M4A2 was equipped with a 75 mm MZ cannon with a barrel length of 37.5 calibers. Since 1944, the M4A2 (76) W tank was equipped with a 76-mm M1A1 gun, and then M1A1C or M1A2 with a barrel length of 52 calibers. All guns had vertical wedge gates and copy-type semi-automatics. Vertical aiming - from -10 ° to + 25 °. The guns were stabilized in the vertical guidance plane.

Two 7.62 mm Browning М1919А4 machine guns were installed in the tank, one coaxial with a cannon, the other with a course, and a 50.8 mm MZ smoke grenade launcher. A 12.7 mm Browning M2HB anti-aircraft heavy machine gun was mounted on the roof of the turret.

The ammunition load of the M4A2 tank consisted of 97 artillery rounds, 300 12.7-mm and 4750 7.62-mm cartridges, 12 smoke grenades; tank M4A2 (76) W - 71 artillery rounds, 600 12.7 mm and 6250 7.62 mm rounds, 14 smoke grenades.

The M4A2 tank was equipped with a GMC 6046 model 71 power plant, which consisted of two 6-cylinder two-stroke compressorless in-line diesel engines arranged in parallel and connected into one unit with an HP 375 power. at 2100 rpm. The engines were started by electric starters. To facilitate winter starting, two flare nozzles with glow plugs were used for each engine.

The transmission consisted of two single-disk main friction clutches of dry friction (one per engine), a transverse connecting gear, a cardan shaft, a gearbox, a turning mechanism and final drives. Gearbox - mechanical, five-speed (5 + 1), with synchronizers in all gears, except for 1st and reverse. The turning mechanism is a double differential of the Kletrak type.

Tank M4A2 senior lieutenant N. Sumarokov. 3rd Ukrainian Front, 1944.

A column of M4A2 tanks with troops on the armor. 1943 Despite the smooth ride, it was difficult to stay on the Sherman, since the tank was completely missing any handrails or brackets. In the American army, motorized infantry was transported on armored personnel carriers and cars.

M4A2 tanks on the march to the front line. 1944

Chassis tanks M4A2 and M4A2 (76) W in relation to one side consisted of six single rubber-coated road wheels, interlocked in pairs in three balancing carts suspended on two vertical buffer springs each; three support rollers, a guide wheel, a front drive wheel with removable gear rims (pinion engagement). Each track has 79 double-ridge tracks 420.6 mm wide, track pitch 152 mm. Tracks are metal or rubber-metal with a silent block.

The undercarriage of the M4A2 (76) W HVSS tank in relation to one side consisted of six double rubber-coated road wheels, interlocked in pairs into three balancing carts, each suspended on two horizontal buffer springs; three single and two double support rollers, rubber-coated guide wheel, front-mounted drive wheel with removable gear rims (lantern engagement). Each track has 79 single-ridge tracks 584.2 mm wide, track pitch 152 mm. Tracks are metal or rubber-metal with a silent block. A hydraulic shock absorber was installed in each suspension bogie.

10,968 M4A2 tanks of all variants were produced, of which 8,053 were equipped with a 75-mm cannon. Since the American army received only tanks with gasoline engines, the M4A2 was used in the United States as training and was supplied under lend-lease to other countries, mainly to England (7418 units). A number of M4A2s were used by the corps marines USA in the battles in the Pacific. The main manufacturers were Fisher Tank Arsenal and Pullman Standard; in late 1942 they were joined by American Locomotive, Federal Machine and Welder and Baldwin. The release of the M4A2 with 75 mm guns was completed in May 1944. Then the Fisher Tank Arsenal company, the main manufacturer of diesel Shermans, switched to the production of M4A2 (76) W and until May 1945 produced 2894 tanks, 21 vehicles were produced by Pressed Steel Car. The total production of M4A2 with a 76-mm gun was 2915 pieces.

According to American data, 1990 tanks with a 75-mm cannon and 2073 with a 76-mm cannon were delivered to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease. In May 1945, the Red Army also received a number of tanks with a horizontal suspension.

The first Shermans arrived in the USSR in November 1942. This modification was not chosen by chance. Soviet specialists, with whom the range of supplied equipment was coordinated, were well aware of the difficulties that arose during the operation of MZs and MZl tanks in the USSR, whose gasoline engines could only run on imported high-octane gasoline.

It should be noted that the above number of sent cars does not match the number received. So, according to the admission committees of the GBTU of the Red Army, in 1942 36 M4A2 tanks arrived in the USSR, in 1943 - 469, in 1944-2345, in 1945 - 814. In total, in four years - 3664 vehicles.

The M4A2 tank supports the infantry attack. 2nd Ukrainian Front, 1944.

The first to receive new American tanks were the 5th Guards Tank Brigade and the 563rd Separate Tank Battalion of the North Caucasian Front. As of January 5, 1943, the latter had nine M4A2 tanks and 21 MZl tanks. Soon, by order of the front commander, the 563rd separate tank battalion transferred its Shermans to the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, receiving MZl in return. Such an exchange was necessary to equip the 563rd battalion with light tanks, which were planned to be used in the landing in Yuzhnaya Ozereyka. In July 1943, the 299th Separate Tank Regiment, armed with 38 M4A2s, was included in the 48th Army of the Central Front.

The new American tanks were well received in the armored units of the Red Army. For example, in the report of the 5th Guards Tank Brigade, dated October 23, 1943, it was noted:

“Due to its high speed, the M4A2 tank is very convenient for pursuit, has great maneuverability. The armament is quite consistent with its design, as it has fragmentation and armor-piercing shells (blanks), the penetrating ability of which is very high. The 75-mm cannon and two Browning machine guns are trouble-free in operation. The disadvantages of the tank include a large height, which is a target on the battlefield. Armor, despite the large thickness (60 mm), is of poor quality, as there were cases when at a distance of 80 meters it made its way from the PTR. In addition, there were a number of cases when Yu-87s bombed tanks from 20-mm cannons and pierced the side armor of the turret and side armor, as a result of which there were losses among the crews. Compared to the T-34, the M4A2 is more easily controlled, more enduring when making long marches, since the engines do not require frequent adjustment. In combat, these tanks work well."

According to reviews from the troops, during the shelling of tanks, even with fragmentation ammunition, there were spalls of small fragments from inside armor. This did not happen on all machines, but the Americans were nevertheless notified of this defect already in April - May 1943. Almost immediately after that, the shipment of the M4A2 to the USSR was suspended, and the vehicles that arrived from November 1943 had better quality armor.

M4A2 tanks pass through the Romanian city of Batosani. April 1944.

Residents of the liberated city of Balti greet Soviet tankers entering the city on M4A2 tanks. August 31, 1944.

Tank M4A2 one of the units of the 8th Guards tank corps passes along the street of liberated Lublin. Poland, 27 July 1944.

In addition to summarizing the experience of military operation, during 1943, the Shermans were subjected to intensive tests at specialized training grounds. Here are some excerpts from the “Report on testing the medium American M4A2 tank in summer conditions. 1943 NIIBT Polygon GBTU KA ":

“Goal: to establish the reliability of the tank as a whole and its individual units and mechanisms.

Tank manufactured in 1942 by Fisher Tank Arsenal.

Before the start of summer tests, the M4A2 tank covered 1285 km in winter and spring conditions. Engines worked 89 hours.

During the summer tests, the tank traveled 1765 km, 450 km along the highway. The engines worked in summer conditions for 87 hours.

By the end of the tests, the tank had traveled 3050 km, the engines had worked for 176 hours.

Conclusion.

1) The American M4A2 tank has good operational reliability and requires minimal maintenance time.

2) Compliance with the frequency and volume Maintenance tank, indicated in the "Memo to the crew of the M4A2 tank" compiled by the Research Institute of BT Polygon, fully ensures the normal and reliable operation of the tank.

3) GMC engines installed on the M4A2 tank work reliably on domestic diesel fuel brand "DT" and diesel oil. Engine oil should be changed after 50-60 hours of operation.

4) The transmission of the tank can normally work 4000-5000 km without changing the American refueling with SAE-50 oil, with which the M4L2 tanks arrive in the USSR. Refueling of the transmission must be done with domestic aviation oil "MK" or "MS".

5) Metal and rubber-metal caterpillars are equivalent in their adhesion to the ground in summer conditions. During the operation of the M4A2 tank on a metal caterpillar, the reliability of the undercarriage decreases (the service life of the rubber bands of the track rollers especially decreases).

It is difficult to add anything to this assessment of the Sherman's reliability given by Soviet test officers. It is worth emphasizing that during the hostilities of 1944-1945, it was fully confirmed. Looking ahead, let's say that, unfortunately, the fact of increased wear of the rubber tires of the road wheels during the intensive operation of tanks on a metal caterpillar was also confirmed. Such a misfortune, for example, happened in parts of the 5th mechanized corps during the Yasso-Kishinev operation in August 1944.

The massive equipping of various units and formations of the Red Army with Shermans began in the spring of 1944.

On February 13, 1944, the 212th separate tank regiment, armed with M4A2 tanks, was assigned to the 4th Guards Mechanized Corps. Together with other units and formations of the corps, the regiment took part in the Bereznegovato-Snigirevskaya offensive operation, carried out by the troops of the 3rd Ukrainian Front.

On March 13, 1944, the caterpillar chain was broken by an aerial bomb near the M4A2 tank of the guard junior lieutenant V. A. Sivkov from the 212th tank regiment. The whole day the crew was repairing the tank. And all this time german planes, as soon as they detected the movement of people around the tank, they immediately tried to shoot them with machine-gun and cannon fire. In one of the enemy air raids, the driver, senior sergeant Ivan Volodin, and the gunner, sergeant Boris Kalinichenko, were killed. Only two remained in the crew - the commander and gunner-radio operator Private P. K. Krestyaninov.

Twilight was already descending on the ground, air raids had ceased. The tank was again ready for battle, but exactly half of the crew was missing. There was no one to lead the tank, but the tankers did not think of remaining in the desert steppe. Pyotr Krestyaninov took the place of the driver, and Vadim Sivkov took his place in the tower.

Under the cover of evening twilight, the tank rushed south at maximum speed. The tankers wanted to catch up with their regiment as quickly as possible, which, according to their calculations, was supposed to be in the area with. I'm in the cinema. About what happened next, you can find out from the award list:

“... Junior Lieutenant Sivkov V.A. on the night of March 13-14, following the route of the regiment, along the way he learned that there was an enemy on his route in the village of Yavkino. This did not bother him, and he decided, by all means, to fight his way to his unit. Coming close to the village of Yavkin, junior lieutenant Sivkov opened heavy fire from all types of weapons of the M4A2 tank, burst into the village at top speed. Skillfully maneuvering through the streets, he created the appearance that at least 10 tanks had burst into the village. The enemy in a panic rushed from one house to another, from one street to another, but everywhere he fell under heavy fire and tank tracks ...

On the night of March 14-15, the enemy, having brought up significant forces, launched a counterattack on the village of Yavkino. Reflecting the attack of the enemy, maneuvering around the village, the tank fell into an anti-tank ditch. Not being able to use a cannon and machine guns, he gave the enemy the opportunity to come close to the tank and offer the crew to surrender, to which Sivkov responded by opening fire and exclaiming: “Komsomol members do not surrender!” He threw grenades at them.

The enemy fled, leaving a dozen corpses near the tank. Then junior lieutenant Sivkov, using an anti-aircraft gun, began to shoot the fleeing enemy. Having used up all the ammunition, being unable to fight further, Junior Lieutenant Sivkov blew himself up and set fire to the tank.

Conclusion: I present posthumously to the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

(Commander of the 212th Separate Tank Regiment of the Guard, Major Barbashin.)

Our troops, having entered Yavkino on March 15, discovered a blown up Soviet tank. Inside it was found a small package and in it two sheets of finely written paper, where it was reported:

“We, the remaining two in tank No. 17, Sivkov Vadim Aleksandrovich (tank commander, junior lieutenant) and radio operator Krestyaninov Petr Konstantinovich, decided it would be better to die in our own tank than to leave it.

We do not think of surrendering to captivity, leaving two or three rounds for ourselves ...

The Germans approached the tank twice, but could not open it. At the last minute of life, we will blow up the tank with grenades so that it does not hit the enemy.

For courage, courage and boundless devotion to the Motherland, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 3, 1944, junior lieutenant V. A. Sivkov and private P. K. Krestyaninov were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Tanks M4A2(76)W on the march. 2nd Ukrainian Front, Austria, March 1945.

"Emcha" forcing a water barrier on a floating bridge on the outskirts of Vienna. April 1945.

Tankers of the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps of the Guards, Lieutenant I. G. Dronov and Guards Sergeant N. Idrisov, on their Sherman, were the first to break into Vienna. April 1945.

The arrival of a significant number of "Shermans" made it possible to equip large formations with them. So, for example, on June 22, 1944, the 3rd Guards Stalingrad Mechanized Corps, operating as part of the 3rd Belorussian Front, had 196 tanks, mostly foreign-made: 110 M4A2, 70 Valentine IX and 16 T-34.

On July 2, 1944, five Sherman tanks from the 9th Guards Tank Brigade of the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps, marching in the head outpost under the command of Guards Senior Lieutenant G. G. Kiyashko, crossed the river. Berezin and received the task of breaking into the city of Krasnoe and, in the event of a successful development of events, to capture it. The enemy garrison did not expect the appearance of Soviet troops. Tanks burst into the streets, packed with German vehicles. Firing from cannons and machine guns, with armor and caterpillars, the guards smashed the manpower and equipment of the enemy. The enemy was driven out of the city. During the battle, the guards destroyed four guns, more than 30 vehicles, about 80 Nazis, losing only one Sherman, junior lieutenant A.E. Bashmakov. The tankers cut the highway and the railway going to Krasnoe from Minsk. In order to hold out until the approach of the main forces, Kiyashko ambushed three tanks. By this time, the tank of Lieutenant E. N. Smirnov, whose rotary mechanism of the gun was damaged during the ramming, took the wounded and departed to join the main forces of the brigade.

Soon soviet cars were attacked by German troops retreating from Minsk to Molodechno through Krasnoe. Against three Soviet tanks, the Germans threw 20 tanks and self-propelled guns, including several "panthers", and up to an infantry battalion. In a few hours of an unequal battle, three Shermans knocked out six German tanks Pz. IV, one "Panther" and the StuG III assault gun, destroyed up to a company of infantrymen. But the forces were unequal. All Soviet tanks were hit, the rest of the crews managed to get through to their own.

And here is another combat example. On July 26, 1944, tankers of the 44th Guards Tank Regiment started fighting on the outskirts of Siauliai.

« tank crews guards lieutenant G. Milkov, V. Silysh and A. Safonov exterminated the Nazis with crushing fire from their cannons. The commander of the 1st Tank Company of the Guard, Captain Volkov, who was on one of the vehicles, skillfully led the battle. The walls of houses collapsed, and enemy guns and machine guns fell silent under their debris. Enemy vehicles caught fire and boxes of ammunition in their bodies were torn. House after house, street after street, the brave Soviet soldiers cleared the resisting enemy.

"Shermans" of the 43rd, 44th and 45th Guards Tank Regiments of the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps liberated Shauliai and Yelgava, participated in the defeat of the enemy's Courland grouping.

N.Z. Alexandrov, a veteran of the 44th Guards Tank Regiment, shares his impressions of getting to know the Sherman.

“We got a new materiel -“ Shermans ”. How we did not want to sit on these tanks! Their armor is not sloped. The T-34 has clutches - it can spin in place. And they have satellites, he turned like a car in a circle. The short-barreled 75 mm gun was weak. Of the positive aspects, the presence of an anti-aircraft machine gun can be noted. The inside of the tank is very comfortable - everything is painted white, the handles are nickel-plated, the seats are covered with leather. Rubber tracks are very quiet. On it it was possible to sneak up on the enemy. I had such a case in the Baltics.

We walked along the road through a field framed by a forest. We were shelled in front of the settlement. The Germans had self-propelled guns and an anti-tank gun on the defensive. We moved back a little and along the edge of the forest, crushing the bushes, at low speed we went to their flank. I was on foot with four submachine gunners, and the tank was in the back. Crept up three hundred meters. He ordered the submachine gunners to take up defense so as not to let anyone in, and he returned to the tank. Armor-piercing self-propelled guns were burned, and then the gun was destroyed. The German infantry fled. Thus, the road was opened.

We did not fight on Shermans for long, and by the autumn of 1944 they had been replaced by T-34-85s.”

Frankly, some of the veteran tanker's comments are surprising, in particular the criticism of the "non-sloping" armor and the "weak" 75mm gun. It is quite clear that neither one nor the other is unfair. Compared to the T-34, the Sherman had only side armor that was not sloping. However, the main indicator of tank security is frontal armor. According to the characteristics of the side armor, tanks are never compared at all. And the frontal armor of the Sherman was more powerful than that of the T-34. As for the 75-mm gun, then in their own ballistic performance it was identical to our F-34. Due to the better quality of ammunition, the American gun surpassed the Soviet one in terms of armor penetration. The Sherman, which had a double differential as a turning mechanism, really could not turn around on the spot. However, the veteran does not mention how much physical effort the T-34 driver needed to turn on the spot. The quiet move of the American tank was noted by all Soviet tankers. This was especially noticeable against the background of the T-34. "Thirty-four" with its roaring engine without mufflers and rattling caterpillars with ridge gearing, according to the front-line soldiers, was heard for 3 km on a quiet moonlit night!

And, finally, something does not fit with the veteran and with the rearmament on the T-34-85. According to the documents, by January 1945, already operating as part of the 1st Baltic Front, the 3rd Guards Mechanized Corps had 176 M4A2s (108 of them with a 76-mm cannon) and 21 Valentine IX. There were no T-34-85s at all.

"Shermans" of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps of the 6th Guards Tank Army on Vienna Street. Austria, April 1945.

A column of "Shermans" on the street in Brno. 2nd Ukrainian Front, Czechoslovakia, April 1945.

On the streets of Berlin - "Sherman" of the 219th tank brigade of the 1st mechanized corps. 1st Belorussian Front, May 1945.

Tankers are greeted by Soviet girls released from fascist captivity. In the background is the M4A2 tank. Berlin, May 1945.

By the way, the Sherman was distinguished not only by its quiet, but also by its smooth running, which was especially appreciated by the motorized riflemen-tanktroopers. According to the recollections of many veterans, from the second half of 1944, the M4A2 tanks were actively used to fight the Faustniks. It was done like this. Four or five submachine gunners sat on the tank, who were tied with waist belts to brackets on the tower. When the vehicle was moving, the infantrymen fired at any shelters within a radius of 100-150 m, behind which there could be “fa-usters”. This technique is called "broom". Moreover, only Shermans were suitable for the “broom”. On the T-34, due to its candle suspension and its characteristic longitudinal buildup, it was almost impossible for infantrymen tied with a waist belt to hold on.

Another advantage of the Shermans over domestic vehicles was appreciated by the tankers - these are excellent radio stations that provide reliable and high-quality radio communications! Here is how D. F. Loza spoke about this:

“I must say that the quality of the radio stations on the Sherman tanks aroused the envy of the tankmen who fought on our tanks, and not only among them, but also among the soldiers of other branches of the armed forces. We even allowed ourselves to give gifts to radio stations that were perceived as “royal”, primarily to our gunners ...

For the first time, the radio communication of the brigade units was subjected to a comprehensive check in the January-March battles forty fourth year in the Right-Bank Ukraine and near Iasi.

As you know, each Sherman had two radio stations: VHF and HF. The first is for communication within platoons and companies at a distance of 1.5–2 kilometers. The second type of radio station was intended for communication with the senior commander. Good hardware. We especially liked that, having established a connection, it was possible to firmly fix this wave - no shaking of the tank could bring it down.

And one more unit in an American tank still arouses my admiration. I don't think we talked about him before. This is a small-sized gasoline engine designed for recharging batteries. Wonderful thing! It was located in the fighting compartment, and its exhaust pipe was brought out on the starboard side. You could launch it to recharge the batteries at any time. On Soviet T-34s during the Great Patriotic War, to maintain the battery in working condition, it was necessary to drive five hundred horsepower of the engine, which was quite an expensive pleasure, given the consumption of motor resources and fuel ...

In offensive battles on the territory of Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria, communications worked smoothly. Even when the advanced units were separated from the main forces at a distance of 15-20 kilometers, communication was carried out by a microphone or a key if the terrain turned out to be rugged.

The presence of radio stations generally differed in better side all lend-lease tanks are from domestic ones. The latter, as you know, began to be 100% equipped with radio stations only from the second half of 1943.

It should be noted that all Lend-Lease armored vehicles that came to the USSR, including Shermans, were equipped with English Wireless Sets No. 19 Mk. II. WS 19 radios were produced in England from 1941, and from 1942 were also produced in Canada and the USA. WS 19 began to arrive in the USSR at the end of 1941, along with English tanks"Matilda" and "Valentine", and since 1942, in addition to English, Canadian and American-made radio stations began to arrive. The latter had all operational inscriptions in English and Russian. Equipping all imported armored vehicles with radio stations English design not by chance, but this is not a tribute to unification. The fact is that American tanks conducted radio communications in the 20 ... 28 MHz range using frequency modulation, while the WS 19 radio stations had 2 ... 8 MHz and 229 ... 241 MHz ranges, working in them by telegraph or amplitude modulation, that is, they were completely incompatible with regular radio stations of American tanks.

At the same time, WS 19 completely covered the frequency range of 4 ... 5.63 MHz, in which Soviet-made tank radio stations operated, and could be used without modifications in the armored and mechanized troops of the Red Army.

In 1944, the Shermans ousted foreign tanks of other brands from the tank units of the Red Army, with the exception of the Valentines. So, for example, the 5th Guards Tank Army - the main strike force of the 3rd Belorussian Front in the Bagration operation - was equipped with equipment of both domestic and foreign production. It included 350 T-34s, 64 Shermans, 39 Valentine IXs, 29 ISs, 23 ISU-152s, 42 SU-85s, 22 SU-76s, 21 M10 self-propelled guns and 37 SU-57s (T48s) . Thus, imported combat vehicles accounted for 25% of the entire army fleet. It should be noted that in the tank and mechanized units of the Soviet fronts that took part in the Bagration operation, the number of Shermans was second only to the T-34.

Tanks "Sherman" were used in the Red Army until the end of the war. For example, as of January 14, 1945, the 8th Guards Alexandria Mechanized Corps of the 2nd Belorussian Front had 185 M4A2s, five T-34s, 21 ISs, 21 SU-85s, 21 SU-76s, 53 MZA1 scouts, 52 BA-64i 19 3SU Ml7.

During Vistula-Oder operation The 2nd Guards Tank Army included the 1st Mechanized Corps, equipped with Sherman and Valen-Tyne tanks. In the future, the corps took part in the storming of Berlin.

M4A2 tanks, especially in the version with a powerful 76-mm gun, fell in love with Soviet tankmen. They were given quite a few friendly nicknames and nicknames. “Emcha” (from “em four”), “humpback”, “Maybeetle”, “Brontosaurus” in the hands of an experienced crew who knew their car well, its strengths and weaknesses, was terrible for the enemy. This is evidenced by many combat examples.

On March 23, 1945, a battalion of the 46th Guards Tank Brigade of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, commanded by Senior Lieutenant D. F. Loza, distinguished himself near the city of Veszprem in Hungary. The award sheet stated the following: "The battalion knocked out and burned 29 enemy tanks and self-propelled guns, captured 20 and destroyed 10 vehicles, exterminated about 250 enemy soldiers and officers."

As Dmitry Loza himself recalls, it was like this:

“The exiled reconnaissance - a platoon of the guards of Lieutenant Ivan Tuzhikov - went to the approaches to Veszprem and disguised themselves in the forest, to the left of the highway. She discovered a large enemy tank column. “Fascist tanks are pressing towards you,” the platoon commander reported to me ... It was necessary to quickly withdraw the battalion and deploy it, preparing an ambush for the approaching column ... I give the command: “Do not linger! Follow everyone to the crossing!” Ionov reported that he was behind the steel line. I order him to go one more kilometer and turn around to the right of the road. He knows about the approach of the enemy column, as well as all the officers of the battalion.

Danilchenko's platoons reached the southern outskirts of Khaimashker. From the west, twelve cars were moving at a speed towards him along the lane. An excellent target!.. From everything it was clear that the enemy did not know the latest data on the situation in this area. He had no reconnaissance and security ...

On a signal, eight Shermans of Grigory Danilchenko fired their cannons. The trucks went up in flames. The surviving infantry began to jump out of the bodies of vehicles and scatter in different directions, but only a few managed to carry their feet ...

I order Danilchenko's company to follow me. We skip the crossing, the fork in the road, we pass about eight hundred meters ahead, we go off the highway to the right and deploy in battle formation. How lucky we are! The units ended up on the enemy's artillery range, pitted with countless positions for guns of various calibers and shelters for their tractors. Well, just a case! We occupied those that suited us in size.

Meanwhile, the enemy column, without suspecting anything, continued to move north along the highway. The platoon of Lieutenant Tuzhikov was still watching her. Beyond the forest, the sun had already risen above the horizon. Visibility has improved. The time that had passed from the moment the Shermans took up positions until the appearance of the lead fascist tank seemed to us an eternity ... Finally, at the turn highway we saw the head of the enemy column. Tanks were moving at short distances. Very well! In the event of their sudden stop, which is inevitable when they come under our fire, the enemy’s marching order will be “compressed”, and then the commanders of the emcha guns will not miss. I have given the strictest order not to open fire until the cannon of my tank sounds, and all the tanks are silent. Patiently waiting for the moment when the entire column will be in our field of vision. Senior sergeant Anatoly Romashkin, the commander of the gun of my guard tank, continuously keeps the enemy's lead vehicle at gunpoint. Behind the rear German tanks, the gun barrels of the Shermans of the Tuzhikov platoon are relentlessly “watching”. All enemy tanks are distributed and taken at gunpoint. “A little more, another second,” I restrain myself. And here are all the enemy tanks in full view. I command: “Fire!” The air was torn apart by seventeen shots that sounded like one. The lead car immediately caught fire. Frozen on the spot and the tank at the tail of the stopped column. Having fallen under unexpected massive fire, the Nazis rushed about. Some tanks began to turn right on the road to substitute thicker frontal armor for our shots. Those who managed to do this returned fire, which knocked out one Sherman. The commander of the gun of the guard, Sergeant Petrosyan, and the driver of the guard, senior sergeant Ruzov, survived in it. Together, they continued to fire from a place, preventing the enemy from entering the flank of the battalion. The resistance of the Germans was short-lived, and in fifteen minutes it was all over. The highway was blazing with bright fires. Enemy tanks, vehicles, fuel tankers were on fire. The sky was filled with smoke. As a result of the battle, twenty-one enemy tanks and twelve armored personnel carriers were destroyed.

The Shermans began to leave the shelters they had occupied in order to continue moving towards Veszprem. Suddenly, a sharp cannon shot sounded from the forest, and the left-flank vehicle of Senior Lieutenant Ionov's guard company was pushed to the side, and it, listing to the starboard side, stopped. Four crew members were seriously injured. Sergeant Ivan Lobanov, a stocky, sturdy mechanic-driver of the guard, rushed to the aid of his comrades. He tied them up and, pulling them out through the emergency hatch, laid them under the tank. For a fraction of a second, his gaze lingered on the edge of the grove. Along it, breaking a young bush, slowly crawled to the road "Artsturm". Lobanov quickly returned to the tank, loaded the gun with an armor-piercing projectile and, sitting in the gunner's position, caught an enemy self-propelled gun in the crosshairs of the sight. The shell pierced the side of the armored vehicle, and its engine compartment was engulfed in flames. One after another, the Nazis began to jump out of the self-propelled guns. Lobanov, wasting no time, grabbed a machine gun, jumped out of the car and, hiding behind the body of the Emcha, shot the German tankers. It should be noted that in moments of respite and re-formation, the tankers of the battalion always practiced the interchangeability of crew members. In this situation, the driver needed the skills to handle tank weapons, which were subsequently rewarded by the battalion command.

About half an hour later, the battalion units approached Veszprem. What we saw on the near approaches to the city was worthy of surprise. On both sides of the highway, eight "panthers" stood in carefully equipped positions, which did not respond to our fire and were shot from a short distance. Captured shortly after, the prisoners told that the German soldiers and officers were so shocked and depressed by the shooting of a tank column that when our units, raising clouds of dust, approached the well-equipped defensive line, the Panther crews abandoned their vehicles and, together with the infantry, fled in a panic.

For the skillful management of the battalion and the personal courage of the guards, Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Fedorovich Loza was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The brilliant result of this fight is not particularly surprising. The battalion commander competently organized the ambush, and the crews skillfully used the firepower of their tanks.

In relation to the latter, one can sometimes hear undeserved criticism. Especially often, the 76-mm Sherman gun is opposed to the 85-mm T-34-85 gun, reducing everything to a comparison of calibers. However, if the caliber is larger, then this does not mean at all that the gun is better. In any case, the Soviet 85-mm cannon, due to its larger caliber, was superior to the American one only in terms of high-explosive action of shells. Otherwise, it had no advantages, as can be seen in the following example.

In the autumn of 1944, at the Kubinka training ground, shelling tests were carried out on the captured German heavy tank "Royal Tiger". The test report reads in black and white:

"American 76-mm armor-piercing shells pierce the side plates of the Tiger-B tank from a distance 1.5–2 times greater than domestic 85-mm armor-piercing shells."

Here, as they say, nothing to add or subtract ...

Comrades in arms - "Sherman" and T-34-85 of the 6th Guards Tank Army in the mountains of Austria. May 1945.

Tank M4A2 (76) W9-ro of the guards mechanized corps in Manchuria. Transbaikal Front, August 1945.

Subsequently, the M4A2 (76) W tanks of the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps participated in the capture of Budapest, in repelling a German counterattack near Lake. Balaton, in the liberation of Vienna. After the end of hostilities in Europe, leaving, like all formations of the 6th Guards Tank Army, their equipment in the former deployment area, the corps was transferred to Far East. Upon arrival in the areas of Borzya and Choibalsan, the corps brigades received 183 brand new Shermans that had just arrived from the United States. There is reason to believe that some of them were M4A2(76)W HVSS tanks with horizontal suspension. Together with the T-34-85 of the 5th Guards Tank and 7th Guards Mechanized Corps, the Shermans of the 9th Mechanized Corps overcame the Greater Khingan and entered the Central Manchurian Plain. The swift actions of the 6th Guards Tank Army had a decisive influence on the course of the entire operation in Manchuria. The brigades of the 9th mechanized corps participated in the capture of Changchun and Mukden, the liberation of the Liaodong Peninsula, and after the end of the war with Japan, the guards "Shermans" also became red banners. On September 20, 1945, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the 46th Guards Tank Brigade was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the 18th and 30th Guards Mechanized Brigades were given the honorary name Khingan, and the 31st Guards Mechanized Brigade became Port Arthur.

Tank M4A2 (76) W HVSS, converted after the war into a tractor.

Imported armored vehicles was in service Soviet army and some time after the end of World War II. So, for example, in the already mentioned 46th Guards Mechanized Brigade, "Shermans" were operated until the summer of 1946. Then an order was received to prepare the equipment for transfer to the Americans. However, it was soon canceled: some of the tanks were decommissioned, some of the vehicles were converted into tractors. In different parts, apparently, they were remade in different ways. In the 46th brigade, the towers were simply removed, and the vehicles were then used in the Krasnoyarsk Territory for logging. There was another version of the alteration: the hole formed in the roof of the hull was welded with a steel sheet, on which the commander's cupola from the Sherman was installed. Tractors were equipped with a traction winch and a boom crane. Most of the cars converted in this way entered the recovery trains. railways North Caucasus and Ukraine, where they were operated until the end of the 1960s. Separate vehicles could be found in Ukraine in the 1980s, and in the recovery train of the Morozovskaya railway station in the North Caucasus, the Sherman tractor was operated until 1996!

Since the start mass production American medium tank M4 "Sherman", its design is constantly modernized and improved. Against this background, many modifications of the Sherman appeared:

Tank M4 "Sherman" with a 105-mm gun. One of the most serious alterations in terms of armament of the tank. Instead of a 76 mm turret, a powerful 105 mm howitzer was installed in the enlarged turret, which was able to fight many German tanks, including the Tiger and Panther. On Shermans with 105-mm guns, there was no “wet laying”, instead of it the ammunition was installed in the so-called. "dry laying", that is, in armored boxes in the center of the fighting compartment. From February 1943 to September 1943, 800 of these tanks were produced at the tank arsenal in Detroit.

American medium tank M4 "Sherman" with a 105-mm gun

Tank M4 "Sherman" with 105mm howitzer and HVSS suspension. This tank was not much different from the previous modification, with the exception of the suspension. Here, a more reliable HVSS suspension acted as a running gear, which had bogies with twin rollers and vertical springs were replaced with horizontal ones. In addition, the suspension had excellent maintainability. From September 1944 to March 1945, the tank arsenal in Detroit produced 841 vehicles.

Tank M4 "Sherman" with suspension HVSS

Tank М4А1 "Sherman" with a 76 mm gun. Standard production tank, but with improvements, like the modifications M4A1, M4A2, M4A4 and later modifications of the M4A3 tank. The American company "Pressed Steel" in the period from January 1944 to June 1945 created 3396 tanks.

Tank M4A1 "Sherman" with a 76-mm gun

Tank М4А2 "Sherman" with a 76 mm gun. Standard serial tank with improvements of the M4A1, M4A5 and M4A3 modifications. The American company Grand Blank produced 1,596 tanks between June 1944 and December 1944, while Pressed Steel produced only 21 tanks between May 1945 and June 1945.

Tank M4A2 "Sherman" with a 76-mm gun.

Tank М4А3 "Sherman" with a 76 mm gun. Standard serial tank with improvements of the M4A1, M4A5 and M4A2 modifications. The tank arsenal in Detroit produced 1,400 such tanks from February to July 1944, and Grand Blank built 525 tanks from September 1944 to December 1944.

Tank M4A3 "Sherman" with a 76-mm gun

Tank М4А3 "Sherman" with a 76 mm gun and improved HVSS suspension. Standard serial tank with improvements of the M4A1, M4A5 and M4A2 modifications. The tank arsenal in Detroit produced 1,445 tanks between August 1944 and December 1944.

Tank M4A3 "Sherman" with a 76-mm gun and an improved suspension HVSS

Tank М4А3 "Sherman" with 105mm howitzer. Standard serial tank with improvements of the M4A2, M4A4 and M4A5 modifications. The tank arsenal in Detroit produced 500 of these tanks between April 1945 and August 1945.

Tank М4А3 "Sherman"

Tank М4А3 "Sherman" with a 105 mm howitzer and an improved HVSS undercarriage. Standard serial tank with improvements of modifications M4A2, M4A3? M4A4 and M4A5. The tank arsenal in Detroit produced 2,539 of these tanks between August 194 and May 1945.

Tank М4А3 "Sherman"

And here is a good example of comparing the conventional suspension of the M4A1 Sherman tank and the improved (below) HVSS suspension.

Heavy assault tank М4А3Е2. The most interesting modification of the M4 Sherman tank was a compromise tank design, which the American designers provided at the end of 1943. It was a tank of direct infantry support, which at the beginning of 1944 was proposed to be used during the landing in Northern Europe. This decision was proposed after it became clear that the heavy assault tank T26E1 would not appear in mass production until January 1945. And the constructive solution was simple: to increase the armor of the tank to 10 cm. At the same time, a new, heavier tank turret with armor up to 10.5 cm was designed, however, it is not clear why the 76-mm gun was left. Naturally, the weight of the tank has increased greatly, up to about 38 tons. Based on the experience of the tankers, upgraded tracks with non-removable lugs were installed on the new tank. These propeller blades greatly increased the mobility of the new tank. Over rough terrain, the tank could reach a maximum speed of 22 miles per hour. These tanks were manufactured by Grand Blank from May to June 1944. A total of 254 M4A3E2 tanks were produced, which, as expected, were sent to fight in the European theater of operations. True, the tanks went to Europe without any weapons, since upon their arrival at the place, they received weapons in the form of 76-mm M1 guns from previously knocked out Sherman tanks. American tankers called tanks M4A3E2 Jumbo (Jumbo).