By: Stan Jordan
The above picture is of the M4A1 tank being unloaded from an L.S.T. (landing ship tank) at Anzio in Italy in 1944 is sometimes called the Sherman, that was the name the English called it.
The big difference between the M3 and the M4 tank was the round movable turret and the moving canon from the right sponson to the turret.
This is the M4A1 which means it is an M4 with one change, probably a larger engine.
Notice, on the rear of the back deck is the camouflage net and the boys’ B-bags, that holds all their earthly belongings. This tank weighs about 34 tons, and has between 400 and 700 horsepower engine, it’s according to who made the engine.
Notice, here in the left front is a wooden box, probably extra 30 calibre ammo, 2 – 30 calibre machine guns on each tank.
The first time this type tank was used, was October of 1942 in North Africa. At that time it was better than anything the Germans had but that changed pretty quick.
A large number of this style tank was made at the Lima Automotive Works, they generally made locomotive engines.
This tank had a crew of five: the tank commander – a sergeant, a driver and an assistant driver, a gunner and a loader, and a good supply of two types of ammo. Armor piercing and high explosive and some smoke rounds.
A lot of the M4A1 series was used by a number of countries, even in Korea and Vietnam. I think by the end of WWII, 54,000 of the M4 series were produced.
By the end of WWII the U.S. had taken their 90mm anti-aircraft gun and mounted it on a half track and they called it a tank destroyer, and it was, even though it came late.
See ya!
