2 thoughts on “Inside the Chieftain’s Hatch: M4A1”
Glad that they finally got around to the Sherman. While it may not have been the best tank of WWII, it was the best tank FOR WWII that the Americans could have built. America had to supply standing armies (and not just the US Army and Marine Corp), in what was effectively two separate wars, across two vast oceans. Logistics was as important as fighting capability. And the Sherman was damn well near perfect for this roll. While it did have a nasty tendency to catch fire quicker than other tanks (not that it caught fire more regularly than other tanks, but it caught fire FASTER then other tanks), as tall as a Tiger II, and had bad buoyancy, etc.
However, it was one of the easier tanks to repair. Damaged suspension and gearbox on a Panther. Have fun getting the gearbox out through the roof after dissembling the driver’s compartment, as well as hammering out the bent torsion bar. With a Sherman, in the same situation, it’s a simpler case of unbolting the damaged components, and then fitting the replacements. As mentioned in the video, it was a case that you can expect nearly all of your Shermans to be ready to cross the starting line, not something that can be said of other tanks.
Steven Zogala sums up the Sherman nicely. It wasn’t the best, but it was good enough.
Glad that they finally got around to the Sherman. While it may not have been the best tank of WWII, it was the best tank FOR WWII that the Americans could have built. America had to supply standing armies (and not just the US Army and Marine Corp), in what was effectively two separate wars, across two vast oceans. Logistics was as important as fighting capability. And the Sherman was damn well near perfect for this roll. While it did have a nasty tendency to catch fire quicker than other tanks (not that it caught fire more regularly than other tanks, but it caught fire FASTER then other tanks), as tall as a Tiger II, and had bad buoyancy, etc.
However, it was one of the easier tanks to repair. Damaged suspension and gearbox on a Panther. Have fun getting the gearbox out through the roof after dissembling the driver’s compartment, as well as hammering out the bent torsion bar. With a Sherman, in the same situation, it’s a simpler case of unbolting the damaged components, and then fitting the replacements. As mentioned in the video, it was a case that you can expect nearly all of your Shermans to be ready to cross the starting line, not something that can be said of other tanks.
Steven Zogala sums up the Sherman nicely. It wasn’t the best, but it was good enough.
*Steven Zaloga. I can’t spell to save my life.