Contrary to popular belief, even its 75mm gun was sufficient against practically anything the Germans could muster, including the dreaded Tiger tank. What it did have was the best combination of firepower, armor, mobility and crew comfort. It wasn’t the most armored tank, it didn’t have the biggest gun, nor was it the fastest. The Sherman was one of those tanks that weren’t the best in the world in anything. Where the Soviet Union upgraded from the tiny, old T-26 tanks (interwar Vickers copies) to the mighty T-34 and IS-2 tanks, the Americans switched from such vehicles as the obsolete T2 Light Tank over the M3 Medium tanks (commonly known as “Lee” or “Grant” in their British version) to the legendary M4 Sherman, arguable the best tank of the Second World War. During the four wartime years, the United States tank fleet saw the same progress as the wartime armies of Europe.

Fifty thousand Sherman tanks and two nuclear drops later, it was clear that a true superpower was born and it was here to stay. Then came the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and everything changed – America started doing what America does best to this day: produce and innovate. The Americans adopted it under the name of M1917 and still kept it in service two decades later along with other generally obsolete vehicles. When the Great War ended, this tiny tank was one of the most advanced weapons on the battlefield, pioneering the entire concept of manned traversable turret with engine in the back, but by the beginning of the Second World War, it was hopelessly obsolete with its small 37mm gun unable to penetrate the armor of modern German war machines. That wasn’t, however, something unusual – in fact, by 1939-1940, many countries, including the French themselves, were still armed with large numbers of the legendary Renault FT Light Tank. They started a bit slow in the Second World War, armed with obsolete light tanks, the oldest of which went back to the closing days of the First World War.

The Americans have a long and proud tank tradition. This month in our Branch of the Month series is dedicated to the American Main Battle Tanks.

Us main battle tank 1976