by Gary Binder

Due to the complexity of the subject this article will address only the gun tanks. Self-propelled artillery, tank destroyers, and engineering variants will be dealt with separately.

Medium Tank M4 Basic Variations

M4 with 75mm gun
Continental R-975 Radial (air cooled) engine in welded plate hull. 75mm gun in M34 mount, later in M34A1 mount. 60-degree hull front w/protruding drivers' hoods, early production had direct vision slots. Later or remanufactured hulls had exterior appliqué armor over ammo bins. Early vehicles had M3 suspension bogies, then horizontal-arm VVSS was standardized. Used, along with the M4A4, for 17-pounder "Firefly" conversions by British. Along with the M4A1, the M4 was the preferred type for the U.S. Army through 1944, and still very common thereafter.

M4
Later production from the Detroit Tank Arsenal. Same engine and other specs but these M4's had the front of the upper hull made from a one-piece casting (profile similar to M4A1), with rear two-thirds of hull being welded plate. This is often known to modelers as a "composite hull Sherman." Only produced with 75mm gun, although the British used some for "Firefly" conversion and a few were re-armed with flamethrowers by U.S. Army in Pacific. Can have straight arm VVSS but most vehicles had upswept arm VVSS. Note: in official U.S. documentation the changed hull is NOT designated different, both all-welded and cast-welded upper hulls were classed as "Medium Tank M4."

M4 with 105 Howitzer
Continental R975 engine in later welded hull with simplified 47-degree glacis and larger drivers' hatches (the only use of this hull in an M4). 105mm howitzer in M52 mount, in 75mm style turret (w/extra ventilator on rear top and thickened right "cheek"). First seen in Europe in summer 1944, other areas received them afterwards. Used as a close support vehicle, three were issued to tank battalion HQ's Assault Gun platoon, later there was additional issue of one per medium tank company, giving a total of six howitzer tanks to each 1943-pattern tank battalion.

M4A1 with 75mm gun
Continental R-975 Radial (air cooled) engine in cast hull. 75mm gun in M34 mount, later in M34A1 mount. 60-degree hull front w/protruding drivers' hoods, early production had direct vision slots. Later or remanufactured hulls had appliqué armor welded on; later the reinforcements were cast into the hull sides. Early vehicles had M3 suspension bogies, then horizontal-arm VVSS was standardized. Along with the M4, the M4A1 was the preferred type for the U.S. Army through 1944, and still very common thereafter. A few hundred M4A1's were produced in Canada as the "Grizzly."

M4A1 with 75mm gun and "wet" stowage hull
75mm gun turret on later "large hatch" hull (see M4A1 76mm below). Only a small batch of these were built and most if not all went to conversion as Duplex-Drive tanks.

M4A1 with 76mm gun and "wet" stowage
Redesigned cast hull with larger drivers' hatches. No appliqué armor. New turret (designed for T23 tank project) carrying a 76mm gun. First turrets had large "gun ring" hatch over loader's station, late turrets had oval escape hatch. Some of the very first turrets lacked the blower on the rear of the turret. First issued in Europe in July 1944 with 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions of the U.S. Army. Later batches arrived in 1945 with some going to British forces in NW Europe and in Italy (not used in Pacific). Early production had straight-arm VVSS, later ones used upswept-arm VVSS. HVSS was used on later production M4A1 but there is no photo record of them seeing combat in WWII.

M4A2 with 75mm gun
Twin GM diesel engines (liquid cooled), welded plate hull. 75mm gun in M34 mount, later in M34A1 mount. 60-degree hull front w/protruding drivers' hoods, early production had direct vision slots. Early vehicles had M3 suspension bogies, then horizontal-arm VVSS was standardized. Similar production upgrades as per M4. Not desired by U.S. Army, used only for stateside training. Only Sherman used in combat by the U.S.S.R. Many given to British Commonwealth, sparing used for 17-pounder "Firefly" conversions by British. Standard vehicle for the Free French 2nd Armored Division in ETO and used by many U.S.M.C. tank units in PTO (generally replaced by M4A3 by Okinawa).

M4A2 with 75mm gun and "wet" stowage
No use of the wet stowage feature, BUT the later pattern hull with 47-degree glacis was used on late production M4A2. Seen in use by U.S.S.R. and U.S.M.C., these are the only late hulls that are appropriate to have external appliqué armor.

M4A2 with 76mm gun
New turret (designed for T23 tank project) carrying a 76mm gun. First turrets had large "gun ring" hatch over loader's station, late turrets had oval escape hatch. Most, if not all, to U.S.S.R. use. Very late production had HVSS.

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