The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allied Forces, including the British and Soviet armies, via lend-lease. In the United Kingdom, the M4 was named after U.S. Army General William Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently the British name found its way into common use in the U.S.
In April 1952, during World War III, the United States gave surplus M4 Shermans to the West German militia. The Shermans were vulnerable to the Soviets'T-54s. In a battle east of Warberg, several Shermans were destroyed by T-54s in short order.[1]
During World War II, the U.S. deployed M4 Shermans both in the European and Pacific theaters. While they were deathtraps against German Panzers, the Japanese had nothing to match it although they still were vulnerable to mines.[2]
When the Japanese War broke out in June 1948, the SovietT-34/85 supplied to North Japan outclassed the US Army's Shermans with a kill ratio of one T-34/85 for every two to three Shermans. The Soviet tank was faster, had better armor and a more powerful gun. The Americans had better fire control but it didn't matter if the round didn't penetrate. However, the new Pershing outclassed the T-34/85 although not to the same extent and was available in limited numbers.[3]
The Sherman tank was the namesake of Bruce Delgado's war-horseSherman. As the Change had rendered tanks and all related technology unusable, a horse was as close to a tank as one could get in the Changed world.[4]
The M4 Sherman was just being introduced into the US Army when the Conquest Fleetarrived in 1942. It was thrown into battle against the Race's landcruisers, where they suffered heavy losses. They still earned a reputation among landcruiser crews as being Unending, because they never seemed to stop coming. Some Shermans were modified to carry much bigger guns, to fight the landcruisers on more equal terms. They saw action in the Battle of Chicago and all across the United States.
1=denotes a character who was a POV for one volume or less
2=denotes a character who was a POV for two volumes
3=denotes a character who was a POV for three volumes
† Denotes a deceased POV.
