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Sturgeon's House

The M4 Sherman Tank Epic Information Thread.. (work in progress)


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I feel your pain, Meplat. The location and angle of the oil filter on the Mk.1 Audi TT with the 1.8T is virtually guaranteed to have you spill oil all over the place, and replacing the Haldex fluid filter, which is buried deep within the rear suspension components, requires a bespoke wrench that allows you to turn the filter about 2 degrees before you hit some part of the car. The B7 RS 4 required the removal of 22 fasteners, 2 covers, and a bracket before the oil change could even be begun. An oil change on the Mk.2 TT RS requires the removal of both a plastic undertray attached with with 13 T25 torx screws AND an aluminum undertray attached with 8 T30 torx screws and a single XZN8, just for spite. Frustratingly, due to its location between the fuel filler neck and the rear subframe (see image), replacement of the TT RS's right rear brake line with a braided line required having another person hold a long socket extension against the securing clip while I whacked at said extension with a hammer, since there was no room to get any momentum with any tools near the attachment. My girlfriend had an R56 Mini Cooper that was a nightmare to work on as well, although to be fair the oil changes were easier than on the Audis.

yourekidding-vi.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/17/2017 at 7:32 PM, Meplat said:

There are very few things on the M4 that cannot be fixed with a crescent wrench, a pair of slip joint pliers, and a flat blade screwdriver.

That, is called "engineering". And at the time the U.S. was making things, there was no equal.

There are few things in Russia that cannot be fixed with a mallet and liberal amounts of profanity, now that is engineering :P

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Lots of new stuff over at the Sherman Tank site. I decided when I was having a hard time finding shit on the page, something had to be done. So I decided to do static pages for specific things, 

 

Now I have the Sherman tank Guns page.  You can find all the Gun Data sheets I did here, along with a selection of pictures of the guns important parts from various manuals. Some of the pictures are good, some bad, but its just about all from the tanks manuals so its hard data. 

There is now a suspension page, with lots of interesting images and info on the suspension

There is a Sherman engine page now, but I only have one motor data book done, so it doesn't have much going on.

I also have a Sherman powertrain page, and a subpage for the Transmission, coming soon, sub pages for the final drives and differential, and by soon, I mean probably this weekend. 

I also broke down and put a page up for each Sherman sub model.

I now only really need a good tech manual on the M4 or M4A1.  Try as I might, I can't find a PDF for it anywhere, or a hard copy either, if anyone finds it on PDF please let me know where. 

 

The Databook for the GM 6046 has all the motor data in, I just have to populate it with interesting pictures. 

Many of the images in the new pages came from the two new manuals I scored, the TM9-7018, its the 1952 and final Sherman manual for the M4A3. I also got my hands on an Ord 9 SNL G-205. Some of the images come from manuals already on the site.  

F07-1-Transmission-7001482-rear-left-vie

F07-11-Transmission-input-shaft-gears-an

 

F07-3-Transmission-front-left-view-1-160

 

F458-M42A1-HE-for-M1A1-76-guns-from-9-70

F460-HVAP-T-M93-for-M1A1-series-from-9-7

 

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On 3/6/2017 at 6:54 PM, EnsignExpendable said:

Sherman tank in post-war service, Chelyabinsk oblast, late 1940s.

UUnHF2f.jpg

"...We had to say farewell to the Emchas. It would be a sad moment. We had wished it would be otherwise. A funeral parting, a great pain.

"Finally, an order arrived. But with other, stunning contents, that sent chills running up and down our spines: 'Remove the turrets and hull machine guns from the Shermans. Warehouse them. Deliver the armored hulls--as tractors--to civilian enterprises.' We had to report compliance with this order within five days.

"Why, for what reason, from where did such an abrupt change in the subsequent fate of the foreign tanks come? What forced Moscow to take such a final ['murderous' in the original text] decision?

"For days after the receipt of the 'death certificate' [as the tankers nicknamed the order], work proceeded on a broad front. All the brigade, corps, and army maintenance units were thrown into the demilitarization of the tanks, making 'tractors' out of them.

"I cannot forget the total dejection of the crews as they stood on the sidelines with heads bowed. The death of each tank showed on their faces. At one time the Emchisti had signed hand receipts for the tanks from the brigade command. We all were heavy-hearted. Many choked back tears, and some, not holding back, cried bitterly. How could this be? How much effort and energy had been given to them--the Shermans--there in the dry Mongolian steppe, in the silent desert sands of the Gobi, in the rugged southern reaches of the Grand Khingan? And how many obstacles had been overcome on the cenrtal Manchurian plain? These men had cared for them, cared for them like the apple of their eye. And now this final humiliation. Farewell, Emcha! Each inomarochnik will have good memories of you for the rest of his life.

"An epitaph came out of these mournful days (how could it not): 'Yesterday it was a menacing tank, and now, by order--they took off the turret--it has become a tractor. Front-line comrade, how painful to witness the death of the Emcha. Try not to cry!'"

Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks, Dmitriy Loza, trans. James F. Gebhardt

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16 hours ago, U-47 said:

Did M4's 75mm M3 and 76mm M1 gun has any new AP (or HEAT) round after WWII ?

 

No, but the HVAP round became very common for the M1A1/A2 guns.   There was a HVAP round that went into testing for the M3 75mm, but the M1 gun programs looked more promising and the ended the program.  

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1 hour ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

No, but the HVAP round became very common for the M1A1/A2 guns.   There was a HVAP round that went into testing for the M3 75mm, but the M1 gun programs looked more promising and the ended the program.  

Roger, thank you for the info.

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On 3/10/2017 at 8:21 PM, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

So I did this while I'm having my evening cocktail. Anyone need to lube their M36B2?

F745-F28-M36-GMClube-chart-full.png

 

F745-F28-M36-GMClube-chart-full-PT-II-mk

No, but I once had a dream (nightmare) where I won a M88 ARV at auction, at Twentynine Palms, and had to drive it back to Phoenix.

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3 minutes ago, EnsignExpendable said:

Took me a while to figure out how the hell you were supposed to read that. Surely they could afford two pieces of paper to print this data on?

Yeah me too, but they did charts like that in all three volumes of the books. 

http://cgsc.cdmhost.com/cdm/ref/collection/p4013coll8/id/2327

You can find them there, they are jam packed with interesting information. They are from Terminal Ballistic Data Volume II and III

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20 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

Some pen charts anyone?

F23-M61-or-M61A1-pen-chart-from-Terminal

75mm-M3-APC-T-M61-or-M61A1-with-fuze-BD-

75mm-M3-APC-T-M61-or-M61A1-with-fuze-BD-

75mm-GUn-data-from-Terminal-Ballistic-Da

 

THAT is COOL. Sweet find.

20 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

Took me a while to figure out how the hell you were supposed to read that. Surely they could afford two pieces of paper to print this data on?

You'll find the same thing in old radial engine manuals. It's a bit odd, but it presents all relevant info in one graph that, once you know it, makes sense.

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That Russian Sherman tanker description of the "mass murder" of their mounts was very poignant.

Seriously, the damn Russians are world class purveyors of depressing damn writing.

It really was pretty sad though, by the end I felt really bad for those poor tankers. It's truly cruel to make the men who fought their way around Asia in their American tanks to then gut them of any ability to make war and prepare their old friends for a retirement that will see them used up and eventually die as rusted out hulks on some shitty little farm.

I mean, we all know that after a war like world war 2 that the swords must be beat into plowshares.  But to force the actual crews that fought in those tanks to be the ones to do so, that's just wrong and terribly sad!

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I recently purchased this book.  You may be wondering why the hell I am posting this in the Sherman tank section. 

 

51ZBRNCYAAL._SX324_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

 

The Knox Automobile Company was the brainchild of Harry A. Knox.  The company produced autos, firetrucks and race cars, starting in 1899 and going out of business in 1927.  After the company folded, Harry Knox went to work for Rock Island Arsenal where we started designing tanks and tank components.  The tracks and suspension of the M3/M5 Stuart and the M3 and M4 Medium tanks are based on his designs.  It's interesting to note the similarities between Knox and Walter Christie.  Christie had also started out designing race cars as well as fire trucks before moving onto tanks.  The difference is that Knox actually produced designs the US Army wanted. 

 

Publishers Description:

 

The Knox Automobile Company was a pioneer in the automobile business in New England. The company’s founder, Harry Austin Knox, was born in 1875 in the outskirts of Westfield and went to school at the Springfield Industrial Institute. His practical work was done at the Elektron Company, manufacturers of electric motors and elevators, conveniently located next to the school building. He graduated at the top of his class of twelve in 1894 and gave the graduation address. A few years later, Knox built his first three cars, with the help of his former classmate Herman Farr. The two men returned to Springfield and talked Elisha Cutler into forming the Knox Automobile Company. The business started in 1899 with the manufacture of a three-wheeled vehicle with a six-horsepower, air-cooled engine. There was no reverse on the transmission, as the vehicle could turn a nine-foot circle. The three-wheelers were sold for cash right from the factory door. Though Knox had only a trade school education, he was an engineering genius. The company built everything from three-wheelers to tractors, buses, and the ultimate six-cylinder closed car with a 65-horsepower, water-cooled engine. The powerful six-cylinder cars won many hill climbs and races. Beginning in 1906, Knox built fire engines that made Springfield the first motorized fire department in the country. The company went out of business in 1927, after building thousands of machines, some of which are seen in this book, beautifully restored.

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On 3/23/2017 at 8:29 AM, Walter_Sobchak said:

I recently purchased this book.  You may be wondering why the hell I am posting this in the Sherman tank section. 

 

 

 

The Knox Automobile Company was the brainchild of Harry A. Knox.  The company produced autos, firetrucks and race cars, starting in 1899 and going out of business in 1927.  After the company folded, Harry Knox went to work for Rock Island Arsenal where we started designing tanks and tank components.  The tracks and suspension of the M3/M5 Stuart and the M3 and M4 Medium tanks are based on his designs.  It's interesting to note the similarities between Knox and Walter Christie.  Christie had also started out designing race cars as well as fire trucks before moving onto tanks.  The difference is that Knox actually produced designs the US Army wanted. 

 

Publishers Description:

 

The Knox Automobile Company was a pioneer in the automobile business in New England. The company’s founder, Harry Austin Knox, was born in 1875 in the outskirts of Westfield and went to school at the Springfield Industrial Institute. His practical work was done at the Elektron Company, manufacturers of electric motors and elevators, conveniently located next to the school building. He graduated at the top of his class of twelve in 1894 and gave the graduation address. A few years later, Knox built his first three cars, with the help of his former classmate Herman Farr. The two men returned to Springfield and talked Elisha Cutler into forming the Knox Automobile Company. The business started in 1899 with the manufacture of a three-wheeled vehicle with a six-horsepower, air-cooled engine. There was no reverse on the transmission, as the vehicle could turn a nine-foot circle. The three-wheelers were sold for cash right from the factory door. Though Knox had only a trade school education, he was an engineering genius. The company built everything from three-wheelers to tractors, buses, and the ultimate six-cylinder closed car with a 65-horsepower, water-cooled engine. The powerful six-cylinder cars won many hill climbs and races. Beginning in 1906, Knox built fire engines that made Springfield the first motorized fire department in the country. The company went out of business in 1927, after building thousands of machines, some of which are seen in this book, beautifully restored.

 

 

As a broad generalization, it seems like US and Soviet tank production and design in WWII piggybacked on the automotive industry, while in the UK it was derived from the railroad industry, and in Germany from general industry.

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