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

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

Yeah, it looks like  Fisher M4A2?

http://the.shadock.free.fr/sherman_minutia/manufacturer/m4a2fisher/m4a2fisher_variants.html

[EnsignExpendable]

@Jeeps_Guns_Tanks any idea how the D200A differed from the RD1820? Was any change made at all when the engine was standardized?

[EnsignExpendable]

https://g.redditmedia.com/VEgD3iy0rn5NtU-iTAQ5K952q3gPNLVunZefzNdZq8s.gif?w=728&fm=mp4&mp4-fragmented=false&s=224ee25e0e7796feb9a59a0c84890f72

 

 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

1 hour ago, EnsignExpendable said:

https://g.redditmedia.com/VEgD3iy0rn5NtU-iTAQ5K952q3gPNLVunZefzNdZq8s.gif?w=728&fm=mp4&mp4-fragmented=false&s=224ee25e0e7796feb9a59a0c84890f72

 

 

 

 

I bet that's guys down at DriveTanks.com!   That looks like a lot of fun!

[Meplat]

On 10/4/2018 at 4:28 PM, EnsignExpendable said:

https://g.redditmedia.com/VEgD3iy0rn5NtU-iTAQ5K952q3gPNLVunZefzNdZq8s.gif?w=728&fm=mp4&mp4-fragmented=false&s=224ee25e0e7796feb9a59a0c84890f72

 

 

There is vid of the  M18 I used to deal with, blowing people's hats off.  It was not a gag,  it really caught them unaware.

 

"King Shit" though is still the PAK40 the Hamiltons restored , that set the noise muffs on my camera aflame, and corrupted the SD card . (Maybe it anschlussed it)

Yes, I was a bit too close.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

1 hour ago, Meplat said:

There is vid of the  M18 I used to deal with, blowing people's hats off.  It was not a gag,  it really caught them unaware.

 

"King Shit" though is still the PAK40 the Hamiltons restored , that set the noise muffs on my camera aflame, and corrupted the SD card . (Maybe it anschlussed it)

Yes, I was a bit too close.

 

 

That's pretty funny. 

[EnsignExpendable]

Some Sherman bits and pieces.

 

 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

11 minutes ago, EnsignExpendable said:

Some Sherman bits and pieces.

 

 

 

 

Any backstory on that stuff?

[Scolopax]

23 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

 

Any backstory on that stuff?

Some snooping going off background details shows me that it's the Saumur tank museum's derelict yard.

[EnsignExpendable]

Yup, it was at the museum. Hopefully the parts won't sit out there for long.

[EnsignExpendable]

@Jeeps_Guns_Tanks do you know if there were any M2-armed Shermans with only one hull MG? I have a British report where it's almost certainly a tank with an M2 (the first to arrive in Africa), but the description says there is only one hull MG instead of there.

[Meplat]

On 10/9/2018 at 12:42 PM, EnsignExpendable said:

@Jeeps_Guns_Tanks do you know if there were any M2-armed Shermans with only one hull MG? I have a British report where it's almost certainly a tank with an M2 (the first to arrive in Africa), but the description says there is only one hull MG instead of there.

It was pretty common for U.S. tanks to arrive with MG's separate.  They'd ship the tank when it was ready and figure the rest was "plug-n-play" as far as the MG's. (For the most part, they were).

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

EE did you mean M2 machine gun or the Short M2 75mm gun that some Lee and Grants got?

[egorogr]

Hello

Is there any detailed photos or schemes of early split hatch cupola's race lock assembly?

It seems to be similar to later type in general, but looks different in details.

[EnsignExpendable]

On 10/14/2018 at 7:58 PM, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

EE did you mean M2 machine gun or the Short M2 75mm gun that some Lee and Grants got?

 

75 mm gun M2. Their Sherman didn't have an AA .50 cal.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

7 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

 

75 mm gun M2. Their Sherman didn't have an AA .50 cal.

 

 

The only Sherman I know of that, shipped with an M2 was the first production model delivered the to the Brits, they still have it too, it was named Michael, but at some point during the war it had an M3 installed. It was not used in combat. 

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

16 hours ago, egorogr said:

Hello

Is there any detailed photos or schemes of early split hatch cupola's race lock assembly?

It seems to be similar to later type in general, but looks different in details.

 

 

I have this, it's from the ORD 9 SNL G-205 parts catalog for the M4A3 

'

And this slightly different one from the ORD 9 on the M4A2

[EnsignExpendable]

57 minutes ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

 

The only Sherman I know of that, shipped with an M2 was the first production model delivered the to the Brits, they still have it too, it was named Michael, but at some point during the war it had an M3 installed. It was not used in combat. 

 

There was definitely more than one. Both Michael and the first tank to arrive in North Africa had an M2 gun. 

[egorogr]

6 hours ago, Jeeps_Guns_Tanks said:

 

 

I have this, it's from the ORD 9 SNL G-205 parts catalog for the M4A3 

And this slightly different one from the ORD 9 on the M4A2

 

Thanks

Is there any description of how it works?
It seems A - handle controled brake, which changes, how easily cupola could be rotaded. And E - knob (D on the second picture) locked cupola in certain positions.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

4 hours ago, egorogr said:

Thanks

Is there any description of how it works?
It seems A - handle controled brake, which changes, how easily cupola could be rotaded. And E - knob (D on the second picture) locked cupola in certain positions.

 

 

I can dig up the section on it in the manual later this evening. 

[Walter_Sobchak]

There were at least two Sherman tanks with the M2 gun.  One was T-25189, which still had the side hatches on the hull and was used by US Ordnance for testing.  The second was T-25190 and did not have the side hull doors.  This vehicle was dubbed "Michael" and sent to the UK.  Both were produced at the Lima Locomotive Works.  At least, that's what Hunnicutt says in "Sherman" on page 124 and 125.

[EnsignExpendable]

The tank I am referring to was sent to Tel-El-Kebir in August of 1942. It still had the old M2 gun and you can see the distinctive counterweight in the camouflage diagrams they distributed. The ones distributed only a few months later depict the standard M3 gun.

[Walter_Sobchak]

1 hour ago, EnsignExpendable said:

The tank I am referring to was sent to Tel-El-Kebir in August of 1942. It still had the old M2 gun and you can see the distinctive counterweight in the camouflage diagrams they distributed. The ones distributed only a few months later depict the standard M3 gun.

 

You are correct.  In Armored Thunderbolt by Zaloga he has a picture of an M4A1 with the M2 gun in a British workshop in Egypt on page 36.  The caption says "a handful" of early Sherman tanks had the M2 gun.

[Jeeps_Guns_Tanks]

2 hours ago, EnsignExpendable said:

The tank I am referring to was sent to Tel-El-Kebir in August of 1942. It still had the old M2 gun and you can see the distinctive counterweight in the camouflage diagrams they distributed. The ones distributed only a few months later depict the standard M3 gun.

 

 

Interesting, as Walt indicated, Zaloga says a handful were made,  I never actually noticed the counterweight in that pic before. The Sherman Militia site says 40 were made with the early rotor sight, I wonder if all those got the M2?   

 Image linked from Sherman Minutia 

 

Is your Sherman pic in one of the books you just got EE, can you see if has the rotor sight?

[EnsignExpendable]

Looks like it.