The Last Sherman Gun Tank Variant

It may surprise people to know that the M4A3(76) was not the last gun tank variant of the M4 to be produced. This example is in Bastogne Barracks.

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[SaperPl]

I thought this was going to be the M4/T26 with 90 mm gun, but no, it's just beloved cast-hull A1 <3

[overextra]

idk why i was expecting the M-51 Super Sherman, although technically those were modified old shermans, not brand new builds

[tacomas]

Can we take a minute to appreciate the mechanical sex appeal of an M4A1 with a 76 M1 gun and T23 turret AND hvss?? Such a nice looking machine.

[ES]

I think this is my favorite version of the Sherman. Something about the cast hull and long gun is just right.

[Ari.Atland]

The Iowa Gold Star Museum in Camp Dodge has one of these outside it's doors as the primary display.

[tacomas]

Please dont stop with sherman videos Nick. Ive always loved these tanks. I wish to drive at least once and work on them someday.

[matthewbeesley]

The 105mm M-51 Super Sherman rules all Shermans. Though Chieftain is of course correct, since the M-51 is a modification of an earlier produced M4.

[dominuslogik]

I am hopeful for another Q&A video soon but I am sure you are quite busy in recent years with all your work, glad to have you as a gold standard for history educators.

[ConeOfArc]

Always loved the look of cast hull vehicles. I feel like they've gotten a bit of a bad rap as many aren't aware that cast armor in some situations provides better performance along with other benefits

[killergames]

One of these is in a collection out in Fort Pierre SD and is running condition given by how much that tank moves around the area. Never drove through there and that tank was in the same spot twice.

[il]

My mind went to the M51 “Super Sherman” but I believe they were conversions of existing models.

[shakenmate]

Hey, there is a man in the Detroit area in Michigan who has the very last Sherman ever built. I believe he is currently keeping it at the Selfridge Air Force Museum at the Selfridge Air National Guard Base. You should go check it out!

[YoBoyNeptune]

I 3D printed this exact model and it is currently on my desk

[haveraygunwilltravel]

Interesting to know what was the final model off the assembly line.
People working on the assembly line probably followed the last one all the way through the assembly line to the finish.

[theflatwoods]

Every time I go home my mother talks to me about this tank in our town, I could never get the variant right because I too thought they stopped at M4A3E8. Now I can tell her next time what exact model it is. Thank you very much.

[rosbif]

According to Chamberlain and Ellis the M4A1 Medium Tank was also the first of the Sherman variants off the production lines (at the Lima Locomotive Works though, rather than at Pressed Steel for the last variants).

[Perfusionist]

A fairly common tank used for training by CONUS National Guard and Army Reserve units into the 1950s. The Nebraska Army National Guard had them mixed in with M4A3 variants until the Sherman gun tanks were declared obsolete (1957, if I remember) Some were gutted and remain on display in city parks in Nebraska. The use of the M4A1, 76mm, HVSS by US forces before VE day was debated for many years, but a couple photos did surface showing them in the hands of the troops very late in the conflict. These were also used in some numbers by the French, who supplied many to the Israelis. M4A1, 76mm, HVSS also appeared in at least two Hollywood movies; the 1953 version of War Of The Worlds had them fight Martians and one was a "star" in "Target Zero" (hard to find, but fun to watch).

[spamuraigranatabru]

A good point to mention is the US combined all their HVSS and later 76mm guns plus later T23 turrets onto their M4A3 75Ws to recycle a lot of vehicles post war, meaning almost no M4A3 75ws remain and the number of HVSS users were extremely limited.

[Lukusprime]

Something I’ve always wondered about is how cast armor works. Rolling/forging armor compacts the metal and therefore makes it more dense and stronger, and it also aligns the grains so the structure of the metal is stronger at a microscopic level. You can’t do either of those things with casting. I know that a lot of armor properties comes from the specific chemical makeup of the alloy, the carbon content, amount and type of other trace metals, etc, but even using the same exact type of steel, cast armor should still be of a world weaker than rolled armor. So how was cast armor made strong enough that it was favored and used in dozens of tank designs on multiple sides throughout the war?

[robertsolomielke]

TY-Major M.. I never loved the Sherman, until I saw this one The prettiest one ever, but say nothing to the others, they will pout.