The M4 Sherman was an American heavyweight medium of the Second World War.  The first prototypes were built in 1941, and serial production continued in the period 1942-1945. In total, about 49,000 copies of this tank of  all versions were created, which makes it one of the most produced tanks of the Second World War and the most important tank in the equipment of the Allied armies during this conflict. The M4 Sherman was powered by a single engine version of the M4A1 Continental R 975 C4 with a power of 400 hp . The armament of the vehicle was - depending on the version - a single 75mm M3 cannon or a 76mm M1 cannon or a 105mm M4 howitzer and two  7.62mm Browning1919A machine guns.

 The M4 Sherman was developed as the successor to the M2 and M3 tanks,  although it used many of the latter's components. First of all, it only  used a slightly changed chassis of the M3 Lee car. When designing the M4 Sherman, the emphasis was primarily on playing the role of an infantry  support vehicle, and not fighting enemy tanks - this was the role of  American tank destroyers. Only possible clashes with the carts were  assumed Pz.Kpfw III and Pz.Kpfw  IV. A significant role was also played in the mass production of the new tank and the lowest possible production costs. The result was a tank  with good armament for 1942 and early 1943, average armor, but with a  tilted front plate, but also with poor maneuverability and - especially  in the first versions - very susceptible to fire as a result of hitting  the engine compartment . At the same time, however, a tank was created  that could be truly large-scale production and had a significant  modernization potential. Many development versions were created in the  course of serial production M4 Sherman. Chronologically the first was the M4A1 version that already had a cast armor. Another - the M4A2 - had welded armor and a new General Motors 6460 engine with 375-410hp,  but much less prone to fire. There was also a version of the M4A3 armed  with a 105 mm howitzer and powered by a Ford GAA engine with a capacity  of 450 HP. Based on the M4A3 version, there were two versions: the  M4A3E2 Jumbo with reinforced armor and the M4A3E8 with the HVSS and 76mm gun. An interesting development version was also the T34 Calliope with  mounted missiles not guided on the turret. The M4 Sherman was also  supplied in huge numbers to the British and Red Army. The former  developed a version of the Firefly based on it, with an excellent  17-pounder anti-tank gun. During World War II, M4 Sherman tanks fought  in North Africa (1942-1943), Italy (1943-1945), during the battles in  Normandy, France and West Germany (1944-1945), but also in the Pacific  or in the ranks The Red Army on the Eastern Front. After World War II,  the M4 Sherman was used in many countries, including Argentina, Belgium, India, Israel, Japan, Pakistan and Turkey. He also took part in many  post-1945 conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 and the  Six-Day War of 1967.