Sherman Medium-Heavy Tank
weight
gun caliber
Speed
30.3 t
75 mm
25-30 mph
The Story of the Sherman Tank: The Sherman tank has been the much maligned victim of some myths that have grown around it. One of them is that the designers’ decision to go with a gasoline engine made it especially fire-prone. The reality is that most tanks of the era were gasoline-powered (including nearly all British- and German-built tanks) and that problems with fire had far more to do with ammunition-storage practices... leading to the development of a unique and ingenious “wet†ammo storage system on later models. Compared to the most-produced tanks of the period, such as the German Panzer IV, Soviet T-34/76, and the British Cavalier/Cromwell series, the Sherman comes in... well, pretty average. Compared to anything Japan or Italy produced in the armor category, it was clearly much superior. On the other hand, compared to the German Panther tank, it was considerably over-matched. When intelligence about the Panther first began to filter into the US, the US leaders assumed that it was strictly a “heavy†tank that would be produced in limited numbers like the Tiger tank. What they did not know, however, was that though it was indeed a very “heavy†tank, the Panther was intended as a medium tank and that thanks to the industrial genius of Germany’s new Armaments Minister, Albert Speer, it would soon be produced in numbers. Up-gunned and improved versions of the Sherman would soon be on their way, but the damage was done: early Shermans found Panthers to be very difficult opponents (and even later ones were competing with Panther tanks half again as heavy.) On the other hand, the US produced at least three times as many Shermans as the Germans produced Panthers and Panzer IV’s combined. Would you rather send 9 Shermans into battle or 3 Panthers? Why don’t you give German Panther tanks an advantage in your house rules and try out this scenario?
Usage Notes: Use this piece for “Global 1939†and “Invasion of Italy†Variants as a standard/ medium armor unit. Other US pieces of interest may be: the M5 Halftrack & 105 mm Artillery Piece. Other tanks of interest may be: the German Panther tank, British Matilda tank, Japanese Ha-Go tank, and Soviet T-34 tank.
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