M4 Sherman early production Tamiya 1:35 scale cod.35190 - WE DO NOT SHIP TO THE CANARY ISLANDS. The M4 Sherman was an American medium tank of the Second World War. The first prototypes were built in 1941, and serial production was carried out in the period 1942-1945. In total, approximately 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 vehicle was armed with, depending on the version, a single 75 mm M3 gun or a 76 mm M1 gun or a 105 mm M4 howitzer and two 7.62 mm Browning1919A machine guns. The M4 Sherman was developed as a successor to the M2 and M3 tanks, although it used many of the latter's components. First of all, it used only a slightly modified chassis of the M3 Lee car. When designing the M4 Sherman, the emphasis was primarily on the role of an infantry support vehicle, and not on fighting enemy tanks - this was the role of American tank destroyers. Only possible clashes with the Pz.Kpfw III and Pz.Kpfw IV tanks were assumed. A significant role was also played by the serial production of the new tank and the lowest possible production costs. The result was a tank with good armament for 1942 and early 1943, medium armor, but with a sloped front plate, but also poor maneuverability and - especially in the early versions - very susceptible to fire from a hit in the engine compartment. At the same time, however, a tank was created that could be truly mass-produced and that had considerable modernization potential. Several development versions were created in the course of the M4 Sherman series production. Chronologically the first was the M4A1 version which already had cast armor. Another - M4A2 - had welded armor and a new General Motors 6460 engine with 375-410 hp, but much less prone to fire. A version of the M4A3 also appeared, armed with a 105 mm howitzer and powered by a Ford GAA engine with a capacity of 450 hp. Based on the M4A3 version, two sub-versions were created: the M4A3E2 Jumbo with reinforced armor and the M4A3E8 with the HVSS and the 76 mm gun. An interesting development version was also the T34 Calliope with unguided missiles mounted on the turret. The M4 Sherman was also supplied in large numbers to the British and Red Army. The former developed a version of the Firefly based on it, with a large 17-pounder anti-tank gun. During the Second World War, 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. It also took part in many post-1945 conflicts, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Six-Day War of 1967.
