M4 Sherman - M4 Sherman

O'rta tank turi

O'rta tank, M4
Langenberg ozodlik yodgorligida saqlanib qolgan qo'shimcha zirh muhofazasi uchun old tomonida payvandlangan zaxira yo'llari bo'lgan M4 (105) Sherman tanki. Ede, Gollandiya
Turi	O'rta tank
Kelib chiqish joyi	Qo'shma Shtatlar
Xizmat tarixi
Xizmatda	1942–1957 (AQSh)
Tomonidan ishlatilgan	Qo'shma Shtatlar va boshqalar (qarang Xorijiy variantlar va ulardan foydalanish )
Urushlar	Ikkinchi jahon urushi Indoneziya milliy inqilobi Yunonistonda fuqarolar urushi 1948 yil Arab-Isroil urushi Koreya urushi Kuba inqilobi Libertadora inqilobi Suvaysh inqirozi 1958 yil Livan inqirozi Nikaragua inqilobi 1965 yildagi Hind-Pokiston urushi Olti kunlik urush 1971 yildagi Hindiston-Pokiston urushi Yom Kippur urushi Livan fuqarolar urushi Uganda-Tanzaniya urushi Eron-Iroq urushi
Ishlab chiqarish tarixi
Dizayner	AQSh armiyasining odatiy departamenti
Loyihalashtirilgan	1940
Ishlab chiqaruvchi	Amerika Lokomotiv kompaniyasi Bolduin lokomotiv zavodi Detroyt Tank "Arsenal" Federal mashinasozlik va payvandlash kompaniyasi Fisher Tank "Arsenal" Ford Motor Company Lima lokomotiv zavodi Tinch okeanidagi mashina va quyish korxonasi Bosilgan po'lat avtomobil kompaniyasi Pullman-Standard avtomobil kompaniyasi
Birlik narxi	1945 dollar ichida 44,556–64,455 dollar, variantga qarab (2017 yilda 607,861–879,336 dollar)[1]
Ishlab chiqarilgan	1941 yil sentyabr (prototip) 1942 yil fevral - 1945 yil iyul
Yo'q qurilgan	Prototipni hisobga olmaganda 49 234 ta[2]
Variantlar	Qarang AQSh variantlari va xorijiy variantlar
Texnik xususiyatlari
Massa	Variantga qarab 66,800–84,000 funt (33,4-42,0 qisqa tonna, 30,3-38,1 tonna)[3]
Uzunlik	Variantga qarab 19 fut 2 dyuym – 20 fut 7 dyuym (5.84-6.27 m)[3]
Kengligi	Variantga qarab 8 fut 7 dyuym – 9 fut 10 dyuym (2.62-2.99 m)[3]
Balandligi	Variantga qarab 9 ft 0 in – 9 ft 9 dyuym (2.74-2.97 m)[3]
Ekipaj	5 (qo'mondon, o'qotar, yuklovchi, haydovchi, haydovchi yordamchisi / kamon o'qotar)
Zirh	Minimal 12,7 mm (0,5 dyuym) Variantga qarab maksimal 177,8 mm (7,0 dyuym) gacha[3]
Asosiy qurollanish	75 mm qurol M3 (90–104 tur) yoki 76 mm qurol M1A1, M1A1C yoki M1A2 (71 tur) yoki 105 mm gubitsa M4 (66 tur)[3]
Ikkilamchi qurollanish	.50 kalibrli Brauzer M2HB avtomat (300-600 o'q), 2×.30 kalibrli Browning M1919A4 pulemyotlar (6000-6750 o'q)[3]
Dvigatel	M4 va M4A1 modeli: Kontinental R975 -C1 yoki -C4 9 silindrli radial benzinli dvigatel, 350 yoki 400 ot kuchi (261 yoki 298 kVt) 2400 rpmda[3] M4A2 modeli: General Motors 6046 ikki qatorli dizel dvigatel; 375 HP (280 kVt ) 2100 rpmda[3] M4A3 modeli: Ford GAA V8 benzinli dvigatel; 2600 rpm tezlikda 450 ot kuchi (336 kVt)[3] M4A4 modeli: Chrysler A57 30 silindrli benzinli dvigatel; 2400 rpm tezlikda 370 ot kuchi (276 kVt)[3] M4A6 modeli: Caterpillar D-200A (Rayt RD-1820 ) 9 silindrli radial dizel motor; 450 ot kuchi (336 kVt) 2400 rpm / min[3]
Quvvat / vazn	10.46-13.49 ot kuchi /qisqa tonna (8.60–11.09 kVt / t) variantga qarab[3]
Yuqish	Spayser qo'llanma sinxromesh uzatish, 5 ta oldinga va 1 ta teskari vites[4]
To'xtatish	Vertikal volute bahorni to'xtatib turish (VVSS) yoki gorizontal volute kamon suspenziyasi (HVSS)
Yoqilg'i hajmi	Variantga qarab 138-175 AQSh galloni (522-662 litr)[3]
Operatsion oralig'i	Variantga qarab yo'lda 100-150 milya (161-241 km)[3]
Maksimal tezlik	Variantga qarab, yo'lda 22-30 milya (35-48 km / soat)[5][3]

The M4 Sherman, rasmiy ravishda O'rta tank, M4, eng ko'p ishlatilgan o'rta tank tomonidan Qo'shma Shtatlar va G'arbiy ittifoqchilar yilda Ikkinchi jahon urushi. M4 Sherman ishonchli, ishlab chiqarilishi nisbatan arzon va juda ko'p sonli ekanligini isbotladi. Bu kabi bir necha muvaffaqiyatli tanklarni yo'q qilish uchun asos bo'lgan M10, 17pdr SP Axilles va M36. Orqali o'n minglab odamlar tarqatildi Qarz berish dasturini Britaniya Hamdo'stligi va Sovet Ittifoqi. Tank inglizlar tomonidan Amerika fuqarolar urushi generali uchun nomlangan Uilyam Tekumseh Sherman.

M4 Sherman dan rivojlandi M3 o'rta tank,^{[N 1]} taraqqiyot tezligi uchun uning asosiy qurollanishi yon tomonda edi homiylik o'rnatish. M4 avvalgi mexanik dizaynning katta qismini saqlab qoldi, ammo asosiy 75 mm qurolni to'liq harakatlanadigan markaziy minoraga o'tkazdi. Bir xususiyat, bitta eksa gyrostabilizator, harakatlanayotganda otishni o'rganish uchun etarli darajada aniq emas edi, ammo retikulani maqsadga yo'naltirishga yordam berdi, shuning uchun tank otishni to'xtatganda, qurol taxminan to'g'ri yo'nalishga yo'naltirildi.^[6] Dizaynerlar mexanik ishonchliligi, ishlab chiqarish va texnik xizmat ko'rsatishning qulayligi, chidamliligi, cheklangan miqdordagi variantlarda ehtiyot qismlar va o'q-dorilarning standartlashtirilishi, o'rtacha hajmi va vazni (uning kengligi va vazni Urush departamentining cheklangan maqsadlariga mos ravishda ishlab chiqilgan) yuk tashish muammolarini engillashtirish va zirhli transport vositalarining mavjud ko'prik uskunalariga mos kelishini ta'minlash.^[7]). Bu omillar, Shermanning o'sha paytdagi eng yaxshi zirh va qurol-yarog 'bilan birlashganda, nemisdan ustun keldi yorug'lik va 1939–42 yillarda maydonga tushirilgan o'rta tanklar. M4 Amerika tarixidagi eng ko'p ishlab chiqarilgan tank bo'lib, juda ko'p miqdorda ishlab chiqarila boshlandi:^[8] Sovetlar T-34 o'rta tanki (jami urush davrida ishlab chiqarilgan 64,549 ta misol, taxminan 55% -45% 76 mm dan 85 mm gacha bo'lgan qurollar orasida) - bu ko'proq ishlab chiqarilgan yagona tank dizayni edi^[9] Ikkinchi Jahon urushi paytida. Sherman 1942 yildan keyin G'arbiy ittifoqchilar tomonidan ko'plab hujumlarga rahbarlik qildi.

M4 tanki jangga kirganda Shimoliy Afrika da Britaniya armiyasi bilan Ikkinchi El Alamein jangi 1942 yil oxirida u Ittifoq zirhining Axis zirhidan ustunligini oshirdi va yengil nemisdan ustun edi^[10] va Italiya tank dizaynlari. Shu sababli, AQSh armiyasi M4 urushda g'alaba qozonish uchun etarli bo'ladi deb hisoblagan va tankni yanada rivojlantirish uchun dastlab nisbatan kam bosim o'tkazilgan. Bunday yo'llar, portlar va ko'priklar cheklanganiga sifatida moddiy va transport cheklashlar, shuningdek, yana bir iste'dodli, ammo og'ir idishda joriy etish murakkab.^{[11][N 2]} Tanklarni yo'q qilish batalyonlari M4 qayiq va shassisi asosida qurilgan vositalari yordamida, lekin ochiq-tepasida taret va yanada kuchli, yuqori tezlik qurol, Ittifoq Sarvari ham kirib keng foydalanish bilan. 1944 yilga kelib ham M4 Shermanlarning aksariyati o'zlarining ikki maqsadli 75 mm qurollarini saqlab qolishdi.^[12] O'sha vaqtga kelib, M4 olov kuchi va qurol-yarog 'jihatidan nemislarning og'ir tanklari sonidan kam edi, ammo son jihatdan ustunligi, katta mexanik ishonchliligi, moddiy-texnik ta'minoti va tobora ko'payib borayotgan qo'llab-quvvatlash yordamida kurashishga muvaffaq bo'ldi. qiruvchi-bombardimonchilar va artilleriya qismlar.^[13] Ba'zi Shermans yanada qobiliyatli qurol bilan ishlab chiqarilgan 76 mm qurol M1, yoki 76,2 mm kalibr bilan jihozlangan Ordnance QF 17 asoschisi inglizlar tomonidan qurol Sherman Firefly ).

Ishlab chiqarishning nisbiy qulayligi ko'plab M4 rusumlarini ishlab chiqarishga imkon berdi va tanklarni qayta tiklash va ta'mirlash bloklariga katta miqdorda sarmoyalar nogiron transport vositalarini tezda ta'mirlashga va qayta tiklashga imkon berdi. Bu eng janglarda Dushmanning raqamli ustunlik berish uchun birlashgan omillar va ko'p piyoda bo'linmalari M4s va tank halok bilan ta'minlandi.^{[N 3][14]}

Ikkinchi jahon urushidan keyin, Sherman, ayniqsa ko'p ishlab chiqilgan va baland versiyalari, BMT kuchlari, shu jumladan, dunyoning ko'plab mojarolar, jangovar xizmat ko'rish uchun davom Koreya urushi, Isroil bilan Arab-Isroil urushlari, Janubiy Vetnam bilan qisqacha Vetnam urushi va ikkala tomonida 1965 yildagi Hind-Pokiston urushi.^[15]

AQSh dizayn prototipi

Kesilgan Sherman transmissiya va haydovchi o'rindig'ini ko'rsatmoqda

AQSh armiyasining oddiy harbiy departamenti M4 o'rta tankini M3 o'rta tankining o'rnini bosuvchi vosita sifatida ishlab chiqardi. M3 avtomatlashtirilgan rivojlanish edi M2 o'rta tanki 1939 yil, o'z navbatida M2 engil tanki 1935 yil. M3 75 mm qurolni o'rnatadigan yangi minorani ishlab chiqmaguncha to'xtash chorasi sifatida ishlab chiqilgan. erta nemis tanklari qarshi Afrikada inglizlar tomonidan harakat qachon u katta yaxshilash bo'lsa, ustiga 37 mm qurol minorada joylashtirish juda yuqori profil berdi, va ajoyib tomoni-sponson cheklangan bilan, asosiy qurol o'rnatilgan shpal, tankning narigi tomoniga o'tib bo'lmadi. Britaniyalik qurollarni o'zlarining arsenaliga kiritishni istamasalar ham, amerikalik dizaynerlar tasdiqlangan ingliz g'oyalarini qabul qilishga tayyor edilar. Kanada bosh shtabi tomonidan ishlab chiqilgan tankda mujassam bo'lgan ingliz g'oyalari, shuningdek, amerikalik Sherman tankining rivojlanishiga ta'sir ko'rsatdi. Ko'p o'tmay Amerika harbiy idoralari va dizaynerlari bir nechta masalalarda oldinga intilish uchun etarli tajriba to'pladilar. Tanklarni qurollantirish sohasida amerikaliklarning 75 mm va 76 mm bo'lgan ikki maqsadli qurol qurollari ingliz tank mutaxassislarining e'tirofiga sazovor bo'ldi.^[16] M4 uchun batafsil dizayn tavsiflari 1940 yil 31-avgustda Ordnance departamenti tomonidan taqdim etilgan, ammo M3 ning yakuniy ishlab chiqarish loyihalari tugaguniga qadar M3 prototipini ishlab chiqarish kechiktirildi va M3 to'liq hajmdagi ishlab chiqarishga kirdi. 1941 yil 18 aprelda AQSh zirhli kuchlar kengashi beshta dizaynning eng soddasini tanladi. T6 nomi bilan tanilgan bu dizayn o'zgartirilgan M3 korpusi va shassisi bo'lib, M3 ning 75 mm qurolini o'rnatadigan yangi ishlab chiqilgan minorani ko'tarib yurgan. Bu keyinchalik Shermanga aylanadi.^[3]

Shermanning ishonchliligi 1930-yillarda AQSh yengil tanklari uchun ishlab chiqilgan ko'plab xususiyatlar, shu jumladan vertikal valutli kamon suspenziyasi, rezina-buta izlari va orqa tomonga o'rnatilgan lamel dvigatel oldida qo'zg'aysan tishlari bilan. Maqsadlar piyodalarni qo'llab-quvvatlashga qodir bo'lgan tezkor, ishonchli o'rta tankni ishlab chiqarish, zabt etuvchi salohiyatni ta'minlash va har qanday tankni mag'lub etish edi Eksa millatlari.

T6 prototipi 1941 yil 2 sentyabrda qurib bitkazildi. T6 ning yuqori tanasi bitta yirik kasting edi. Unda haydovchi uchun bitta lyuk va korpusning yon qismida lyuk mavjud edi. Keyinchalik M4A1 ishlab chiqarish modelida, bu katta quyma saqlanib qoldi, garchi yon lyuk chiqarib tashlangan bo'lsa va yordamchi haydovchi uchun ikkinchi ko'prikli lyuk qo'shilgan. O'zgartirilgan T6 M4 sifatida standartlashtirilgan va ishlab chiqarish 1942 yil fevralda boshlangan.^[17] Keyinchalik quyma korpusli modellar M4A1 sifatida qayta standartlashtiriladi va birinchi payvandlangan korpus modellari M4 belgisini oladi. 1942 yil avgustda Detroyt Arsenal tomonidan M4 ning bir varianti korpus va turret zirhlarini yumaloq emas, burchakli bo'lishi uchun ilgari surilgan edi. O'zgarishlar tankning og'irligini oshirmasdan yoki boshqa texnik xususiyatlarini pasaytirmasdan himoya qilishni yaxshilashga qaratilgan edi.

Ta'lim

Sherman DD 13/18-chi qirol gussalari amfibiya tanki halokatga uchragan nemis qo'shinlariga qarshi harakat Horsa Ranville yaqin qopqoq kabi planör, Normandiya, 1944 yil 10-iyun

Qo'shma Shtatlar Ikkinchi Jahon urushiga kirishga yaqinlashganda, zirhli ishchilar doktrinalar tomonidan boshqarilardi Dala qo'llanmasi 100-5, Amaliyotlar (M4 tankining yakuniy dizayni tanlanganidan keyingi oy, 1941 yil may oyida nashr etilgan). Ushbu dala qo'llanmasida shunday deyilgan:

Zirhli bo'linma birinchi navbatda katta harakatchanlik va otashin kuch talab qiladigan vazifalarni bajarish uchun tashkil etilgan. Bunga hal qiluvchi vazifalar beriladi. U jangovarlikning barcha turlarida qatnashishga qodir, ammo uning asosiy roli dushmanlarning orqa tomonlariga qarshi hujumlarda.^[18]

M4, shuning uchun dastlab asosan an sifatida mo'ljallanmagan piyodalarni qo'llab-quvvatlash tanki. U tanklarni zirhli bo'linmaning "zarba beradigan esheloniga" joylashtirdi va piyodalarni "qo'llab-quvvatlash eshoniga" joylashtirdi, bu tanklar faqat boshqa tanklarga hujum qilishga intilishi kerakligi haqida ko'rsatma bermadi, shu bilan maqsad tanlashni qaysi turlarga qarab dala qo'mondoniga qoldirdi. unga hujum qilish uchun birliklar mavjud edi. Shermandan foydalanishni o'z ichiga olgan dala qo'llanmasida (FM 17-33, "Tank bataloni, engil va o'rta" 1942 yil sentyabr) Shermanning ko'p rollaridan biri sifatida dushman tanklariga qarshi kurash tasvirlangan, ammo faqat bitta sahifasini bag'ishlagan 142 betdan tank va tankga qarshi harakatlar uchun to'rtta diagramma va matn.^[19] Ushbu dastlabki zirhli doktrinaga nemisning dastlabki urush muvaffaqiyatlari katta ta'sir ko'rsatdi blitskrieg taktika. M4lar jangovar harakatlarga sezilarli darajada erishgan paytga kelib, piyoda askarlarni qo'llab-quvvatlashga va tanklarga qarshi tank harakatlariga qarshi jang maydonlari talablari orqa eshikni ekspluatatsiya qilish imkoniyatlaridan ancha ustun edi.^{[iqtibos kerak ]}

ommaviy dushman tank hujumlarni to'xtatish - - birinchi navbatda, tomonidan boshqariladigan, yo'liqtirma va o'ziyurar anti-tank qurol bilan amalga oshirilishi kerak edi, Amerika Qo'shma Shtatlari ta'limot eng muhim anti-tank ish deb o'tkazildi "Tankni yo'q qiladigan" batalyonlar, iloji bo'lsa, qo'llab-quvvatlash uchun do'stona tanklardan foydalaniladi.^[20] Tank qirg'inchilarini orqa tomondan kelayotgan tanklarni yo'q qilish uchun tezlik zarur edi. Ushbu ta'limot kamdan-kam hollarda jangda kuzatilgan, chunki u amaliy emas. Qo'mondonlar tankni yo'q qiluvchilarni zaxirada qoldirishni istamadilar; Ular bo'lsa, u har qanday hujum boshida davomida oldida uning anti-tank qurollari, barcha yo'q edi amerikalik tank bataloni, qarshi atılım bir qarshi zirhli kuchga uchun ham oson edi.^{[21][sahifa kerak ]}

AQSh ishlab chiqarish tarixi

Ikkinchi ishlab chiqarish Sherman, Maykl, ko'rsatiladi Tank muzeyi, Bovington, Angliya (2010)

M4 va M4A1 (ko'rsatilgan), birinchi Shermans, teskari U backplate baham va avvalroq M3 o'rta idishidan o'z qidiruvi va chiqarish tizimi meros

Ushbu M4A4 ekipaj lyuklari oldida qo'shimcha zirhli plitalarga ega

Shermanning birinchi ishlab chiqarilishi bo'lib o'tdi Lima lokomotiv zavodi, Lend-Lease asosida inglizlarning foydalanishi uchun ajratilgan ko'plab dastlabki transport vositalari bilan; birinchi ishlab chiqarish Sherman AQSh armiyasiga baho berish uchun berildi va ingliz buyurtmasining ikkinchi tanki Londonga yo'l oldi. Taxallus Maykl, ehtimol AQShdagi Britaniyalik tanklar missiyasining rahbari Maykl Dyuardan so'ng, tank Londonda namoyish etildi va hozirda ko'rgazma hisoblanadi Tank muzeyi, Bovington, Buyuk Britaniya.^[22][23]

Ushbudan Marine Corps olti tank otryadlarni maydonga esa jahon urushida, US Army oxir-oqibatda, 70 alohida tank batalon bilan birga, 16 zirhli nizo maydonga tushishdi. Barcha armiya tank batalonlarining uchdan bir qismi va dengiz piyoda tanklarining oltita batalonlari tarkibiga joylashtirildi Tinch okeani operatsiyalar teatri (PTO).^[24] 1942 yil sentyabrgacha Prezident Franklin D. Ruzvelt Ittifoqdoshlarning urush harakatlari uchun 120 mingta tankni chaqiradigan ishlab chiqarish dasturini e'lon qilgan edi. Garchi Amerika sanoat majmuasi dushmanga ta'sir qilmagan bo'lsa ham havodan bombardimon qilish yoki dengiz osti urushi bo'lgani kabi Yaponiya, Germaniya va kamroq darajada, Buyuk Britaniya, juda katta miqdor po'lat tank ishlab chiqarish uchun harbiy kemalar va boshqa dengiz kemalari qurilishiga yo'naltirildi.^[25] Dengiz qurilishida ishlatiladigan po'lat taxminan 67000 tankga teng edi; 1942 va 1943 yillar davomida faqat 53,500 tank ishlab chiqarilgan.^[26]

M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4, M4A5 va M4A6: armiyasi M4 ishlab chiqarish davomida modellarida etti asosiy sub-tasviriy edi. Ushbu belgilanishlar chiziqli takomillashtirishni anglatmasligi kerak edi; unda "M4A4" "M4A3" dan yaxshiroq ekanligini ko'rsatmadi. Ushbu kichik turlar standartlashtirilgan ishlab chiqarish turlarini ko'rsatdilar, ular aslida ko'pincha turli joylarda bir vaqtning o'zida ishlab chiqarilgan. M4A1 o'ziga xos yumaloq ko'rinishi bilan, uning to'liq tashlab yuqori tanasi tomonidan boshqa variantlarining farq bo'lsa-da, sub-turlari, dvigatellar asosan ixtilofga tushdilar. M4A4 uzoq tanasi va yanada iz bloklari va shunday M4A4 eng aql-idrok xususiyati zarur qobilyat o'rtasida keng bo'ylama oralig'i bo'lgan uzoq motorini edi. "M4A5" ma'muriy joyni belgilash edi Kanada ishlab chiqarishi. M4A6 radiusli dizel dvigatelga va shuningdek M4A4 ning cho'zilgan shassisiga ega edi, ammo ulardan atigi 75 tasi ishlab chiqarilgan.

Ko'pgina Sherman kichik turlari benzin bilan ishlaydi. Havo sovutgichli kontinental ishlab chiqariladi Rayt R975 bo'roni M4 va M4A1 rusumli 9 silindrli radial benzinli dvigatel 350 yoki 400 ot kuchiga ega (260 yoki 300 kVt). M4A3 suyuqlikda sovutilgan 450 ot kuchidan (340 kVt) foydalangan. Ford GAA V8 benzinli dvigatel va M4A4 370 ot kuchiga ega (280 kVt) 30 tsilindrli suyuqlikni ishlatgan Chrysler A57 multibank benzinli dvigatel. Bundan tashqari, dizel dvigatelli ikkita variant mavjud edi. M4A2 bir juft suyuqlik bilan sovutilgan edi GMC 6–71 ikki zarba ichki dvigatellar,^[27] jami 375 ot kuchi (280 kVt) ishlab chiqargan, M4A6 esa RD-1820 (qayta ishlangan) Tırtıl D-200A havo sovutdi radial dizel dvigatel, moslashtirilgan Rayt Aeronautical "s 9-tsiklon to'qqiz silindrli radiusli samolyot dvigateli.^[28]) 450 ot kuchiga ega (340 kVt). M4da 24 voltli elektr tizimi ishlatilgan.^[4] M4A2 va M4A4 asosan boshqa ittifoqdosh mamlakatlarga etkazib berildi Qarz berish.^[29] muddatli "M4" kontekstida qarab, yetti Sherman sub-turdagi butun oila uchun, tovar belgisi uning Continental radial dvigateli dastlabki sub-turiga maxsus qarang yoki mumkin. Ishlab chiqarishda, tankning asosiy model raqamini o'zgartirmasdan ishlab chiqarishning shakli, shakli, quvvati va ishlashning ko'plab tafsilotlari yaxshilandi. Bunga kuchli ishlab chiqarish moslamalari, "namroq" (W) o'q-dorilarni saqlash joylari va M4 "Kompozit" singari qurol-yarog 'kuchliroq yoki samaraliroq moslamalari kiritilgan bo'lib, ular odatdagi payvandlangan orqa korpus bilan bog'langan oldingi korpus qismlarini ishlab chiqarishni arzonlashtirgan. Shermans uchun ingliz nomenklaturasi qurol va to'xtatib turish farqlari uchun harflar bilan turli xil tanachalar uchun raqamlar bilan belgilandi: A 76mm qurol bilan avtomobil uchun, B 105 mm gabarit uchun, C 17pdr qurol va Y HVSS bilan jihozlangan har qanday transport vositasi uchun; Masalan, inglizlar tomonidan boshqariladigan M4A1 (76) Sherman IIA nomi bilan tanilgan.^[30]

M4A3 (76) Vt HVSS - a 76 mm - jihozlangan M4A3 Oson sakkizta Sherman

Dastlabki Shermans a 75 mm o'rta tezlikda ishlatiladigan umumiy qurol. Garchi Ordnance ish boshladi T20 o'rta tanki ketma-ket Sherman o'rnini bosuvchi sifatida, oxir-oqibat armiya dizayn elementlarini Sherman tarkibiga kiritish orqali ishlab chiqarishni to'xtatilishini minimallashtirishga qaror qildi. Keyinchalik M4A1, M4A2 va M4A3 modellari yuqori tezlikka ega bo'lgan katta minorani oldi 76 mm qurol T23 tankidan. birinchi standart-ishlab chiqarish 76 mm qurol-qurollangan Sherman yanvar 1944 yilda qabul qilingan bir M4A1, iyul 1944 yilda bo'lgan birinchi arra jangovar davomida "Kobra" operatsiyasi. M4 va M4A3 variantlari 105 mm gavitsa va o'ziga xos yaxlitlash bilan zavodda ishlab chiqarilgan. mantiya minorada, asosiy qurolni o'rab olgan. 105 mm gabaritli gubitsa bilan qurollangan birinchi Sherman varianti M4, 1944 yil fevral oyida birinchi marta qabul qilingan.

1944 yil may oyidan iyul oyigacha armiya 254 M4A3E2 cheklangan harakatini qabul qildi Jumbo hujum devorlari uchun, juda qalin Hull zirh va yangi, yanada yaxshidir himoyalangan T23-uslubi minorada 75 mm qurol edi Shermans. M4A3 modeli birinchi bo'lib 1944 yil avgustdan boshlab og'irlikni taqsimlash uchun kengroq yo'llar bilan gorizontal qo'zg'atuvchi prujinali osma (HVSS) tizimi bilan ishlab chiqarildi. HVSS silliq yurishi bilan u taxallusga ega bo'ldi "Oson sakkizta "M8 va M4A3 105 mm qurolli tanklari, shuningdek M4A1 va M4A2 76 mm qurolli tanklari ham oxir-oqibat HVSS bilan jihozlangan edi. Amerikaliklar ham, inglizlar ham Sherman uchun maxsus qo'shimchalar, ammo ozgina qismi jangovar, eksperimental bo'lib qolgan bo'lsa ham, harakatni ko'rganlarga buldozer pichog'i, Ikki tomonlama disk tizim, otashinlar Zippo olov tanklari kabi turli xil raketa uchirgichlari T34 Kalliope. Britaniya varyantlar (DDS va minalarim "" deb nomlangan ixtisoslashgan transport vositalari guruhining bir qismini tashkil etganXobartning kulgilari "(keyin Persi Xobart, komandiri 79-zirhli diviziya ).

M4 Shermanning asosiy shassisi zamonaviy mexanizatsiyalashgan kuchning barcha muhim rollari uchun ishlatilgan. Ular orasida M10 va M36 tank yo'q qiluvchilar; M7B1, M12, M40 va M43 o'ziyurar artilleriya; M32 va M74 "evakuator" uslubi qutqarish tanklari vince, bum va tutun ekranlari uchun 81 mm eritma bilan; va M34 (M32B1 dan) va M35 (M10A1 dan) artilleriyaning asosiy harakatlari.

M4A4 kesilgan: 1 - ko'tarish uzuk, 2 - Ventilyator, 3 - Taret lyuki, 4 - Periskop, 5 - Taret lyuk poygasi, 6 - turret o'rindig'i, 7 - Gunner o'rindig'i, 8 - turret o'rindig'i, 9 - Taret, 10 - Havo tozalovchi, 11 - Radiator plomba qopqog'i, 12 - Havo tozalovchi kollektor, 13 - Quvvat bloki, 14 - Egzoz trubkasi, 15 - Bekor, 16 - bitta suv nasosi, 17 - Radiator, 18 - Generator, 19 - Orqa pervanel mil, 20 - Taret savati, 21 - Slip ring, 22 - old pervanel mil, 23 - to'xtatib turish bogi, 24 - Yuqish, 25 - Asosiy haydovchi tishli, 26 - Haydovchi o'rindig'i, 27 - avtomat o'tiradigan joy, 28 - 75 mm qurol, 29 - Haydovchilar lyukasi, 30 - M1919A4 mashina qurol.

Xizmat tarixi

Ushbu bo'lim uchun qo'shimcha iqtiboslar kerak tekshirish. Iltimos yordam bering ushbu maqolani yaxshilang tomonidan ishonchli manbalarga iqtiboslarni qo'shish. Resurs manbasi bo'lmagan material shubha ostiga olinishi va olib tashlanishi mumkin. (2010 yil fevral) (Ushbu shablon xabarini qanday va qachon olib tashlashni bilib oling)

AQSh xizmatidagi birinchi Sherman M4A1 paydo bo'ldi Shimoliy Afrika kampaniyasi. Bu erda 7-armiyadan biri 1943 yil 10-iyulda Red Beach 2 ga tushadi Sitsiliyaga ittifoqchilar bosqini

M4A3 (76) W HVSS Ikkinchi jahon urushidagi g'alaba paradida qatnashmoqda

Ajratish

Ikkinchi Jahon urushi paytida AQSh armiyasiga taxminan 19 247 Sherman va AQSh dengiz piyoda korpusiga taxminan 1114 ta Sherman berildi.^[34] AQSh shuningdek, 17,184 ga etkazib berdi Buyuk Britaniya (ulardan ba'zilari o'z navbatida kanadaliklar va erkin qutblarga o'tdi), ammo Sovet Ittifoqi 4.102 qabul qildi^[35] va taxmin qilingan 812 ga o'tkazildi Xitoy.^[36] Ushbu raqamlar tegishli mamlakatlarning ittifoqdosh xalqlariga tarqatildi.

AQSh dengiz piyoda qo'shinlari Tinch okeanida dizel M4A2 va benzin bilan ishlaydigan M4A3 dan foydalanganlar. Biroq, armiyaning zirhli kuchlari boshlig'i general-leytenant. Jeykob L. Devers, armiya tomonidan Ichki hududdan tashqarida (AQShning kontinental qismi) dizel dvigatelli Shermanlardan foydalanilmasligini buyurdi. Armiyasi Amerika Qo'shma Shtatlari ichida ham tayyorlash yoki sinov uchun barcha turdagi ishlatiladi, lekin asosiy Lend-Lizingga eksport bo'lish (A57 Multibank dvigateli) M4A2 va M4A4 mo'ljallangan.

Birinchi jang

Shermanlar AQShning zirhli diviziyalari bilan tanishish uchun oz sonda chiqarilayotgandi G'arbiy cho'l kampaniyasi. Eksa kuchlari Tobrukni olgan edi orqali Misr va Buyuk Britaniyaning ta'minot liniyasiga kirib borishdi Suvaysh kanali tahdid qilingan. AQSh yuborish imkoniyatiga ega bo'lish uchun barcha Shermanlarni bir joyga to'plashni o'ylagan 2-zirhli diviziya ostida Patton Misr mustahkamlash, lekin inglizlar bevosita Shermans yetkazib tezroq edi va 300 dan ortiq - asosan M4A1s, balki M4A2s jumladan - sentyabr 1942 tomonidan erda keldi.^[22][37]

Shermanlar cho'l urushi uchun o'zgartirilgan bo'lib, temir yo'llar va boshqa omborlar ustida qum pardalari bo'lgan. Sherman birinchi navbatda jangni ko'rdi Ikkinchi El Alamein jangi bilan 1942 yil oktyabrda Britaniya 8-armiyasi. Hujum boshida 252 ta tank harakatga yaroqli edi. Ular jihozlangan Britaniyaning 9-zirhli brigadasi (bilan Yangi Zelandiya divizioni ), 2-zirhli brigada (1-zirhli diviziya) va 8-va 20-zirhli brigadalar (10-zirhli diviziya). tanklar bilan ularning birinchi uchrashuv uzoq 50 mm va 75 mm qurol 2000 metr (1800 m), ularni jalb bilan nemis Panzer III va IV tanklar qarshi edi. Ikkala tomonga ham yo'qotishlar bo'ldi.^[38]

Jangdagi birinchi AQSh shermanlari M4 va M4A1 bo'lgan Mash'al operatsiyasi keyingi oy. 6 dekabr kuni, yaqin Tebourba, Tunis, 2-batalyon, 13-zirhli polkning bir vzvodi dushman tanklari va tankga qarshi qurollariga boy berildi.^[39]

Shimoliy Afrikadagi kampaniya davomida AQSh tank batalyonlarida qo'shimcha M4 va M4A1 M3 o'rnini egalladi.

M4 va M4A1 1944 yil kuziga qadar AQSh birliklarida asosiy turlar edi, o'shanda Armiya ularni kuchliroq 500 ot kuchiga ega (370 kVt) dvigatel bilan afzal qilingan M4A3 bilan almashtira boshlagach. Ba'zi M4 va M4A1lar urushning qolgan qismida AQSh xizmatida davom etishdi. 1944 yil iyul oyida 76 mm qurol bilan jangga birinchi bo'lib chiqqan Sherman M4A1, keyin M4A2, so'ngra M4A3 edi. Urushning oxiriga kelib AQShning Evropadagi Shermans armiyasining taxminan yarmi 76 mm qurolga ega edi. Jangovarlikni ko'rgan birinchi HVSS jihozlangan Sherman 1944 yil dekabrda M4A3 (76) W edi.

Sharqiy front

Lend-Lease sharti bilan Sovet Ittifoqiga 4102 M4A2 o'rta tanklari yuborildi. Ulardan 2007 tasi 75 mm original qurol bilan jihozlangan bo'lib, 2095 dona ko'proq qobiliyatli 76 mm qurolni o'rnatgan. SSSRga Lend-Liz asosida yuborilgan Sherman tanklarining umumiy soni barcha Lend-Liz Shermanlarining 18,6 foizini tashkil etdi.^[40] Birinchi 76 mm qurolli M4A2 Shermanlari Sovet Ittifoqiga 1944 yilning yoz oxirida kela boshladi.^[41]

Qizil Armiya M4A2-ni o'q-dorilarning portlashi sababli olovga moyil bo'lmagan deb hisoblagan T-34/76, Lekin M4A2 tufayli og'irlik uning oliy markaziga yo'l hodisalari va to'qnashuvi yoki chunki T-34 dan qo'pol er ag'darib tashlashga yuqori moyillik bor edi.^[42]

1945 yilga kelib, Qizil Armiyaning ba'zi zirhli qismlari to'liq Sherman bilan jihozlangan. Bunday birliklarga quyidagilar kiradi 1-gvardiya mexanizatsiyalashgan korpusi, 3-gvardiya mexanizatsiyalashgan korpusi va 9-gvardiya mexanizatsiyalashgan korpusi boshqalar qatorida. Sherman asosan yaxshi hurmatga sazovor bo'lgan va ko'plab sovet tank ekipajlari tomonidan ijobiy baholangan, uning ishonchliligi, texnik xizmat ko'rsatishning qulayligi, odatda yaxshi o'q otish quvvati (ayniqsa, 76 mm qurol versiyasini nazarda tutadi) va zirhni yaxshi himoya qilish uchun maqtovlar berilgan.^[43] shuningdek yordamchi quvvat bloki (APU), T-34 da talab qilinganidek, asosiy dvigatelni ishlatmasdan tankning batareyalarini zaryad qilish uchun.^[44]

Tinch okeani teatri

Xitoylik M4A4 Sherman CBI jang maydonida

Da jang paytida Evropa operatsiyalar teatri (ETO) ko'pincha harbiy dengiz xususiyatiga ega yuqori darajadagi zirhli urushlardan iborat edi Tinch okeani operatsiyalar teatri (PTO) uni ittifoqchilar va yaponlar uchun ikkinchi darajaga tushirdi. Urush paytida AQSh armiyasi 16 ta zirhli diviziya va 70 ta alohida tank batalonlarini maydonga tushirgan bo'lsa, Tinch okeani teatriga batalonlarning atigi uchdan bir qismi va hech bir bo'linmasi joylashtirilmagan.^[45] The Yapon imperatori armiyasi (IJA) urush paytida faqat 2-tank diviziyasini Tinch okeaniga joylashtirdi.^[46] Ikkala tomonning zirhlari asosan zirhli urushga unchalik mos bo'lmagan o'rmonlarda ishlagan. Ushbu turdagi relyef uchun yaponlar va Ittifoqchilar engil tanklarni tashish va ishlatish osonroq deb topildi.^[47]

Tinch okeanidagi janglarning dastlabki bosqichlarida, xususan Guadalkanal kampaniyasi, AQSh dengiz piyoda korpusi ' M2A4 yengil tank teng keladiganlarga qarshi kurashdi 95 Ha-Go yozing engil tank; ikkalasi ham 37 mm asosiy qurol bilan qurollangan. Biroq, M2 (1940 yilda ishlab chiqarilgan) besh yilga nisbatan yangi edi.^[48] 1943 yilga kelib IJA hali ham 95 va toifa turlaridan foydalangan 97 Chi-Xa yozing o'rta tanklar, ittifoqdosh kuchlar tezda o'zlarining engil tanklarini 75 mm qurolli M4 bilan almashtirgan edilar.^[49] Hindistondagi xitoyliklar 100 M4 Sherman olgan va ularni keyingi 1944 va 1945 yilgi hujumlarda katta samara bergan. CBI jang maydoni.

Qismi sifatida Operatsion epchilligi, M4A1 (75 mm) tropik yomg'ir o'rmoni bo'ylab harakatlanadi Yangi Britaniya, Tinch okeanining janubi-g'arbiy qismida

Shermanga qarshi turish uchun,^[50] yaponlar rivojlangan 3 Chi-Nu kiriting va og'irroq 4 Chi-To-ni kiriting; ikkala tank ham turli xil bo'lsa-da, 75 mm qurol bilan qurollangan edi. Faqat 166 tip 3s va ikkita 4 tip qurilgan va hech kim jangovar harakatlarni ko'rmagan; Ular Ittifoqchilik engil va o'rta zirh qurilgan 1940 qarshi jang qilish uchun 1930 Amp nur va o'rta qurollarini qoldirib, Yaponiya Bosh sahifa orollari himoya qilish uchun saqlab qilindi.

Urushning keyingi yillarida Yaponiya tanklariga qarshi kurashish uchun umumiy maqsadli yuqori portlovchi o'q-dorilarga ustunlik berildi, chunki quyuqroq temirga kirib borishga mo'ljallangan zirhli teshiklar ko'pincha 95 Ha-Go toifasidagi ingichka zirhlardan o'tib ketardi (eng ko'p tez-tez uchraydigan yapon tanki) va boshqa tomondan to'xtamasdan chiqib ketish. tank halok yuqori tezlik qurol qo'rg'onlar o'tkir uchun foydali bo'lsa-da, to'g'ridan-to'g'ri olov kam Yaponiya qo'rg'onlar vayron bo'lib, flamethrowers bilan qurollangan M4s ko'pincha, tarqatilgan edi.^[51][52]

Ikkinchi Jahon Urushidan keyingi

AQSh xizmatining so'nggi turi: M4A3 (76) W HVSS Sherman o'q otish paytida artilleriya sifatida ishlatilgan Koreya urushi

Ikkinchi jahon urushidan keyin, AQShning 76 mm qurol yoki 105 mm M4 o'q to'ldirib, yo bilan, xizmat M4A3E8 "Easy Sakkiz" saqlanadi. Sherman AQShning oddiy tanki bo'lib qoldi Koreya urushi, U bilan yonma-yon jang qaerda M26 Pershing va M46 Patton. M4A3 (76) W HVSS Sherman va T-34 -85 ni taqqoslash mumkin edi va odatdagi jang maydonlarida bir-birlarini yo'q qilishlari mumkin edi, garchi yuqori tezlikda zirhli pirsing o'q-dorilaridan foydalanish, zamonaviy optikadan foydalanish va ekipajning yaxshi o'qitilishi Shermanga ustunlik berdi.^[53] M4A3 (76) W HVSS Sherman 76 mm HVAP o'q-dorilaridan foydalangan holda 1950 yil iyul-noyabr oylarida dushmanning 41 ta tankini yo'q qildi. Engilroq M4A3 (76) W HVSS tanki Koreyadagi urushning keyingi bosqichlarida AQSh tanlagan tankga aylandi. M4 ning mexanik ishonchliligi, texnik xizmat ko'rsatishning qulayligi va M26 tankiga nisbatan haydash qobiliyatiga.^[54]

AQSh armiyasi 1957 yilda M4 o'rniga, foydasiga M48 Patton va M60 Patton AQSh Shermanlarni o'z ittifoqchilariga o'tkazishda davom etdi, bu esa chet ellarda keng foydalanishga yordam berdi.

Isroil mudofaa kuchlari Shermansni 1948 yilda tashkil topganidan 1980 yillarga qadar ishlatib, birinchi navbatda Isroildan chiqib ketayotganda ingliz qo'shinlarining asosiy qurol-yarog'iga ega bo'lmagan bitta M4A2 sotib oldilar.^[55] 1934 yil kelib chiqqan frantsuzlar bilan taqqoslaganda tankining mashhurligi (endi qayta qurollangan) Renault R35 30 qurolsiz M4 (105mm) sotib olib IdF ning tank kuchga asosiy qismi tashkil etdi, ularning 37 mm qisqa og'izli qurol, engil tanklar interwar Italiya scrapyards dan b.^[55] Ulardan uchtasi va asl M4A2, 1948-9 yillardagi mustaqillik urushida keng xizmat ko'rsatdi. qolgan, keyin xizmat va bu mavjud bo'lib, har qachon keyingi sakkiz yil davomida Isroil tank kuchlariga katta qismini tashkil etuvchi, 75 mm qurol va komponentlar bilan qayta oraga kiradi qilindi. 75 mm qurollangan Shermanlarning o'rniga 1956 yilgacha Frantsiyadan olib kelingan M4A1 (76 mm) Shermanlar keltirilgan Suvaysh inqirozi ularning qurol-yarog'ining kirib borishi IDF Centurions va T-34-85 kabi yangi tanklarga qarshi kurashish uchun etarli emasligi anglab etilgandan so'ng, Misr kuchlariga topshirildi.^[56] yanada yuksaltirish davomida, fransuz harbiy ishlatiladigan uzoq yuqori tezlik 75 mm qurol CN 75-50 300 Shermans haqida yuksaltirish uchun bir ishlab chiqarish uchun to'plam rivojlantirishga yordam AMX-13. Ular belgilangan edi Sherman M-50 Isroilliklar tomonidan. Oldin Olti kunlik urush 1967 yilda Isroil armiyasi 180 M4A1 (76) W HVSS Shermansni frantsuz 105 mm Modèle F1 tabancasi bilan modernizatsiya qildi, ularni Cummins dizel dvigatellari bilan qayta yoqdi va yangilangan tankni tayinladi Sherman M-51. Sherman tanklari, 105 mm Centurion bilan jang qilmoqda Sh'ot Kal va M48 Patton tanklari T-34/85, T-54/55/62 seriyalari va Misr va Suriya kuchlari tomonidan 1967 yilgi olti kunlik urushda ishlatilgan IS-3 tanklarini mag'lubiyatga uchratishdi.^[57]

M4A3'lar, shuningdek, Indoneziyadagi ingliz kuchlari tomonidan ishlatilgan Indoneziya milliy inqilobi 1946 yilgacha, ular o'tgan yilga qadar KNIL ularni 1949 yilgacha ishlatgan, ular ularga o'tguncha Indoneziya armiyasi.^[58]

Qurollanish

Qurolni ishlab chiqish

Sherman mo'ljallangan edi, deb (a 75 mm qurol, 3-dyuymli qurol, yoki 105 mm o'q to'ldirib, deb belgilangan) asosiy qurol-yarog ', deb bir necha turlari minorada o'rnatilgan bo'lishi mumkin, shuning uchun, qoidalar qabul qilindi.^[59] Asosiy qurolni o'rnatish imkoniyati M6 og'ir tank, 3 dyuymli qurol M7, avval M4 Sherman minorasida kashf etilgan, ammo uning o'lchami va vazni (qurol quruqlikdagi zenit qurolidan o'zgartirilgan), uni Sherman minorasiga sig'maydigan darajada katta qilgan. Shermanga mosroq bo'lgan 76 mm yangi qurolni ishlab chiqish 1942 yil kuzida boshlangan.

1942 yil boshida Sherman minorasiga 105 mm gabaritli gubitsani o'rnatish maqsadga muvofiqligi bo'yicha sinovlar boshlandi. Asosiy 105 mm o'q to'ldirib, M2A1 tank minorasiga o'rnatish uchun noto'g'ri ishlab chiqilganligi aniqlandi, shuning uchun u butunlay qayta ishlab chiqildi va 105 mm gabaritli M4 gubitsiyasini qayta tayinladi. Minora (qurolning muvozanati va quvvat shpalining kuchi to'g'risida) va korpus ichki qismiga (105 mm o'q-dorilarni saqlashga tegishli) o'zgartirishlar kiritilgandan so'ng, Ordnance departamenti loyihani ma'qullaganligini va M4 ishlab chiqarilishini tasdiqladi. 105 mm gubitsa bilan qurollangan tanklar 1944 yil fevralda boshlangan.^[60]

Sherman 1942 yilda jangovar uskunalar bilan jihozlangan 75 mm qurol M3, 40-kalibrli qurol 88 mm (3,5 dyuym) ga o'tib ketishi mumkin bir hil zirh (RHA) 100 metrda (110 yd) va 73 mm (2,9 dyuym) da 1000 metrda (1100 yd) odatdagi M61 otishni o'rganish.^[61] Erta qarash Panzer III va Panzer IV Shimoliy Afrikada, Sherman ning qurol 1000 YD (910 m) doirasida, normal jangovar tizmalari, bu tanklar frontal zirh kirib mumkin. AQSh armiyasining razvedkasi kelishini diskont qildi Yo'lbars I 1942 yilda va Panter tanki 1943 yilda Panter Tiger I kabi og'ir tank bo'lishini bashorat qilgan va ko'pchilik ishlab chiqarilishiga shubha qilgan. Shuningdek, inglizlar haqida xabarlar bor edi QF 6 pdr (57 mm) qurol Tiger I. ni yo'q qilishga qodir, ammo bu faqat juda yaqin masofada va ingichka yon zirhga qarshi sodir bo'ldi. Bu bilan bog'liq ularning noto'g'ri tushunchalari va 76 mm lik qurol Tigerni ham, Panterani ham yo'q qilishga qodirligini isbotlagan sinovlar tufayli, Qurolli kuchlar rahbariyati Tiger I tomonidan ayniqsa tashvishlanmadi. 76 mm qurol sinovlari natijalari keyinchalik haqiqiy sharoit bilan taqqoslaganda noto'g'ri bo'lgan deb topildi (Panter tankida topilganlarga o'xshash tarzda tuzilgan Amerika zirh plitalari qismlariga qarshi sinovlar yangi M1A1 qurol etarli bo'ladi, degan fikrni bildirgan, ammo haqiqiy qo'lga Panther tanklar qarshi sinov ikki yoqlama, hatto u noto'g'ri 76 mm har qanday nemis tank chiqib urish mumkin, deb Ordnance tomonidan aytilgan edi, deb remarking bilan) amalga hech qachon. Armiya, shuningdek, nemislar 1944 yilda Panterni o'zlarining panzer bo'linmalarining standart tankiga aylantirishga urinishlarini taxmin qila olmadilar, oz sonli Tiger I va IIs tomonidan qo'llab-quvvatlandi.^[62]

1943 yil bahorida T4 deb nomlanuvchi yangi ishlab chiqilgan 76 mm qurol birinchi marta M4 ga o'rnatilgach, u minorani muvozanatsizlashtirganligi aniqlandi va avtomat o'qi ham oldinga chiqib, transportni qiyinlashtirdi va sezgir bo'lib qoldi tank to'lqinli erlar bo'ylab harakatlanayotganda erga urish. Bochka uzunligi 15 dyuymga (380 mm) qisqartirildi (57 dan) kalibrlar ga qadar 52), natijada M1 varianti mavjud. Ushbu qurolni asl M4 turretiga o'rnatish muammoli bo'lib chiqdi, shuning uchun 76 mm bo'lgan M4 Shermansning aniq ishlab chiqarish versiyasi uchun bekor qilingan T23 tank loyihasi uchun minoradan foydalanildi,^[63] M1A1 deb nomlanuvchi qurolning o'zgartirilgan versiyasi bilan birga.

Ornance departamenti yangi 76 mm va 90 mm tanklarga qarshi qurollarni ishlab chiqishiga qaramay, Armiya Quruqlik kuchlari ularni joylashtirishni keraksiz deb rad etdi. 1944 yil aprel oyida M4 korpusiga T26 tank loyihasidan 90 mm qurolli turretni o'rnatib, M4 Sherman-ni yangilashga urinish, u T26 dan tezroq ishlab chiqarishga kirisha olmasligini va T26 rivojlanishini kechiktirishi mumkinligini tushunganidan keyin to'xtatildi.^[64] 1943 yilda ham Germaniyaning aksariyat zirhli jangovar transport vositalari (Panzer IV ning keyingi modellari, StuG III va Marder III ) o'rnatilgan 7,5 sm KwK 40. Natijada, 1942 yilda Sovet tanklariga qarshi kurashda to'xtash chorasi bo'lishi kerak bo'lgan Marder III kabi zaif zirhli engil nemis tank esminetslari ham Shermanlarni uzoqdan yo'q qilishi mumkin edi. The disparity in firepower between the German armored fighting vehicles that began to be fielded in 1943 and the 75 mm-armed M4 was the impetus to begin production of 76 mm-armed M4s in January 1944.^[65] In testing prior to the Normandiyani bosib olish, the 76 mm gun was found to have an undesirably large muzzle blast that kicked up dust from the ground and obscured vision for further firing. The M1A1C gun, which entered production lines in March 1944, was threaded for a muzzle brake, but as the brakes were still in development, the threads were protected with a cap. A qo'shilishi tumshug'i tormoz on the new M1A2 gun (which also incorporated a faster rifling twist leading to a slight accuracy increase at longer ranges) beginning in October 1944 finally solved this problem by directing the blast sideways.^[66]

Army doctrine at the time emphasized the multirole ability of the tank, and the capability of the high explosive shell was considered important. Being a dedicated anti-tank gun, the 76 mm had a much weaker high explosive shell than the existing 75 mm, and was not initially accepted by various U.S. armored division commanders, even though many had already been produced and were available. All of the U.S. Army M4s deployed initially in Normandy in June 1944 had the 75 mm gun.^[67] Fighting against Panther tanks in Normandy quickly demonstrated the need for better anti-tank firepower, and the 76 mm M4s were deployed to Birinchi armiya units in July 1944. "Kobra" operatsiyasi was the combat debut of the 76 mm gun-armed Sherman, in the form of the M4A1(76)W.^[68] Umumiy Jorj S. Patton "s Uchinchi armiya were initially issued 75 mm M4s and accepted 76 mm-armed M4s only after the Arrakur jangi against Panther tanks in late September 1944.^[69]

British Firefly in Namur, 1944. This is an M4 composite, showing the late cast hull front with large crew hatches

The higher-velocity 76 mm gun gave Shermans anti-tank firepower at least equal to most of the German vehicles they encountered, particularly the Panzer IV and StuG III. The gun could penetrate 125 mm (4.9 in) of unsloped RHA at 100 meters (110 yd) and 106 mm (4.2 in) at 1,000 meters (1,100 yd) using the usual M62 round.^[70] The M1 helped to equalize the Sherman and the Panzer IV in terms of firepower; the 48-caliber 7,5 sm KwK 40 (75mm L/48) of the Panzer IV could penetrate 135 mm (5.3 in) of unsloped RHA at 100 meters (110 yd) and 109 mm (4.3 in) at 1,000 meters (1,100 yd). The 76 mm gun was still inferior to the much more powerful 70-caliber 7,5 sm KwK 42 (75mm L/70) of the Panther, which could penetrate 185 mm (7.3 in) of unsloped RHA at 100 meters (110 yd) and 149 mm (5.9 in) at 1,000 meters (1,100 yd) using the usual PzGr.39/42 round.^[70] The 76 mm was capable of knocking out a Panther at normal combat ranges from the flanks or rear, but could not overcome the glacis plate. Due to its 55 degree slope, the Panther's 80 mm (3.1 in) glacis had a line of sight thickness of 140 mm (5.5 in) with actual effectiveness being even greater. An M4 might only knock out a Panther frontally from point-blank range by aiming for its turret front and transverse-cylindrical shaped mantlet, the lower edge of which on most Panthers (especially the earlier Ausf. D and A versions) constituted a vulnerable otish uchun tuzoq.^[71] A 76 mm-armed Sherman could penetrate the upper frontal hull superstructure of a Tiger I tank from normal combat ranges. Although the new gun lessened the gap between the two tanks, the Tiger I was still capable of knocking an M4 out frontally from over 2,000 meters (2,200 yd).^[72]

In late summer 1944, after breaking out of the yukxalta and moving into open country, U.S. tank units that engaged German defensive positions at longer ranges sometimes took 50% casualties before spotting where the fire was coming from.^[73] The average combat range noted by the Americans for tank versus tank action was 800 to 900 meters (870 to 980 yd). Sherman crews also had concerns about firing from longer ranges, as the Sherman's high-flash powder made their shots easier to spot. This, and the U.S. Army's usual offensive tactical situation, often contributed to losses suffered by the U.S. Army in Europe.^[74] Even though the various gunsights fitted to the Sherman had fewer magnification settings than those fitted to German tanks, their gunners were able to use a secondary periscope that featured a far larger field of view than their German counterparts.

T4 High-Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP) ammunition became available in September 1944 for the 76 mm gun. The projectile contained a volfram penetrator surrounded by a lightweight aluminum body and ballistic windshield, which gave it a higher velocity and more penetrating power. The increased penetration of HVAP allowed the 76 mm gun to match the Panther's 7,5 sm KwK 42 APCR shot.^[75] However, its performance was heavily degraded by sloped armor such as the Panther's glacis. Because of tungsten shortages, HVAP rounds were constantly in short supply. Priority was given to U.S. tank destroyer units and over half of the 18,000 projectiles received were not compatible with the 76 mm gun M1, being fitted into the cartridge case of the M10 tank destroyer's 3-inch gun M7.^[76] Most Shermans carried only a few rounds at any one time, and some units never received any.^[77]

M4A2(76) HVSS with T23 turret and later 76 mm gun's muzzle brake; it also sports fenders, usually omitted on U.S. vehicles to ease maintenance

The British anticipated future developments in German armor and began development of a 3-inch (76 mm) antitank gun even before its 57 mm predecessor entered service. Out of expediency and also driven by delays in their new tank designs, they mounted the powerful 3 in (76 mm) Ordnance QF 17 pulemyotli qurol in a standard 75 mm M4 Sherman turret. This conversion became the Sherman Firefly. Like the U.S. M1 gun, the 17 pdr was also a 76 mm gun, but the British piece used a more voluminous cartridge case containing a much bigger propellant charge. This allowed it to penetrate 174 mm (6.9 in) of unsloped RHA at 100 meters (110 yd) and 150 mm (5.9 in) at 1,000 meters (1,100 yd) using APCBC ammunition.^[70] The 17-pounder still could not penetrate the steeply sloped glacis plate of the Panther but it was expected to be able to pierce its gun mantlet at over 2,500 yards (2,300 m);^[78] moreover it was estimated it would defeat the Yo'lbars I 's frontal armor from 1,900 yards (1,700 m).^[79] However, British Army test results conducted with two Fireflys against a Panther turret-sized target demonstrated relatively poor accuracy at long range; a hit probability of 25.4% at 1,500 yards (1,400 m) with APCBC, and only 7.4% with APDS.^[80] In late 1943, the British offered the 17-pounder to the U.S. Army for use in their M4 tanks. General Devers insisted on comparison tests between the 17-pounder and the U.S. 90 mm gun. The tests were finally done on March 25 and May 23, 1944; they seemed to show the 90 mm gun was equal to or better than the 17-pounder. By then, production of the 76 mm-armed M4 and the 90 mm-armed M36 were both underway and U.S. Army interest in the 17-pounder waned. Late in 1944, the British began to produce tungsten sabot rounds for the 17-pounder, which could readily breach the armor of even the Tiger II; these were not as accurate as standard rounds and not generally available.

After the heavy tank losses of the Bulge jangi, in January 1945, General Eisenhower asked that no more 75 mm M4s be sent to Europe: only 76 mm M4s were wanted.^[81] Interest in mounting the British 17-pounder in U.S. Shermans flared anew. In February 1945, the U.S. Army began sending 75 mm M4s to England for conversion to the 17-pounder. Approximately 100 conversions were completed by the beginning of May. By then, the end of the war in Europe was clearly in sight, and the U.S. Army decided the logistical difficulties of adding a new ammunition caliber to the supply system was not warranted. None of the converted 17-pounder M4s were deployed in combat by the U.S., and it is unclear what happened to most of them, although some were given to the British as part of Lend-Lease post-war.^[82]

The tank destroyer doctrine

Umumiy Lesli J. McNair was head of the Army Ground Forces from 1942 to 1944. McNair, a former artilleryman, advocated for the role of the tankni yo'q qiluvchi (TD) within the U.S. Army. In McNair's opinion, tanks were to exploit breakthroughs and support infantry, while masses of attacking hostile tanks were to be engaged by tank destroyer units, which were composed of a mix of self-propelled and towed anti-tank guns. Self-propelled tank destroyers, called "gun motor carriages" (as were any U.S. Army self-propelled armored vehicles mounting an artillery piece of heavy caliber) were similar to tanks, but were lightly armored with open-topped turrets. The tank destroyers were supposed to be faster and carry a more powerful anti-tank gun than tanks (although in reality tanks often received more powerful guns before tank destroyers did) and armor was sacrificed for speed.^[83] Armored Force and Tank Destroyer Force doctrine were developed separately, and it was not against Armored Force doctrine for friendly tanks to engage hostile tanks that appeared while attacking or defending.^[84]; tank destroyers were to engage numbers of enemy tanks that broke through friendly lines.

McNair approved the 76 mm upgrade to the M4 Sherman and production of the 90 mm gun-armed M36 tank qiruvchisi, but he at first staunchly opposed mass production of the T20 medium tank series and its descendants, the T25 and T26 (which would eventually become the M26 Pershing ) during the crucial period of 1943 because they did not meet the two criteria of the Army Ground Forces for accepting new equipment; they were not "battle worthy," and he saw no "battle need" for them. In fall 1943, Lieutenant General Devers, commander of U.S. forces in the Evropa operatsiyalar teatri (ETO), asked for 250 T26 tanks for use in the Frantsiyani bosib olish; McNair refused, citing the fact that he believed the M4 was adequate. Devers appealed all the way to the War Department, and Major General Rassel L. Maksvell, the Assistant Chief of Staff G-4 of the War Department General Staff, ordered the 250 tanks built in December 1943. McNair finally relented in his opposition, but still opposed mass production; his Army Ground Forces even asked for the tanks to be "down-gunned" from 90 mm to 75 or 76 mm in April 1944, believing the 76 mm gun was capable of performing satisfactorily. Marshall then summarily ordered the tanks to be provided to the ETO as soon as possible. Ko'p o'tmay Normandiya bosqini in June 1944, General Duayt D. Eyzenxauer urgently requested heavy tanks, but McNair's continued opposition to mass production due to persistent serious mechanical problems with the vehicles delayed their procurement. That same month, the War Department reversed course and completely overruled the Army Ground Forces when making their tank production plan for 1945. 7,800 tanks were to be built, of which 2,060 were to be T26s armed with 90 mm guns, 2,728 were to be T26s armed with 105 mm howitzers, and 3,000 were to be M4A3 Sherman tanks armed with 105 mm howitzers. As a part of the plan, the British requested 750 90 mm-armed T26s and 200 105 mm-armed T26s.^[85] General McNair was killed in a botched air support mission in July 1944, and the path to production for the T26 tank became somewhat clearer. General Marshall intervened again and the tanks were eventually brought into full production. However, only a few T26 tanks (by then designated M26) saw combat beginning in February 1945, too late to have any effect on the battlefield.^[86]

Variantlar

A USMC M4A3 uses its flame thrower during the Ivo Jima jangi

The Sherman, like its M3 predecessor, was one of the first tanks to feature a gyroscopically stabilized gun and sight. The stabilization was only in the vertical plane, as the mechanism could not slew the turret. The stabilizer was sufficient to keep the gun's elevation setting within 1/8th of a degree, or 2 mil, while crossing moderately rough terrain at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h). This gave a hit probability of 70% on enemy tanks at ranges of 300 yards (270 m) to 1,200 yards (1,100 m).^[87] The utility of the stabilization is debatable, with some saying it was useful for its intended purpose, others only for using the sights for stabilized viewing on the move.^[88] Some operators disabled the stabilizer.^{[iqtibos kerak ]}

The 75 mm gun also had an effective canister round that functioned like a large shotgun. In the close fighting of the French yukxalta, AQSh armiyasining 2-zirhli diviziya tanks used Culin Hedgerow Cutters fitted to their tanks to push three tanks together through a hedgerow. The flank tanks would clear the back of the hedgerow on their side with canister rounds while the center tank would engage and suppress known or suspected enemy positions on the next hedgerow. This approach permitted surprisingly fast progress through the very tough and well-defended hedgerows in Normandy. Over 500 sets of these were fitted to US armored vehicles, and many fitted to various British tanks (where they were called "prongs").

The 75 mm gun had a oq fosfor shell originally intended for use as an artillery marker to help with targeting. M4 tank crews discovered that the shell could also be used against the Tiger and Panther—when the burning white phosphorus adhered to the German tanks, their excellent optics would be blinded and the acrid smoke would get sucked inside the vehicle, making it difficult or impossible for the crew to breathe. This, and the fear of fire starting or spreading inside the tank, would sometimes cause the crew to abandon the tank.^[89] There were several recorded instances where white phosphorus shells defeated German tanks in this fashion.^[90]

A variant of the M4 Sherman was armed with the 105 mm M4 howitzer, which provided even more powerful high explosive armament. This variant was employed in three-vehicle "assault gun" platoons in tank battalions along with another 1 in each medium tank company (for a total of 6 per tank battalion)^[91] to provide close fire support and smoke. Armored infantry battalions were also eventually issued three of these Shermans.^[92] The 105 mm-armed variants were of limited use against enemy tanks due to the poor anti-armor performance of the howitzer, which was not intended to fight other tanks, though a high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) round for the 105 mm howitzer was available for self-defense.

Zirh

This early 75 mm gun turret shows the single hatch; the additional rectangular external (welded on) ilova armor patch reinforces the ammunition bin protection on the hull side

Taret

The turret armor of the 75 mm and 105 mm-armed M4 ranged from 25.4 mm (1.00 in) to 76.2 mm (3.00 in) thick.^[93] The turret front armor was 76.2 mm thick, angled at 30 degrees from the vertical, giving an effective thickness of 87.9 mm (3.46 in). The opening in the front of the M4's turret for the main gun was covered by a rounded 50.8 mm (2.00 in) thick rotor shield. Early Shermans that had a periscopic sight for the main gun mounted in the turret roof possessed a small 76.2 mm (3.00 in) thick mantlet that only covered the hole where the main gun barrel protruded; the exposed barrel of the coaxial machine gun was vulnerable to bullet splash or shrapnel and a small armored cover was manufactured to protect it. When the Sherman was later fitted with a telescopic sight next to the main gun, a larger 76.2 mm (3.00 in) thick gun mantlet that covered the entire rotor shield including the sight and coaxial machine gun barrel was produced.^[93][94] 105 mm-armed Sherman tanks did not have a rotor shield, possessing only the mantlet to cover the opening in the turret front. The turret side armor was 50.8 mm (2.00 in) thick at a 5 degree angle from the vertical.^[94] The turret rear armor was 50.8 mm (2.00 in) thick and vertical, while the turret roof armor was 25.4 mm (1.00 in) thick, and flat.^[95]

Later models of the M4A1, M4A2 and M4A3 Sherman tanks were equipped with the T23 turret and the new 76 mm gun. This turret's armor was 63.5 mm (2.50 in) thick on the sides and rear, angled from 0 to 13 degrees from the vertical. It had a 25.4 mm (1.00 in) thick roof, which sat at 0 to 45 degrees from the vertical.^[3] The front of the T23 turret, which like the 105 mm-armed Sherman's turret, did not have a rotor shield, was protected by an unsloped 88.9 mm (3.50 in) thick cast gun mantlet. Combat experience indicated that the single hatch in the three-man 75 mm gun turret was inadequate for timely evacuation, so Ordnance added a loader's hatch beside the commander's beginning in late 1943. All 76 mm gun turrets had two roof hatches.

Hull

The 1943 improvement program added patches of appliqué armor to the sides of the turret and hull. This Sherman also sports a Culin hedgerow cutter, a 1944 field improvisation for breaking through the thick hedgerows of the Normandy yukxalta

The Sherman's muzlik plate was originally 50.8 mm (2.00 in) thick.^[93][95] and angled at 56 degrees from the vertical, providing an effective thickness of 90.8 mm (3.57 in). The M4, M4A1, early production M4A2 and early production M4A3 possessed protruding cast "hatchway" structures that allowed the driver and assistant driver's hatches to fit in front of the turret ring. In these areas, the effect of the glacis plate's slope was greatly reduced. Later Shermans had an upgraded glacis plate that was uniformly 63.5 mm (2.50 in) thick and sloped at 47 degrees from the vertical, providing an effective thickness of 93.1 mm (3.67 in) over the entire plate. The new design improved overall ballistic protection by eliminating the "hatchways", while also allowing for larger hatches for the driver and bow gunner. The cast hull M4A1 for the most part retained its previous glacis shape even after the larger hatches were introduced; the casting, irrespective of the larger hatches, sat 37 to 55 degrees from the vertical, with the large majority of the piece sitting closer to a 55 degree angle.^[3]

The transmission housing was rounded, made of three cast sections bolted together or cast as one piece. It ranged from 50.8–108 millimetres (2–4 ¹⁄₄ in) thick^[95] The upper and lower hull sides were 38 mm (1.5 in) thick,^[94][96] and vertical,^[95] while the upper hull rear was also 38 mm (1.5 in) thick, vertical or sloped at 10 degrees from the vertical. The lower hull rear, which protected the engine, was 38 mm (1.5 in) thick, sloped at 0 to 22 degrees from the vertical depending upon the variant.^[3] The hull roof was 25.4 mm (1.00 in).^[95] The hull floor ranged from 25.4 mm (1.00 in) thick under the driver and assistant driver's positions to 12.7 mm (0.50 in) thick at the rear. The M4 had a hatch on the hull bottom to dispose of spent shell casings and to provide an emergency escape route. In the Pacific, Marines often used this Sherman feature in reverse to recover wounded infantry under fire.

Samaradorlik

The armor of the M4 was effective against most early war tank and anti-tank weapons,^[93] but needed a compound angle to resist later German tank and anti-tank guns. The distinctive protruding "hatchways" of the early Sherman compromised the 56 degree-angled glacis plate, making them weak points where the effect of the glacis plate's slope was greatly reduced. In 1943, to make the thickness of these areas equal with the rest of the glacis plate, 1-inch thick (25 mm) appliqué armor plates were fitted in front of them.

A Waffenamt-Prüfwesen 1 report estimated^[97] that with the M4 angled 30 degrees sidewards, the Sherman's glacis plate was invulnerable to shots from the Tiger's 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56^[98] and that the Panther, with its 7.5 cm KwK 42 L/70, would have to close in to 100 meters (110 yd) to achieve a penetration in the same situation.^[99] Although the later-model German medium and heavy tanks were greatly feared, Buckley opined "The vast majority of German tanks encountered in Normandy were either inferior or merely equal to the Sherman."^[100]

Research for tank casualties in Normandy from 6 June to 10 July 1944 conducted by the British No. 2 Operatsion tadqiqotlar concluded that, from a sample of 40 Sherman tanks, 33 tanks burned (82 percent) and 7 tanks remained unburned following an average of 1.89 penetrations. In comparison, from a sample of 5 Panzer IV's, 4 tanks burned (80 percent) and 1 tank remained unburned, following an average of 1.5 penetrations. The Panther tank burned 14 times (63 percent) from a sample of 22 tanks and following 3.24 penetrations, while the Tiger burned 4 times (80 percent) out of a sample of 5 tanks following 3.25 penetrations.^[101] John Buckley, using a case study of the British 8-chi va 29th Armoured Brigades, found that of their 166 Shermans knocked out in combat during the Normandy campaign, 94 (56.6 percent) burned out. Buckley also notes that an American survey carried out concluded that 65% of tanks burned out after being penetrated.^[102] United States Army research proved that the major reason for this was the stowage of main gun ammunition in the vulnerable sponsons above the tracks. A U.S. Army study in 1945 concluded that only 10–15 percent of wet stowage Shermans burned when penetrated, compared to 60–80 percent of the older dry-stowage Shermans.^[103]

At first, a partial remedy to ammunition fires in the M4 was found in 1943 by welding 1-inch thick (25 mm) appliqué armor plates to the sponson sides over the ammunition stowage bins, though there was doubt that these had any effect. Later models moved ammunition stowage to the hull floor, with water jackets surrounding each stowage bin. The practice, known as "wet stowage", reduced the chance of fire after a hit to about 15 percent.^[104] The Sherman gained grim nicknames like "Zippo" (after the cigarette lighter), and "Ronson " (because "it lights the first time, every time";^[8] this story has been challenged on the grounds that the Ronson company did not begin using the slogan until the 1950s^[105]) and "Tommycooker" (by the Germans, who referred to British soldiers as "Tommies "; a tommy cooker edi a Birinchi jahon urushi -era trench pechka ). Fuel fires occasionally occurred, but such fires were far less common and less deadly than ammunition fires.^[103] In many cases, the fuel tank of the Sherman was found intact after a fire. Tankers described "fierce, blinding jets of flame", which is inconsistent with gasoline-related fires.^[102]

Yangilanishlar

Upgrades included the rectangular armor patches protecting ammunition stowage mentioned above, and smaller armor patches in front of each of the protruding hatchway structures in the glacis in an attempt to mitigate their ballistic weakness. Field improvisations included placing sandbags, spare track links, concrete, wire mesh, or even wood for increased protection against shaklli zaryad turlar. While mounting sandbags around a tank had little effect against high-velocity anti-tank gunfire it was thought to provide standoff protection against Issiqlik weapons, primarily the German Panzerfaust anti-tank grenade launcher and the bazuka - olingan Panzerschreck 88 mm calibre anti-tank rocket launcher. In the only study known to have been done to test the use of sandbags, on March 9, 1945, officers of the 1st Armored Group tested standard Panzerfaust 60s against sandbagged M4s; shots against the side blew away the sandbags and still penetrated the side armor, whereas shots fired at an angle against the front plate blew away some of the sandbags but failed to penetrate the armor. Earlier, in the summer of 1944, General Patton, informed by his ordnance officers that sandbags were useless and that the machines' chassis suffered from the extra weight, had forbidden the use of sandbags. Following the clamor for better armor and firepower after the losses of the Bulge jangi, Patton ordered extra armor plates salvaged from knocked-out American and German tanks welded to the turrets and hulls of tanks of his command. Approximately 36 of these up-armored M4s were supplied to each of the three armored divisions of the Third Army in the spring of 1945.^[106]

M4A3E2

M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbo. Many units replaced the original 75 mm gun with a 76 mm gun

The M4A3E2 Sherman "Jumbo" assault tank variant, based upon a standard M4A3(75)W hull, had an additional 38 mm (1.5 in) plate welded to the glacis, giving a total thickness of 101.6 mm (4.0 in), which resulted in a glacis of 148.97 mm (5.9 in) line-of-sight thickness, and over 180 mm (7.1 in) effective thickness.^[107] The sponson sides had 38 mm (1.5 in) thick plates welded on, to make them 76 mm (3.0 in) thick. The transmission cover was significantly thicker, and a new, more massive T23-style turret with 177.8 mm (7.0 in) of armor on the sides and rear and a 25.4 mm (1 in) thick flat roof, and a gun mantlet with an additional 88.9 mm (3.5 in) of armor welded on, which resulted in a thickness of 177.8 mm, was fitted. It was originally to be armed with the 76 mm gun, but the 75 mm was preferred for infantry support and was used, although some were later upgraded to use the 76. The higher weight required changing the transmission gear ratios to reduce maximum speed to 22 mph, and crews were warned not to let the suspension "bottom" too violently. 254 were built at the Fisher Tank Arsenal from May to July 1944, and arrived in Europe in the fall of 1944, being employed throughout the remainder of the fighting in various roles. They were considered "highly successful".^[108]

Harakatlilik

Vertikal volut buloqlari ning Styuart tanki with similar suspension system

In its initial specifications for a replacement for the M3 medium tank, the U.S. Army restricted the Sherman's height, width, and weight so that it could be transported via typical bridges, roads, railroads and landing craft without special accommodation. Army Regulation 850-15 restricted the widths of a tank to 103 inches and its weight to 30 tons. To conform to these standards the M4's initial tracks were 16.5 inches wide which produced ground pressure of 14 pounds per square inch and limited its off-road mobility.^[109] However, this greatly aided the strategic, logistical, and tactical flexibility and mobility of all Allied armored forces using the Sherman.A long-distance service trial conducted in Britain in 1943 compared diesel and gasoline Shermans to Kromvel tanklari (Rolls-Royce Meteor engine) and Centaur (Ozodlik L-12 ). The British officer commanding the trial concluded "They are utterly reliable.....I do not think they are quite as good as the Cromwell across country when they are running on rather worn rubber tracks and the going is greasy, neither does one get as smooth a ride, but they appear so infinitely superior in every other way particularly in reliability with a minimum of maintenance that this cross-country consideration is completely overweighed."^[110]

The Sherman had good speed both on and off-road. Off-road performance varied. In the desert, the Sherman's rubber-block tracks performed well, while in the confined, hilly terrain of Italy, the smaller, more nimble Sherman could often cross terrain that some heavy German tanks could not.

Albert Sper recounted in his autobiography Inside the Third Reich:

On the southwestern front (Italy) reports on the cross country mobility of the Sherman have been very favorable. The Sherman climbs mountains our tank experts consider inaccessible to tanks. One great advantage is that the Sherman has a very powerful motor in proportion to its weight. Its cross-country mobility on level ground is, as the 26th Panzer Division reports, definitely superior to that of our tanks.^[111]

However, while this may have held true compared with the first generation German tanks, such as the Panzer III and Panzer IV, comparative testing with the second generation wide-tracked German tanks (Panther and Tiger) conducted by the Germans at their Kummersdorf testing facility, as well as by the U.S. 2-zirhli diviziya, proved otherwise; partly from their use of the characteristic Shaxtellaufverk interleaved and overlapped roadwheels (as used on pre-war origin German halftrack vehicles), especially over muddy or other unfavorable terrain. Lieutenant Colonel Wilson M. Hawkins of the 2nd Armored Division wrote the following comparing the U.S. M4 Sherman and German Pantera in a report to Allied headquarters:

It has been claimed that our tank is the more maneuverable. In recent tests we put a captured German Mark V [Panther] against all models of our own. The German tank was the faster, both across country and on the highway and could make sharper turns. It was also the better hill climber.^[112]

This was backed up in an interview with Technical Sergeant Willard D. May of the 2nd Armored Division who commented: "I have taken instructions on the Mark V [Panther] and have found, first, it is easily as maneuverable as the Sherman; second the flotation exceeds that of the Sherman."^[112]

Staff Sergeant and tank platoon sergeant Charles A. Carden completes the comparison in his report:

The Mark V [Panther] and VI [Tiger] in my opinion have more maneuverability and certainly more flotation. I have seen in many cases where the Mark V and VI tanks could maneuver nicely over ground where the M4 would bog down. On one occasion I saw at least 10 Qirollik yo'lbarslari [Tiger II] make a counterattack against us over ground that for us was nearly impassable.^[112]

A Sherman with track widening "duckbill" extended end connectors

U.S. crews found that on soft ground, such as mud or snow, the narrow tracks gave poor (i.e., high) ground pressure compared to the Panther and Tiger. The U.S. Army issued extended end connectors ("duckbills") to add width to the standard tracks as a stopgap solution. Duckbills began to reach front-line tank battalions in fall 1944, but were original factory equipment for the heavy M4A3E2 Jumbo to compensate for the extra weight of armor. The M4A3(76)W HVSS Shermans and other late models with wider-tracked suspensions corrected these problems, but formed only a small proportion of the tanks in service even in 1945.

AQSh variantlari

Vehicles that used the M4 chassis or hull derived from M4:

• 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 also known as Wolverine – tankni yo'q qiluvchi
• 90 mm avtomat aravachasi M36 – tank destroyer
• 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7B1 also known as Priest – o'ziyurar artilleriya
• 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M12 – self-propelled gun, paired in service with the Cargo Carrier M30 (also derived from the Sherman)
• 155mm Gun Motor Carriage M40 – 155 mm self-propelled artillery (armed with the Uzoq Tom artilleriya qismi ), 8-inch (203 mm) HMC M43, 250-millimetre (9.8 in) MMC T94, and Cargo Carrier T30
• Sexton 25-pdr (88 mm) self-propelled gun-howitzer and variants
• Flame Tank Sherman – M4A3R3 Zippo, M4 Timsoh, and other flame-throwing Shermans
• Rocket Artillery Sherman – T34 Kalliope, T40 Whizbang, and other Sherman rocket launchers
• Amphibious tanks – Ikki tomonlama disk (DD) swimming Sherman. A British variant used by U.S. forces.
• Engineer tanks – D-8, M1, and M1A1 dozers, M4 Doozit, Mobile Assault Bridge, and T1E3 Jemima xola meniki rolik and other mine-clearers
• Zirhli qutqaruv vositasi – M32 tankini tiklash vositasi va M74 tankini tiklash vositasi
• Artilleriya traktorlari – M34 and M35 prime movers

Foreign variants and use

M4A2(76)W in Brno, 1945 yil aprel

An Israeli Army Sherman tank during Xorev operatsiyasi, 1948

The Sherman was extensively supplied through by Qarz berish to Britain, the Soviet Union, China, and Ozod Frantsiya. Britain received 17,181 in various models, mostly M4А2s and M4A4s (5,041 Sherman III and 7,167 V, respectively). The Soviet Union was shipped 4,065 M4 (M4A2s - 1,990 with 75mm- and 2,073 with 76mm-armed versions, 2 M4A4s).,^[113] or 4,102 M4 (2,007 with 75mm- and 2,095 with 76mm-armed versions).^[114] Еnrolled 3,664.^[115] The Free French were the third largest recipient, being given 755^[114] during 1943 and 1944. At least 57 (or 157) Shermans were also delivered to other U.S. allies.^[116][114]

A similar vehicle was developed in Canada from January 1941, known as the Qo'chqor tanki. Like the Sherman, this was based on the M3 Lee's chassis and elektr quvvati upgraded to have a turret, although it used a new turret of Canadian design.^[117] One improvement was the use of all-steel 'CDP' (Canadian Dry Pin) tracks, which although an inch narrower than the early M4 steel and rubber pad tracks, were cheaper to produce and gave better traction. Suspension units and roadwheels remained the M3 vertical volute pattern, with the idler yuqorida the mounting bracket, rather than the M4 development with the idler moved behind the mounting bracket to give more room for suspension travel. The Ram had a distinctive turret with a bolted flat-faced mantlet and the UK 6 pdr gun, with the hull machine gunner housed in a rotating turret based on the M3 'Lee' cupola, rather than the simpler ball-mount that was becoming universal for tank hull guns. Production facilities for the Ram were constructed at the Monreal lokomotiv zavodi yordamida Alko, but the large armor castings for turret and hull were supplied by General Steel Castings in the US. Greater Sherman production and availability meant that the Ram was never used in action as a gun tank, being either used for training or converted to Kanguru zirhli transportyorlari.^[117]

A later Canadian medium tank, produced from late 1943, was the Grizli, an adaption of the Sherman M4A1. This differed only in details, such as the CDP tracks, British radio equipment and the British 2" smoke mortar in the turret roof. 188 were produced.^[118]

After World War II, Shermans were supplied to some NATO qo'shinlar; Shermans were used by U.S. and allied forces in the Koreya urushi.

Shermans also went to Isroil.^[119] The Israeli up-gunned 75 mm M-50 and 105 mm armed M-51 Super Shermans are remarkable examples of how a long obsolete design can be upgraded for front-line use.^[120] They saw combat in the 1967 Olti kunlik urush, fighting Soviet World War II-era armor like the T-34/85, and also in the 1973 Yom Kippur urushi, proving effective even against newer, heavier Soviet tanks like the T-54 va T-55.

Paraguay retired three Shermans from the Regimiento Escolta Presidencial (REP, Presidential Escort Regiment) in 2018, which marked the end of service of the final Sherman tanks in use anywhere in the world.^[121]

Sobiq operatorlar

Shuningdek qarang

Tanklar taqqoslanadigan rol, ishlash va davr

Adabiyotlar

Izohlar

Iqtiboslar

Bibliografiya

Tashqi havolalar