[pfflier]

Sherman tank = tommy cooker

Another name was the rolling Ronson...Lights the first time every time. It was a flaming deathtrap when hit because it ran on AVGAS.

It was fast and maneuverable and produced in large numbers.. Unfortunately, that all it had going for it.

It's main armament was poor (75mm) that couldn't penetrate German front armor. It had to sneak up on the flanks or rear of German tanks for a kill.

Defensively, it had a high profile and it's armor was insufficient.

[Rockingham]

Yet the Sherman was speedy, reliable, easy to use and repair. and available in war winning numbers. The Germans regarded the Sherman as a potent adversary when properly employed.

[BroJoeK]

NWFree: "Sherman tank = tommy cooker"

pfflier: "Another name was the rolling Ronson...Lights the first time every time."

In all fairness to the M4, it was first designed in 1940 as an infantry support tank whose major opponent was the German Panzers Mark 3s & 4s.
Sherman was intended for mass production, ease of transport across oceans & beaches, plus ease of operation & maintenance.
When the Sherman was attacked in the press, in 1945, Gen. Patton defended it as an offensive weapon, whereas the German Tiger was so heavy & immobile it was, for practical purposes, merely a defensive gun.

M4s remained in production to the end of WWII and in service for many years after, and long after many countries (including the USA) had developed heavier tanks which could blow a Sherman to pieces.

See also Rockingham's post #31.

[Ozark Tom]

“It’s modified so it’s as fast in reverse as it is going forward—we aim to get out of trouble as fast as we find ourselves getting into it”— Oddball.

[Flag_This]

"It was fast and maneuverable and produced in large numbers.. Unfortunately, that all it had going for it."

I found this video to be very informative on the subject of the Sherman:
Myths of American Armor