Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnews!military From: msmiller@glass.Eng.Sun.COM (Mark Miller) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: RE: M4 Tank Info Message-ID: <15420@cbnews.ATT.COM> Date: 10 Apr 90 16:47:58 GMT Sender: military@cbnews.ATT.COM Lines: 48 Approved: military@att.att.com From: msmiller@glass.Eng.Sun.COM (Mark Miller) Status: R > From: digi!rvannost%digi.lonestar.org (Richard M. Van Nostrand) > > In response to L.J. Sparvero's post about the M4 Sherman, > > First I personally don't believe that the basic M4 was an MBT. > It was a medium tank that was all to often thrust into the role > of an MBT. I believe it only had a 76 mm gun, which, as the war > progressed, proved inadaquate for medium-long range frontal engagements > with the heavier german tanks. The main gun was like a 75/L40 for most of the war. The 76mm version M4A3E8 (the "Easy-Eight") came later in the war and many were field upgrades. One must also bear in mind that the US was fighting on just about every continent - from the Sahara to the Solomons to the Ardennes. The ruggedness and reliability of the Sherman was a vital concern when supporting an army in so many climates. The British had reliability problems pretty much throughout the war with their own designs - especially in the desert campaigns. The Germans had problems in Russia as well. The old Sherman served everywhere and just kept going. > (I will agree that I find it rather odd that a country that obviously won > WWII based on the number of weapons that it could produce rather than the > quality of the weapons. Well, another example of this is the German invasion of France in '40. The French had more tanks with better guns and armor on a per-vehicle basis that the Germans had. Most French equipment had sloped armor while the German tanks were pretty much slab-sided. The Germans used what they had to better effectiveness, just as the US did later in the war. Oh, and total air superiority helps too. > Overall, the Germans had some of the highest > quality weapons of the entire war. (I have seen reports that claim the > MG-34 is superior to our M-60.) Compare pictures of the German MG-42 and the M-60. Also, compare the MP-44 and the AK-47. Amazing similarity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mark S. Miller UUCP: msmiller@Sun.COM "In a nation ruled by swine, ################## GEnie: MSMILLER all pigs are upward mobile." ###################################################### - Hunter S. Thompson