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The Medium M4A2 76mm was a Medium Tank designed in 1944, it was based on the fully tracked Sherman chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1980. It was commonly called a Sherman IIIA.

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General Details (Medium Tank)
Specifications
Operational Date(s)1944 - 1980
Quantity Produced2915
Weight32 tonne
Crew5
M.G's small3
M.G's large(>10mm)n/a
Length6.25 mtr
Width2.71 mtr
Height3.00 mtr
Engine Details/Performance
Max Road Speed29 mph
Max Cross Country Speed18 mph
Range Road150 miles
Range Cross Country60 miles
Fuel TypeDiesel
Fuel Capacity148 gal
Horse Power375 hp
Power/Weight11 hp/tonne
General Information
The Medium M4A2 76mm was a Medium Tank designed in 1944, it was based on the fully tracked Sherman chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1980. It was commonly called a Sherman IIIA.

The vehicle was powered by GMC '6046' diesel powerplant producing 375 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 29 mph with a range of about 150 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 18 mph and a range of about 60 miles.

It was armed with 3 light machine guns which were 0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4s. Its main armament consisted of a 76mm Gun M1 L/55 which could penetrate 118.7 mm of flat plate at 100 metres.

The Sherman IIIA M4A2 76 was a similar shape to the M4 but had a welded hull and was powered by twin General Motors diesel engines.

The cast turret carrying the gyro stabilised 76mm Gun M1A1C was the same as that of the Sherman IA.
As with the earlier Sherman IA the drive sprocket was at the front, the track went under 3 double bogie wheels onto the idler, then back over 3 return rollers.

Armour Details
Turret
Front65mm@(65mm)
Side65mm@(65mm)
Rear65mm@(65mm)
Top25mm@90°(25mm)
Superstructure
Front65mm@45°(92mm)
Side50mm@(50mm)
Rear38mm@(38mm)
Top19mm@90°(19mm)
Hull
Front40mm@45°(57mm)
Side40mm@(40mm)
Rear38mm@(38mm)
Top14mm@90°(14mm)
Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°)
Effective Armour - Maximum 92 mm - Minimum 14 mm

Weapon Details
Flag
76mm Gun M1 L/55 Blank
Calibre76.20mm
LengthL/55
Number of Rounds 72

Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
AP
(AP Armor Piercing)
76.20mm 6.8Kg 792M/Sec
Quoted Penetration 88mm@1000m
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.26 0.53 1.09 1.7 2.34 3.02 3.74
Penetration(mm@30°) 102 99 94 84 75 67 59 53
Penetration(mm@0°) 119 115 109 97 87 78 69 62
Hit Probability(%) 93 93 90 83 64 52 23 14
Weapon Details
Flag
0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4
(Machine Gun) x 2
Blank
ManufacturerBrowning
Manufactured1919 - 1945
Calibre7.60mm
LengthL/80
Rate of Fire480 rpm
Number of Rounds 6000

Ammunition Details
Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Explosive Content
.30-06 Springfield
(BALL Standard Small Arms)
7.62mm 0.012Kg 820M/Sec
Range(Mtr)1002004008001200160020002400
Flight Time(Secs) 0.12
Penetration(mm@30°) 1
Penetration(mm@0°) 2
Hit Probability(%) 74

About Penetration Figures

All penetration figures in this database are calculated to a common standard based on German WWII testing criteria (complete penetration with functioning fuze). This allows direct comparison between all nations' guns.

Original national test figures would be higher for some nations due to different criteria:

  • German: 1.00? (baseline - strictest)
  • British: 1.02? (slightly looser)
  • American: 1.05? (50% mass through plate)
  • Soviet: 1.10? (75% mass through plate)

For example, a Soviet gun showing 159mm here would be published as ~175mm in Soviet documents, and a German gun showing 120mm would be published as 120mm in German documents. The 159mm figure is directly comparable to the German 120mm - the Soviet gun really was more powerful.

National Testing Standards
German:1.00? - Complete penetration, fuze functions (strictest)
British:1.02? - Complete penetration
American:1.05? - 50% of shell mass through plate
Soviet:1.10? - 75% of shell mass through plate
All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison. Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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