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The Medium M4A3 76mm was a Medium Tank designed in 1942, it was based on the fully tracked Sherman chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1980. It was commonly called a Sherman IVA. |
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| General Details (Medium Tank) |
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| | Specifications | | Operational Date(s) | 1944 - 1980 | | Quantity Produced | 3071 | | Weight | 34 tonne | | Crew | 5 | | M.G's small | 3 | | M.G's large(>10mm) | n/a | | Length | 6.25 mtr | | Width | 2.71 mtr | | Height | 3.00 mtr | | Engine Details/Performance | | Max Road Speed | 26 mph | | Max Cross Country Speed | 17 mph | | Range Road | 130 miles | | Range Cross Country | 52 miles | | Fuel Type | Petrol | | Fuel Capacity | 168 gal | | Horse Power | 500 hp | | Power/Weight | 14 hp/tonne | | | General Information | The Medium M4A3 76mm was a Medium Tank designed in 1942, it was based on the fully tracked Sherman chassis and was in use from 1944 to 1980. It was commonly called a Sherman IVA.
The vehicle was powered by Ford 'GAA' petrol powerplant producing 500 HP which could drive the vehicle on roads at up to 26 mph with a range of about 130 miles before refuelling. Its cross country performance was good providing a max speed of about 17 mph and a range of about 52 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 IVA M4A3 was a similar shape to the M4 but had a welded hull and was powered by a Ford GAA-III engine producing 500HP.
The cast turret carrying the gyro stabilised 75mm Gun M3 was the same as that of the Sherman I.
As with the earlier Sherman I the drive sprocket was at the front, the track went under 3 double bogie wheels onto the idler, then back over 3 return rollers. All of the 75mm armed version of this tank had glycol filled ammunition racks which were known as wet stowage they were designated as M4A3W | |
| | Turret | | Front | | 65mm | @ | 0° | (65mm) | | Side | | 65mm | @ | 0° | (65mm) | | Rear | | 65mm | @ | 0° | (65mm) | | Top | | 25mm | @ | 90° | (25mm) |
| | Superstructure | | Front | | 65mm | @ | 45° | (92mm) | | Side | | 50mm | @ | 0° | (50mm) | | Rear | | 38mm | @ | 0° | (38mm) | | Top | | 19mm | @ | 90° | (19mm) |
| | Hull | | Front | | 40mm | @ | 45° | (57mm) | | Side | | 40mm | @ | 0° | (40mm) | | Rear | | 38mm | @ | 0° | (38mm) | | Top | | 14mm | @ | 90° | (14mm) |
| | Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) | | Effective Armour - Maximum 92 mm - Minimum 14 mm |
| | Weapon Details |
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76mm Gun M1 L/55 |
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| | Calibre | 76.20mm |
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| | Length | L/55 |
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| | Number of Rounds | 72 |
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| Ammunition Details |
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| Name/Id |
Calibre Weight MVelocity |
Explosive Content |
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AP
(AP Armor Piercing)
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76.20mm 6.8Kg 792M/Sec | |
| Quoted Penetration 88mm@1000m |
| Range(Mtr) | 100 | 200 | 400 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 2000 | 2400 |
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| Flight Time(Secs) |
0.13 |
0.26 |
0.53 |
1.09 |
1.7 |
2.34 |
3.02 |
3.74 |
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| Penetration(mm@30°) |
102 |
99 |
94 |
84 |
75 |
67 |
59 |
53 |
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| Penetration(mm@0°) |
119 |
115 |
109 |
97 |
87 |
78 |
69 |
62 |
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| Hit Probability(%) |
93 |
93 |
90 |
83 |
64 |
52 |
23 |
14 |
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| Weapon Details |
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0.3 inch Browning Machine Gun M1919A4
(Machine Gun) x 2 |
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| | Manufacturer | Browning |
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| | Manufactured | 1919 - 1945 |
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| | Calibre | 7.60mm |
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| | Length | L/80 |
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| | Rate of Fire | 480 rpm |
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| | Number of Rounds | 6000 |
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| Ammunition Details |
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| Name/Id |
Calibre Weight MVelocity |
Explosive Content |
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.30-06 Springfield
(BALL Standard Small Arms)
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7.62mm 0.012Kg 820M/Sec | |
| Range(Mtr) | 100 | 200 | 400 | 800 | 1200 | 1600 | 2000 | 2400 |
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| Flight Time(Secs) |
0.12 |
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| Penetration(mm@30°) |
1 |
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| Penetration(mm@0°) |
2 |
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| Hit Probability(%) |
74 |
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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.
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| National Testing Standards |
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| 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 |
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All database figures are normalized to German standard for direct comparison.
Multiply by the factor above to see original national test figures.
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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.
© WWIITanks 1980-2026
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