M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Steven Zaloga (Author), Jim Laurier (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: April 20, 2003

The M4 Sherman tank was the mainstay of the Western allies between 1942 and 1945. Fast and modern it was a big success and was transported as far afield as Russia and North Africa. The American Chief of Staff claimed in November 1943 it was 'hailed widely as the best tank on the battlefield today…’. However, by the Normandy invasion of June 1944 this was not the case: the new German heavy tanks such as the Panther and Tiger were completely outclassing the Sherman. This title covers the M4 version armed with the 76 mm gun, examining developments such as the HVSS suspension, using much new archive material.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Steven J Zaloga was born in 1952, received his BA in history from Union College, and his MA from Columbia University. He has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armoured vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Second World War, and he has also written extensively on American armoured forces.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (April 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841765422
• ISBN-13: 978-1841765426
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.1 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #828,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm. His professional specialization is the commercial and technological aspects of the international trade in missiles, precision guided munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles. He also serves as an adjunct staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank.

Mr. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles on military technology and military history. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He has been a special correspondent for "Jane's Intelligence Review" and is on the executive board of the "Journal of Slavic Military Studies". From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/director for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series "Firepower" that aired on The Discovery Channel in the US.

Mr. Zaloga was born in 1952 and received his BA in history from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He received an MA in history from Columbia University specializing in modern East European history, and did graduate research and language study at Uniwersitet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Zaloga Hit, Qualified, February 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Well detailed developmental history and World War Two deployment as expected of Zaloga's caliber of work. A tad disappointed that of 37 pages with data, including four with color plates commentary, only two pages and two color plate comments covered the Korean War; a little over two pages and two color plate comments cover post-war exports. The 76mm served barely over one year in World War Two, but fought all three years of the Korean War; that deserves more detailed coverage. I also would have appreciated more details on the disposition of post-WWII U.S.Army occupation forces, such as when which units traded in their older Shermans for newer tanks. Also given short shrift were flamethrower mountings, and while Zaloga goes into some detail on the 17-pounder gun, there's almost no mention of 105mm howitzer tanks the 76mm habitually served with. Overall a very informative work on the development and early deployment of the 76mm gun Sherman.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent treatment on the 76 mm Sherman, June 13, 2007

By 

moviemusicbuff (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Steven Zaloga does a great job of describing the development, combat performance, and the foreign / post WWII service of the 76mm Sherman.

What I found most interesting was his description of the tankers' reaction to the upgraded Sherman. Most tank commanders actually preferred the 75 mm Sherman because of its better HE performance, and lower muzzle blast. They only favored the 76mm Sherman when they had to face German Panther and Tiger tanks in abundance.

Zaloga also describes the controversy surrounding the inadequacy of the firepower of the Sherman tank -- how Army Ordnance completely misdiagnosed the performance of the 76mm ammo and resisted efforts to uparm the Sherman with a 90mm weapon. Zaloga gives helpful charts on the armor penetration of the 76mm gun, compared to the 17 pounder and the 90mm gun.

The third thing I was fascinated about was Zaloga's description of the combat performance of the Sherman in the Korean War. Initially the tankers favored the M26 Pershing but later on in 1951 they favored the M4A3E8 Sherman (armed with HVAP) more than the M26 due to its reliability, ease of handling, and its maneuverability.

Zaloga was able to give a very comprehensive overview of the 76mm Sherman tank in just 48 pages. I think that Zaloga should write another volume on the Sherman Tank in Israeli service in the Arab/Israeli Wars. The Israeli army used the upgunned Sherman tank prominently in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the War of Attrition. He could have included a small section about this in the book, but evidently he is constricted by the 48 page limit.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The coloured plates by Jim Laurier are excellent as always. This book should be in the library of any WW2 tank buff.

2 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totally unimformed, February 12, 2006

By 

John D. Petley (Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

Okay...I bought this book to find out how big this tank was!...guess what...nowhere in this book...(a book ON THE SHERMAN TANK no less)...can I find how long this tank is!!!...how wide this tank is. You would think that this would be basic information on the subject. What possible excuse could there be for not having this info readily available in a book on the Sherman tank. Beats me..if anyone can help, please recommend a book where I can find this information.