Die Waffenkammer US015 M4A3E8 Sherman (Early)

M4A3E8 Sherman (Early)

Very fine resin WW II military vehicle kit, in 1/56 scale (28mm). Needs to be assembled and painted. Crew figure and stowage included.

Master by Jeff Trnka.

The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most numerous battle medium tank used by the United States and some of the other Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce and available in great numbers. Thousands were distributed through the Lend-Lease program to the British Commonwealth and Soviet Union. The tank was named by the British for the American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The US 75 mm gun tank gun M2 and the later M3 were the standard American tank guns of the World War II, used primarily on the two main American medium tanks of the war, the M3 Lee (M2 or M3 gun) and the M4 Sherman (M3 gun, longer derivative of the M2).
- Barrel length: 40 calibers
- Muzzle velocity: 619 m/s (2,031 ft/s) with M72 AP shell

The Army had seven main sub-designations for M4 variants during production: M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4, M4A5, and M4A6. These designations did not necessarily indicate linear improvement; in that ''M4A3'' did not indicate it was better than ''M4A2.'' These sub-types indicated standardized production variations, which were in fact often manufactured concurrently at different locations. About M4A3, early Shermans mounted a 75 mm medium-velocity general-purpose gun, but the Army decided to minimize production disruption by incorporating elements of other tank designs into the Sherman. That’s why M4A3 models received the larger T23 turret with a high-velocity 76 mm gun, and later again, the M4A3 were factory-produced with a 105 mm howitzer and a distinctive rounded mantlet, which surrounded the main gun, on the turret.

The M4A3 model was the first to be factory-produced with the horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS) system, beginning in September 1944. With wider tracks to distribute weight, and the smooth ride of the HVSS, it gained the nickname ''Easy Eight'' from its experimental E8 designation.