M4 (105)

The M4 (105) was an M4 Sherman tank with 105 mm howitzer. It was a secondary version of the M4 Sherman, which was mainly used as mobile artillery, although the tank also used high-explosive anti-tank missiles and was heavily armored.

History

A total of 6748 M4 (from July 1942 to January 1944) and 1641 of the late variant were produced with a 105 mm howitzer for infantry support, the M4 (105). Early models had the three-piece screwed nose, while later models had a mixed cast/rolled fuselage. The gun coat also evolved from the M34 to a more protective M34A. A known weakness of the early M4 was the slight flammability of the ammunition after a hit, especially because of the large howitzer ammunition, which then set the engine on fire or blew up the tank. However, many tanks of the states involved in the war had this problem. Because of this fire danger, the Sherman was later called "Ronson" by the crews (a well-known lighter brand which later used the advertising slogan "Lights the first time, every time!"). The Germans called it "Tommykocher". Later models of the M4, introduced at the beginning of 1944, renedied this weakness by installing water tanks on the storage areas of the ammunition. This system, known as "wet stowage," reduced the fire risk by more than a factor of four after a hit in the combat room.