Little Guy - Big Guy by Buffalo1
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Description
Two more refurbished tanks from Aberdeen Proving Ground are the French Renault R35 and the U.S. Army's M4A1E8 Sherman "Easy 8." (See Tryphon's comment.)The French R35 was the most numerous tank available to France in 1940, but it was really a product of WWI thinking as it was designed for infantry support. The R35 had no radio. All French tank designs suffered from the one man turret where the tank commander was also the loader and gunner. The short 37mm gun was not very effective against German armor.
The mass produced M4 Sherman was a nasty surprise for the Germans and Italians in North Africa in 1942. German tank design would outpace it by mid-1943 and the Sherman's short 75mm gun could not match the killing range of the long barrel 75mm guns of the Mark IV or Panther. The 88mm gun on Tigers was a true Sherman killer. However, the Sherman was utterly reliable and easily modified. The M4A1E8 was one of the final production versions mounting a long barrel 76mm gun that gave it a better chance against German armor. It also had the new HVSS suspension system. (The U.S. Army should have mounted the even better British 17 pounder that graced the British "Firefly" Sherman.)Easy 8 Shermans were called back to service in Korea in 1950, and soldiered on in both unmodified and modified forms in many armies. The ultimate modifications came from the Israeli Army which ended up mounting the NATO 105mm gun on the "Isherman" which fought in the Six Day War of 1967 and the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Some of these were passed along to the Lebanese Christian militia in the 1980s. The Israeli Army was still using the Sherman chasis for self-propelled artillery as the 21st Century began.
Comments (15)
Artlan59
Great find. Never saw any of these smaller units before. Very nice.
jocko500
real super . love this history
rj2650
Great shot. Like a father and son.
Tryphon
Nice pic comparing the the Sherman & the Renault R35 sizes, they sure made those early WWII AVF very small... As for the Sherman, this is actually an M4A1E8, it has a cast hull & raised engine louvres like the M4 & M4A1. Whereas the M4A3E8 had flush engine louvres & a welded hull, they both had the same 76mm turret with wet stowage & shared the same HVSS (Horisontal Volute Spring Suspension). The M4A1E8 was the basis for the Isreli Isherman with the 105 french gun from the AMX30. Because of the suspension you are partially correct in calling it an Easy Eight! ;) Oh yes, I am obsessed with the early M4A1`s & M4s in general.
tallpindo
I only know about the motors, the Chrysler 42 cylinder radial of sixes, the twin huge Ford V-8's and the twin Jimmy diesels. When I came here in 1983 I was intimidated by the TACCOM but I ordered my RFP and made a response.
erlandpil
Good shot again ewrland
debbielove
Wonderful shot. Of course we've all seen Shermans before nut I've never seen a French Renault R35 before at all in real life, so to speak. Great one. Thanks my friend, Rob
Vik9740
it may be small but i bet it still packs a pretty big wallop!
artroland
Wonderful history lesson, and a great shot of two very different pieces of armor! Nicely done!
rawdodb
Very different Tanks!!! Excellent shot and History!!!!!
busi2ness
Very well maintained, in immaculate condition. Well captured.
Osper
Nice shot. The problem with the US Army and the Sherman was in the conception of what a tank was to do on the battle field. In North Africa, the Sherman wasn't "Be all you can be".
Buffalo1
@tryphon: I should've known it wasn't an M4A3E8 since I have one sitting on my model shelf at home with the welded "square" hull. Anyway, thanks for the correction!
neiwil
Now if that don't tell a story!. It beggars belief you could get a commander AND a driver in that at the same time.I'd never considered the Sherman to be a big tank, but it was cavenous compared to that R35.Thanks for the info and a great pic.
junge1
Superb. Nice comparison!