Ride in a Sherman

[JBS]

Saturday I did a road escort for some restored military vehicles. As a thank you they gave me a ride in this restored Sherman tank. What a blast. It was a lot smaller on the inside than the M60A1E3 I commanded in the 80’s a Halftrack with quad 50s, and a Scoutcar.Attachment 32150Attachment 32151Attachment 32152

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[browningautorifle]

I'd love to warm up that quad .50. I did lots of single guns and anti aircraft role with the .50 but that would out do them all...

[Maple_Leaf_Eh]

My father took me and my brothers for a ride in a Sherman just before his reserve unit turned them in. (Militia in Canada is a good word.) I was about 6yrs old and remember the brush falling away in front of the hull. Many years later I got a chance to ride in a halftrack from one village in northern New York State to the next town for a military vehicle rally. It wasn't much bigger than a modern 1/2 ton pickup truck. The collectors also had an M3 Stuart that was unmercifully small inside. Great mobility and speed, but how two guys fought in that turret is beyond me.

[smellie]

Try three in the turret of the Sherman.

Commander had his head and top half out of the top, feet on the Gunner's shoulders. Loader was also Radioman and had to look after the co-ax and the Master Weapon as well as do the Radio job at the same time.

LOTsa funs!

Badger knows all about it. We were still using Shermans here when Fidel was stashing nukes in his garden. Even with the 76.2mm HV gun, God alone knows what would have happened if we had had to tangle with a T-55.

Just as glad it didn't come to pass, but still love to see the old ones running.

Almost all of ours were used for target practice for the Artillery. What a waste! They should have given one to me!!!
.

[BGunther]

What kind of Powerplant did it have?
I miss the Screaming Jimmies. Used to be you couldn't throw a rock with-out hitting a bank of Jimmies. It seems that the Russians got the majority of the diesel powered Shermans ( read that somewhere )
But I love the sound of a 8-92 at full bellow, makes me want to drink Brown Likker and howl at the moon.

[x westie]

Actually i believe the Sherman had two 6-71 detroit engines, as the 6-71 series was being produced in the 40's when the Sherman was in production.

[Bruce McAskill]

The Sherman used a Ford flathead V8 gas engine. That was why it was called a Ronson by the British forces who used them as they would burn quite easily when hit.

[JBS]

The one I rode in was a cast hull M4 and had a Continental Radial engine in it, runs on aviation gas. The other Sherman they have is a welded hull and has a conventional V engine.

[BGunther]

They actually had various different powerplants; a massive ford V-8 ( 500 sticks in my mind; CID or HP...), 6-54 Detroit 2 strokes ( compounded X 2), a radial aircraft motor, and a funky Chrysler multibank ( 5 x 6 cylinder flathead truck engines).
There is a book at the local library that has an in depth breakdown; also a Chilton or Haynes manual for Sherman tanks, pretty cool actually.
I may be mistaken on the Detroit displacement; but it stuck in my mind because it was different. Like I said 6-71`s were everywhere along with 8-71`s & 8-92`s. I never worked on big enough iron to have experience with the V-12`s.
Awesomely simple, robust engines though. I recall an oil sampler vibrating out of No. 1 engine on a bank of 6-71`s at FULL LOAD / FULL THROTTLE. The Murphy switch killed it when the oil pressure went to `Zero`but No. 2 engine drug it along for a minute or two.
It looked like someone had dropped a grenade in a bbl of used oil. Black as tar oil dripping from a 10 foot roof and the walls as well. Toolie screwed a Player`s no filter in his mouth and said `Well put that f--king Sampler back in...tight this time. Fille`r up with oil and lets see what she`ll do`
2 min`s after that she was back on line and we were back making hole.
Now that`s tough!

[blazer91]

Almost all of ours were used for target practice for the Artillery. What a waste! They should have given one to me!!!

you said it,
my dad got a ride in a Sherman when his dad was part of a postwar "Army day" demo in Ontario and I got a ride in a M109 during a mid 60s "Army day" in Germany when Dad was stationed there with RCA.
Jim