The M-4 Sherman

[Seaspriter]

It's not fair to say the M-4 Sherman was inferior because it was not the equal of a German Tiger tank in 1 to 1 combat. The Sherman was not designed for anti-tank warfare, it was designed to be highly mobile, very reliable, and excellent support for infantry operations. It could be produced in mass production (nearly 30,000 produced in 1943), loaded on transport ships to cross the Atlantic, and reliable in the field with a great V-8 engine.

While the Shermans charged on with better range and mobility than their opponents, the Tigers were strong on firepower and armour, but lacking in mobility and too many were broken down, unable to perform. It's like a sports team that has heavy duty players who are out of condition and injured.

A Tiger could travel 60 miles on 150 gallons of gas, compared to the Sherman's range of 120 miles on 175 gallons. In a race car competition, the Tiger would be in the pits refueling twice as many times as a Sherman.

And the Tiger weighed in a whopping 68.5 tonnes, compared to less than half that for the Sherman. It meant that may Tigers couldn't cross many bridges in Europe, having to take alternative routes. For its limits, history proved the Sherman to be the better choice.