In comparison, the weight of a standard, fully loaded M4A3 was 34 tons. In late 1943/early 1944, the General Motors Proving Ground carried out tests on an M4A3 loaded with weights to give it a total weight of 41 tons. The US needed a heavily armored assault tank, so, as always, they turned to the Sherman as a stop-gap solution. It was hoped that the M26 would reach units by late 1944 to assist on the Continent, but it was clear this was not going to happen. This is the T14, a failed attempt at creating an assault tank with similar features to the Sherman.Įxperiences with powerful German anti-tank guns cemented the need for such a vehicle, and the upcoming invasion of Europe increased this further.

One of the earlier ideas discussed was a British suggestion to up armor the M4 Sherman, which was still in development. Therefore there were plans to replace it from the get go. Contentsīack in early 1942, long before the M4A3E2 was even on the drawing board, British and US representatives had been discussing the idea of creating a heavily armored assault tank that could replace the Churchill.Īt this point it was thought that the Churchill was going to suffer from poor mobility and reliability. Read on to find out just how the US turned the humble Sherman into an armored fortress. The end result was one of the most heavily armored tanks to see action during the Second World War, capable of shrugging of even the German 88. The turret was a custom job, although it still resembled the standard type, and had more armor on its sides than the Tiger I had on its front. This was the M4A3E2, often called the “Jumbo”, and wasn’t some “variant” that is essentially a whole new design, no, this was a Sherman that literally had extra armor welded to it in the factory. It is often said that Shermans had thin armor and were little more than fodder for German tanks, so it may surprise you to learn that the US actually produced a variant of the Sherman with armor that not only rivalled the Tiger I, but exceeded it.

M4a3e2 vs m4a3e8 world of tanks blitz