:: ''هذه المقالة عن دبابة أمريكية ، لإستخدامات أخرى لكمة شيرمان ، أنظر شيرمان (توضيح)''

{{Infobox Weapon|is_vehicle=yes | name= - الدبابة المتوسطة أم 4Medium Tank M4 
| image=300px
| caption=A M4 Sherman الدبابة شيرمان إيه أم 4 التي صنعت خلال الحرب العالمية الثانية
| النوع=دبابة متوسطة
| بلد المنشأ=
<!-- Service history -->
|فترة الخدمة= 1942 - 1955 (US service)<br/>
|used_by=أنظر النص
<!--<br/>-->
|wars= الحرب العالمية الثانية<br/>
الحرب الأهلية اليونانية<br>
الحرب العربية الإسرائيلية<br/>
الحرب الكورية<br/>
أزمة السويس<br/>
الحرب الهندية الباكستانية 1965<br/>
حرب الستة أيام<br/>
الحرب الهندية الباكستانية 1971<br/>
حرب السادس من أكتوبر
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= 
|design_date= 1940
|manufacturer=
|unit_cost=
|production_date=
|number= 
|النماذج المختلفة= See M4 Sherman variants and Postwar Sherman tanks

| الطاقم=5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
| الطول= 5.84 m (19 ft 2 in)
| العرض=2.62 m (8 ft 7 in)
| الارتفاع=2.74 m (9 ft)
| الوزن=30.3 tonnes (66,800 lb)
| الدروع=19 - 91 mm
| التسليح الأساسي=75 mm M3 L/40 gun
90 rounds
| التسليح الثانوي=1x .50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun<br> 300 .50 rounds<br>2×.30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns
4,750 .30-06 rounds
| المحرك=Continental R975 C1 gasoline
| قوة المحرك=400 hp (298 kW) gross @ 2400 rpm<br>350 hp (253 kW) net @ 2400 rpm
| التعليق=Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS)
| السرعة=38.5 km/h (24 mi/h) (brief)
| pw_ratio=14 hp/tonne
| وقود الدبابة=120 miles @ 175 US gal (145 imp. gal) / 80 octane<br>193 km @ 660 l / 80 octane
}}

'''دبابة شيرمان'''  أو 
كانت "شيرمان" الدبابة الأمريكية الرئيسية خلال الحرب العالمية الثانية. كانت هذه الدبابة متوسطة الحجم تزن 35 طناً ومسلحة بمدفع  75ملم ، عيار 40. وكانت لدى هذا المدفع اختراق دروع عرض 3.7 بوصة من مسافة 500 ياردة. تميزت الدبابة شيرمان بدروع قطرها 2.8 بوصة في الأمام و 1.6 بوصة في الجوانب و 1.4 بوصة في الخلف. وكانت تحمل طاقم مكون من 5 أفراد وكان بها 3 مدافع آلية.

==المقارنة بين شيرمان والدبابات الألمانية==
إلا أن الدبابة شيرمان كانت غير كفء مقارنة بأي من الدبابات الألمانية التي حاربت ضدها. وينطبق ذلك حتى على الدبابة بانزر 4 Panzer 4  ، الأضعف ضمن منافسيها، إلا أنها كان بها مدفع أقوى ، ومقارنة بالبانثر والتايجر كانت الشيرمان خارج المنافسة. كان لدى البانثر والتايجر دروع أمامية ثخانات 4.8 و 4 بوصات على التوالي ، ولهذا لم تستطع الشيرمان أن تدمر أي منهم في معركة مواجهة بعضهم البعض ، وحتى ضمن المدى القصير. كانت المدافع الألمانية أقوى من مدافع الشيرمان ، حيث كان يمكنها بسهولة اختراق دروع الشيرمان الأمامية حتى ضمن مسافات المدى الطويل.

:''WWII foreign variants and use: Lend-Lease Sherman tanks.'' ''Post-WWII foreign variants and use: Postwar Sherman tanks''
{{Infobox Weapon|is_vehicle=yes | name=Medium Tank M4 
| image=300px
| caption=A M4 Sherman tank made during the Second World War
| type=medium tank
| origin=United States
<!-- Service history -->
|service= 1942–1955 (US service)<br/>
|used_by=see text
<!--<br/>-->
|wars= World War II<br/>
Greek Civil War<br>
Arab-Israeli War<br/>
Korean War<br/>
Suez Crisis<br/>
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965<br/>
Six-Day War<br/>
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971<br/>
Yom Kippur War
<!-- Production history -->
|designer= 
|design_date= 1940
|manufacturer=
|unit_cost=
|production_date=
|number= 
|variants= See M4 Sherman variants and Postwar Sherman tanks
| crew=5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
| length= 5.84 m (19 ft 2 in)
| width=2.62 m (8 ft 7 in)
| height=2.74 m (9 ft)
| weight=30.3 tonnes (66,800 lb)
| armour=19–91 mm
| primary_armament=75 mm M3 L/40 gun
90 rounds
| secondary_armament=1× .50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun<br> 300 .50 rounds<br>2×.30-06 Browning M1919A4 machine guns
4,750 .30-06 rounds
| engine=Continental R975 C1 gasoline
| engine_power=400 hp (298 kW) gross @ 2400 rpm<br>350 hp (253 kW) net @ 2400 rpm
| suspension=Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS)
| speed=38.5 km/h (25 mi/h)
| pw_ratio=14 hp/tonne
| vehicle_range=120 miles @ 175 US gal (145 imp. gal) / 80 octane<br>193 km @ 660 l / 80 octane
}}

The '''M4 Sherman''' was the primary Allies during Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming its American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently the British name found its way into common use in the US. Following WWII the M4 medium tank was used by the US until the end of the Korean War. Many nations continued to use the tank in both training and combat roles into the late 20th century.<ref name=Hunnicutt>Source: R.P. Hunnicutt, ''Sherman: The History of the American Medium Tank''.</ref>

==U.S. design prototype==
left|thumb|A cutaway showing the internal arrangement of a M4A4 Sherman.
The US Army Ordnance Department designed the Medium Tank M4 as a replacement for the M3 Lee. The Lee was an upgunned development of the M2 Medium Tank, which was itself derived from the M2 Light Tank. Quickly developed as stopgap until a new 75 mm turret could be designed, the M3 suffered from a high silhouette from its top 37mm turret and inflexibility of its archaic side sponson mounting of the main gun. 

Detailed design characteristics for the M4 were submitted by the Ordnance Department on 31 August, 1940, but development of a prototype had to be delayed so final production designs for the M3 could be finished, and the tank put into full scale production.  

On 18 April, 1941 The U.S. Armored Force Board chose the simplest of 5 designs. Known as the T6, the design combined a modern turret with the Lee's main gun with a modified M3 hull and chassis.<ref>[http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/index.html AFV database]</ref>
The Sherman's reliability would benefit from inheriting many design features first developed in US light tanks during the 1930s including vertical Axis nations. 

The first pilot model of the M4 was completed on September 2, 1941. Like later M3s, the hull was welded. It had a side hatch which was eliminated from production models. The T6 became standardized as the M4, and production began in October 1941.<ref>[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=ah/article/ah20050729b Opening Salvo: M4A1 Sherman Tank by Michael J. Canavan]</ref>

==U.S. production history==
During the production period the US Army's seven main sub-designations, M4, M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4, M4A5, and M4A6, did not necessarily indicate linear improvement: for example, A4 is not meant to indicate 'better than' A3. These sub-types indicated standardized production variations, which were in fact often manufactured concurrently at different locations. The sub-types differed mainly in engines, although M4A1 differed from M4 by its fully cast upper hull rather than by engine; M4A4 had a longer engine system that also required a longer hull, longer suspension system, and more track blocks; M4A5 was an administrative placeholder for Canadian production; and M4A6 also elongated the chassis but totaled fewer than 100 tanks. Only the M4A2 and M4A6 were diesel: most Shermans were gasoline. "M4" might refer specifically to the initial sub-type with its Continental radial engine or generically to the entire family of seven Sherman sub-types depending on context. Many details of production, shape, strength, and performance improved throughout production without a change to the tank's basic model number; more durable suspension units, safer "wet" (W) ammunition stowage, and stronger armor arrangements such as the M4 Composite, which had a cast front hull section mated to a welded rear hull. The British nomenclature differed from that employed by the US.

{| cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 align=left border=5 style="border:1px solid #999; padding=10 clear:both; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center; width: 25em; font-size: 90%; margin: 1em 1em 1em 0;"
|colspan=4| M4 Sherman: selected models
|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"
!align=right| Designation    || Main Armament          || Hull     || Engine
|-
! M4(105)<br> 
| 105 mm<br>howitzer     || welded   || gasoline <br>Continental<br>R975 radial
|-
! M4<br>Composite            
| 75 mm                  || cast front <br> welded sides || gasoline<br>Continental<br>R975 radial
|-
! M4A1(76)W<br>          
| 76 mm                  || cast || gasoline<br>Continental<br>R975 radial
|-
! M4A2<br>                     
| 75 mm                  || welded || diesel<br>GM<br>6046 2x6
|-
! M4A3W<br>                    
| 75 mm                  || welded || gasoline <br>Ford <br>GAA V8
|-
! M4A3E2<br>"Jumbo"            
| 75 mm <br>(some 76 mm) || welded || gasoline <br>Ford <br>GAA V8
|-
! M4A3E8(76)W<br>"Easy Eight"  
| 76 mm                  || welded || gasoline <br>Ford <br>GAA V8
|-
! M4A4<br>                     
| 75 mm                  || welded <br> lengthened || gasoline <br>Chrysler <br>A57 5xL6
|-
! M4A6                         
| 75 mm                  || cast front <br> welded sides <br> lengthened || diesel <br>Caterpillar <br>D200A radial
|}

right|thumb|M4 and M4A1 (shown), the first Shermans, share the inverted U backplate and inherited their engine and exhaust system from the earlier [[M3 Lee|Lee.]]

Early Shermans mounted a 75 mm medium-velocity general-purpose gun.  Although Ordnance began work on the Medium Tank T20 as a Sherman replacement, ultimately the Army decided to minimize production disruption by incorporating elements of other tank designs into Sherman production. Later M4A1, M4A2, and M4A3 models received the larger T23 turret with a high-velocity 76 mm gun M1, which traded reduced HE and smoke performance for improved anti-tank performance.  The British offered the QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) anti-tank gun with its significantly better armor penetration to the Americans but the US Ordnance Department was working on a 90 mm tank gun and declined. Later M4 and M4A3 were factory-produced with a 105 mm howitzer and a new distinctive mantlet in the original turret.  The first standard-production 76 mm-gun Sherman was an M4A1 accepted in January 1944 and the first standard-production 105 mm-howitzer Sherman was an M4 accepted in February 1944.

right|thumb|M4 with 105 mm howitzer and a dozer blade, note the square-edged, welded, upper-hull plates found on most Shermans.

The US accepted in June-July 1944 a limited run of 254 M4A3E2 ''Jumbo'' Shermans with very thick armor and the 75 mm gun in a new heavier T23-style turret in order to assault fortifications. The M4A3 was the first to be factory-produced with the new HVSS (horizontal volute spring suspension) suspension with wider tracks for lower Sherman dozer tanks, ''Zippo'' flame tanks, and the T34 60-tube 4.5 inch ''Calliope'' rocket launcher for the Sherman turret.

The M4 Sherman's basic chassis further undertook all the sundry roles of a modern, mechanized force, totaling roughly 50,000 Sherman tanks plus thousands more derivative vehicles under different model numbers including M32 and M74 "tow truck"-style recovery tanks with winches, booms, and most with an 81 mm mortar for smoke screens, M34 (from M32B1) and M35 (from M10A1) artillery prime movers, M7B1, M12, M40, and M43 self-propelled artillery, and upgunned M10 and M36 tank destroyers.

As part of the deception plan of Operation ''Fortitude'' that drew German attention to the Pas de Calais rather than Normandy, inflatable rubber Shermans were manufactured and deployed across fields in Kent alongside plywood artillery pieces; another version of dummy Sherman was made from painted canvas over a steel frame and could be built over a Jeep and driven to simulate a moving tank.

==U.S. service history==
thumb|right|First type in US service: A US 7th Army M4A1 lands at Red Beach 2, Sicily on July 10, 1943 during the [[Allied invasion of Sicily.]]

The M4 Sherman served with the US Army and US Marine Corps during World War II. The US also transferred large numbers of US Shermans to the allied forces of the United Kingdom (including Commonwealth), Soviet Union, Free French government-in-exile, Polish government-in-exile, Brazil, and China. 

The US Marine Corps used the diesel M4A2 and gasoline-powered M4A3 in the Pacific. The Chief of the Armored Force, Lt. Gen. Jacob L. Devers ordered that no diesel-engined Sherman tanks be used outside the Zone of Interior (ZI). The US Army used all types for either training or testing within the United States but intended the M4A2 and M4A4 to be the primary Lend-Lease exports. British needs also claimed a large share of the M4 and M4A1.

thumb|left|Last type in US service: M4A3E8(76)W Sherman used as artillery position during the [[Korean War]]

The first US Shermans in combat were M4A1 used for Operation ''Torch'' in November 1942, shortly after the first M4A1 Shermans saw battle with the British 8th Army at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942. Additional M4 and M4A1s replaced M3 Lees in US tank battalions over the course of the North African campaigns. The M4 and M4A1 were the main types in US units until late 1944, when the preferred M4A3 with its more powerful  engine began replacing M4s and M4A1s as the main US version. Older M4s and M4A1s continued in US service for the rest of the war.

The first 76 mm gun Sherman to enter combat (in July 1944) was the M4A1, closely followed by the M4A3. By the end of the war half the US Army Shermans in Europe had the 76 mm gun. The first HVSS Sherman to see combat was the M4A3E8(76)W in December 1944.  

right|thumb|M4A3E8 participating in a WWII victory parade

After World War II, the US kept the M4A3E8 "Easy Eight" in service with either 76 mm gun or 105 mm howitzer. The Sherman remained a common US tank in the 1950-1953 Korean War but the Army replaced Shermans with Patton tanks over the 1950s. The US continued to transfer Shermans to allies which contributed to wide foreign use worldwide.

==U.S. combat performance==
===Armament===

When the Sherman first saw combat in 1942, its 75 mm M3 gun could penetrate the armor of the older model German tanks it faced in North Africa at normal combat ranges. However, immediately following the invasion of Normandy, it was discovered that the 75 mm M3 gun was completely ineffective against the front of the German Panther & 90 mm M3 gun. Although Shermans armed with 105 mm M4 howitzers provided even more powerful high-explosive armament, they were of limited use in fighting enemy tanks due to the problems of hitting the small targets with a howitzer, and the lack of power traverse which hindered getting the howitzers on target in a timely fashion. 

left|thumb|This M4A2(76) HVSS shows the T23 turret with later 76 mm gun's muzzle brake. This one also has fenders, usually omitted on US vehicles to ease maintenance.

The growing numbers of Panthers on the western front led the US Army to deploy 76 mm-gun Shermans to Normandy in July 1944.  The higher-velocity 76 mm gun M1 gun gave Shermans anti-tank firepower at least equal to most of the German vehicles they encountered, particularly the StuG. However, with a regular AP (Armour Piercing, Shot) ammunition (M79) or APCBC (M62) shells, the 76 mm could only have a chance to knock out a Panther at close range with a shot to its front manlet, or with a shot to its flank. At long range, the Sherman was badly outmatched by the Panther's 75 mm gun, which could easily penetrate the Sherman's armor.  This contributed to the high losses of Sherman tanks experienced by the U.S. Army in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). <ref>("12th Army Group, Report of Operations (Final After Action Report)" Vol. XI, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1945, pp. 66-67."</ref>

Hypervelocity Armor Piercing HVAP ammunition standardized as M93, was developed for the 76 mm gun in July 1944. This new projectile could penetrate the front turret of the Panther at longer ranges than standard ammunition. Its distribution was, however, prioritized to US Tank Destroyer units.

thumb|right|A [[USMC M4A3R3 uses its flame thrower armament during the Battle of Iwo Jima.]]

In the relatively few Pacific tank battles, even the 75 mm gun Shermans outclassed the HE (High Explosive) ammunition was preferred because anti-tank rounds punched cleanly through the thin armor of the Japanese tanks (light tanks of 1930s era design) without necessarily stopping them. Although the high-velocity guns of the tank destroyers were useful for penetrating fortifications, Shermans armed with flame throwers also destroyed Japanese fortifications. There was a variety of types of flame throwers, differing primarily in the type and location of launcher.

===Armor===
right|thumb|This early 75 mm gun turret shows the single hatch - note the additional rectangular external (welded on) ''applique'' armor patch reinforcing the ammunition bin protection on the hull side.
The Sherman's armor was effective against most early war tank guns. The frontal thickness was the gun mantlet at 91 mm, frontal turret 76 mm, and frontal hull 63 mm. The Sherman's frontal armor was designed to withstand the lower velocity 50mm Kwk 38 L/42 gun, which was a common German anti-tank gun and the gun on the 75mm KwK 40 L/48 used by the later Panzer IV's, the higher velocity 75mm KwK 42 L/70 used by the Panther tank, and the infamous 88mm kwk 36 L/56 used on the Tiger tanks. It was this deficiency in its frontal armor that made the Sherman very vulnerable to most German anti-tank rounds in 1944. 

The M4 had an escape hatch on the hull bottom to help the crew survive and, in the Pacific, Marines used this Sherman feature in reverse to recover wounded infantry under fire. Combat experience indicated the single hatch in the 3-man turret to be inadequate for timely evacuation so Ordnance added a loader's hatch beside the commander's. Later Shermans also received redesigned hull hatches for better egress.

left|thumb|The 1943 modernization program for older tanks added welded patches of applique armor to the sides of the turret and hull. Note also the "Rhino" Culin cutter on the front, a field improvisation to break through the thick hedgerows of the Normandy [[bocage.]]