Monday 25 February 2019

Canadian Shermans Inside and Out

By the time the M4A2E8 entered production, the Americans had no intention of using these tanks in their own army. While WWII continued, these tanks were supplied to the USSR. Afterwards, the remaining tanks were sold to Canada for a pittance, and formed the backbone of domestic tank forces for many years. As a result, there are plenty of M4A2E8 tanks still kicking around in Canada, many of them still running. The LeBreton Gallery in the Canadian War Museum has two: one of them slightly worse for wear than the other.


This is the one that works...


And this one not so much. However, we can take a close look at the innards of this tank.


The assistant driver's seat is gone, but the driver's seat is still there, for the most part.


A closer look at the instrument panel.


The fighting compartment from the other side. It's a lot emptier now than it would have been in the past, but you can see how much space the driveshaft took up. 




The engine compartment is chock full of goodies. Both diesel motors are still inside, one cut up to show its contents, the other intact.


One of those motors on display at the Ontario Regiment Museum. They don't have a cut up Sherman, however, all of theirs are right as rain and often come out for demonstrations and reenactments. 


Of course, it takes more than just the engine to make a tank go. The transmission is also on full display.


As are the final drives.


Here's a view of the bogey you don't often get, since the tracks don't get in the way on this tank. You can see that the rubber is in quite poor shape, the Achilles' heel of Sherman tanks of all types. Thankfully the bogeys were easy to replace.

3 comments:

  1. These interior shots always give me a renewed appreciation for the padded headgear most armies issue(d) to their tankers...
    Sharp corners, sharp corners everywhere D:

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  2. Sherman tank with Diesel- that's interesting vehicle in my opinion, because many people if hear about M4A2, think about Red Army. But I found that British got more M4A2 tanks than Soviets. BTW- I found opinions that many M4A2 was used by Polish Armed Forces on West. I have also Polish manual for M4A2 (manual from west, not from Polish People's Army).

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    Replies
    1. A lot of M4A2s originally shipped to Britain were passed onto the Soviet Union later. But yes, the Sherman III was very popular with Commonwealth formations.

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