The M4 Sherman medium tank was regarded by many as the workhorse of the US Army during World War II. In fact, virtually all of the Allied armies employed the Sherman in their armed forces, including the British, who developed an upgunned variant called the "Firefly". Eleven different US plants manufactured six basic models of the Sherman, and by June 1944 over 49,234 battle-ready vehicles had been produced. While it was no match for the German Panther or Tiger tanks, the Sherman soldiered on, using its weight in numbers to wrest control of Europe from the Wehrmacht.

Early Shermans mounted a 75mm medium-velocity general-purpose gun. Later M4A1, M4A2, and M4A3 models received the larger T23 turret with a high-velocity 76mm 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 significant armour penetration but a significant initial (later rectified) HE shortcoming to the Americans but the US Ordnance Department was working on a 90mm tank gun and declined. Later M4 and M4A3 were factory-produced with a 105mm howitzer and a new distinctive mantlet in the original turret. The first standard-production 76mm-gun Sherman was an M4A1 accepted in January 1944 and the first standard-production 105mm-howitzer Sherman was an M4 accepted in February 1944.

This particular 1:50 scale replica of a Sherman M4A3 medium tank saw action at the Battle of Tarawa in 1943, when it was attached to C Company, 4th US Marine Amphibious Corps Tank Battalion. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-1/2-inches
Width: 2-inches

Release Date: November 2003

Historical Account: "The Letter 'C'" - The Marine Corps had been using the M3 Stuart light tank in the Pacific during the early stages of the Second World War. However, the Stuart's 37mm gun was ineffective against Japanese bunkers, and its light armor made it vulnerable to the new 47mm Japanese anti-tank guns. The Marines desperately needed a better tank, and in November 1943, they used Shermans at Tarawa in the first landing of tanks on a beachhead under direct enemy fire. Many of the tanks never made it to the shore, being knocked out by Japanese artillery fire or drowned in deep shell holes. Three vehicles -- "Condor", "Colorado", and China Gal" -- did end up making it in, with the "Condor" mistakenly knocked out by a US Navy dive-bomber, the "Colorado" hit with Molotov cocktails but surviving, and the "China Gal" providing valuable fire support for the grunts (each of the tanks was given a name starting with a "C" since they were all from C Company). In a unique twist, each case pack offered by Corgi will come with four differently named tanks: "Condor", "Colorado", "China Gal", and "Chicago" (which did not make it ashore).