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IDF Sherman Variants List


Kingsman

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A while ago (May) in one of @Bullbasket WIP threads on an M51 conversion, @Terry1954 wished aloud for a list of the many IDF Sherman variants.  I rather foolishly said I could probably do that. Anyhow, this is the list I have come up with (below).

 

I've ignored the very early handful of Shermans as these were essentially individual named vehicles.  My start point is the "Kafkafi" buy from Italy, the first bulk purchase.  Supposed to have been 100 M4(105)s but Italy cancelled or banned the deal after the first 30 were delivered.  Most (but not all) 105mm tanks were re-armed with 75mm guns.  Thereafter their rate of acquisition increased greatly as they located redundant Shermans and parts in assorted conditions in various places around the world.  Some tanks were just used as spares donors.  Anything with the Ford GAA V8 or GM6064 diesel engine had the engines replaced with Continental radials, although not necessarily immediately, and ultimately all the M50s and M51s got the Cummins diesel.  The T suffix indicates a Continental conversion by France before sale to IDF, although it is not entirely clear whether the M4A2 and M4A3 'T's were actually converted in France or later in Israel.  Not that it matters from a modelling perspective.  Some sources say that France did not T convert any A2 or A3.

 

The mix and match approach led to a wide variety of non-factory configurations in IDF service.  I haven't attempted to cover the minor factory and time variations within each variant.  That would be a nightmare to do because of the mixing and matching. In 1/35 scale there are 6 IDF Sherman types you can build OOB: the rest all need some converting.

 

Early M3 Shermans (yes, M3 - from the 75mm gun)

·         M4(105) VVSS x30. Large hatch.  10-ish as 105s, 20-ish re-armed with 75s (1/35 Dragon kit)

·         M4A3(75) x51.  Large hatch (1/35 Dragon kit)

·         M4A2T(75).  Small hatch.  Part of a total of c.120.

·         M4A3T(75).  Part of a total of c.120.  Must be large hatch as all but 2 of the small hatch A3s were converted to M32B3

·         M4A4T(75).  Part of a total of c.120.

M1 Sherman

·         M4A1(76) x48  (1/35 Tamiya M1 kit or Dragon Op Cobra kit)

·         M4A3(76) x12  (1/35 Dragon, RFM or Academy M4A3 kits)

+ some M32/B1/B3s

Super Sherman

·         M4A1E8(76) x??.  Included within the 48 M4A1 M1s above, so not a common type.

M50 Sherman (VVSS)

·         M4A1, both small and a few large hatch

·         M4 Composite

·         M4A4T

·         I Couldn’t find identifiable photos of M4 or M4A2 based M50 VVSS, although they may have existed.  Both appear as later HVSS M50s and both were used as earlier 75mm tanks, so it seems logical that there were some VVSS M50s on these hulls in between

M50 Sherman HVSS Cummins

·         M4, both small and large hatch

·         M4 Composite

·         M4A1, both small and a few large hatch

·         M4A2 Fisher built small hatch

·         M4A3 large hatch

·         M4A4 (Dragon kit)

M51 Sherman Alef/Radial

·         M4A1 large hatch

M51 Sherman Cummins (4 distinct and slightly different build batches)

·         M4 large hatch

·         M4A1 large hatch (1/35 Dragon, Tamiya and Academy kits, although all 3 represent different build batches)

·         M4A3 large hatch

 

This has helped me come up with a saner build list - I can't do them all, and many of the differences would be hard to tell apart in 1/35.  Only 6 can be built OOB in 1/35.  So I've decided on one type from each group, probably one of the more unusual ones.  Like an HVSS Composite, for example.

Edited by Das Abteilung
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Wow! I should "wish aloud" more often. That's a great piece of reference to have on these variants and will certainly help immensely when I do my IDF Sherman(s)!

 

Many thanks indeed.

 

Terry

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'Morning Peter.

Sorry that it's taken so long to get back to you, but I've been up to my ears in rubble and wooden beams. Looking at what the good Dr. has to say in his book, Lioness and Lion of the Line, Vol.14, M1 Super Sherman, he states that due to delays in the M50 program with both the turret and the gun, the Israelis purchased two batches of M4A1E8s from the French, 20 in each batch. He states that the thinking behind this move was that the M3 gun was inadequate against the Arab armour, and that the 76mm would suffice, given that they were also going to receive supply of HVAP-T ammunition from the French which had been proved to be easily capable of knocking out Tigers and Panthers, and later in Korea, T34-85s.

He also refers back to his earlier publication on the M1 Sherman and makes reference to the fact that the Israelis received 100 M4A1s with VVSS running gear from the French. I haven't had a chance to read through that book yet, but if I find any other useful figures, I'll let you know.

 

John.

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Thanks for that info.

 

Gannon says the 2nd French buy was a total of 60 including a dozen M4A3(76) with the remaining 48 being a mix of VVSS and HVSS M4A1(76)s plus some assorted M32s.

 

Likewise he suggests that Israel received 120 tanks in the first French buy, but a mixture of A2, A3 and A4. The A4Ts were certainly ex French. However I'm not convinced that the French kept many A2s or were allowed to keep any A3s post-war. Or were given any under MDAP: those were mostly if not all A1(76)s.  They were even still running some ex-DD A4s and you see a lot of A1s in French service.  The first M51 prototype was on an A2, the 2nd on an A1. The M50 prototype was on an A4. The Egyptian FL-10 prototype was also an A1. 

 

I think I would defer to Dr Robert. There are a few inconsistencies I've spotted within and between Gannon's books.

 

However for us modellers the numbers are less important than the types, which is what I set out to list.

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