Talk:Sherman tank
Add topicGasoline engines[edit]
Sherman tanks used a gasoline engine. The assertion that Sherman tanks were more vulnerable to combustion, because they used a gasoline engine, is dubious however, as German tanks ALSO used gasoline engines. I don't know which tank was the first to use diesel. But diesel didn't become the default engine type until after World War 2.
If I am not mistaken, the Shermans started to use "wet storage" for its ammunition, later in the war, which made them less vulnerable to bursting into flame. Main gun rounds are stored in dry pockets, surrounded by water. Geo Swan (talk) 16:49, 10 June 2025 (EDT)
- Hi Geo! Thank you for reading the article and giving some feedback. I stand corrected on the gasoline T issue. I feel like I must have read that somewhere, particularly something about Shermans being "Ronsons" like the lighter, but if Tigers, Panthers, and Panzer IVs all were gasoline that's important to know.
- I also remember something about the Centurion tanks in Israel being diesel-powered and were well-liked for that reason. And there being some discussion about fuel types when the engine was chosen for the M1 Abrams.
- Anyway, I hope the article doesn't come off as overly critical of the Sherman because I think it was a great design. Enki (talk) 18:48, 10 June 2025 (EDT)
- I agree that it sounds like a great design. There are YouTuber smarty-pants out there, like Nicholar Moran, who I regard as authoritative sources, who point out advantages it had over German tanks. Like that the curved panel in front of the driver and bow gunner, was removable, allowing relatively easy replacement of damaged transmissions. IIRC, an German tanks replacing the transmission required using a crane to remove the turret, and then sliding or heaving the transmissions back and out the turret hole... Plus the Americans carried copious spare parts.
- German tank manufacturers were wedded to the idea the Panzer 5 and Panzer 6 should have multiple rows of interleaved road wheels. Mud, ice and slush could solidify between those road wheels, causing a big delay in getting moving in the morning. And, if an inner road wheel required replacement, several other adjacent road wheels had to be temporarily removed to access it. What was the advantage of more road wheels? A slightly smoother ride? They had tunnel vision.
- Have you heard Stalin's comment on the simplicity of the T34, and how this made it possible for the Soviets to out produce the Germans? "Quantity has a quality all on its own". The Panzer IV article suggests it was inferior to enemy tanks. But some commentators assert that the Germans would have been better served if they had never built that developed the P5 and P6, and had instead used those resources to build a greater number of P4. Why? P5 and P6 were harder to build, required significantly more resources; and P5 and P6 were too hard to maintain, with large numbers out of service, undergoing maintenance, or breaking down on the battlefield, and having to be abandoned.
- A lot of wikipedians aren't good at cooperating on articles. But I like it.
- Yes a lot of those YouTubers are great. I saw one about the T-34 that said the optics for the gun sights weren't very good. It's stuff most people never think about, but put together all the little things add up and that's where the Sherman was great. The Germans played the hand they were dealt. Not a lot of raw materials or fuel, but decent technology. So they tried to build superweapons and told stories about how great they were in 1 on 1 duels. Meanwhile the British and Americans moved past that with improved anti-tank artillery, aircraft, and communications.