Most of the information on this page is courtesy of Joe DeMarco. Note: some of the information was compiled using a technique informally referred to as "counting heads." It is based on the ongoing study of period documents and photographs, as well as surviving Shermans. Due to the limited nature of available reference sources, some of the information presented here must be considered as "educated guesswork."
Pressed Steel Car Company,
Inc. produced 1000 M4(75)s and 3700 M4A1(75)s from March, 1942 through December,
1943.
The first PSC M4A1, Serial Number 5, USA 3014761 was not officially accepted until March, 1942, but it was shipped to Ft. Knox, Kentucky for evaluation on February 27. The Signal Corps photo above is part of a series taken shortly thereafter touting the "new M4 medium tank," and noting its superiority to the M3 design. The "completely streamlined... all cast body" is contrasted with the M3's riveted hull. The limited traverse of the M3's sponson mounted 75mm main gun is compared to the gun's relocation to the center in a fully rotating turret. At this point, the original short barreled M2 gun seen in the February photo, was replaced with the standard M3 75mm, and the M34 rotor shield (1) was added. It is thought that 10 or so of PSC's first M4A1s had turrets equipped with the rotor sight (2). On March 5, 1942, the Military Characteristics of the M4 series were revised to eliminate the two fixed machine guns. We suspect that only the first unit actually had the fixed MGs factory installed. The number of hulls in the production pipeline that had had the fixed MG holes machined out up to that point is unknown. The holes were ordered to be plugged and filled in by welding. A cable clamp (3) was installed on both the front and rear of the first few units. The front clamp was soon eliminated, and the cable was attached to the left front towing shackle. Serial Numbers 5 and 6 were built without head light guards. On these units, the head light plugs (4) simply swung free on their retaining chains. Two standard headlights are seen installed. The lights shown in a previous photo are "hooded." On early M4A1s, detachable "blackout hoods" were provided for the driving lights. Later, a special purpose blackout head light was provided for the driver. When not in use, the head lights were stored inside, and the holes were sealed with the plugs.
Click on photo for more details
A number of the first PSC M4A1s were shipped to the Armored Force at Ft. Knox as soon as they came off the assembly line. The photo above shows a pair parading past the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky on Army Day, April 4, 1942. The tank in the foreground is PSC's first unit, while the one in the background is their sixth, Serial Number 10, USA 3014766. Note that Number 10 "still" has the pepperpot exhaust, but is "now" installed with the head lamp guards. Serial Number 5, USA 3014761 can be seen with the driver's hatch lifting handle in the "first position," mounted towards the rear and on an angle, while SN 10 has the handle mounted in the "standard" position. Oddly, many subsequent PSC M4s and M4A1s are seen with the handles in the first position. Counting heads suggest that the standard position was fully adopted in August, 1942. An anomaly seen exclusively on PSC M4s and M4A1s is the riveted lower hull. The military characteristics of the M4 series only authorized "fabrication by welding" of the lower hull. Our "head count" suggests that Pressed Steel Car began production with, and continued to use riveted lower hulls until around May, 1943. We have found no explanation for this exception, but it may be that PSC was tasked with using up the remaining supply of M3 Medium riveted lower hulls once production was terminated. Company correspondence mentions that the interior protruding rivets of "our special lower hull" necessitated a slight divergence in the standard arrangement of the Sherman's internal stowage.
Production Order T-3017: 900 units: 550 M4A1, 350 M4: Serial Numbers 5 /
USA 3014761 through S/N 904 / USA 3015660
Production Order T-3163: 800 units: 477 M4A1, 323 M4: Serial Numbers
10660 / USA 3015661 through S/N 11459/ USA 3016460
Production Order T-3321: 400 units: 299 M4A1, 101 M4: Serial Number
13460 / USA 3016461 through S/N 13859 / USA 3016860
Production Order T-3605: 1600 units: 1374 M4A1, 226 M4: Serial Number
28005 / USA 3036535 through S/N 29604 / USA 3038134
Production Order T-4166: 1000 M4A1: Serial Number 36900 / USA 3069497
through S/N 37899 / USA 3070496
Some of the official documents
have it that specific Serial and Registration Number ranges were assigned to
distinguish M4s from M4A1s in the "mixed" Production Orders. In
counting heads, we have not found this to be the case. That is to say, it is
not possible to determine if a unit is an M4 or an M4A1 if all one has is the
Serial and/or Registration Number. An exception to this would be PSC's first
164 units, built from March through June, 1942. These were all M4A1s, and would
have been assigned Serial Numbers 5 through 168.
Despite US neutrality before December 7, 1941, the British Government, which had been at war since September 1939, was permitted to contract with US firms for war materiel produced on a strictly "Cash and Carry" basis. On October 25, 1940, the Pressed Steel Car Company signed a 28.5 million dollar agreement with the British Purchasing Commission for the production of 501 28 ton Medium Tanks. The design which emerged in early 1941 was the M3 Medium. It was negotiated that the M3s produced by PSC would incorporate a larger British designed turret as opposed to the smaller turret of the original M3. The British labeled M3s with their turrets "Grants," while M3s with the original turret configuration were designated "Lees." The montage above documents the rehabilitation and conversion of PSC's long abandoned Hegewisch Plant in Chicago into a tank production facility. It is thought that the first PSC Grant as shown in the lower left panel is now on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK. The great drawback of the M3 was its sponson mounted main gun. By the Fall of 1941, the Ordnance Department had produced a replacement design which used the same mechanical components of the M3, but incorporated the main gun in a rotating turret. The new M4 series, dubbed "Sherman" by the British, entered production in early 1942, and completely replaced the M3 series on the various assembly lines by the end of the year. The lower right panel dates to the Spring of 1942, and shows M3 Grants on the right and M4A1 Shermans on the left.
In November 1941, the US Government took over the Hegewisch plant from the British, and contracted with Pressed Steel for the production of 900 Medium Tanks based on the recently designed T6 (Sherman) pilot. All but 21 of the Shermans built by Pressed Steel Car from 1942 through 1945 were powered by the 400 horsepower 9 cylinder Wright Radial aircraft engine (most built under license by Continental Motors). The photo above shows Serial Numbers 5 and 6, PSC's first and second units, on the assembly line on February 18, 1942 (not 1941 as stamped at the top). These and six others were accepted in March. PSC's first 164 units were cast hull M4A1s. In July, the company took up production of the welded hull M4 model. Government contracts were revised several times, and, all told, PSC produced 1000 M4(75)s and 3700 M4A1(75)s from March, 1942 through December, 1943. In January 1944, the company switched over to production of the M4A1(76), and built a total of 3426 units. The absolutely last Sherman made was an M4A1(76)HVSS that rolled off the line at Pressed Steel in July, 1945.
Above provides a right rear view of the first PSC M4A1, Serial Number 5, USA 3014761. A small number of early Pressed Steel and Lima Locomotive M4A1s were assembled with the M3 style "pepperpot" exhaust and muffler setup. We've asterisked the "pepperpots" on both the Grant and Sherman in the photo. Field reports from users of the M3 Medium noted that the original exhaust system created a dangerous heat build up on the engine deck, which, in some cases, melted the leather straps holding the pioneer tools. The Ordnance Department developed a solution that replaced the pepperpots with center mounted exhausts pipes that directed the hot gasses down and away from the tank. An unfortunate consequence of the new configuration was that, in order to make room for the exhaust setup, the M3's interior mounted air cleaner was replaced with two externally mounted cleaners that were very vulnerable to combat damage. In any case, the Ordnance Department directed that all M4A1s not built with the new standard M4/M4A1 exhaust and air cleaner configuration would have it retrofitted before issue.
Despite US neutrality before December 7, 1941, the British Government, which had been at war since September 1939, was permitted to contract with US firms for war materiel produced on a strictly "Cash and Carry" basis. On October 25, 1940, the Pressed Steel Car Company signed a 28.5 million dollar agreement with the British Purchasing Commission for the production of 501 28 ton Medium Tanks. The design which emerged in early 1941 was the M3 Medium. It was negotiated that the M3s produced by PSC would incorporate a larger British designed turret as opposed to the smaller turret of the original M3. The British labeled M3s with their turrets "Grants," while M3s with the original turret configuration were designated "Lees." The montage above documents the rehabilitation and conversion of PSC's long abandoned Hegewisch Plant in Chicago into a tank production facility. It is thought that the first PSC Grant as shown in the lower left panel is now on display at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK. The great drawback of the M3 was its sponson mounted main gun. By the Fall of 1941, the Ordnance Department had produced a replacement design which used the same mechanical components of the M3, but incorporated the main gun in a rotating turret. The new M4 series, dubbed "Sherman" by the British, entered production in early 1942, and completely replaced the M3 series on the various assembly lines by the end of the year. The lower right panel dates to the Spring of 1942, and shows M3 Grants on the right and M4A1 Shermans on the left.
In November 1941, the US Government took over the Hegewisch plant from the British, and contracted with Pressed Steel for the production of 900 Medium Tanks based on the recently designed T6 (Sherman) pilot. All but 21 of the Shermans built by Pressed Steel Car from 1942 through 1945 were powered by the 400 horsepower 9 cylinder Wright Radial aircraft engine (most built under license by Continental Motors). The photo above shows Serial Numbers 5 and 6, PSC's first and second units, on the assembly line on February 18, 1942 (not 1941 as stamped at the top). These and six others were accepted in March. PSC's first 164 units were cast hull M4A1s. In July, the company took up production of the welded hull M4 model. Government contracts were revised several times, and, all told, PSC produced 1000 M4(75)s and 3700 M4A1(75)s from March, 1942 through December, 1943. In January 1944, the company switched over to production of the M4A1(76), and built a total of 3426 units. The absolutely last Sherman made was an M4A1(76)HVSS that rolled off the line at Pressed Steel in July, 1945.
Above provides a right rear view of the first PSC M4A1, Serial Number 5, USA 3014761. A small number of early Pressed Steel and Lima Locomotive M4A1s were assembled with the M3 style "pepperpot" exhaust and muffler setup. We've asterisked the "pepperpots" on both the Grant and Sherman in the photo. Field reports from users of the M3 Medium noted that the original exhaust system created a dangerous heat build up on the engine deck, which, in some cases, melted the leather straps holding the pioneer tools. The Ordnance Department developed a solution that replaced the pepperpots with center mounted exhausts pipes that directed the hot gasses down and away from the tank. An unfortunate consequence of the new configuration was that, in order to make room for the exhaust setup, the M3's interior mounted air cleaner was replaced with two externally mounted cleaners that were very vulnerable to combat damage. In any case, the Ordnance Department directed that all M4A1s not built with the new standard M4/M4A1 exhaust and air cleaner configuration would have it retrofitted before issue.
The first PSC M4A1, Serial Number 5, USA 3014761 was not officially accepted until March, 1942, but it was shipped to Ft. Knox, Kentucky for evaluation on February 27. The Signal Corps photo above is part of a series taken shortly thereafter touting the "new M4 medium tank," and noting its superiority to the M3 design. The "completely streamlined... all cast body" is contrasted with the M3's riveted hull. The limited traverse of the M3's sponson mounted 75mm main gun is compared to the gun's relocation to the center in a fully rotating turret. At this point, the original short barreled M2 gun seen in the February photo, was replaced with the standard M3 75mm, and the M34 rotor shield (1) was added. It is thought that 10 or so of PSC's first M4A1s had turrets equipped with the rotor sight (2). On March 5, 1942, the Military Characteristics of the M4 series were revised to eliminate the two fixed machine guns. We suspect that only the first unit actually had the fixed MGs factory installed. The number of hulls in the production pipeline that had had the fixed MG holes machined out up to that point is unknown. The holes were ordered to be plugged and filled in by welding. A cable clamp (3) was installed on both the front and rear of the first few units. The front clamp was soon eliminated, and the cable was attached to the left front towing shackle. Serial Numbers 5 and 6 were built without head light guards. On these units, the head light plugs (4) simply swung free on their retaining chains. Two standard headlights are seen installed. The lights shown in a previous photo are "hooded." On early M4A1s, detachable "blackout hoods" were provided for the driving lights. Later, a special purpose blackout head light was provided for the driver. When not in use, the head lights were stored inside, and the holes were sealed with the plugs.
Click on photo for more details
A number of the first PSC M4A1s were shipped to the Armored Force at Ft. Knox as soon as they came off the assembly line. The photo above shows a pair parading past the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky on Army Day, April 4, 1942. The tank in the foreground is PSC's first unit, while the one in the background is their sixth, Serial Number 10, USA 3014766. Note that Number 10 "still" has the pepperpot exhaust, but is "now" installed with the head lamp guards. Serial Number 5, USA 3014761 can be seen with the driver's hatch lifting handle in the "first position," mounted towards the rear and on an angle, while SN 10 has the handle mounted in the "standard" position. Oddly, many subsequent PSC M4s and M4A1s are seen with the handles in the first position. Counting heads suggest that the standard position was fully adopted in August, 1942. An anomaly seen exclusively on PSC M4s and M4A1s is the riveted lower hull. The military characteristics of the M4 series only authorized "fabrication by welding" of the lower hull. Our "head count" suggests that Pressed Steel Car began production with, and continued to use riveted lower hulls until around May, 1943. We have found no explanation for this exception, but it may be that PSC was tasked with using up the remaining supply of M3 Medium riveted lower hulls once production was terminated. Company correspondence mentions that the interior protruding rivets of "our special lower hull" necessitated a slight divergence in the standard arrangement of the Sherman's internal stowage.
Serial Number 6, USA 3014762 was shipped to Aberdeen Proving Ground where it was evaluated and used for various tests. The above photo dated April 28, 1942, shows the development of the "Spot and Signal Light." This item became standard equipment on all Shermans by the beginning of 1943. The differential housing as designed for the M3 Medium consisted of 3 castings bolted together. The left hand section was part number E1231, the middle or "carrier" piece, part number E1232, and the right hand casting with a notch in the bolt strip was part number E1230. At the outset of production, it was necessary for PSC and some of the other builders to make do by welding an extension into the notch in order for the E1230 piece to fit the Sherman (arrow). Only a small number of the early production tanks are seen with the modified E1230 piece, because a new casting, part number E4151, with an un-notched bolt strip became available almost immediately.
From the start, the Sherman was equipped with a gyroscopic stabilization system which permitted the main gun to be fired while the tank was moving. When properly serviced, the stabilizer worked, but the system required constant adjustment, and was too complicated for effective use by average crews. We suspect that the continued inclusion of the gyrostabilizer throughout production may have been due to political patronage; however, it was omitted from the Sherman's replacement, the M26. In July 1942, Serial Number 6 was designated "M4A1E2," and used to test another futuristic concept - infrared lights for night operations. Combined with this, came the installation of a navigational system consisting of a recording odograph which could map the direction and distance the vehicle had traveled. SN 6 was named "Night and Day," and shipped to Ft. Knox where tests in the first half of 1943 revealed that these systems were "unsatisfactory." Gyro stabilization, night vision and navigation systems are commonplace today, but the technology of the time could not support their practical use on the Sherman during WW II.
The photo above provides a left rear view of Serial Number 7, USA 3014763 photographed at the General Motors Proving Ground on December 31, 1942. The number of PSC M4A1s built with the pepperpot exhaust factory installed is unknown, but it is noted to be on SN 10 shown earlier. When the standard exhaust and air cleaner configuration was retrofitted, the original pepperpot holes were blanked off (1) as shown here. Throughout production M4A1s produced by PSC and Montreal Locomotive used an angled transition piece (2) to join the lower rear hull plate to the belly plate. In contrast, the transition pieces of Lima Locomotive and Pacific Car M4A1s were rounded. The engine access door hinges (3) are typical of the M3 Medium. Most M4s and M4A1s are seen with a different hinge configuration. The "27" (circled) cast on the side of turret is the serial number, indicating it was the 27th turret casting accepted. The "serial number on the side" is typical of Union Steel turrets. PSC procured the majority of its turrets from this firm. Throughout much of 1942, it would appear that Union Steel, with a capacity of 300 turrets a month, split its production evenly between Lima and Pressed Steel Car. While the majority of D50878 turrets can be seen with the rear lifting rings mounted close to the lower edge, early production units had them mounted near the upper edge of the turret, as seen here.
The image above is from the M4/M4A1 Technical Manual dated November 14, 1942. The USA Registration Number was painted on in blue drab, and the spacing and "railroad font" seen were typical of early production PSC Shermans. The "W" in front of the Reg. Number stood for "War Department," and, in general, was no longer applied by the end of 1943. USA 3014772 was PSC's 12th M4A1, and would have been accepted in April, 1942. PSC reported that they shipped a number of their April production Shermans to the Desert Training Center in California, Ft. Knox and Ft. Benning, Georgia. For instance, 3014772 went to Ft. Knox on April 13th. The illustration labels a number of items, such as the "gunner's periscope," which replaced the original rotor sight. Other photos of this tank show the rotor sight, so the gunner's periscope may have been "photoshopped" into this image to reflect the standard configuration. The Fuel Shut-Off Valves were eliminated from the engine deck, most likely in May, 1942. While Lima and Pacific Car installed the secondary antenna bracket from the start, counting heads suggests that PSC did not introduce it, or the commander's blade sight until May. We've circled the future positions of these items.
On July 15, 1942, the US shipped 212 M4A1 and 90 M4A2 Shermans to the British in North Africa. This was nearly the entire production at the time, and was done on an emergency basis as the Afrika Korps advanced on Egypt. The combat debut of the Sherman came on October 24, 1942 at the start of the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein. The M4A1s in the photo were filmed at a Collecting Point after the campaign. Some of the camouflage paint appears to have burned off the example above, revealing USA 3014811. This would have been Serial Number 55, built by Pressed Steel in May, 1942. Early production M4s, M4A1s and M4A4s were produced with the grouser compartment holes blanked off. However, it was found that their fuel tanks suffered an excessive heat condition, which caused melted solder joints and other fire hazards. This was remedied by the addition of a pair of grouser compartment covers with air inlet grills, which permitted greater air flow to the fuel tanks. Some early M4s and M4A1s were equipped with welded together "air scoops." These are thought to have been post production additions, fashioned at Tank Depots. They are seen in two shapes, half a triangle and quarter round. The shapes are not specific to a particular maker (Lima or Pressed Steel). A few period photos lead us to theorize that the triangular shape, such as on 3014811 (arrow), was fabricated and installed at the Toledo Tank Depot in Ohio, while the quarter round (inset) came from the Chester Tank Depot in Pennsylvania.
The Sherman's US Army combat debut is thought to have occurred on 6 December 1942 near Medjez el Bab in Tunisia. Sorry to say we aren't aware that any photos were taken. The Germans filmed some of the aftermath of the actions that took place in January and February 1943 during the Axis Offensive which came to be known as the Battle of Kasserine Pass. Above shows two views of "Honky Tonk," of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Armored Regiment, 1st Armored Division, knocked out on 31 January 1943. This M4A1 was USA 3014998, indicating that it had been accepted at PSC in July 1942. A few transitions are evident in these photos. The most obvious is the 1-piece differential housing (1), which began to enter the production pipeline in mid 1942. The turret lifting ring is "now" in the "low" position (2). The lifting rings on the gun shield have been moved "outboard" (3) in order to avoid the interference issues encountered with their original position mounted very close to the rotor shield. The cast lever arms (circled) of the front and middle bogies are more typical of M4 type bogies as opposed to the flat, forged M3 type lever arms seen on the rear unit. Note the absence of a taillight guard. PSC installed these at the outset of M4 production in July, but for some reason, they don't begin to appear on their M4A1s until around October 1942. Two sections of the right front interior of the turret were thinned out to prevent "the knuckles of the operator from being skinned or barked when using the hand traversing mechanism." Honky Tonk's turret can be seen to have been penetrated in this "thin spot" area. In March 1943, it was reported that the 1st AD attempted a field fix by using salvaged armor to reinforce the "thin spots." In mid 1943, armor applique kits were produced in the US to protect the "thin spots." The familiar patches were widely applied "in the field" as well as at US Tank Depots and even at factories. At about the same time, the turret was redesigned with "Increased Thickness of Armor in Region of Traversing Mechanism." The revised turret casting, which also, controversially, eliminated the pistol port, began to enter the manufacturers' production pipeline in the second half of 1943.
The two Medium Tank Battalions of the 1st Armored Regiment were virtually wiped out (nearly 100 Shermans) during the battles in mid February. Some of the Regiment's tanks were welded hull M4s made by Pressed Steel. Above shows USA 3015037, an August, 1942 production unit. This is the only Sherman in the series of German photos that is seen equipped with the M4 bogies, and we suspect that 3015037 was very close to "patient zero" in PSC's transition to them. The M4 bogies were designed by Chrysler to carry the heavier weight of the M3A4 Lee, and became standard on Shermans as quickly as production would allow. The track skids are the original type with the half round shape (inset). The Germans appear to have rendered a number of the tanks in this photo series unrecoverable by the use of demolition charges. For more photos from this series, see the book, "First Blood US 1st Armored Division in Tunisia."
The Armored Force Board at Ft. Knox evaluated the early Shermans, and in a report dated April 25, 1942 stated, "Direct vision cover and opening are poorly designed and fitted and leave a crack the size of a lead pencil at the level of the driver's eyes. Bullet splash or a direct hit would blind the driver." Engineers at APG had devised a solution which replaced direct vision with auxiliary retractable periscopes in a lengthened driver's hood. The Ordnance Department adopted this, and eliminated direct vision from the cast hull on June 24, 1942 and August 13 on welded hull models. Some time was needed for the revised castings to enter the production pipeline, and it is thought that Pressed Steel began the transition on the cast hull in August. "Counting heads" suggests that PSC produced about 250 M4A1s with direct vision. The unit shown above is in storage at Ft. Benning, Georgia. The 75mm gun and mount are missing, but otherwise, it is fairly complete. It has a number of modifications typical of the late 1944/early 1945 US remanufacture program. It is Serial Number 453, and as of this writing, the USA Registration Number, 3015209, was still faintly visible, painted on there in the original PSC font. This tank would have been accepted in August, 1942. This and every PSC M4A1 that we have been able to record with a higher serial number are in the later, non direct vision configuration.
The Canadians received 4 M4A1s as direct Lend Lease. The first, Serial Number 192, was shipped to Canada in December, 1942. With the exception of the 188 Grizzlies built by Montreal Locomotive, all of the other Shermans used by Canada were allocated from British Lend Lease stocks. The photo above shows SN 192 in mid 1943, when it was used as a model for Grizzly stowage. This tank was accepted in July, 1942 about 50 units before "Honky Tonk" shown earlier. On PSC M4s and M4A1s with riveted lower hulls, rivets are present not only on the side plates, but on the lower rear hull plate as well. Note that the idler wheel assemblies are secured with rivets (circled), not bolts. The engine access doors have the standard hinges (1), as opposed to the M3 hinges seen on some of the earlier units. As with most M4s and M4A1s, the door stops (2) are welded on next to the doors. Only Lima Locomotive appears to have affixed them directly to the doors. The welded together air scoops (3) are in the triangular configuration. The turret is Union Steel # 345, and features unusually large lifting rings (4) that are part of the turret casting. Note that these are in the "high" position. In the postwar years, the Canadians sold most of their remaining Grizzlies to the Portuguese, and Serial Number 192, retrofitted with M4 type bogies and Canadian Dry Pin tracks, was thrown in as well. When the Portuguese disposed of these WW II relics in the late 1970's, they were bought up by collectors.
Most of the surviving Shermans in the world survived because they were not used in combat. Our subject is thought to be the oldest extant PSC built Sherman, and it is a runner. Had this M4A1 been shipped overseas, there is a good chance it would have been the victim of "attrition" in North Africa or Italy. It is a popular attraction at the annual show put on by the Americans in Wartime Museum in Virginia. We've been asked a number of questions about the "look" of this tank, because like most surviving Shermans, it is not in "as built" condition. As can be seen in the previous photo, this tank originally had M3 bogies. Some have thought that this M4A1 should have a 3-piece differential housing, but it is our judgment that the E4186 one piece is original, as its part serial number is very low at 33. It is assumed that the Canadians retrofitted the M34A1 Gun Mount (1). Ordnance documents have it that PSC introduced this item into production in late March, 1943. The siren can be seen mounted in its initial location on the left front fender in the previous photo. In late 1942, the siren on M4s and M4A1s was moved to a new position slightly off center on the glacis, where it was mounted on a brush guard. Grizzlies were factory equipped with the gun travel lock, and in order to avoid any interference issues, the siren and brush guard were installed close to the left head light, as seen here (2). Again, it is assumed that the Canadians retrofitted the 2 inch smoke mortar (3). PSC did not begin to factory install the mortar until mid October, 1943.
Surviving M4A1s with direct vision are rather rare, and the photo above provides a slightly closer look at the visors and so forth. Early production PSC M4s and M4A1s had fabricated, "bent rod" hull lifting rings (1). The head light (2) is equipped with the detachable black out hood as shown in the Technical Manual (inset). The head light plug holder (3) is seen in the original position parallel to the glacis. The holders were changed to a vertical orientation in the Fall of 1942, presumably to keep the plugs from falling out during travel. The handle on the driver's hatch is seen in the "first" position (4) mounted towards the rear and on an angle. It is somewhat surprising that the Canadians did not retrofit the positive hatch lock mechanisms, since they were standard equipment on their Grizzlies. The original Sherman design included internal hatch locks, but they were insufficient. A January, 1943 test report includes, "Turret hatch door forced shut by branch of tree, injuring tank commander. Lock determined to be faulty." The hatch locks with equilibrator springs were reportedly introduced at PSC in early March, 1943. The Ordnance Department decreed that "No tank without this item to be accepted after 4/15/43." Modification kits were also provided for Tank Depot and field retrofit of this important safety feature.
Above shows the appearance of the early type of rear hull lifting ring seen on PSC M4s and M4A1s. The welded together air scoop shown here has been the source of some confusion. In the period photo, one can see that this tank originally had the triangular type. The configuration shown here can be seen on at least 4 surviving Grizzlies. It would appear that Montreal Locomotive was not able to procure 188 pairs of the standard cast air scoops introduced in the Summer of 1942, and fashioned these for a few of its Grizzlies. A bit of the tail light guard can be seen. The guards are not present in the period photo, because this tank was built before PSC introduced them on its M4A1s.
The Part Number of the small hatch upper hull casting was E4153. When possible, we like to record the E4153 information cast into the firewall of many surviving M4A1s. Until late 1942, Continental Foundry & Machine cast all of the M4A1 upper hulls. The cost to produce and machine an upper hull was listed as $4500. We believe that Continental cast about 500 with direct vision, although the highest hull serial number we have recorded thus far is 477. This example can be seen as 366. This tank would have been built with the perforated sheet metal around the turret basket, and 12 ready rounds attached to the "wall" of the basket. Again we would assume that it was the Canadians who retrofitted two of the three steps of the so called "Quick Fix" modification. They removed the perforated sheet metal which tended to trap the crew from additional avenues of emergency escape. The very exposed 12 ready rounds on the turret basket wall were also eliminated. This tank also has the second step of the Quick Fix mod which provided 1/4 inch armor plates and doors for the ammunition racks, most of which were located "up high" on the sponson shelves. The original stowage configuration included 30 rounds in a less exposed position on the floor of the hull behind the bow gunner. On "Second Generation" series Shermans, almost all of the rounds were moved to the floor of the hull. The final step of the Quick Fix modification was the installation of 1 inch armor plates to the exterior of the hull in the areas of the sponson mounted ammo bins. We think this early M4A1 looks better without them, but for reasons unknown, the plates were not installed. This was also the case on about the first 25 Grizzlies. Photo courtesy of David Doyle.
This factory floor photo dates to September, 1942, and shows a mixed line of M4s and M4A1s. The M4 bogies would have completely replaced the M3 type at this point. The M4 which is third in line, "still" has direct vision. The M34 rotor shields are the later type (1) with the cast in side pieces for greater protection against bullet splash. The head light plug holders can be seen in the later, vertical orientation on the lead M4A1. This tank seems to be awaiting installation of a 3-piece differential housing. PSC appears to have used both 1 and 3-piece diffs until about Spring, 1943. A few front fender sections can be seen sitting on the floor. Note how the protruding piece on the topmost fender section (2) is bent to fit the contour of the 3-piece diff, while the one below it (3) is straight to match the contour of the 1-piece. From September, 1942 through March, 1943, Pressed Steel Car manufactured 100 M12 155mm Gun Motor Carriages along with 100 M30 Cargo Carriers. Some of these can be seen on the right in the photo. They were used in training in the US, and 74 each were rebuilt, and shipped to the European Theater in the second half of 1944. Despite their limited numbers, the M12s were highly effective as mobile artillery. The Field Artillery Board was impressed enough to order additional units, and from February through September 1945 Pressed Steel manufactured 418 M40 155mm Gun Motor Carriages, an improved version based on the Sherman chassis with HVSS.
The photo above was taken at the Desert Training Center in California around mid 1943, and documents a king pin failure on a transport trailer. "Bronx" can be seen to be USA 3015102. Like 3015032, the 1st Armored Regiment M4 battle casualty shown earlier, this tank was accepted in August, 1942. A close examination of the original Archives print showed the turret serial number to be 415 (inset), and it is one of the odd turret castings that featured the unusually large lifting rings mounted in the "high" position. We believe that PSC began the to receive supplies of the cast air scoops (1) shown here in August. The round air cleaners (2) entered the production pipeline in the Summer of 1942, and PSC used the round or square types interchangeably until the end of 1943. A 10 pound sledge hammer is listed as "on rear deck" in the November, 1942 Technical Manual. "Counting heads" suggests that PSC did not begin to include this item until November. It was installed on a slant on the upper rear hull plate in the area indicated by the asterisks.
The M4 on display at the USS Alabama Memorial in Mobile has Union Steel turret serial number 415, so, it would seem, the turret from Bronx, if not the whole tank, has survived. This M4 was remanufactured in late 1944 by either Chrysler-Evansville or International Harvester. The serial number corresponding to USA 3015102 would be 315. Unlike other Shermans, we have not found the Ordnance Serial Number factory stamped anywhere on the exterior of surviving Pressed Steel built Shermans. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to look inside this tank for the dataplate (or perhaps the serial number stamped inside the dataplate frame seen on a number of remanufactured Shermans) to confirm if this is indeed Bronx. In any case, despite extensive modification and shot damage (it was recovered from a target range at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida), the tank provides us with an opportunity to examine some of the features of a PSC produced M4. Photo courtesy of Paul and Lorén Hannah.
M4(75)s were manufactured by 5 companies - American Locomotive, Baldwin Locomotive, Chrysler, Pressed Steel Car and Pullman Standard Car Co. They were the most common version of the Sherman used by the US Army during WW II. Not many M4(75)s have survived, and this might be explained in part by their heavy use in combat. Although we haven't come across any documentation, the examination of period photos and surviving tanks leads us to believe that only PSC and Baldwin produced M4s with the upper rear hull plate in the vertical orientation (arrow) as shown above on the Mobile M4 (top) as well as another example on display at the Commemorative Air Force Museum in Dallas, Texas. The same plates noted on other M4s are mounted on an angle. Upper photo courtesy of Paul and Lorén Hannah.
Another anomaly seen on PSC M4s is the "high" location of the weep holes (1) in the turret splash. Other welded hull Shermans have the weep holes located where the turret splash is welded to the hull, as indicated by the red dots. PSC appears to have employed an unusual assembly method in which the overhead plates did not angle down as on other Shermans, but were flat straight across as shown in the photo on the right. Also observed on PSC M4s is the ventilator with symmetrical bolt pattern (2). Cast hull Shermans featured "symmetrical ventilators," whereas all welded hull Shermans with the exception of PSC M4s have been noted to have ventilators with asymmetrical bolt patterns (inset). It seems oddly inefficient that two different types of ventilators had to be mass produced for the Sherman. Finally, the right rear turret splash section (3) on PSC M4s was only about a foot long. The same splash seen on other all welded hull M4s extends over about 2 feet. M4 Composites are also noted to have had "shorter" splashes. Right side photo courtesy of Mike Canaday.
We've observed on a few surviving PSC M4s that the fire extinguisher housing (1) is not surrounded by a splash guard as on most other welded hull Shermans. Modelers might note the little locking handles (2) that secured the armored air intake cover on M4s and M4A1s. These were removed to release the cover so that it could be lifted for servicing (inset). As with the handles on the gas cap covers, these were secured with retaining chains. For future reference, note the absence of a weld seam at the juncture where the turret splash meets the fuel cap splash guard.
The front "plate" or glacis of PSC M4s was assembled using a combination of castings and armor plates. The lower section was a long casting that included the bow machine gun socket. On this and a few other examples, the part number of this piece is cast in rather prominently and can be seen as D51011. The caster's logo, a "U on a keystone," indicates it was made in Pennsylvania ("the Keystone State") by Union Steel. The serial number of this particular piece is 99. Pressed Steel Car produced exactly 1000 M4s from July 1942 through August 1943. So, they would have needed about 1000 D51011 castings. However, not all of the D51011 castings are seen with the prominent casting marks on the exterior. Either Union Steel or another firm cast some with smooth exteriors. We would note that some of the "prominent" castings have been seen with little "buttons" (1) on their corners. The cast head lamp sockets (2) are typical of most small hatch welded hull Shermans. As mentioned, this tank was remanufactured, and a number of items would have been added at that time. The periscope guards (3) were reported to have been introduced at PSC in September 1943, a month after M4 production ended. The "Sloping armor ahead of drivers' hatches" (4) and gun travel lock (5) were said to have been introduced in mid-July and August respectively, so may have been factory installed on some of the last PSC M4s. Ordnance documents note that, 98 percent of the remanufactured Shermans could use their original transmissions and final drives, and the early appearance of this differential suggests that it is original to this tank. Photo courtesy of Paul and Lorén Hannah.
The few surviving PSC M4s have all had the drivers' hood plates retrofitted, so this photo provides an unobstructed view of the front of USA 3015037, the 1st Armored Regiment combat casualty shown earlier. Sections 1, 2 and 3 were armor plate, while the drivers' hoods (4) and the D51011 piece (5) were castings. In general, there would have been a loose chronology to the appearance of various components that can be helpful when trying to "count heads." For instance, the serial numbers of the D51011 sections on the few M4s in the book "First Blood" are noted to be in the low double digits. The casting here can be read as serial number 19. In this view, one can see the little "buttons" on the four corners of the D51011 casting.
Above shows two views of the antenna bracket seen in period photos and surviving examples of PSC M4s. Small hatch, welded hull Shermans featured a number of versions of this bracket in various shapes and sizes. The bracket shown was mounted flush to the armor plate, whereas some were mounted on top of the plate. This particular bracket is very similar, if not the same, as the casting seen on ALCO M4s. A few examples from the M4s of both companies have been noted to have the same Part Number - D50986. The installation of this rather large fixture on every small hatch, welded hull Sherman strikes us a considerable waste of time and resources, not to mention something of a ballistic liability. It served as an antenna mount when an additional radio was installed on the right front sponson shelf of command tanks. We suspect that a 50 cent bracket (inset) might have served the purpose just as well on the relatively small percentage of Shermans outfitted with the long range command radio. Left side photo courtesy of Paul and Lorén Hannah.
Due to the paucity of period photos and surviving examples, we have not been able to do a very effective "head count" regarding the transition of PSC M4s to the elongated drivers' hoods with auxiliary periscopes. Above shows an M4 with direct vision on display at the Saumur Museum in France. This is the only surviving PSC M4 we know of that still has its dataplate, and it is Serial Number 811, indicating November 1942 production. So at least we can say that PSC had NOT completed the transition to the later drivers' hoods in November. For what it's worth, the D51011 casting can be seen as serial number 317, quite a bit higher than the previous examples discussed. SN 811 was rebuilt by the French in the post war years, and like many surviving Shermans, it was cobbled together. The late E8543 differential did not enter production until the summer of 1943. The D50878 turret with welded up pistol port is not original to this M4 either, as it was made by Buckeye Steel, and has the casting date 3-43 (March 1943) below the "B in a circle" caster's logo (inset). Photo courtesy of the late Massimo Foti, a fine photographer, and friend to Sherman Minutia.
