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Above shows another combat casualty filmed by the Germans sometime in 1944. They appear to have employed demolition charges in order to deny its recovery by the Soviets. A new addition that can be seen on this unit is the blanket roll rack (1). It may have been added at a Tank Depot, but we suspect it was factory installed, as the builders had priority when it came to the introduction of modifications. The commencement date for installation on the M4A2 is listed in an Ordnance Department document as 3/27/44. We cannot verify this, but if true, it would have been on perhaps the last 150 M4A2(75)s. The tools (2) are "still" mounted in their original position on the upper rear hull plate. Note the distinctive appearance of the underside of the M4A2 engine deck doors (3), and the "standard" hull lifting rings (4) in the rear.



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It has been difficult to "count heads" on the large hatch M4A2(75)s since most of them "disappeared" to Soviet Lend Lease. Very few were evaluated by the Government or used as test vehicles. We showed the T6 Floatation Device pilot earlier. Another was used as a platform for the Mine Exploder T10. Fisher Body handled the project, and the above shows the appearance of the vehicle as it arrived at Aberdeen Proving Ground in May 1944. The massive rollers can be seen just behind the tank. Unfortunately, this was one of the few APG Reports we encountered that did not list the serial number of the tank. As with our previous Soviet example, and unlike Serial Number 47564 shown earlier, this unit can be seen to have the blanket roll rack and repositioned tools.


   
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The T10 was tested at APG in June 1944. Captain Merritt D. Elliott reported "The vehicle, to date, has not been too successful due to the fact that only the front two rollers are powered, and the rolling resistance of the rear roller, which is unpowered, tends to cause the vehicle to get stuck." Perhaps with his tongue in cheek regarding the outlandish appearance of the tank, Elliott wrote, "From all indications, it seems the Ordnance Department is making any and every kind of device to remove mines." This was the only pilot, and the T10 project was abandoned shortly thereafter.




It is thought that the large hatch M4A2(75) made its combat debut with the Marine Corps in June, 1944 at Saipan. Photos show them serving there alongside small hatch M4A2s with both the 2nd and 4th Marine Tank Battalions. After Tarawa, the USMC "got religion" when it came to waterproofing their tanks. In some cases, the Marines fashioned their own wading trunk designs, but the unit shown above appears to have been equipped with the "official" version, made available in kit form in early 1944. Preparing a Sherman for deep water fording was a laborious undertaking. According to the Technical Manual, if the job was done properly, the tank would be able to operate in water up to 6 feet for all of 8 minutes. This 4th Tank Battalion Sherman appears to have fallen into a shell hole in the surf, which drowned out the engines. Marine large hatch M4A2s and M4A3s can be difficult to distinguish, but a bit of the side applique (circled in red) can be seen here. The M4A3s were not equipped with the applique plates, since they were "Wet Stowage" tanks in which the ammunition bins had been repositioned to the floor of the vehicle.






   

The left side photo shows a tank of Company A, 1st Tank Battalion progressing on Peleliu airfield on September 15, 1944. The glacis and turret sides have been "up armored" with spare tracks. The right side photo shows an M4A2(75) with M1 Dozer blade. The Marines considered themselves to be "last in line" when it came to the issuance of new equipment, but they did manage to procure supplies of this very effective addition to the Sherman.




This M4A2 named "Joker II" is said to have served with the 4th Tank Battalion on Saipan. When the battalion was reequipped with the M4A3(75)W, this spare unit was field converted to a mine flail. Photos of British Crab tanks were used as reference, and the flail was created from truck parts and other odds and ends. It was brought to Iwo Jima, but, like the T10 featured earlier, was "not too successful," as it got bogged down in the soft, volcanic soil



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The US Army wanted to terminate production of 75mm Shermans at the end of 1943. However, it was recorded that the British and the USMC did not desire the 76mm Sherman, and would require 75mm models into 1945. Thus, the Government decided to continue production of a single model -  the M4A3(75)W. One bit of intrigue in this matter, not for "foreign" consumption, was that Ford engined Shermans were to be reserved exclusively for use by US troops. Despite some objections, the policy more or less forced the USMC to accept gasoline powered Shermans after the middle of 1944. Thus, the new 6th Marine Tank Battalion was equipped with the M4A3(75)W for the Okinawa Campaign, while the veteran 1st Tank Battalion came ashore with 47 M4A2s, most or all of which appear to have been large hatch models. The unit shown above was photographed on April 4, 1945. By late 1944, modification kits became more readily available, and the Corps was able to obtain supplies of the commander's vision cupola (1) and the extended end connectors (inset) that can be seen on this tank.



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Okinawa was "the last battle," and tank casualties were fearsome. The 1st Tank Battalion had to draw some M4A3s from the replacement pool when its reserves of M4A2s ran out. The unit shown above was reported to have been destroyed by a mine in mid-June 1945. This tank can be identified as an M4A2 by the sections of the engine deck that can be seen. (The inset shows a 6th USMC TB M4A3 for comparison.) Of interest is the triangular shaped pull on the engine access door (1). Counting heads suggests that the sheet metal cover over the ventilator (2) was not introduced at Fisher until July 1944 a few months after M4A2(75) production had ended. A close examination of this and the preceding photo show "padded" hull lifting rings in the rear (3). Fisher was building several Sherman models at the same time, but so far, we have not come across any examples of these on an M4A3(75)W, M4A3E2 or M4A2(76).




In the Spring of 1944, Lima Locomotive Works converted 12 large hatch M4A2s to M32B2 Tank Recovery Vehicles for USMC use. In the 3rd Marine Division photo above, the absence of the ventilator beside the driver’s hatch confirms that this is a large hatch Sherman. Lima also converted 20 large hatch M4A3(75)Ws to M32B3s for the Marines. Since this retriever does not have the typical M4A2 appliqué plate, it would be a challenge to distinguish from an M32B3 it if it weren't for the "M32B2, Lima Locomotive Works" stenciling. A single "M4A2" ID clue is provided by the grouser compartment cover (1), which was not installed on M4A3s.  It is thought that a few of the large hatch M32B2s were used by the Marines in combat in 1945.
 



We like to examine surviving Shermans as part of our research. A bit of one is on display at the National Military Museum in Bucharest, Romania. This tank is reported to have fallen into the Prut River near Petresti in August 1944. Shortly thereafter, Russian forces recovered the turret, presumably for refitting to another Sherman. A local who was granted permission to salvage the engine, appears to have salvaged a good deal more than that. What was left was recovered in 2000, and placed on displayed at the museum. While the serial number of this tank is not known at present, the forward cable clamp can be seen in the "first" position (1). It should be noted that the cable clamp is welded on to the E8020 casting. Thus the first or "early" position of the clamp on Fisher large hatch M4A2(75)s differs from the early position seen on Chrysler M4/M4A3(105)s and M4A3(76)s produced up to July, 1944. Chrysler welded the clamp on to the armor plate behind the E8020 piece. In any case, the early position of the forward cable clamp, along with the straight as opposed to upturned return roller arms, would lead us to judge that this example was produced in late 1943. Information and photo courtesy of Doug Kibbey.


   


    

Small changes were incorporated by Fisher during the course of production. These have been easier to study on M4A3s, but we think it is safe to assume the M4A2s followed a similar course. We would emphasize that these changes were transitional; that is, it could take a month or so before a new feature completely replaced an older one on the production line. The large hatch M4A2(75)s and some of the first M4A2(76)s manufactured in May 1944 had what the authors think of as the "early" glacis pattern. This pattern featured inboard hull lifting rings and "long" bullet splashes in front of the drivers' auxiliary periscopes (circled in red). The top edge of the glacis plate was neatly beveled.


   

Fisher transitioned to the "mid" glacis pattern in May, 1944. The bullet splashes were shortened, and perhaps as a labor saving measure, the top edge of the glacis plate was no longer beveled, but simply square cut. In August, 1944, the hull lifting rings were relocated to the edges of the glacis. We think of this as the late or final glacis pattern. Both photos courtesy of Jim Goetz.


   

The earliest large hatch M4A2s were made with two small weep holes in the rear of the turret splash. It was found that the small holes could become clogged with debris, causing water to back up and foul the gasoline supply of the auxiliary generator. It was thought that a single, large hole would alleviate the problem. This transition took place starting in July 1944. Some of the earliest Chrysler built large hatch M4s and M4A3s with 105mm guns had the gap between the turret splash and the fuel cap bullet splash filled in by welding. We have seen no evidence of this practice on Fisher large hatch Shermans.


   

Fisher seems to have used just about every type of road wheel on the Shermans it produced in 1944. In the early months, units were equipped with either the welded spoke (A) or pressed spoke wheels (B). The welded spoke with "small holes" (C) and the solid, concave wheels (D) were introduced in Summer 1944, and appear to have been prevalent by the Fall.


   
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M4A2(75)production ended and M4A2(76) production commenced at Fisher Body in May 1944. The thirteenth unit (Serial Number 47856, USA 3080453) was evaluated at the General Motors Proving Ground in June. The tank can be seen to have the "early glacis pattern" as explained above. Production started with the D82081 turret with the loader's split hatch. While the gun appears to be the "unthreaded" M1A1, we suspect it might actually be the threaded M1A1C without the protective collar. Government documents have it that only the first 385 "medium tanks M4 series (76mm gun)" were equipped with M1A1s, and we think the supply of these may have been exhausted before Fisher began production. The rear view shows fittings for the gun cleaning rod mounted on the blanket roll rack (1), as well as the spare track holders (2). These items are not seen in the few period photos of large hatch M4A2(75)s. Note that the crowbar fittings (3) are "back" in their original position with the other pioneer tools on the right rear. The crowbar is seen mounted by itself on the left sponson in the few period photos of large hatch M4A2(75)s.






   



   
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Serial Number 63782, USA 30116804 was accepted in October 1944, and evaluated at the General Motors Proving Ground later that same month. We estimate that this would have been about the point where the transition to the D7054366 turret with oval loader's hatch, and the M1A2 gun with muzzle brake was completed. The road wheels are the welded, "small holes" type. The rear view mirrors are rarely seen installed on anything but test tanks. Earlier we pointed out the triangular shaped pull seen on the engine access door of a USMC large hatch M4A2(75). One can catch a glimpse of these in the rear photo. The "Lift Here" stencils were added because some stevedores didn't trust that the hull lifting rings could hold the tank's weight. Their alternate hoisting methods often resulted in serious damage, particularly to the suspension components.



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This well known photo, dated May 3, 1945, was taken in Grabow, Germany by a Signal Corps photographer "embedded" with the 82nd Airborne Division. The caption writer must not have known his tanks, since he did not identify this as a Lend Lease, American built vehicle as one might expect. Fisher's custom was to paint on the USA Number real small in blue drab (1). Unfortunately, it was not possible to get a good read of it despite a magnifying glass examination of the original glossy print at the US Archives. However, bits of the shipping code (2) could be read, and this tank was part of the December 1944 Lend Lease allocation for 199 units - "SR [Sequence Requisition] 13601." The Soviets asked that the tanks be shipped filled with Lend Lease Diesel, and despite some stevedore and Merchant Marine objections, this was done, as can be seen in the stencil (3) "FUEL TANK 3/4 FULL." The dark glue spot (4) was for Tank Depot "Modification Records Here." Some of the shipping stencils can be seen to be in Cyrillic. These provide instructions regarding the engine coolant mixture, and battery handling under extremely cold conditions. With thanks to Alexander Gladchenkov.








This tank is currently displayed at the Museum of Military Air Forces of the Northern Fleet in Safonovo, Murmansk Oblast. A correspondent reported that it is Serial Number 64465, which makes it late December, 1944 production. We think that Fisher made the transition to HVSS at around SN 64469, so this tank would be one of the very last M4A2s produced with VVSS. Unlike 3081179 shown earlier, this tank was shipped by the “Northern Route.” It was salvaged in July, 2014 from the wreck of the SS Thomas Donaldson, a Liberty Ship sunk in the Barents Sea on March 20, 1945 by U-boat U-968. Another M4A2(76)VVSS was recovered from the same ship in 2016, and is currently displayed in Saint-Petersburg. In the interest of historical accuracy, we would note that, in 2017, it was reported that SN 64465 was restored to running condition. Due to the poor condition of the VVSS components and missing tracks, the tank was retrofitted with HVSS suspension from a turretless Soviet M4A2 tractor conversion when it was restored to running condition. With thanks to Dmitry Ukryukov.




It is thought that Fisher Body completed the transition to HVSS on its M4A2(76)s on January 1, 1945. While official documentation has yet to be found, we calculate that Fisher produced at least 1299 units. The Soviets were the primary Lend Lease recipient of the M4A2(76) at 2073 units. The British are reported to have received 5 in the second half of 1945; that is, after VE Day. All of these are believed to have had HVSS. We estimate that the Soviets got about 460 M4A2(76)HVSS. According to an article by Yuri Pasholok (alternate link), the first 34 units with HVSS were reported to have entered the Soviet Union by the “Northern Route” in March 1945 as part of Convoy JW-65. Most of the M4A2s from this convoy, including 33 with HVSS, were dispatched to the Gorky ABT Center for processing before issue. The Sherman shown above was reported as USA 30122430. It had been unloaded in Murmansk from the Liberty Ship Eleazar Lord, and delivered to the Soviet Test Facility at Kubinka, where a 1000-kilometer test of the “M4A2-76mm with a modernized chassis” commenced in early April 1945. There is no photographic evidence of Soviet M4A2(76)s with HVSS in combat in the final days of the war in Europe. This appears to be because none had been processed and authorized for issue before V-E Day, which was 9 May 1945 in the Soviet Union. 




Some M4A2(76)HVSS’s appear to have been delivered to ports in Asia before Lend Lease was terminated in the Summer of 1945. Author Dmitriy Loza stated that units of his 6th Guards Tank Army were equipped with some in Manchuria in August 1945. However, Loza went on to say they did NOT use them against the Japanese before the surrender. The photo above is said to be "Transbaikalian Front...6th Guards Tank Army, August 8, 1945,” the day before the Soviet invasion of Manchuria. The third M4A2 can be seen to be equipped with fittings for the canvas mantlet cover, but not the cover itself. A Soviet officer named Pulnikov is quoted as reporting that the canvas mantlet cover came with the tanks starting at Serial Number 64724 (February, 1945). We would assume that he got that information directly from production officials at Fisher Body. However, we suspect that it was about a month premature, and that the canvas covers themselves did not come with the tanks until March. Photo courtesy of Petr Zaïka.




Even before the end of WW II, relations between the Soviet Union and the Western Allies had deteriorated. Dmitriy Loza was still serving in the Far East in 1946. He reported that he was ordered to prepare "the tanks Sherman" for return to the US. The demand for their return was a very literal interpretation of the terms of the Lend Lease Protocol, and appears to have applied only to the Soviets. Ultimately, the tanks were not shipped back. Some were demilitarized and transformed into turretless tractors. Some of them served with the Soviet National Railway Company, some as snowplows.




This example is currently on display at the Kubinka Tank Museum, near Moscow. A plate affixed to the differential housing has the USA Registration Number, 30122450 stamped on. It is said to have been added by the museum during a post-war inventory. We have been able to confirm that the stamped Registration Number is authentic, because a correspondent sent photos that show that Serial Number 64471 is stamped into the rear tow lugs. That is an exact mathematical match to the Registration Number. We believe that the M4A2(76)HVSS tested at Kubinka was mistakenly reported as USA 30122430, but it was actually this one – 30122450. This M4A2(76) was accepted in January 1945, and was one of the very first units to incorporate HVSS. We’d be happy to be proven wrong, but by our calculations, the first M4A2(76) with HVSS would have been 30122448. Thanks to the work of researchers like Yuri Pasholok and Gabor Horvath, it is obvious that, in many cases, the Soviets used the USA Number for bookkeeping purposes in test and combat casualty reports during WW II. We have been pleased to add quite a few Registration Numbers of Soviet Shermans to our records, helping to shed a little more light on what has been a rather obscure subject. Photo courtesy of "armyjunk."


   

The M4A2(76)HVSS shown above is thought to have been demilitarized and converted to a turretless tractor shortly after WW II. It is on display at the Safonovo Museum, alongside the M4A2(76)VVSS recovered from the Thomas Donaldson. It has been reported as being Serial Number 64669, which would indicate February, 1945 acceptance. A hole was cut in the armor in front of the driver’s position, most likely as part of the demilitarization process. With the removal of the turret, a blank off plate with crude hatch was added to cover the opening. The exhaust system appears to have been modified somewhat. Note the hole cut in the upper rear hull plate, presumably to accommodate a new exhaust outlet. Photos courtesy of Dmitry Ukryukov.




In September, 1945, it was reported that there were 704 M4A2(76)s on hand at Depots in the US. Presumably, these would have been almost entirely unassigned HVSS units from the last months of production. Another 133 had been set aside for "conversions and tests." The photo above shows Serial Number 65132 / USA 30123111 which would have been accepted in April, 1945. The complete canvas mantlet cover appears to have been introduced into production around March, 1945. However, note that this is the less complex, original version as seen installed on the 76 mm pilot turret. We believe Fisher quickly replaced this version with the standard or final mantlet cover configuration which can be seen on the May production M4A2(76) in the following caption. For future reference, notice that the smoke mortar cap (1) does NOT have a retaining chain, and that there is something different about the middle bogie unit (2).


    

 We suspect that most or all of the 133 M4A2(76)s listed in the US Inventory as "conversions and tests" were set aside as part of the 200 DD swimming tanks that the US agreed to convert for the British as part of their 1945 Lend Lease requirements. As it turned out, only the two pilot models were completed before the project was terminated. One of the pilots was ordered sent to the APG Ordnance Museum for "historic purposes." We recorded the serial number as 69278, indicating May 1945 acceptance, the final month of M4A2(76) production. Even at this late date, the gun travel lock is "still" in the original "two fingers" configuration (circled in red.) Early on, this was found to be unstable, but the one piece wrap-around replacement that can be seen on many surviving Shermans must have been introduced into production either very late or not at all. The Ordnance Department photo on the left is dated August 2, 1945.


   

Correspondence dated September 1945 indicated that the British wanted the other DD pilot (Sherman III AY DD III in British nomenclature), "providing there will be no cost to the British public."  It was not given away, and later the British mocked up a DD using T224877 (above left), one of the 5 M4A2(76)s they had received as Lend Lease. Earlier, we pointed out the triangular shaped pull on the engine access doors. We suspect that the APG DD pilot is the only surviving large hatch M4A2 that still has the original parts intact. Note how a pair of clamps were included to secure the pull during travel. Without more documentation, we can only venture a guess that these fittings were factory installed on some of the large hatch M4A2(75)s, and all of the M4A2(76)s.


   

In 1946, Canada is reported to have purchased 300 M4A2(76)s with HVSS from the US at the very reasonable price of $1,460.00 each. However, the "Canadian Arms and Armour" website has it that "It appears that the final number of tanks delivered to Canada differed slightly from the initial order, with 294 tanks being received at Long Point depot in late 1946." These remained in Canada, where they were used as training tanks. (The US Army provided Canadian forces in Korea with M4A3(76)HVSS's.) The M4A2s were given DND (Department of National Defence) CFR (Canadian Forces Registration) Numbers, and Canadian Arms and Armour lists 292 of them running from 78-693 through 78-992. Furthermore, the site lists the US Ordnance Serial Numbers of 63 units, most of which have survived and are on display as museum pieces and monuments throughout Canada. From our own Serial Number research regarding the Canadian M4A2(76)s, we would observe that the data indicates that they were built from March through May 1945. The example shown above is Serial Number 69132 (April 1945 acceptance) and is on display in Kelowna, British Columbia. The armored first aid box (circled in red) appears on some but not all of the Canadian Shermans. Our "counting heads" method suggests that the last 400 or so M4A2(76)s had the first aid box factory installed. 69537 was the serial number of the last M4A2(76) made. 69132 and those we have recorded with higher serial numbers have the box (or telltale weld scars), but units recorded with lower SNs do not. Photos courtesy of Alf Adams.


   
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Reports from the battlefield noted that the radiators of M4A2 and M4A3 Shermans were vulnerable to shrapnel and other types of combat damage. In late 1944, the Ordnance Department designed armored exhaust deflectors. We featured M4A2(75) Serial Number 47564 earlier. In February 1945, it was used to "model" the new deflector for the M4A2. As an additional part of the protection, an armored shield replaced the earlier sheet metal piece over the exhaust outlet and resonators, as seen in the right side photo. All of the surviving Canadian M4A2(76)s have the armored deflectors (or the hinge fittings), which would lead us to conclude that Fisher completed the transition to these in March 1945. This would have been too late for very many of them to have been shipped overseas during WW II.




Serial Number 47564 was used again as a demonstration model in the updated version (July 1945) of the Deep Water Fording Technical Manual. Note that the manual included provision for sealing in the cordage of the new RC-298 Interphone Extension Kit. This was produced too late for WW II, but can be seen on many surviving Shermans. The absence of the box (or weld scars), suggests that the phone was not installed on the 300 Canadian Shermans. 




Another bit of minutia we have noticed concerns the 2 inch smoke mortar. At the request of the British, this was installed on Shermans starting in the Fall of 1943. It was even considered "Urgent" (although not "Essential") to have it installed on the 1397 M4 and M4A1 tanks in the US Pool in the UK before D-Day. However, it was not popular with the troops who considered the mortar gun to be "in the way" inside the cramped turret. They preferred to fire smoke from the main gun. In the Pacific campaigns, where Japanese infantry would often swarm over buttoned up Shermans, it was noted that they would try to drop grenades or other explosives down the smoke mortar barrel. The Marines reported that they fashioned wooden plugs to prevent this. In January 1945, the Ordnance Department "got the message," and eliminated the smoke mortar from the Sherman.


       

Author Yuri Pasholok recently examined a document from the Russian Archives written by Lieutenant Colonel Pulnikov, Chief of the Tank Department of the Soviet Purchasing Commission (SPKZ) in the US. Pulnikov’s report is dated March 13th, 1945, and in it he described some of the changes that had been made to the M4A2(76). This information was no doubt provided to him by representatives of Fisher Body. One such change was that the "eliminate the smoke mortar" directive was reported to have been implemented by Fisher at “Tank # 64741” (February, 1945 production). Earlier, we discussed the transitional nature of the introduction of most changes. We suspect that "eliminate the smoke mortar" was a hard change. That is, there was no transition, and that Fisher stopped installing the smoke mortar shortly after they received the directive from the Ordnance Department. Any remaining supplies of mortars, ammunition and fittings simply became obsolete. An examination of the surviving Canadian M4A2(76)s suggests a sort of “smoke mortar hole” chronology. Those turrets already prepared with the protruding sleeve and cap installed, simply had the cap welded on, and thus there was no need for the cap's retaining chain. Those turrets made with the mortar hole already drilled out, had a square of armor welded over it. And finally, the APG DD pilot and many of the Canadian Shermans can be seen to have clean, undrilled turrets. Notice that the mantlet cover fittings seen on the two "plugged" turrets differ from the fitting seen on the "undrilled" example. Photos courtesy of Scott Taylor.


   

All of the surviving Canadian M4A2(76)s have mantlet cover fittings, but they are seen in two configurations. The first or early configuration is shown on Serial Number 65017 (above left) in Goderich, Ontario. "Counting heads" suggests that this was introduced in March 1945, and was installed on approximately 520 units, before being replaced with the second type around mid April. At present, Serial Number 69059 (above right) on display in Olds, Alberta Province, Canada is "patient zero" for the second type mantlet cover. That is, all of the surviving examples with lower serial numbers have been noted with the first type, while all with higher serial numbers have what we would consider the "standard" mantlet cover. Note the large number of fittings required for this much more elaborate installation. No doubt the extra effort and expense made for a more watertight cover. Our "head count" suggests that the standard type would have been installed on approximately the last 480 units accepted in April and May 1945. Only Fisher M4A2(76)HVSS units appear to have employed the first type. Chrysler and Pressed Steel Car are thought to have used only the standard type in production. Additionally, most surviving M4A1(76) and M4A3(76) Shermans are equipped with the standard type mantlet cover, which suggests that a large number of modification kits were provided for the various post war M4A1(76) and M4A3(76) remanufacturing programs. Photos courtesy Scott Taylor (left) and Alf Adams (right).


   

Foundry casting capacity was limited, and early on, Fisher Body was tasked with designing alternatives to the Sherman's many cast components. The welded together drivers' hoods introduced on Fisher M4A2(75)s in late 1942, are the most conspicuous examples of the use of alternate parts. Fabricated HVSS suspension arms can be seen mixed in with the usual cast "bogie arms" on many of the Canadian M4A2(76)s. According to a Tank Arsenal Proving Ground Report dated 9 May, 1945, they were designed "by the Fisher Tank Division as alternatives for the standard cast steel arms to alleviate a critical casting situation. They were fabricated from two-inch armor plate with the spring seat pin, gudgeon pin, and bogie wheel shaft bosses cast and welded into place." Compared to the cast suspension arms (right) originally designed by Chrysler, all of the fabricated arms we have seen have "void lightening holes." For improved strength, the TAPG Report recommended that the holes be eliminated and reinforcing ribs be added, but if these revisions were ever made before the end of Sherman production, we have not as yet come across an example. In any case, we would guess that, starting around March 1945, Fisher mixed these in, one to a side, with the cast type. The fabricated units may have been mounted in the center, as seen in the APG photo of Serial Number 65132 shown earlier. These can be spotted on a few surviving M4A1(76)s as well. Photos courtesy of Scott Taylor.







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At first, Fisher Body was contracted to produce all of the M4A2(76)s, but in October 1944, 150 units were subtracted from their Production Order. A "token" order was placed with Pressed Steel Car in order to keep the workers on the job in 1945 "to enable them to produce in quantity in a short time should conditions require volume production." The planners had to assume that the war with Japan might drag on for years, but as it turned out, further production was unnecessary, and PSC produced only 21 M4A2(76)s before their contract was terminated. A similar “token” order was apparently placed with Montreal Locomotive Works, as a Memorandum dated March 28, 1945, and entitled “Tank Production in Canada on U.S. Account” states that “The United States has ordered 579 Medium Tanks M4-A2 which will mount 76MM Guns.” Obviously this contract was terminated before any of these were built. The photo above shows one of the units made by Pressed Steel Car. This tank can be seen with casting numbers on the turret typical of Union Steel (1), the primary turret supplier to PSC, but not Fisher Body.  The M3 type of drive sprocket (2) seen here appears to have been reintroduced at PSC in 1945, but not at Fisher. The few photos of Soviet M4A2(76)HVSS show them with the earlier T66 type tracks. Here one can see the superior T80 track (3). Pressed Steel and Fisher are reported to have received deliveries of both T-66 and T-80 tracks in February 1945. In the following months, all deliveries were reported to be T-80. While there are about 70 surviving M4A2(76)HVSS's in North America, to date, none have been identified as PSC. Photo courtesy of Kenneth Nielsen - Pressed Steel !




After the Canadian sale, 529 M4A2(76)HVSS are reported to have been left in the US inventory. These were used as "parts junkers" in the late 1940s /early 1950s. That is, their turrets, suspensions and other useful components were removed, and used to convert many of the remaining M4A3(75)Wets in the inventory to M4A3(76)HVSS. The M4A2(76)HVSS shown above can be seen to be USA 30129692 S, indicating April 1945 acceptance. (The "S" often seen at the end of US Army Registration Numbers is frequently mistaken for a "5," but it signifies that the vehicle was equipped with a Radio Interference Suppression System.) This photo is from a souvenir history of the Letterkenny Ordnance Depot, and most likely depicts such a salvage operation.


       

The authors have noticed that all surviving Fisher built, large hatch Shermans we have examined have a series of weld beads mostly horizontal, but some vertical, that were applied to fill in the differential housing bolt strip overcut. We consider this a Fisher recognition feature, since all examples of Chryslers seen used a half round piece welded in to fill in the overcut. It is to be noted that the differential housing bolt strip overcut is "open" in the single photo of a known PSC M4A2(76).


   

Fisher built Shermans have the Tank's Ordnance Serial Number stamped into the rear towing lugs.
Pressed Steel Car does not appear to have stamped the Serial Number anywhere on the exterior of the AFVs they produced.




The tank's Ordnance Serial Number is also stamped on both edges of the differential housing. The diff stamping is preceded by an "S" for "serial number", as can be seen above - S65191.

Fisher built Shermans have been seen to have a loose build sequence number stamped on the left front (driver's side). These numbers have a letter prefix. The "W" on the tank above indicates it was built as an M4A2(76). Other letters noted are "E" for M4A3E2 (Jumbo), "M" for M4A3(76) and "A" for M4A3(75)W. This number can be useful in the event the tank's serial number can't be found.