(Added in new variants.) |
(Added in two new mid production variants.) |
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'''''This page is going to a big work in progress, right now I'm all over the board on this and I can't seem to find an area to start.'' ''' |
'''''This page is going to a big work in progress, right now I'm all over the board on this and I can't seem to find an area to start.'' ''' |
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| − | The '''M4A3E10 Super Sherman''', officially the '''Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm''' was the primary battle tank used by the Democratic Republic in the Cold War, and proved to be |
+ | The '''M4A3E10 Super Sherman''', officially the '''Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm''' was the primary battle tank used by the Democratic Republic in the early Cold War, and proved to be reliable and a highly mobile workhorse. |
==D.R. Design Prototype== |
==D.R. Design Prototype== |
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===Prototypes=== |
===Prototypes=== |
||
*'''T13''': Prototype Designation of M4-90. Prototype M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbos refitted with an M36 turret, design shifted towards T26 Turret with T13E2. |
*'''T13''': Prototype Designation of M4-90. Prototype M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbos refitted with an M36 turret, design shifted towards T26 Turret with T13E2. |
||
| + | *'''T13E2''': Final Prototype. The last prototype built and tested at Kellermann Proving Grounds, there at the Proving Grounds several T13E2 prototypes were put through various stress tests and various situations, after nearly 3 months of rigorous testing by Tank Crews and Engineers from the factories, the T13E2 was accepted into service as the ''Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm''. |
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===Early Production(1949-1952)=== |
===Early Production(1949-1952)=== |
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*'''M4A3E10''': Low Rate Initial Production variant. Low Rate Initial Production M4A3E10, early M3 90mm High Velocity Maingun with Double Baffle Muzzle Brake. |
*'''M4A3E10''': Low Rate Initial Production variant. Low Rate Initial Production M4A3E10, early M3 90mm High Velocity Maingun with Double Baffle Muzzle Brake. |
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*'''M4A3E10''': Improved Production. Starting in Mid '51, Xeres Locomotive began to start manufacturing the first Improved Production of the Early Production Series, this included various new systems, including a new Mechanically Operated Turret Drive with back ups and early stabilization of the maingun. Improved Production E10s were also built with N.S.E and I.S.E as standard, although the Xenon Searchlight was removed and replaced with a Coaxial Heavy Machine Gun mounted above the maingun. A lengthened bustle with blow off panels was also developed to replace the Wet Storage method of storing the 90mm ammunition, this effectively became known as the T26E1 Turret. |
*'''M4A3E10''': Improved Production. Starting in Mid '51, Xeres Locomotive began to start manufacturing the first Improved Production of the Early Production Series, this included various new systems, including a new Mechanically Operated Turret Drive with back ups and early stabilization of the maingun. Improved Production E10s were also built with N.S.E and I.S.E as standard, although the Xenon Searchlight was removed and replaced with a Coaxial Heavy Machine Gun mounted above the maingun. A lengthened bustle with blow off panels was also developed to replace the Wet Storage method of storing the 90mm ammunition, this effectively became known as the T26E1 Turret. |
||
===Mid Production(1952-1956)=== |
===Mid Production(1952-1956)=== |
||
| − | *'''M4A3E10(B)-Applique''': Applique Armor Production. Design Engineers back at the various plants in Tarakia began to see pictures and hearing of Super Shermans being up-armored with spare tracks, armor cut off of knocked out enemy tanks, sandbags and various other materials, these hasty in field modifications resulted in different performance as noted by crews, but provided overall better protection for crews during the close quarters tank fighting in urban environments. Back in Tarakia, the various plants began to produce E10 Hulls and T26E1 Turrets with applique armor added. This in house modification gave the Super Shermans a greater protection compared to the in field modifications performed, An uprated Allison |
+ | *'''M4A3E10(B)-Applique''': Applique Armor Production. Design Engineers back at the various plants in Tarakia began to see pictures and hearing of Super Shermans being up-armored with spare tracks, armor cut off of knocked out enemy tanks, sandbags and various other materials, these hasty in field modifications resulted in different performance as noted by crews, but provided overall better protection for crews during the close quarters tank fighting in urban environments. Back in Tarakia, the various plants began to produce E10 Hulls and T26E1 Turrets with applique armor added. This in house modification gave the Super Shermans a greater protection compared to the in field modifications performed, An uprated Allison G988C was installed to provide more power, a new strengthened Horizontal Vertical Volute Suspension System was added to cope with the additional weight added from the Applique Armor attached. Two, 2 barreled Smoke Dischargers were also placed onto the side of the turret, this would allow the gunner or commander to provide a smoke screen for Infantry or other tanks. |
| + | *'''M4A3E10(B105)-Rearmament''': Firepower Enhancement Production. Select Super Shermans were chosen for rearmament to something bigger then the 90mm. Looking for something similar to the M-51 Isherman, Decatur Marine Works designer John Fickler drafted up several blueprints of various calibers from 92mm up to 120mm, several of these guns were produced and placed on the select Super Shermans. One particular gun, the T52 120mm proved to be too unstable even with a counterweight added, firing it caused the Super Sherman to be pushed back 5 feet. It was ultimately cancelled and dropped from the program. With the deadline not being met, DMW having to act quick. Up scaled the M3 90mm to a bore diameter of 105mm, being relatively the same weight of the M3, and shorter in length by 5 calibers. It was tested for integration into the T26E1 Turret and test fired for several days, with testing concluded the Democratic Republic Army authorized the production of 15 guns, designated ''Gun, M5, 105mm'' it was installed onto 15 Super Shermans of which were placed in front line units. However, after realizing that no other tank at the time posed much of a threat, the Super Shermans mounting the M5 105mm were placed in museums. It wouldn't be until 1956 when the program is revived. |
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| + | *'''M4A3E10(B)-Reactive''': Reactive Armor Production. With the advancement in Tank Shell technology and the rising amount of Hyper Velocity rounds being developed and the fact that a unknown tank mounting a 128mm maingun had been making waves made the Democratic Republic Army and Marine Corps rethink the Super Sherman and its protection, with already added Applique Armor providing protection from 75mm and 80mm and to some extent 88mm. This prompted the research into a set of add on tiles capable of defeating warheads of HE, AP, APBC and HVAP, these tiles would be placed on the turret, frontal hull and on the back to provide protection to areas that could be hit in a direct tank battle. How this was going to accomplished was largely unknown and no one at the time had ever thought of an armor capable of redirecting a blast outwards and destroying the projectile, early work started in mid 1953 and continued throughout the rest of year resulting in several failures and mishaps causing the Democratic Republic Army and Marine Corps to lose faith in the procurement of a cutting edge tile armor. In Jan of 1954, Rockport Arsenal began to develop a Reactive Armor to be attached to the Super Sherman, it's variants and other tanks in the Democratic Republic Military. Within six months, Rockport Arsenal had successfully been able to defeat several types of rounds fired from a Super Sherman at a M26E4 and M4A3E10(T), with this major breakthrough Rockport Arsenal then began full scale production of Reactive Armor Tiles for the Super Sherman, it received the designation ''Armor, Reactive, Catherine'' after the head project manager who oversaw the prototype development. |
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===Specialized and Derivatives=== |
===Specialized and Derivatives=== |
||
*'''M4A3E10R1''': Super Zippo. Designed primarily for the use in thick jungles or for us against bunkers or other enemy structures. 45 were converted from Early E10 hulls. Retained the M3 90mm all though it was a faux to make the enemy think it was a regular armed tank. The Flamethrower was put inside the cannon, similar to the M48 Zippo conversions. |
*'''M4A3E10R1''': Super Zippo. Designed primarily for the use in thick jungles or for us against bunkers or other enemy structures. 45 were converted from Early E10 hulls. Retained the M3 90mm all though it was a faux to make the enemy think it was a regular armed tank. The Flamethrower was put inside the cannon, similar to the M48 Zippo conversions. |
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Revision as of 10:07, 15 March 2014
 | |
| Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm | |
|---|---|
| Production Information | |
| Type |
Medium Tank |
| Average Unit Cost |
46,150 Tarakian Dollars(1949) |
| Designer |
Xeres Locomotive |
| Designed |
1945-1948 |
| Manufacture |
|
| Assembly Plant |
Various |
| Country of Origin |
Democratic Republic of Tarakia |
| Variants |
See Below |
| Procurement |
13,318 |
| Export Customers |
3,843 |
| Service History | |
| In Service |
1949-1962 |
| Used By |
|
| Wars |
|
| Specifications | |
| Crew |
4(Driver, Loader, Gunner, Commander) |
| Mass |
35.3 Tons |
| Fuel Capacity |
175 U.S. Gal |
| Overall Length |
19 Feet, 2 Inches |
| Overall Width |
8 Feet, 7 Inches |
| Overall Height |
9 Feet 1.5 Inches |
| Ground Clearance |
17 Inches |
| Engine |
|
| Transmission |
Allison MD-850-1 Crossdrive(5 Forward, 1 Overdrive, 1 reverse) |
| Brake System |
Mechanical, external contracting |
| Suspension |
Horizontal Volute Suspension System(HVSS) |
| Track Type |
T54E1 Outside Guide, Double Pin, Chevron Steel Tread, Composite welded links |
| Road Wheel Type |
|
| Speed |
30-40 mph |
| Fording Depth/Speed |
36 Inches |
| Operational Range |
135 Miles |
| Operating Temperature Range |
|
| Armor And Active Defense | |
| Armor |
|
| Fire Control And Other Systems | |
| Sensors |
|
| Communications |
|
| Equipment |
|
| Other Systems |
|
| Armament | |
| Primary Armament |
|
| Secondary Armament |
|
| Usage | |
| Role |
|
| Availability |
No restriction, openly sold |
| First Used |
1950 |
| Eras |
|
| Counterpart |
|
| Affiliation |
Democratic Republic of Tarakia |
This page is going to a big work in progress, right now I'm all over the board on this and I can't seem to find an area to start.
The M4A3E10 Super Sherman, officially the Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm was the primary battle tank used by the Democratic Republic in the early Cold War, and proved to be reliable and a highly mobile workhorse.
D.R. Design Prototype
The D.R. Army Ordinance Department designed the Medium Tank M4A3E10 as a replacement for the earlier Medium Tank M4A3E2 'Jumbo' and Medium Tank M4A3E8 'Easy 8'
Using the M4A3E2 Jumbo Hull and then later the M4A3E8 'Easy 8' Hull, several prototypes were developed with the the M1A2 76mm High Velocity Rifled Gun, however the T23 turret was undesired, instead the D.R. Army Ordinance Department took the turret of a M26 Pershings tank, mounted it on the hull of the Jumbo and mounted the M3 90mm High Velocity Main Gun.
Production
Production officially began in April of 1949 at the Xeres Locomotive Plant. The new tank, designated as the M4A3E10 Super Sherman by the D.R. Army and the D.R. Marine Corps began to be assigned to combat units while the older M4A3E2s and M4A3E8s sent to the Guard and Reserves. In 1950, the D.R. Army ordered an additional 500 Super Shermans to equip more divisions. Several plants were repurposed to fulfill the order(I shall go into this later)
Service History
Allocation
First Combat
The M4A3E10 first saw combat in 1950 against rebel forces supported by a dictator regime in the far south of the continent, during this small conflict the M4A3E10 proved itself far superior to the lighter tanks the regime had been using, towards the end of the conflict, M4A3E10s were put up against more appropriate medium tanks, these included the Pz.Kpwf III/IV and Pz.Kpwf IV's. With superior training and shoot/scoot maneuvers, the M4A3E10s reigned supreme on the battlefield.
Armament
The gun on the M4A3E10 is a long-barreled high-velocity 90mm M3E1 Rifled Maingun borrowed over from the M26 Pershing Capable of penetrating a tank at over 1,500 yards. typically used with the M81 High Velocity Armor Piercing Round and later on the M83 High Velocity Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot(HVAPDS).
The 90mm Gun M3E1(Later M3E1 L/58 90mm Rifled Maingun) could penetrate some 200mm of unsloped face at 1,000 yards using M81 HVAP.
Variants and Upgrades
Prototypes
- T13: Prototype Designation of M4-90. Prototype M4A3E2 Sherman Jumbos refitted with an M36 turret, design shifted towards T26 Turret with T13E2.
- T13E2: Final Prototype. The last prototype built and tested at Kellermann Proving Grounds, there at the Proving Grounds several T13E2 prototypes were put through various stress tests and various situations, after nearly 3 months of rigorous testing by Tank Crews and Engineers from the factories, the T13E2 was accepted into service as the Medium Tank, M4A3E10, 90mm.
Early Production(1949-1952)
- M4A3E10: Low Rate Initial Production variant. Low Rate Initial Production M4A3E10, early M3 90mm High Velocity Maingun with Double Baffle Muzzle Brake.
- M4A3E10 N.S.E: Night Sight Equipment. Super Shermans built with the M31 Stereoscopic Gunners sight. The M32 Stereoscopic Rangefinder was also added for the Commander. The M31 was night capable, but relied on the ambient light of the moon to function properly. Early Night Vision goggles were also issued to crews. A Xenon Searchlight was also added and sat mounted on the gun shield.
- M4A3E10 I.S.E: Infrared Sight Equipment. Select Super Shermans were modified with the PVS-1 Active Infrared Sight to aid in night fighting.
- M4A3E10: Improved Production. Starting in Mid '51, Xeres Locomotive began to start manufacturing the first Improved Production of the Early Production Series, this included various new systems, including a new Mechanically Operated Turret Drive with back ups and early stabilization of the maingun. Improved Production E10s were also built with N.S.E and I.S.E as standard, although the Xenon Searchlight was removed and replaced with a Coaxial Heavy Machine Gun mounted above the maingun. A lengthened bustle with blow off panels was also developed to replace the Wet Storage method of storing the 90mm ammunition, this effectively became known as the T26E1 Turret.
Mid Production(1952-1956)
- M4A3E10(B)-Applique: Applique Armor Production. Design Engineers back at the various plants in Tarakia began to see pictures and hearing of Super Shermans being up-armored with spare tracks, armor cut off of knocked out enemy tanks, sandbags and various other materials, these hasty in field modifications resulted in different performance as noted by crews, but provided overall better protection for crews during the close quarters tank fighting in urban environments. Back in Tarakia, the various plants began to produce E10 Hulls and T26E1 Turrets with applique armor added. This in house modification gave the Super Shermans a greater protection compared to the in field modifications performed, An uprated Allison G988C was installed to provide more power, a new strengthened Horizontal Vertical Volute Suspension System was added to cope with the additional weight added from the Applique Armor attached. Two, 2 barreled Smoke Dischargers were also placed onto the side of the turret, this would allow the gunner or commander to provide a smoke screen for Infantry or other tanks.
- M4A3E10(B105)-Rearmament: Firepower Enhancement Production. Select Super Shermans were chosen for rearmament to something bigger then the 90mm. Looking for something similar to the M-51 Isherman, Decatur Marine Works designer John Fickler drafted up several blueprints of various calibers from 92mm up to 120mm, several of these guns were produced and placed on the select Super Shermans. One particular gun, the T52 120mm proved to be too unstable even with a counterweight added, firing it caused the Super Sherman to be pushed back 5 feet. It was ultimately cancelled and dropped from the program. With the deadline not being met, DMW having to act quick. Up scaled the M3 90mm to a bore diameter of 105mm, being relatively the same weight of the M3, and shorter in length by 5 calibers. It was tested for integration into the T26E1 Turret and test fired for several days, with testing concluded the Democratic Republic Army authorized the production of 15 guns, designated Gun, M5, 105mm it was installed onto 15 Super Shermans of which were placed in front line units. However, after realizing that no other tank at the time posed much of a threat, the Super Shermans mounting the M5 105mm were placed in museums. It wouldn't be until 1956 when the program is revived.
- M4A3E10(B)-Reactive: Reactive Armor Production. With the advancement in Tank Shell technology and the rising amount of Hyper Velocity rounds being developed and the fact that a unknown tank mounting a 128mm maingun had been making waves made the Democratic Republic Army and Marine Corps rethink the Super Sherman and its protection, with already added Applique Armor providing protection from 75mm and 80mm and to some extent 88mm. This prompted the research into a set of add on tiles capable of defeating warheads of HE, AP, APBC and HVAP, these tiles would be placed on the turret, frontal hull and on the back to provide protection to areas that could be hit in a direct tank battle. How this was going to accomplished was largely unknown and no one at the time had ever thought of an armor capable of redirecting a blast outwards and destroying the projectile, early work started in mid 1953 and continued throughout the rest of year resulting in several failures and mishaps causing the Democratic Republic Army and Marine Corps to lose faith in the procurement of a cutting edge tile armor. In Jan of 1954, Rockport Arsenal began to develop a Reactive Armor to be attached to the Super Sherman, it's variants and other tanks in the Democratic Republic Military. Within six months, Rockport Arsenal had successfully been able to defeat several types of rounds fired from a Super Sherman at a M26E4 and M4A3E10(T), with this major breakthrough Rockport Arsenal then began full scale production of Reactive Armor Tiles for the Super Sherman, it received the designation Armor, Reactive, Catherine after the head project manager who oversaw the prototype development.
Specialized and Derivatives
- M4A3E10R1: Super Zippo. Designed primarily for the use in thick jungles or for us against bunkers or other enemy structures. 45 were converted from Early E10 hulls. Retained the M3 90mm all though it was a faux to make the enemy think it was a regular armed tank. The Flamethrower was put inside the cannon, similar to the M48 Zippo conversions.
- M38: Super Slugger. A dedicated Tank Destroyer based on the E10 Hull, 10 were converted for trials. While seeming redundant, the M38 Super Sluggers mounted a lighter version of the M58 120mm main gun as seen on the M103. 610 were delivered.
Export Variants
- M4A3E4: Export Sherman. Export models based on the M4A3E10 Super Sherman, the E4 Sherman was modular and designed to fit the needs of the customer, fitted with HVSS and Allison Military Engines M774 V8 Supercharged Diesel Engine. Particularly an area of concern was offering a wide array of armaments to various customers to suit the need of their use, the T23 turret was modified to allow for different armaments up to 105mm to be fitted, such examples include the M3 75mm L/44 Medium Velocity Gun, M1A2 76mm L/52 High Velocity Gun, M7 60mm L/49 Hyper Velocity Medium Support Gun and the M9 80mm L/52 Hyper Velocity Medium Support Gun. Another area of interest was also in the engine, while fitted with the Allison M774 V8 Supercharged Diesel, at customer request this could be swapped out for a domestic engine for said country or the Allison G989 V10 Supercharged Diesel for more power.
- M4A3E5: Export Sherman. An export model also based on the M4A3E10 Super Sherman, one of the main and unique features that sets it apart from the E4 export model is the use of the M43 88mm L/71 Gun (88mm KwK 43 L/71) mounted in the T26 turret, using a similar system as the M26E4 Super Pershing, the top of the turret was fitted with coil springs.