The M4A4 (SA50) Sherman is an up-gunned modification of the M4A4, which is the fifth variant of the early-generation Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family. The M4A4 (SA50) is the result of a joint Israeli-French program in 1954 to enhance Israel's existing M4 Shermans with more firepower to confront the growing threat from neighbouring countries in the 1950s. An Israeli military delegation visited France in 1953 to see the then-new AMX-13/75 light tank, which was armed with the 75 mm SA50 L/57 tank gun. While the tank's main gun was assessed as adequate, its armour was deemed insufficient. The AMX-13 was eventually purchased by Israel, but in a parallel development, it was decided that the high-velocity 75 mm SA50 L/57 tank gun of the AMX-13s Israel purchased would be transferred to the more familiar and better-armoured hull of its M4 Sherman fleet, which was the standard tank family of the Israel Defense Force armoured units during the early 1950s. This project began in 1954, and an AMX-13 turret was transferred from France to Israel in 1955. In March 1956, Israeli Ordnance Corps military facilities began modifying their first 50 tanks of the M4A4 variant to be equipped with high-velocity 75 mm SA50 L/57 tank guns. The high-velocity 75 mm SA50 L/57 tank gun was known as the M-50 in Israel; hence, the up-gunned Sherman was dubbed the Sherman M-50 (but M4A4 (SA50) as the official designation).

Introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance", the M4A4 (SA50) has been significantly modified to provide far more firepower than the standard M4A4. The salvaged components of the 75 mm Kampfwagenkanone (KwK) 42 L/70 tank gun from destroyed German Panther medium tanks during the German conquest of France inspired the high-velocity 75 mm SA50 L/57 tank gun. However, when compared to the M4A1 (FL-10), another tank prototype constructed by the French for Egypt, which had an autoloader, the M4A4 (SA50) lacks an autoloader and consequently reloads much slower than the M4A1 (FL-10). Nonetheless, players are sure to appreciate this modification, and there will be few opponents on the battlefield that can withstand the high-velocity shots fired by the M4A4 (SA50). At this rank, however, the M4A4 hull protection is barely adequate; therefore, rather than playing aggressively, it is vital to choose strategic areas early in the battle to set an ambush for the enemies.