M4A2 (USSR)

This page is about the premium medium tank M4A2 (USSR). For other M4 Shermans, see M4 Sherman (Family). For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).

▂M4A2

▂M4A2

USSR

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.3	5.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:2 980

Show in game

Description

The ▂M4A2 (76) W is a premium rank III Soviet medium tank with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals".

The M4A2 (76) W has an unusually high profile and thus it is difficult to drive around undetected. While playing this tank, the M4A2 is an easy target for Jagdpanzers. However, if correctly camouflaged, it is possible to get the first shot off. Also, the sides and rear of this tank are very poorly armoured. Thus, Sherman's fuel tanks and engine catch on fire very easily.

One redeeming fact of this model is that the ammo is in the centre of the tank so it's harder to hit than in previous Sherman models (M4, M4A1, M4A2, and M4A3 (105)), but the more powerful tanks like the Tiger H1 and Panther D can easily destroy the M4A2 even if it shoots first. In addition, they can easily penetrate the frontal armour at almost all ranges and in most cases, if they are using the correct ammo, the shells' shrapnel will knock out the entire crew. Consequently, the best chance of survival is to fight near allied tanks which allow the 76 mm gun to be effective. With two machine guns, the M4A2 can defend itself and the team from enemy aircraft or clear forested areas where German tank destroyers could be.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull38 / 38 / 38

Turret63 / 63 / 63

Crew5 people

Visibility122 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	63.5 mm (47°)	38.1 mm	38.1 mm	19.5 mm
Turret	88.9 mm	63.5 mm	63.5 mm	25.4 mm
Cupola	63.5 mm	63.5 mm	63.5 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, the bogies are 10 mm thick, and the tracks are 20 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB52 / 7 km/h

RB and SB47 / 7 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight33.0 t

Engine power

AB782 hp

RB and SB410 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB23.7 hp/t

RB and SB12.4 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	52	7	33	635	782	19.24	23.7
Realistic	47	7		363	410	11	12.42

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 319

RB1 532

SB2 031

Crew training10 000

Experts250 000

Aces630

Research Aces870 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 90 / 150 / 180 %

2 × 160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Suspension Brake System Filters Transmission Engine	Improved Parts Improved FPE Crew Replenishment	Horizontal Drive Adjustment of Fire 76mm_usa_APCBC_ammo_pack Elevation Mechanism Artillery Support

The most important modules to research are Parts and FPE. The M62 APCBC shell is superior to the stock M79 AP shot in performance, so researching the M62 shell module is a priority. After that, the player may prioritize either mobility or firepower upgrades, depending on playstyle.

Armaments

Main armament

76 mm M1 cannon

Vertical stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition71 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

7.6 → 5.9 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 25°

76 mm M1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	71	-10°/+25°	±180°	Vertical	22.85	31.62	38.40	42.47	45.18	7.67	6.78	6.25	5.90
Realistic					14.28	16.80	20.40	22.56	24.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M79 shot	AP	134	132	121	109	99	89
M42A1 shell	HE	16	16	14	13	11	10
M62 shell	APCBC	149	146	133	119	106	94

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M79 shot	AP	792	6.8	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
M42A1 shell	HE	823	5.84	0.2	0.1	390	79°	80°	81°
M62 shell	APCBC	792	7	1.2	14	63.7	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M4A1 (75) W (China) (identical)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	Visual discrepancy
71	66 (+5)	31 (+40)	1 (+70)	No

Note:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear from the rack after having been shot or loaded.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-10° / 30°

Horizontal guidance-60° / 60°

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	600 (200)	577	-10°/+30°	±60°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The M4A2 (76) W is a classic Sherman tank. It requires careful positioning and avoidance of enemy fire, possesses an above-average gun, and works best when played around teammates.

As such, it is well-suited to city brawls in which it can use rubble as cover and protect its flanks effectively. The city environment also suits the tank's below-average mobility. In close quarters, this shortcoming will not be too much of a hindrance. That being said, the M4A2 is also a classic medium tank, and highly adaptable. If needed, it can engage at most, if not all, ranges. It can be used to rush a point, or to defend from an assault. Certainly, the powerful cannon is capable against all but the most heavily armoured enemies.

This vehicle has mediocre armour and a highly visible profile, so it must be played carefully if the player wishes to stay alive for more than a few minutes. It is not uncommon for the M4A2 to be destroyed in a single hit, especially when facing the German cannons. Other enemies to watch out for include enemy aircraft: although the roof armour will protect crew members from strafing runs, the vehicle's above-average size makes it rather visible from the air, and makes it a target for bombing and rocket attacks.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Higher top speed compared to the previous vehicle
• Great rate of fire for the main gun
• Angled frontal slope which may sometimes bounce larger calibres if angled correctly
• A standard 5 crew members, which equates to 3 spare crew members to take over positions of the tank if necessary
• A pintle-mounted heavy machine gun (12.7 mm), which can be used for anti-aircraft and against light armoured vehicles
• Wet ammo storage - Which reduces greatly ammo rack chances, is indicated by the "W" in its name, this also means tightly packed ammo only placed under the turret
• Fast turret traverse

Cons:

• Is quite tall
• Prone to tipping over when travelling across steep inclines
• Sides and rear are thinly armoured
• Engine compartment is poorly armoured
• Susceptible to nearby artillery explosions
• Narrow tracks mean poor ground flotation and cross country performance
• Only reaches its top speed on paved surfaces
• Lacks the add-on armour module found on the 76 mm M4A1 and M4A3
• Unlike the earlier M4A1 (76) W, Cruise Control 1 setting is slightly above the maximum speed that the stabilizer operates at
• Armour might not stand up against common guns like the Soviet 85 mm or the KwK36.

History

Lend-Lease

Matilda Mk II tanks in Soviet service.

The Soviet participation in the United States' Lend-Lease program started in Autumn of 1941 when the United States and United Kingdom agreed to give military aid. Tanks were of particular interests to the Soviets in order to replenish their Summer losses against Germany during Operation Barbarossa. The first tanks sent were from Great Britain with Valentines and Matildas, which played a part in the Battle of Moscow. The United States provided their M3 Stuart light tanks and M3 Medium tanks in late 1941/early 1942 (The two were designated M3L and M3S respectively to avoid name confusion). These American tanks were not viewed with satisfaction, with the head of Soviet tank industry, Vyacheslav Malyshev, even considering stopping all American tank imports and focusing instead on American trucks. Despite that, the Soviets were interested in America's newest medium tank, the M4 Sherman, and were eager to obtain some as soon as possible.

Shermans in the Soviet Union

Though the M4 and M4A1 were available, the Soviets disliked the gasoline Continental radial engine due to their experience with the M3 Light and Medium tanks. Instead, they asked for the diesel GMC engine variant M4A2 Sherman upon learning of its existence in August 1942. The M4A2 had been in production since April 1942, but the time needed for the production to supply the demand meant that the first M4A2 only arrived in the Soviet Union by 21 September 1942. Concern on shortfalls in M4A2 productions caused the Soviets to order and receive two M4A4 tank models for evaluation in 1943. After trials with the M4A4, the Soviet disliked the Chrysler A57 engine configuration and low fuel efficiency compared to the M4A2, and so opted not to receive anymore M4A4 tanks.

The low numbers of M4A2 received in 1943 caused the Soviet Union to field the first M4A2 tanks in small units, with the first of these being the 563rd Independent Tank Battalion in 04 January 1943 with 9 M4A2 tanks and the 5th Guards Tank Brigade with two M4A2 in January 12th. The first major campaign the M4A2 were involved in was the Battle of Kursk with the 229th Independent Tank Regiment with 39 M4A2 Shermans, which was put into combat on 11 July 1943. As combat experience with the M4A2 grew, the Soviets came to appreciate the qualities and recognize the flaws of the M4A2 Sherman. A report on 23 October 1943 from the 5th Guards Tank Brigade regarding their M4A2 Shermans noted:

Due to its high speed, M4A2 tank is very convenient for exploitation, and offers great manoeuvrability. Armament is consistent with its design and it has fragmentation and armour-piercing shells with very high penetration. The 75 mm gun and two Browning machine guns are trouble-free. Its disadvantages include a great height making it a bigger target on the battlefield. Armour, despite the greater thickness (60 mm), is substandard. There were cases when it was penetrated by an antitank rifle at a distance of 80 m. In addition, there were a number of cases where Ju 87, while bombing the tanks, penetrated the side armour and turret armour with 20 mm cannon fire, resulting in crew casualties. Compared with the T-34, the M4A2 is easier to operate, and more durable when making long marches as the motors do not require frequent adjustment. In combat, these tanks are working well.

As the inventory of the M4A2 grew in the Soviet Union, the formation of larger tank units composed of M4A2s was possible. The first of such was the 5th Mechanized Corps (later renamed the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps) which, on 01 January 1944, had a total of 131 M4A2 among the regiments and brigades. The M4A2 in service was given the nickname "emcha" by the Soviet soldiers, which was a contraction of the Russian pronounciation of M4 (M-Chetire).

The Soviets continued requesting more M4A2 Shermans to fill their armies, with 2,000 more expected from July 1943 to June 1944. This was at odds with America's plans to switch M4 production over to the 76 mm gun at the end of 1943. To continue supplying the Soviets, the Fisher Body production lines at the Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal continued to produce 75 mm armed M4s until May 1944 to fulfill the Soviet's order.

Soviet M4A2 (76) W in Brno, Czechoslovakia in April 1945.

76 mm Shermans

The Soviet Union's next order of 3,000 Shermans would be for M4 Shermans equipped with the new 76 mm M1 gun. These M4A2 (76 mm) Shermans began arriving to the Soviet Union in September 1944. ​The first combat unit to be equipped with these M4A2 (76) Shermans was the 1st Mechanized Corps in October. Other units that received and used the M4A2 (76) Shermans were the 8th and 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, as well as the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps.

A Lend-Lease M4A2 (76) W Sherman in Soviet service in May 1945 at Grabow, Germany.

The first action the M4A2 (76) Sherman saw in Soviet service in was in December 1944, when the 6th Guards Tank Army and its associated 9th Guards Mechanized Corps conducted offensive operations in Hungary. The M4A2 (76) Shermans would see large-scale usage in 1945 during the Soviet's offensives towards Germany, sometimes alongside the M4A2 (75) versions. Some of the most notable Soviet actions the M4A2 (76) were in the Vistula–Oder offensive in Winter 1945, the Vienna Offensive in Spring 1945, and finally the Battle of Berlin in April-May 1945, where most notably the 1st Mechanized Corps, equipped with 165 M4A2 Shermans prior to the battle, participated in the heavy fighting.

The final M4A2 Sherman usage by the Soviet Union was in Operation August Storm, the Soviet invasion of Manchuria against Japan in August 1945. This offensive saw M4A2 Shermans used on the Transbaikal Front, with the M4A2s in the 3rd and 9th Guards Mechanized Corps, as well as smaller units such as the 48th Independent Tank Battalion and 201st Tank Brigade present (the 201st were held in reserves). In all, 250 M4A2 Sherman tanks were present in the Soviet forces when the invasion of Manchuria commenced.

Lend-Lease numbers

Of the 12,485 tanks and armoured fighting vehicles sent to the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1945 in the Lend-Lease program, 4,102 of those were of the M4A2 Sherman tanks, with 2,007 being of the M4A2 (75 mm) version, and 2,095 being the M4A2 (76 mm) version. Of the tanks sent, the Soviet records reported the receiving of 3,664 tanks; the difference mainly due to deliveries being sunk on the way and discrepancies between the United States and Soviet Union archives. Of the 76 mm variants, 460 tanks were versions with the HVSS suspension designs, which began arriving in March-April 1945, delivered too late to see combat in Europe. However, 128 of the tanks saw use with the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps (84 tanks) and the 201st Tank Brigade (44 tanks) in Manchuria. These figures also indicate that the Soviet Union was one of the largest users of the M4A2 (76 mm) Shermans, of which 2,915 were manufactured in total by the United States.

Archive of the in-game description
Large quantities of military vehicles were delivered to the Soviet Union as part of the lend-lease program. These deliveries made a considerable impact on the Soviet Army's arsenal and played a significant role in the final victory over Germany in WWII. One of the vehicles provided as part of the lend-lease program was the American Sherman medium tank.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M4A2 (USSR) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #59 - Pages of History section at 00:34 discusses the Soviet Shermans.

See also

Other M4A2 tanks in the game

• M4A2
• M4A2 (76) W
• M4 748 (a) (Germany)

External links

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Gillono, Claude; Hulbert, Leife. Comrade Emcha: Red Army Shermans of WW2 (Battleline, 2). The Oliver Publishing Group, 2011
• Loza, Dimitry; Gebhardt, James F. Commanding the Red Army's Sherman Tanks: The World War II Memoirs of Hero of the Soviet Union Dimitry Loza. University of Nebraska Press, 1996.
• Samsonov, Peter. "Common Questions: Sherman Preference." Tank Archives, Blogger, 22 Jun. 2015, ​Website. Accessed 24 Mar. 2021 (Archive).
• Samsonov, Peter. "Lend Lease Impressions: M4A4 Sherman." Tank Archives, Blogger, 12 Sep. 2013, ​Website. Accessed 24 Mar. 2021 (Archive).
• Samsonov, Peter. "M4A2(76)W: Emcha With a Long Hand." Tank Archives, Blogger, 30 Jul. 2017, Website. Accessed 23 Mar. 2021 (Archive).
• Samsonov, Peter. "New Legs for the Emcha." Tank Archives, Blogger, 15 Dec. 2018, Website. Accessed 24 Mar. 2021 (Archive).
• Samsonov, Peter. "Soviet Tanks in the Far East." Tank Archives, Blogger, 09 Apr. 2014, ​Website. Accessed 24 Mar. 2021 (Archive).
• Samsonov, Peter. Sherman Tanks of the Red Army: The American Vehicle in Soviet Service. Gallantry Books, 23 Jul. 2021.
• Zaloga, Steven J. M4 (76mm) Sherman Medium Tank 1943-65. Osprey Publishing Ltd., 20 Apr. 2003.
• Zaloga, Steven J. Soviet Lend-Lease Tanks of World War II. Osprey Publishing Ltd., 20 Jul. 2017.

U.S. Army Ordnance Department/Corps*
Light tanks	T18E2 · M24 (Designed in collaboration with Cadillac)
M3 Stuart	M3 · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC)
M5 Stuart	M5A1
Medium tanks	M3 Lee
M4 Sherman	M4 · M4A1 · M4A2 · M4A3 (105) · Calliope
	M4A1 (76) W · M4A2 (76) W · M4A3 (76) W
M26 Pershing	T20 · T25 · M26 · M26E1 · M26 T99
Patton Series	M46 · M46 "Tiger" · M47
Prototypes	T54E1 · T95E1
Heavy tanks	M103
M4 Jumbo	M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W
M6 Heavy	M6A1 · M6A2E1 · T1E1
M26 Pershing	T26E1-1 · T26E5
Prototypes	T14
T29	T29 · T30 · T34
T-32	T32 · T32E1
Tank destroyers	M3 GMC · M10 GMC · M56
M8 GMC	M8 HMC · M8A1 GMC
M36 GMC	M36 GMC · M36B2
Prototypes	T28 · T95
SPAAGs
Production	M19 MGMC · M42
Export/Captured	␗M8 HMC · SU-57
Stuart	Stuart I · Stuart III · ␗M3A3 Stuart · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ▄M3A3 · ▄M3A3 Stuart · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) · ␗M5A1
Lee/Grant	▂M3 Medium · ▃Grant I · Grant I
M4 Sherman	Sherman II · ▄M4A1 · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ▀M4 748 (a) · ▂M4A2 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▄M4A3E2
	␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ▄Sherman V · ▄M4A4 · ▄Sherman I Composito
M26 Pershing	M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1
M47 Patton	mKPz M47 G · ▅M47
M10 GMC	␗M10 GMC · ▄M10 GMC
M36 GMC	␗M36 GMC · M36B1 · ▅M36 · ▄M36B2
M19 MGMC	▅M19A1
M42 MGMC	▅M42 · ␗M42
	*The Ordnance Department was renamed to the Ordnance Corps after the Army Reorganization Act of 1950.