Difference between revisions of "M4A3 (105) (France)"

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[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
[[File:GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg|420px|thumb|left]]
 
{{Break}}
 
{{Break}}
The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]].
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} French medium tank {{Battle-rating}}. introduced in [[Update 1.97 "Viking Fury"]]. Armed with a [[M4 (105 mm)]] instead of the standard [[M3 (75 mm)]] cannon, the howitzer grants the Sherman a much more powerful high-explosive shell to use against lightly-armoured enemies. When the HEAT round is unlocked for the cannon, its firepower against more heavily armoured vehicle increases substantially.  
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
 
=== Survivability and armour ===
''Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.''
+
 
 +
* Rolled homogeneous armor (Hull, Turret roof)
 +
* Cast homogeneous armor (Turret, Transmission area)
 +
 
 +
{| class="wikitable"
 +
!Armour
 +
!Front (Slope angle)
 +
!Sides
 +
!Rear
 +
!Roof
 +
|-
 +
|Hull
 +
|63.5 mm (47º) Front glacis
 +
|38.1 mm
 +
|38.1 mm (22º) Top
 +
38.1 mm (13-44º)
 +
 
 +
Bottom
 +
|19.5 mm
 +
|-
 +
|Turret
 +
|76.2 mm (3-67º) Turret front
 +
|50.8 mm (2-69º)
 +
|50.8 mm (2-66º)
 +
|25.4 mm
 +
|-
 +
!Armour
 +
! colspan="2" |Sides
 +
! colspan="2" |Roof
 +
|-
 +
|Cupola
 +
| colspan="2" |63.5 mm
 +
| colspan="2" |25.4 mm
 +
|}
 +
'''Notes:'''
 +
 
 +
* Suspension Wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick;
 +
* Lower part of the hull ("break") is 107.9 mm thick;
 +
* A small patch on the turret front right side is thinner (50.8 mm) than the rest (76.2 mm);
 +
 
 +
The M4A3 (105) has certain flaws that can be exploited quite well. First of all, the howitzer armament means that the shell travels in a low-velocity, meaning the M4A3 (105) will be unlikely to engage at a long distance. Another is the fact that the M4A3 (105)'s gun has a long reload and a slow traverse speed, meaning it is also not very good in a close-range encounter. Despite these flaws, the M4A3 (105) is a formidable foe with its armament. The HE and HEAT shell the 105 mm can dish out has a real possibility to knock out friendly crew and teammates, if not absolutely destroying light tanks. These high-explosives can also break tracks easily, causing the player tank to be immobilized and exposed not only to the M4A3 (105), but to the other enemies as well, and the M4A3 (105) will most likely not be alone.
 +
 
 +
To engage the M4A3 (105), try not to engage its frontal armour if in a tank with BR lower than 3.7. It's frontal armour, despite what most will say about the Sherman's armour, is quite formidable and can deflect most incoming enemy round from light and medium tanks. This is why it is recommended to bring high-velocity guns like the [[M7 (76 mm)]] on the [[M10 GMC]] or the [[KwK40 (75 mm)]] on the later Panzer IV. If it can't be engaged from the front, manoeuvre to its side and rear armour, as these armour plate are extremely vulnerable to even 37 mm guns. When manoeuvring around the M4A3 (105), try not expose the tank for a prolonged time and move faster than the M4A3 (105)'s slow turret traverse rate (though beware that the M4A3 can compensate this slow turn by turning the entire body). If fast enough, a tank could also move past the 105 mm low-velocity shell and mess up the enemy's lead. This will eventually lead to a good shot on the M4A3's weak points. Another simpler and less mobile way is to lie in wait in a tank destroyer such as the StuG III for the M4A3 to move tight into the TD's line of fire, giving a clean shot to a vulnerable armour part. A good shot on a general part of the hull can ignite one of the many ammo racks strewn around the interior.
  
 
=== Mobility ===
 
=== Mobility ===
<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
+
{| class="wikitable"
 +
! rowspan="2" |Game
 +
Mode
 +
! colspan="2" |Max Speed
 +
(km/h)
 +
! rowspan="2" |Weight
 +
(tons)
 +
! colspan="2" |Engine power
 +
(horsepower)
 +
! colspan="2" |Power-to-weight
 +
 
 +
ratio (hp/ton)
 +
|-
 +
!Forward
 +
!Reverse
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
!Stock
 +
!Upgraded
 +
|-
 +
!Arcade
 +
|45
 +
|5
 +
| rowspan="2" |31.7
 +
|775
 +
|954
 +
|24.45
 +
|30.09
 +
|-
 +
!Realistic
 +
|41
 +
|5
 +
|442
 +
|500
 +
|13.94
 +
|15.77
 +
|}<!-- ''Write about the mobility of the ground vehicle. Estimate the specific power and manoeuvrability, as well as the maximum speed forwards and backwards.'' -->
  
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 442}}
 
{{tankMobility|abMinHp= 775|rbMinHp= 442}}
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== Armaments ==
 
== Armaments ==
 
=== Main armament ===
 
=== Main armament ===
''Give the reader information about the characteristics of the main gun. Assess its effectiveness in a battle based on the reloading speed, ballistics and the power of shells. Do not forget about the flexibility of the fire, that is how quickly the cannon can be aimed at the target, open fire on it and aim at another enemy. Add a link to the main article on the gun: <code><nowiki>{{main|Name of the weapon}}</nowiki></code>. Describe in general terms the ammunition available for the main gun. Advise about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage.''
+
Main article: [[M4 (105 mm)]]
  
 
=== Additional armament ===
 
=== Additional armament ===

Revision as of 02:16, 24 April 2020

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
▄M4A3 (105)
fr_m4a3_105_sherman.png
▄M4A3 (105)
AB RB SB
3.0 3.0 3.0
Class:
Research:11 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:22 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

GarageImage M4A3 (105) (France).jpg


The ▄Medium Tank M4A3 (105) HVSS Sherman is a rank II French medium tank with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB/SB). introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury". Armed with a M4 (105 mm) instead of the standard M3 (75 mm) cannon, the howitzer grants the Sherman a much more powerful high-explosive shell to use against lightly-armoured enemies. When the HEAT round is unlocked for the cannon, its firepower against more heavily armoured vehicle increases substantially.

General info

Survivability and armour

  • Rolled homogeneous armor (Hull, Turret roof)
  • Cast homogeneous armor (Turret, Transmission area)
Armour Front (Slope angle) Sides Rear Roof
Hull 63.5 mm (47º) Front glacis 38.1 mm 38.1 mm (22º) Top

38.1 mm (13-44º)

Bottom

19.5 mm
Turret 76.2 mm (3-67º) Turret front 50.8 mm (2-69º) 50.8 mm (2-66º) 25.4 mm
Armour Sides Roof
Cupola 63.5 mm 25.4 mm

Notes:

  • Suspension Wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 20 mm thick;
  • Lower part of the hull ("break") is 107.9 mm thick;
  • A small patch on the turret front right side is thinner (50.8 mm) than the rest (76.2 mm);

The M4A3 (105) has certain flaws that can be exploited quite well. First of all, the howitzer armament means that the shell travels in a low-velocity, meaning the M4A3 (105) will be unlikely to engage at a long distance. Another is the fact that the M4A3 (105)'s gun has a long reload and a slow traverse speed, meaning it is also not very good in a close-range encounter. Despite these flaws, the M4A3 (105) is a formidable foe with its armament. The HE and HEAT shell the 105 mm can dish out has a real possibility to knock out friendly crew and teammates, if not absolutely destroying light tanks. These high-explosives can also break tracks easily, causing the player tank to be immobilized and exposed not only to the M4A3 (105), but to the other enemies as well, and the M4A3 (105) will most likely not be alone.

To engage the M4A3 (105), try not to engage its frontal armour if in a tank with BR lower than 3.7. It's frontal armour, despite what most will say about the Sherman's armour, is quite formidable and can deflect most incoming enemy round from light and medium tanks. This is why it is recommended to bring high-velocity guns like the M7 (76 mm) on the M10 GMC or the KwK40 (75 mm) on the later Panzer IV. If it can't be engaged from the front, manoeuvre to its side and rear armour, as these armour plate are extremely vulnerable to even 37 mm guns. When manoeuvring around the M4A3 (105), try not expose the tank for a prolonged time and move faster than the M4A3 (105)'s slow turret traverse rate (though beware that the M4A3 can compensate this slow turn by turning the entire body). If fast enough, a tank could also move past the 105 mm low-velocity shell and mess up the enemy's lead. This will eventually lead to a good shot on the M4A3's weak points. Another simpler and less mobile way is to lie in wait in a tank destroyer such as the StuG III for the M4A3 to move tight into the TD's line of fire, giving a clean shot to a vulnerable armour part. A good shot on a general part of the hull can ignite one of the many ammo racks strewn around the interior.

Mobility

Game

Mode

Max Speed

(km/h)

Weight

(tons)

Engine power

(horsepower)

Power-to-weight

ratio (hp/ton)

Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 45 5 31.7 775 954 24.45 30.09
Realistic 41 5 442 500 13.94 15.77
Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 47 7 31.7 775 954 24.45 30.09
Realistic 42 6 442 500 13.94 15.77

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: M4 (105 mm)

Additional armament

Some tanks are armed with several guns in one or more turrets. Evaluate the additional weaponry and give advice on its use. Describe the ammunition available for additional weaponry. Give advice on about how to use them and how to fill the ammunition storage. If there is no additional weaponry remove this subsection.

Machine guns

Offensive and anti-aircraft machine guns not only allow you to fight some aircraft but also are effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Evaluate machine guns and give recommendations on its use.

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive M67 shot
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine Artillery Support M84 Smoke grenade
Parts, M67 shot and FPE are key! Followed by all accuracy improvements, everything else is optional, but Artillery and all mobility upgrades are welcomed.

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • encyclopedia page on the tank;
  • other literature.


France medium tanks
M4 Derivatives  M4A1 (FL10) · M4A4 (SA50)
AMX-50  AMX M4 · AMX-50 (TOA100) · AMX-50 (TO90/930)
AMX-30  AMX-30 · AMX-30 (1972) · AMX-30B2 · AMX-30B2 BRENUS · AMX-30 ACRA · AMX-30 Super
AMX-32/40  AMX-32 · AMX-32 (105) · AMX-40
Leclerc  Leclerc · Leclerc S2 · Leclerc SXXI · Leclerc AZUR
Other  D2 · S.35 · Lorraine 40t
Germany  Panther "Dauphiné"
USA  ▄M4A1 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▄M4A4 · ▄M26