M4 Sherman HQ Company of 15th Bttn., 6th Armored Div., Houfallize, 1945 with 105mm Assault Gun (1:48)

Within a year of being introduced in Europe the original 75mm version was found to be obsolete because it just couldn�t handle the battle conditions and opposition equipment. The Army and Marines realized this so in 1943 a firm commitment to �win the war� was made and the Sherman would be the vehicle to use. Major improvements were needed and they included a new 76mm main gun that had a much higher muzzle velocity than the 75mm and this greatly improved the penetrating ability of the �Sherman� shells. The other major improvement was the introduction in July 1944 of the 105mm Howitzer. It would provide heavy front line fire support for the U.S. Army and Marines as well as extensive use in anti-tank operations.
The 76mm version of the Sherman stored the ammunition in a water glycol mixture in an effort to eliminate fires that were created when the tank suffered a hit from the enemy. The 105mm Howitzer armed variants didn�t use �wet� ammunition storage they used armored racks. Floor ammunition racks required that the turret basket be eliminated with a partial floor suspended from the turret ring. The 105mm howitzer was carried in a M52 combination mount and a vision cupola was fitted for the commander with a small hatch for the loader. It could fire M1 shells at angles from -10 to +35 degrees at a maximum range of 11500m. Out of the 4,180 armed with the 105mm Howitzer M4 about 500 were produced at the Chrysler factory in Detroit from May to September 1944. Besides the increased size of the main gun the most noticeable external feature is the 47 degree front hull with a newly designed and much larger driver /assistant driver hatches. Also from September 1944 (HVSS) horizontal volute spring suspension was introduced on the M4A3 (105mm) together with the wider center-guide T66 tracks. All U.S. Army M4s were equipped with a .50cal Browning Machine Gun M2-HB in a pintle mount on the turret. The M4 105mm was a great consumer of ammunition because of its use as fire support just like regular field artillery.

In January 1945 the HQ Company of the 15th Battalion, 6th Armored Division was stationed in Houfallize, Luxemburg Province, Belgium. The purpose of the 105mm Howitzers assigned to the Division was to provide indirect and direct fire support for their battalions. The powerful 105mm M4 Shermans were better suited to destroying enemy defenses than the smaller 75 and 76 mm versions. Also these 105mm Shermans were used because the M7 Priest SPG had open tops and proved too vulnerable. The 6th Armored Division normally carried large tactical markings on the sides of the hull and during winter applied a whitewash camo made of lime and salt.

Specifications for 4 Sherman 105mm Howitzer

Dimensions
Overall length: 6.197m
Overall width: 2.67m
Overall height: 2.94m

Weight
Weight, Combat Loaded: 31.48t
Weight, Un-stowed: 28.486t

Armor
Actual Thickness, Angle w/Vertical
Hull Thickness:
Front: 63mm/47 degrees
Sides: 38mm/0 degrees
Rear: 38mm/10 degrees
Top: 19mm/83-90 degrees
Turret Thickness:
Front: 76mm/30 degrees
Sides: 51mm/0-5 degrees
Rear: 51mm/0 degrees
Top: 25.4mm/90 degrees
Gun Shield: 91mm/0 degrees

Armament
(1) M4 105mm howitzer
(2) M1919A4 7.62mm machine gun
(1) M2 12.7mm heavy machine gun

Ammunition:
105mm - 66 rounds
7.62MM - 4,000 rounds
12.7mm - 600 rounds

Powerplant
(1) Continental R975-C4 9-cylinder 4-cycle radial air cooled (15,945cc displacement,
460hp/2,400rpm output)
Maximum speed: 38.6 km/h
Cruising Range: about 161km
Crew: 5