- For the Steel Division II unit see SD2:M4A1
M4A1 is a United States Tank unit. The M4A1 was one of the earlier Sherman models and lacks the armament & armour improvements found on later models. It has 9 frontal armour whereas later models would have 11 frontal armour, and its 4 accuracy gun will have problem landing hits on enemies. On the upside, it is available to many divisions in phase A and/or can be fielded in large numbers. All three US divisions -3rd Armored, 4th Armored and 2nd Infantry- as well as the 1st SSB are able to deploy a M4A1 tank (variant) on the battlefield in phase A, giving them an edge.
Note: the M4A1 DD, Sherman II DD, Sherman II and the M4(75) Abrams all share (almost) identical stats of the M4A1 and are referred to as M4A1 variants.
Overview[ | ]
The ubiquitous M4 Sherman medium tank evolved from the M3 Lee medium tank pressed into service as a stop-gap model in 1941. Designed by the U.S. Army Ordnance Department, the tank built upon proven technologies developed for American tanks of the 1930s, combining them with British experiences in tank design. The result was a versatile, reliable, and cheap tank much like the Soviet T-34.
The M4 entered service in late 1942, outperforming its older sibling in every aspect, the Sherman went on to become one of the most widely produced armored fighting vehicles of World War II. It was well armored, relatively fast, and cheap to produce, becoming the backbone of Allied armored divisions across the world and a major element of the Lend-Lease program for the Soviet Union. Nearly 50 000 tanks were produced before production ended in 1945 and were used across the world.
The M4A1 sub-designation indicates a Sherman model manufactured with a fully cast upper hull, a standard Continental R975 radial engine, and a 75mm medium-velocity general-purpose gun.
During the Normandy Landing, 3rd Armored was orginally equipped with M4s and M4A1s.
During the last month of 4th Armored training in the United States it had M4A3 but went to war in M4s and M4A1 tanks in their Tank Battalions.
1st Infantry and 2nd Infantry M4A1 were from separate Tank Battalions that was attached from higher authority. These battalion supported the various infantry divisions with armored support. 745th Tank Battalion spent their entire war attached to the 1st Infantry.
Strategy[ | ]
- The M4A1 is mainly useful in phase A and to a lesser extent phase B. It will get severely outclassed in phase C.
- Four divisions can opt to field M4A1 (variants) in phase A at a reasonably high cost (130 points). This should depend on what type of division you will be facing. Airborne enemy players will struggle to destroy your tank, for example.
- though the M4A1 / Sherman II can be fielded in great numbers in phase C by 4th Armored / 15th Infantry, this will generally not turn out well for the player. Its main drawbacks are its lacking firepower and the poor gun accuracy of 4.
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