The M4 Sherman arrived in Europe armed with the 75 mm gun M3, which could defeat 88 mm of armor at a range of 100 meters and 73 mm at 1,000 meters. While this could defeat the Panzer IV’s 80 mm of frontal hull armor and 50 mm of hull armor, it’s insufficient for the later Panthers and Tigers.
Later models of the Sherman, such as the M4A3E8 Easy Eight, were equipped with the longer and more powerful 76 mm M1 gun. This could penetrate 125 mm of armor at 100 meters or 106 mm at 1,000 at 90 degrees, which could damage Germany’s newest tanks—but barely.
To ensure that the next-generation Pershing could face the best Germany could offer, the M26 was armed with a 90 mm M3 gun. It could penetrate armor up to 188 mm thick at 100 meters and 137 mm at 1,000 meters. This was enough to overmatch the Tiger I and even the Panther’s thick, sloped frontal armor.
[Featured image by the U.S. Signal Corp via Wikipedia | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]
