Dmitriy- memoirs of a Russian Sherman user

[43rdRecceReg]

Here's a link to an interesting feature on a Russian tanker's experience of the Sherman in WW2.
http://iremember.ru/en/memoirs/tankers/dmitriy-loza/ He goes into the Sherman's performance in some depth, and compares it with the Churchill and Matilda tanks the Russians were also equipped with.
Interestingly, he points out that because the Sherman had a very high centre of gravity, it was inclined to roll over when travelling along and traversing modest slopes and inclines. In fact, his rolled over simply by hitting a raised kerb stone.. I have such a grassy slope in my garden, and my Tigers (Mks 1 and 2) and T34 have no problems negotiating it. It's a different story with the Taigen Sherman M4A3, however. Like it's full-size namesake,
it too rolls over when crossing mild inclines.... Luckily, though, it hasn't burst into flames yet : haha: ..That'll probably happen when I give it an uprated Lipo power pack. The high centre of gravity, incidentally, comes from the narrow track of the M4 (width) relative to its height. The Sherman had a high profile- too high compared with other tanks (British tanks like the Cromwell had strategically low profiles) and silhouette in the landscape, so when it wasn't busy rolling over and playing dead, it was making itself a wonderful target for the German '88'...

[tao]

All valid points but the iron sharpens iron tank confrontations with Russian and Germany spawned new tank developments faster than with the US. The Sherman evolved a bit like the Panzer IV and the last versions were quite good. But it was really after Normandy and confronting Tigers and Panthers; that the need for a new design like the Pershing became clear.

[jackalope]

Great I'm going to have to build a roll bar for the tank I have on order.

[88-bait]

The link was a good read and the Russians did not attempt to demonise the Sherman. It was also interesting to read that the Shermie didnt brew up like the T-34. So many myths about the Sherman de bunked

[HERMAN BIX]

Getting them for free(in the end) so they shouldn't demonise them !!

[Raminator]

There's probably a difference between looking a gift horse in the mouth, and being sent a deathtrap. There's a reason the Soviets nicknamed the M3 a "coffin for seven brothers".

Good read though, and there are some other very interesting accounts on that site too.