The M4 Sherman Tank was a key player for the Western Allies during World War II. Designed in America, many were powered by the awesome Chrysler-designed A57 multibank engine, while others came with radial engines, GM 6046 diesel V12s, and even Ford GAA V8s. Roughly 50,000 M4 Shermans were built between 1942 and 1946, with some sources claiming slightly fewer left the factory, and others putting the estimate at just north of that figure. Production was split between a total of 11 plants: 10 in America and one in Canada. And it wasn’t just American troops that made use of the Sherman – it was also supplied to the British, Canadian, and Free French forces during the war. Even the Nazis used Sherman tanks – after stealing them, that is. With so many built, it would only be natural to assume that a large proportion of them still exist to this day, but that’s surprisingly not the case.
The exact number of M4 Sherman tanks in existence remains largely unknown and not as closely agreed upon as the tank’s production numbers. Some sources claim it’s as high as 9,500 (via War History Online), whereas enthusiasts who have tracked down and logged the whereabouts of each type reckon the true number to be 2,010 as of last count (via Facebook). This includes a large number of variations, such as the exceedingly rare “Jumbo” variant, and accounts for Shermans across the entire world, with 92 believed to be in Israel alone.
The most obvious account for lost Shermans would be the thousands that were destroyed in combat. There is no single authoritative figure for total losses, but enthusiasts on forums suggest known losses on the U.S. side sit between 4,300 and 4,400, whereas 2,712 is an often quoted figure for British losses, placing the total at around 7,100. That’s without taking into account any that may have been lost on the French side. That still leaves us with north of 40,000 tanks, so where have they gone in the last 80 years?
As undignifying an end as it may be, many Sherman tanks seem to have simply been scrapped after the war – often for a fraction of what building them just a year or two prior would have cost. Many were also gifted to other nations, and as covered, some of those (such as the 92 in Israel) are accounted for by enthusiasts in the current total count. Despite many being scrapped and given away, and the U.S. Armed Forces keeping the best for themselves, there were still plenty going without a home.
To answer that problem, the U.S. government decided to sell them for civilian use. For those wondering, owning a military tank is legal in all 50 states, so the idea isn’t as crazy as it might seem. With turrets removed, these Sherman tanks found homes within the construction, mining, and agricultural sectors, and one was even sold on to a college fraternity that claimed they had a valid reason for buying one, but chose not to disclose it at the time, as reported in the Reading Eagle on December 22, 1957.