With luck, it could penetrate the armor of the heavy German Tiger, even at long distances. In its combat characteristics, this American tank, equipped with a 76-mm gun (M4A2(76)W modification), approximately corresponded to the famous Soviet T-34-85. “In our tanks, we had to do everything manually: turn the gun turret, aim the gun in the ‘Sherman’, everything was done electrically,” tankman Vladimir Golovachev stated. Civil War general William Sherman, the tank became one of the most beloved in the Red Army, not least for its high levels of comfort. The USSR received about four thousand of these combat vehicles, mostly in its diesel M4A2 modification.
It had a good engine, good armor and a good weapon,” Soviet tank crew member Pyotr Kurevin said about the Medium Tank M4 Sherman. “This is the best American tank that participated in the war.
‘Matildas’ were still used during the Battle of Kursk and the following large-scale operations, but, the following year, there were almost none left in Soviet tank units. In general, the tank was clumsy, unmaneuverable… it barely managed to move 25 km/h and only on a highway – even slower on a dirt road!”īy the beginning of 1943, it became clear that ‘Matilda’ didn’t meet modern requirements anymore the USSR stopped importing them. “It had thick armor, but its gun’s caliber was only 42-mm, with an ancient sight to boot. “Matilda was just a giant target!” tank crew member Nikolai Zheleznov complained. Although, far from all Red Army soldiers were satisfied with it. Soviet tankmen valued this British tank for the reliability of its diesel engine and transmission, as well as for its comfort and ease of operation.
In its frontal armor, it even exceeded the Soviet heavy KV-2 tank (78-mm compared to 75-mm), which the Germans dubbed the “Russian monster”. The Infantry Tank Mark II ‘Matilda’ (designed to storm fortified positions) was supplied to the USSR in the amount of 900 units.
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