M4A4 (France)

This page is about the medium tank M4A4 (France). For other M4 Shermans, see M4 Sherman (Family). For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).

▄M4A4

▄M4A1

M4A4 (SA50)

▄M4A4

▄M4A1

M4A4 (SA50)

France

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:18 000

Purchase:47 000

Description

The M4A4 Sherman is the fifth variant of the early-generation Medium Tank M4 (Sherman) family. Medium tanks were delivered to the French Army under the official French lend-lease program in 1943 and 1944. The Free French received 656 M4 Shermans of various variants, including 274 new production M4A4s, 362 new production M4A2s, and 20 remanufactured M4A2s. Except for the 20 M4A2s allocated in October 1944, it is believed that all of these were deployed to Northwest Africa. These were most likely brought in through Marseille, France, in early 1945. In 1943, M4A4s and M4A2s were delivered to the ports of Algiers, Algeria, and Casablanca, Morocco. The French organised three armoured divisions, each with 165 Sherman tanks. The U.S. required the formation of homogeneous armoured divisions. As a result, the 2ème Division Blindée was exclusively armed with M4A2s. The 1ère Division Blindée was supposed to be armed solely with M4A2s, whereas the 5ème Division Blindée was supposed to be supplied only with M4A4s. However, the 1ère and 5ème Divisions' initial tank allocation was not uniform, and they both began training duties with 110 M4A4s and 55 M4A2s. Despite several requests from the U.S. for standardization, the French refused to retrain personnel on other Sherman variants or swap regiments across armoured divisions, believing that such transfers would harm unit cohesiveness and morale. M4A4s were eventually assigned to the 2nd Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique and 2nd Régiment de Cuirassiers (1ère Division Blindée) and the 1er Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique and 1er Régiment de Cuirassiers (5ème Division Blindée). The 110 M4A2s were divided between the 5ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique (1ère Division Blindée) and the 6ème Régiment de Chasseurs d'Afrique (5ère Division Blindée) in equal numbers.

Introduced in Update "Starfighters", the M4A4 was the main French medium tank during World War II. Armour arrangements are comparable to the M4 variant, particularly the hatches that protrude from the slope contour of the hull. These hatches should be noted since they generate interruptions in the slope and reduce the overall efficacy of the sloped armour. Despite the fact that armour plates are welded in front of the discontinuities to improve protection, this is still a serious weakness in the frontal hull context, and most experienced enemies would target it. The M4A4 variant also has a new composite Chrysler multibank engine (consisting of five automobile engines) that required extra space (the hull was lengthened by 15 cm).

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull51 / 38 / 38

Turret76 / 51 / 51

Crew5 people

Visibility103 %

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (transmission housing, turret, gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	50.8 mm (56°) Front glacis 50.8 mm (8-17°) + 25.4 mm (29°) Viewports 34 + 25.4 mm (spherical) MG port 50.8 mm (3°) Radio antenna bulge 50.8 mm (cylindrical) Transmission housing	38.1 mm 38.1 + 25.4 mm Ammo racks	38.1 mm (21°) Top 38.1 mm Bottom	19.5 mm Front section 12.7 mm (7°) Engine bay - centre 19.5 mm (23°) Engine bay - sides
Turret	76 mm (7-65°) Turret front 50.8 mm (9-26°) Turret front - gunner side 50.8 + 88.9 mm (cylindrical) Gun mantlet	50.8 mm (1-3°) Turret sides 50.8 mm (58-66°) Roof radius	50.8 mm (1-5°) Sponson 50.8 mm (21-65°) Roof slope	25.4 mm
Cupola	50.8 mm (16°)			25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 20 mm thick and bogies are 10 mm thick.
• The belly of the tank is 12.7 mm thick.
• The internal wall separating the crew compartment from the engine bay is 9.5 mm thick.

The hull is very similar to the American M4 Sherman, with a 50.8 mm thick upper glacis and protruding hatches interrupting the glacis (reinforced with appliqué armour). A weak spot is the radio antenna bulge on the machine gunner side. The hull sides feature appliqué armour plates covering the ammunition storage racks. The turret is also very similar but lacks the appliqué armour on the right cheek, leaving a small weakened zone in that area. Frontal protection is quite good for its rank and shots from smaller anti-tank guns can generally be shrugged off, particularly when hull down. However more powerful guns such as the Pz.IV F2's long 75 mm can destroy the tank easily, so care should be taken. The side armour is only 38.1 mm thick and can be easily penetrated by just about any anti-tank gun if not angled.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB45 / 6 km/h

RB and SB41 / 5 km/h

Number of gears5 forward

1 back

Weight32.2 t

Engine power

AB811 hp

RB and SB425 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB25.2 hp/t

RB and SB13.2 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	45	6	32.2	659	811	20.47	25.19
Realistic	41	5		376	425	11.68	13.2

Based on the chassis of the M4, the M4A4 (France) has the same good all-round mobility: the tank accelerates quickly and is able to reach a maximum speed of 44 km/h in a dozen of seconds. The brakes are powerful and will make the M4A4 skid rather than slow down when driving at maximum speed. The violent braking also causes the hull to wobble, making your targeting less accurate. The reverse speed is rather poor: it won't get you out of a dangerous situation quickly enough. The lack of neutral steering makes turning on the spot slow (2 km/h): make sure to build a little speed before turning and you'll turn much faster (11 km/h). Turning in reverse is equally slow (-2 km/h) Turning at full speed doesn't make you lose much speed as your acceleration is good. The offroad mobility is good: the M4A4 (France) reaches 16 km/h when fording, 17 km/h when driving uphill with some speed built-up but a mere 10 km/h uphill from a stop start. The tracks are large and grant you a decent mobility on hard (solid ground, roads) and soft terrain (mud, snow, sand). Light and medium obstacles (fences, posts, bushes and small trees) are not a problem but large obstacles will reduce your mobility: avoid them.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB983 → 1 265

RB1 139 → 1 465

SB1 454 → 1 871

Total cost of modifications19 850

32 600

Talisman cost980

Crew training13 000

Experts47 000

Aces330

Research Aces280 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

60 / 90 / 110 %

136 / 136 / 136 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 120 Suspension Research: 890 Cost: 1 500 85 Brake System Research: 890 Cost: 1 500 85 Filters Research: 1 700 Cost: 2 800 160 Transmission Research: 1 600 Cost: 2 600 150 Engine Research: 1 600 Cost: 2 600 150	Improved Parts Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 120 Improved FPE Research: 890 Cost: 1 500 85 Crew Replenishment Research: 1 700 Cost: 2 800 160	Horizontal Drive Research: 1 300 Cost: 2 100 120 Adjustment of Fire Research: 890 Cost: 1 500 85 75mm_usa_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 890 Cost: 1 500 85 Elevation Mechanism Research: 1 700 Cost: 2 800 160 Artillery Support Research: 1 600 Cost: 2 600 150 75mm_us_M89_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 1 600 Cost: 2 600 150

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm M3 cannon

Vertical stabilizer

Reduces the swing of the gun in one plane while moving

Ammunition98 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

6.5 → 5.0 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 25°

75 mm M3					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	98	-10°/+25°	±180°	Vertical	22.8	31.6	38.4	42.5	45.2	6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

Ammunition

The available ammunition allows for engaging all types of targets:

• M72 shot - AP - Solid shot, stock shell. An armour-piercing shell with acceptable penetration but poor post-penetration damage.
• M48 shell - HE - A low-velocity shell useful against soft targets, in particular when hitting an open-topped vehicle. Harmless against any enclosed vehicle with more than 10 mm of armour.
• M61 shot - APCBC - A capped armour-piercing shell with a better penetration than the M72 thanks to its ballistic cap and a good post-penetration damage thanks to its explosive filler.
• M89 smoke shell - A shell deploying a smoke screen on impact, useful to blind enemy vehicles that are too remote for you to disable so that you can progress towards objectives.

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M72 shot	AP	91	88	78	67	57	49
M48 shell	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
M61 shot	APCBC	104	102	93	84	75	68

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M72 shot	AP	619	6.3	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
M48 shell	HE	463	6.3	0.2	0.1	666	79°	80°	81°
M61 shot	APCBC	618	6.79	1.2	14	63.7	48°	63°	71°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M89	259	3	9	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
98	91 (+7)	89 (+9)	86 (+12)	79 (+19)	62 (+36)	46 (+52)	31 (+67)	1 (+97)	No

Ammo racks of the M4A4 (France)

Notes:

• Racks disappear after you've fired all shells in the rack.
• To go into battle with the turret basket empty of ammo, pack 79 (+19) shells (racks 1 to 4 emptied).
• To go into battle with the turret basket and the flanks empty of ammo, pack 31 (+67) shells (racks 1 to 7 emptied).
• The 8th rack is large and located in a weak spot: the bottom section of the armour. In case of penetration, there is a high risk of ammo rack detonation. Make sure not to expose your flanks unnecessarily.

Machine guns

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition3 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	3,000 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

The small calibre of the M1919A4 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Furthermore, with only 1 coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and without the familiar pintle-mounted M2 Browning HMG seen on other Sherman models, the M4A4 is badly equipped to fend off fast and lightly armoured vehicles like the Puma, having to rely on the main gun instead.

Usage in battles

A well-rounded tank like most Shermans, the M4A4 enjoys decent armour, mobility, and firepower compared to its peers. Anyone familiar with the early Sherman models from other tech trees will feel right at home. It is best used at medium ranges, where the gun and armour are both quite effective, but it can partake in close range brawling in a pinch thanks to its vertical stabilizer. Stick close to teammates, keep an eye on the surroundings, and avoid overextending, as the reverse speed is bad and it is hard to retreat quickly.

While the frontal armour is good, especially when angled, staying constantly exposed to enemy fire is not advised due to a large number of weak spots. When hull-down, try to hide the portion of the right turret cheek next to the gun mantlet when possible, as the armour there is thin and lucky shot from a reserve tank might go through it. The side armour is very poor and it pays to watch out for flankers, even SPAAs.

Enemies worth noting:

M4A2/A4 - These Sherman tanks are widely used by over 3 nations that spread across both the Allied and the Axis side, so no matter which nation you play they can be quite tough to destroy in the hands of a skilled tanker. Given the rather weak penetration of your short 75 mm gun, their hull can be almost impossible to penetrate when angled, hull down or 300 m away. For a M4A4, there are 2 apparent bulges on the upper front plate, a penetration through there is a guaranteed kill most of the times. But in case the opponent covers them up or when it's a M4A2, aim for the middle parts of the gun mantlet or the turret armour unprotected by the mantlet, you can at least make them defenseless. Note that their guns are equally weak against you, so wiggle around to disrupt their aim while you reload, you have a good chance of bouncing some shells.

KW I C 756 (r) - One heavy tank where the M4 Sherman will have difficulty fighting is this upgunned German-captured KV-1. While the early Russian KV-1's L-11 cannon is less powerful, this new long barreled 75 mm KwK40 is lethal enough to penetrate the M4A4's front and one-shot it, while the M4A4 cannot consistently penetrate the thick armour of the KV-1, especially when it has its additional armour plates equipped. If you come across this heavy tank and it angles the hull, aim for the gun mantlet since it is only 50 mm thick. You can easily take out its gunner. Or shoot at the equally thin commander cupola, where you also have a chance to take down some turret crew. Of course, the most reliable tactic is to shoot at its sides without any angle, where its flat side armour becomes a large and easy target, although you will still have to get as close as you can to penetrate the armour. In addition, side shots will most likely hit fuel tanks or ammunition racks, causing fires or blowing up the ammunition. Remember, your vertical stabiliser and better agility are always great assists when fighting against heavily protected tanks like this.

Churchill heavy tanks - The Churchills, with their complex hulls and sturdy turrets, can be quite hard to kill at range. Again, manoeuvre as close to them as possible, the ideal distance being no more than 200 m. If they are angling their hull but facing their turret at you, only go for the turret. For the Mk I Churchills, aim at the near-vertical part of their rounded cheeks to ensure successful penetrations. For the Mk III and the German Churchill, also aim for their flat turret which is at most 89 mm. The shell should go in easily and knock out most, if not all of the crew. Only when you are facing their hull without any angles should you shoot the hull, otherwise shoot the turret only, as their big tracks can easily get in front of the frontal hull. The side hull have multiple layers of armour, some of which are weirdly angled and can absorb plenty of shells. Luckily this tank is a rare matchup for the French M4A4 in Realistic Battles, where the British are usually on your team.

Pz.IV F2/G/H/J - The historical nemesis of any Sherman, the Panzer IV is one of the Sherman's biggest threats at this rank. The long barrel 75 mm gun will easily penetrate the Sherman from the front. The F2 variant is admittedly easy to deal with. A single APCBC to its hull or turret should end it pretty quickly, even at long range. The other variants are slightly harder to deal with. They have thicker hull armour, at 80 mm, which will be much harder to penetrate with the APCBC over 500 m. Luckily the turret armour remains the same at 50 mm. Either aim here with APCBC or sacrifice damage potential and use the AP round to penetrate the hull.

StuG III F/G - Another historical nemesis of the Sherman, and another big threat. The StuG III packs the same punch as the Panzer IV line with its long barrel 75 mm gun, whilst losing the turret, which turns out to be both an advantage and a disadvantage. Lacking a turret means that it will have to traverse the whole vehicle to target an enemy, but it also means that it has a lower profile. The StuG's armour profile is also more complex than the Panzer IV, with less flat areas. Certain areas are sloped and very bouncy. Luckily, there is a big weak spot. There are two flat plates on the front of the hull. The flat plate on the right is the drivers port. Shoot that and you are able to kill the driver, gunner and loader in one go. This is a very efficient way to destroy this vehicle. With the F variant, you can use APCBC to instantly one-shot this vehicle. With the G variant, it is more reliable to use AP at ranges within 500 m to ensure penetration.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent gun depression of -10° plus the angled frontal turret allows it to utilise hills very well
• Great penetration and post-penetration damage when using M61 shells; can frontally penetrate and one-shot most opponents like the T-34, Crusader, M4 and others
• Vertical stabiliser allows it to fire on the move, or, in a sudden encounter, fire before the enemy which is critical
• Well angled frontal armour; when angling the hull it can deflect some low calibre / low-penetrating shells like the Stuarts' 37 mm, 75 mm M1, 76 mm F-34 / Zis-5 and others
• Adequate top speed allows it to get to positions in time, or to do tactical manoeuvres like flanking
• Rather fast reload speed for follow up shots
• Plenty of reserve ammunition for prolonged fighting without replenishing at captured points

Cons:

• Large profile and weak side armour; flankers like the M24 Chaffee can easily see and penetrate it
• Frontal armour is still inadequate, will get frontally penetrated and one-shot by tanks like the long-barreled Pz.IV, StuG III F and T-34-57
• The best M61 shell struggles to penetrate heavy targets like KV-1 (ZiS-5), Churchill Mk.III or even the T-34 when angled
• Trajectory is curved and velocity is low due to its short barrel, thus distant/moving targets are hard to shoot at
• Hull traverse is quite slow, making it sluggish in a turn; this tank also lacks neutral steering
• Roof armour of 19.5 mm thick is vulnerable to airstrikes with AP cannons. For example the widely used M2 Browning

History

Combat usage

The M4A4 was a M4 variant exclusively manufactured for export purposes. They equipped British, French, Italian and French armies. The M4A4 (France) were provided officially to the Free French Forces through the lend-lease program alongside the M4A2 in 1943 and 1944. 656 Shermans were allocated to the Free French Forces: 274 M4A4 and 382 M4A2. The first M4A4 were delivered in 1943 in the ports of Algiers and Casablanca to equip French Armoured Divisions. They were then transported to the UK in 1944 in preparation of the invasion of France and saw combat action in France in 1944 and in Western Germany in early 1945.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M4A4 (France) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• M4A4 (1st PTG)
• M4A4 (China)
• M4A4 (Italy)

External links

• [Wikipedia] M4 Sherman
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Medium Tank M4 Sherman
• [The Shadock] French Shermans during WW2

U.S. Army Ordnance Department/Corps*
Light tanks	T18E2 · M24 (Designed in collaboration with Cadillac)
M3 Stuart	M3 · M3A1 Stuart · M3A1 (USMC)
M5 Stuart	M5A1
Medium tanks	M3 Lee
M4 Sherman	M4 · M4A1 · M4A2 · M4A3 (105) · Calliope
	M4A1 (76) W · M4A2 (76) W · M4A3 (76) W
M26 Pershing	T20 · T25 · M26 · M26E1 · M26 T99
Patton Series	M46 · M46 "Tiger" · M47
Prototypes	T54E1 · T95E1
Heavy tanks	M103
M4 Jumbo	M4A3E2 · Cobra King · M4A3E2 (76) W
M6 Heavy	M6A1 · M6A2E1 · T1E1
M26 Pershing	T26E1-1 · T26E5
Prototypes	T14
T29	T29 · T30 · T34
T-32	T32 · T32E1
Tank destroyers	M3 GMC · M10 GMC · M56
M8 GMC	M8 HMC · M8A1 GMC
M36 GMC	M36 GMC · M36B2
Prototypes	T28 · T95
SPAAGs
Production	M19 MGMC · M42
Export/Captured	␗M8 HMC · SU-57
Stuart	Stuart I · Stuart III · ␗M3A3 Stuart · ␗M3A3 (1st PTG) · ▄M3A3 · ▄M3A3 Stuart · ▃Stuart VI (5th CAD) · ␗M5A1
Lee/Grant	▂M3 Medium · ▃Grant I · Grant I
M4 Sherman	Sherman II · ▄M4A1 · ␗M4A1 (75) W · ▀M4 748 (a) · ▂M4A2 · ▄M4A3 (105) · ▅M4A3 (76) W · ▄M4A3E2
	␗M4A4 · ␗M4A4 (1st PTG) · ▄Sherman V · ▄M4A4 · ▄Sherman I Composito
M26 Pershing	M26 "D.C.Ariete" · M26A1
M47 Patton	mKPz M47 G · ▅M47
M10 GMC	␗M10 GMC · ▄M10 GMC
M36 GMC	␗M36 GMC · M36B1 · ▅M36 · ▄M36B2
M19 MGMC	▅M19A1
M42 MGMC	▅M42 · ␗M42
	*The Ordnance Department was renamed to the Ordnance Corps after the Army Reorganization Act of 1950.