M4 748 (a) (Germany)

▀M4 748 (a)

▀M4 748 (a)

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	4.0	4.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

This page is about the captured American medium tank M4 748 (a) (Germany). For other uses, see M4 (Disambiguation).

Description

The ▀Pz.Kpfw. M4 748 (a) is a gift rank III German medium tank with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was available only for pre-order during the Closed Beta Test of Ground Forces during the period before Update 1.41. 500 units were also for sale during the 5th Anniversary event, which sold out within a few hours. It represented a captured M4A2 Sherman in Wehrmacht service and was the first Sherman to be implemented in the game. Unfortunately, it is currently impossible for a new War Thunder player to acquire this rare tank.

The M4 748(a) plays like any other M4 Sherman as a mobile tank with adequate armour and gun. While its frontal armour and gun may not be up for the tasks against its contemporaries at its battle rating, the M4's mobility allows the M4 to get around the front line to capture the objective or hit the enemy in the sides. Though, if the heavy manoeuvring is not preferable, the M4 can also perform well as a supporting tank by backing up a more powerful tank to overwhelm a small enemy group.

Visually, the M4 748(a) is identical to the M4A2 Sherman. The only big distinctive feature of the M4 748(a) is the paint coat on the tank, which is a combination of the yellow dunkelgelb, red-brown rotbraun, and green olivgrün, in a manner similar to the default scheme of the Panther G.

Features on the M4 748(a) are shared with its counterpart with a 47° front armour plate with a one-piece transmission housing. The turret features the M34A1 gun mount with the 75 mm M3 gun, the mount specified for a telescopic and periscopic scope. Unlike the M4 Sherman model that has the same gun mount, the right turret side does not have a welded piece of applique armour, allowing for a more sloped contour on the 76 mm turret armour. The turret top features a spotlight on the front loader's position with his oval hatch while the commander has a usual split hatch with an M2 Browning machine gun for him to use.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour (Hull, Turret roof)
• Cast homogeneous armour (Turret, Transmission area)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	63.5 mm (47°) Front glacis 51-108 mm (12-56°) Transmission housing	38.1 mm	38.1 mm (7-10°)	19.5 mm
Turret	76 mm (3-65°) Turret front 89 + 51 mm (2-62°) Gun mantlet	51 mm (2-64°)	51 mm (2-60°)	19.5 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	51 mm	19.5 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, the bogies are 10 mm, and the tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Small applique armour are placed on the side hull armour over ammunition that gives an extra 25.4 mm.
• Belly armour is 19.5 mm thick, though the tip near the transmission is 38.1 mm thick.
• Hull underside over tracks is 9.5 mm thick.
• A 9.5 mm RHA plate separates the engine compartment from the crew compartment.
• A small patch on the turret front right side is thinner (50.8 mm) than the rest (76.2 mm).

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)		Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse	Stock	AoA	Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	53	7	31	1.15	635	782	20.45	24.29
Realistic	47	7			363	410	11.69	12.73

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm M3
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
97			-10°/+25°	±180°	Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	14.28	19.80	24.0	26.60	28.20
Realistic	14.28	16.80	20.4	22.60	24.00
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
6.50	5.75	5.30	5.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
M72 shot	AP	90	88	78	67	57	49
M48 shell	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
M61 shot	APCBC	103	101	90	78	68	59
T45 shot	APCR	143	137	127	106	86	70

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Fuse delay in m:	Fuse sensitivity in mm:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):	Normalization At 30° from horizontal:	Ricochet:
								0%	50%	100%
M72 shot	AP	619	6.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
M48 shell	HE	463	6.3	0.4	0.5	666	+0°	79°	80°	81°
M61 shot	APCBC	618	6.8	1.2	20	63.7	+4°	48°	63°	71°
T45 shot	APCR	868	3.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5°	66°	70°	72°

Smoke characteristic
Ammunition	Velocity in m/s	Projectile Mass in kg	Screen radius in m	Screen time in s	Screen hold time in s:	Explosive Mass in g (TNT equivalent):
M89	259	3	13	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
97	91 (+6)	88 (+9)	86 (+11)	78 (+19)	63 (+34)	46 (+51)	31 (+66)	1 (+96)	No

Ammo racks of the M4 Sherman.

Notes:

• To go into battle with the turret basket empty of ammo, pack 78 (+19) shells (racks 1 to 4 emptied).
• To go into battle with the turret basket and the flanks empty of ammo, pack 31 (+66) shells (Racks 1 to 7 empty).
• The 8th rack is large and located at a a weak spot: the bottom section of the armor. In case of penetration, there is a high risk of ammo rack detonation. Make sure not to expose your flanks unnecessarily.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
300 (200)				577	-10°/+25°	±60°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
3,000 (250)				500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The M4 748(a) is a very versatile weapons platform that can be used in multiple roles and tactics. It can use its decent armour and gun to support friendlies against enemies, use its mobility to outmanoeuvre and exploit undefended location to reach an unsuspecting area, and a combination of the traits to deal with its contemporary medium tanks with the 75 mm gun with its APCBC and APCR ammunition.

While most tanks in the BR range of the M4 748(a) are quite capable of destroying the tank through the front, the most worrisome tanks are those that are quite immune to the 75 mm gun on the M4. APCR ammunition is given to the 75 mm gun, but its poor slope characteristics still make it situational ammunition than a universal tank annihilator. As such, exploiting side armour and general weak points of opposing tanks are still a must.

Exploitation

The M4 748(a) tank's mobility can be used to travel the distance on the battlefield in a satisfactory fashion. As the M4 748(a) cannot stand against the more heavily armoured and armed enemies at the higher BR range, a manoeuvre around the enemy force or in a location prime for an ambush location can allow the M4 Sherman to damage or destroy enemy tanks. The engine power allows the M4 to travel across rough terrain to get to its destination. The only drawback in this action would be an unexpected encounter with another enemy trying the same manoeuvre, which would be an enemy tank class of equal to the M4 or lower so a good engagement against them could let the M4 continue its merry way.

Supporting

There are many instances on a War Thunder battlefield where two opposing tanks face off against each other on a corner of cover, waiting for the other to pop out so it can deal a crippling blow with its gun or waiting for the other to prematurely fire so it can advance unhindered to a prime firing location. The M4 748(a) can alleviate this problem by giving the friendly tank additional support. In this scenario, go around the enemy through another angle while the teammate keeps the enemy busy. This way, the M4 can go around and prepare itself for a firing solution on the enemy tank. This will either end with 1) a successful out-manoeuvre and the M4 landing a shot on the enemy's side and weak point while it was preoccupied with the ally, or 2) the tank is forced to turn its attention to the M4, leaving your ally able to advance and do the same to get on the enemy's side.

On a larger battle scale with multiple allies and enemies, work in cohesion with the others behind the front lines as the allies absorb most of the enemy shots, allowing the M4 to line a perfect shot on a spent enemy to land a penetrating shot into the hull and knocking out the crew. Always aim for a crippling or defeating blow so that the enemy tank will not be an immediate threat to the rest of the team while it repairs or replenishes.

Capturing the Objective

While not as fast as some of the lighter tanks at the BR, the M4 748(a)'s upgraded mobility makes it usable as a vehicle to run towards the objective and capture the zone. It has the decent firepower and armour to handle enemy light tanks that are expected to also rush towards points, and so it could last for some time capturing and defending the zones. However, once heavier tanks and contemporary medium tanks start arriving in droves, it is recommended to start withdrawing from the position or else the M4 will be overwhelmed and destroyed at the first priority due to being an easy target, even if allies are present to support the M4 on the position.

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
• Due to it being a part of the German tech tree, you will not have to face the long barrel 75 mm (RB/SB) which increases its survivability quite a bit

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 Achilles, M10 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 and M10 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
• Roof armour of 19.5 mm thick is vulnerable to airstrikes with AP cannons. For example the widely used M2 Browning

History

Captured equipment

In the midst of the battlefield in World War II, wreckage and broken down equipment are often left behind by the army on the field due to either the inability to recover them or they are no longer operable. This equipment, if salvageable, are often taken by the occupiers and used for their own purposes. The Allies mostly captured German vehicles for use in gun tests and target practice, with the Soviets going as far as fielding captured tanks in their own ranks such as the Panzer III as the T-III. The German forces also captured Allied tanks as well, mostly fielding them in the Panzer forces to supplement the growing attrition of their armoured forces. The M4 Sherman, one of the most common tanks in the Allied forces, was often captured and fielded by the German forces. The fielded Shermans in the German army was given the designation M4-748(a).

Combat usage

It is unknown exactly how many Shermans have been captured and used by the German forces during World War II, but the German-captured Shermans have been documented in the battlefields of Tunisia, Italy, France, Soviet Union, and in Germany itself in the last days of the war. The Shermans were reported to be used in the 14th Panzer Division, 16th Panzer Division, Fallschirmjäger Division, and Kampfgruppe Berlin. When used by the Germans, the Shermans were often painted with Balkenkreuz cross symbol of the Wehrmacht to distinguish between friend and foe.

The German captured M4 Sherman's most notable combat performance was in the Ardennes Offensive in December 1944, the Baltic Offensive against the Soviet Union in late 1944, and the Battle of Berlin. The Shermans were also reported to play a role as armour-recovery vehicles rather than tanks due to Sherman's great power-to-weight ratio and reliable design that allows for the ability to tow the heavier German vehicles reliably.

In-game description

The American M4A2 medium tank is a variant of the M4 with a diesel engine. In April 1942, the first M4A2 prototype was tested, and the tank was put into production. The tank had a welded hull. A low-speed diesel engine gave the M4A2 good cross-country ability and a much larger maximum range than tanks with gasoline engines. A total of 8053 of these tanks were built. About 2000 of them were delivered to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease program.

This vehicle was actively used in combat operations on the Eastern Front. Sometimes, entire tank battalions were made up of this tank. Captured serviceable tanks were used by the Wehrmacht as subdivision command vehicles and sometimes even full-fledged combat vehicles. Captured M4A2 tanks served with the self-propelled artillery regiment of the 14th Armored Division of the Wehrmacht and with the 15th Parachute Division of the Luftwaffe. Most of the tanks were marked with an Iron Cross to show they belonged to the German army. Some tanks were repainted to match the standard camouflage schemes of the German army. The armor protection of these tanks was often supplemented with spare treads. Captured M4-748 (a) tanks were used by German troops until the end of the war. The divisions of the Wehrmacht had several such tanks which survived until Germany surrendered.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Images of M4-748(a).