M4A5

M4A5

M4A5

USA

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.7	3.7

Class:

PREMIUM

Medium tank

Purchase:1 150

This page is about the American medium tank M4A5. For other uses of the designation, see M4 (Disambiguation).

Description

The M4A5 Ram II is a premium rank II American medium tank with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.61 "Road to Glory". The first Canadian tank added into War Thunder, the Ram II was an attempt by the Canadians to produce their own turreted tank with the M3 Medium chassis. The Ram can be called a "hybrid" between the M3 medium tanks and the M4 Sherman.

The M4A5 is quite a hybrid of traits from the British and American ground forces trees. The Ram is made up of the transmission, suspension, and engine from the American M3 Lee, the turret platform of an M4 Sherman, and the British 6-pounder gun. Thus, in its place in Rank 2, the play style is akin to the M3 Lee's mobility with the power of a turreted tank. It should then be played like any standard American medium tank, with extra caution on the weak points presented on the front armour right next to the front machine gun turret.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Cast homogenous armour
• Rolled homogenous armour (Machine gun turret, Transmission, Lower side hull, Rear engine, Roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear (Slope angle)	Roof
Hull	88.9 mm (26-66°) Front glacis 50.8 mm (0-58°) Lower glacis 50.8 mm (12-87°) Driver's port	63.5 mm (0-67°) Upper 38.1 mm Lower	38.1 mm (0-64°) Top <br. 38.1 mm (0-52°)	38.1 mm 25.4 mm Engine deck
Turret	60.325 mm (22-26°) Turret front 69.85 (0-71°) + 38.1 mm Gun shield 44.45 + 63.5 mmGun mantlet	69.85 - 76.2 mm (0-70°)	69.85 mm (0-58°)	38.1 mm
Machine gun turret	63.5 + 50.8 mm	63.5 mm	63.5 mm	50.8 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	22.2 + 50.8 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick, bogies are 10 mm thick, and tracks are 17 mm thick.
• 8 mm RHA plate separating the engine and crew compartment.

Mobility

Mobility characteristic
Weight (tons)	Add-on Armor weight (tons)	Max speed (km/h)
29.5	N/A	44 (AB)
		40 (RB/SB)
Engine power (horsepower)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	620	763
Realistic/Simulator	354	400
Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	21.02	25.86
Realistic/Simulator	12.00	13.56

Armaments

Main armament

57 mm OQF 6-pounder Mk.III
Capacity			Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance	Stabilizer
92			-7.5°/+20°	±180°	Vertical
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode	Stock	Upgraded	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
Arcade	11.9	16.5	20.0	22.1	23.5
Realistic	11.9	14.0	17.0	18.8	20.0
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock	Prior + Full crew	Prior + Expert qualif.	Prior + Ace qualif.
5.20	4.60	4.24	4.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration in mm @ 90°
		10m	100m	500m	1000m	1500m	2000m
Shot Mk.5	AP	101	100	83	67	51	45
Shell Mk.10	HE	9	9	9	9	9	9
Shot Mk.5 HV	AP	112	111	92	74	57	50
Shot Mk.8	APC	94	92	83	72	63	52
Shot Mk.9	APCBC	113	112	100	90	84	80

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%
Shot Mk.5	AP	807	2.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
Shell Mk.10	HE	655	2.7	0.1	0.1	590	+0°	79°	80°	81°
Shot Mk.5 HV	AP	853	2.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1°	47°	60°	65°
Shot Mk.8	APC	853	2.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	48°	63°	71°
Shot Mk.9	APCBC	801	3.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	+4°	48°	63°	71°

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M4A5 Ram II.

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
92	83 (9)	74 (18)	62 (30)	49 (43)	33 (59)	1 (91)	no

Turret clear: 74

Machine guns

7.62 mm M1919A4
Coaxial mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,480 (250)				500	N/A	N/A
Pintle mount
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,480 (250)				500	-10°/+70°	±60°
Hull turret
Capacity (Belt capacity)				Fire rate (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
1,480 (250)				500	-8°/+60°	-120°/+50°

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the vehicle, the features of using vehicles in the team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view but instead give the reader food for thought. Describe the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive	Shot Mk.5 HV
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Shot Mk.8	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Shot Mk.9	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Strong frontal armour, especially the upper glacis, 100+ mm of effective thickness
• Well armoured for the rank
• 63.5 mm of side armour, works well when angled
• 57 mm gun that can handle every foe it encounters
• Has .30 cal anti-aircraft defence
• Somehow adequate top armour
• Great mobility
• One of the few tanks that has all its machine guns modeled and working properly
• Relatively cheap in GE price
• Relatively easy to play in matches
• Extremely good at taking hits and creating distractions
• Very hard for contemporary enemy tanks to knock it out in one hit
• This tank will feel like home for M4A3E2 Jumbo players because of its similar play style
• Fast firing main gun (4 second completely aced out reload)
• Many unlockable camouflage options

Cons:

• Front armour has some weak spots due to unusual slopes
• Driver hatch is a prominent weak point on front armour
• Armour protecting the transmission is only 50.8 mm thick
• Only the upper hull sides are 63.5 mm thick, the lower part is still only 38.1 mm
• Gun mantlet has an average thickness
• 57 mm gun lacks explosive filler
• Slow reverse speed
• Very cramped turret, a single shot will likely disable all 3 crew members
• Most ammo racks are located below the turret and underneath the upper hull where it's only protected by 38.1 mm unangled armour
• Unlike the Sherman, which is equipped with a top-mounted .50 cal, this tank has a top mounted .30 cal

History

Development

The aftermath of the Battle of France left the British military decimated as most of their equipment had to be left behind in their withdrawal at Dunkirk. Desperate for military equipment, particularly tanks, they requested from the U.S. to help produce the necessary vehicles to supplement the armoured forces. Canada further assisted the British with armoured vehicle production. The Canadian Pacific Railway’s Angus Shops were contracted to build 300 Valentine tanks for the British, and later Canada themselves ordered 488 Valentines to build up their own tank forces. The Canadians realized that, in addition to the Valentines, they needed a cruiser tank to attack and exploit breakthroughs. Complications between adapting British designs to North American standards and the difference in material quality caused the Canadians to seek an American-derived cruiser tank rather than a British design.

The current standard U.S. tank at the time was the interim design M3 Lee. With the 75 mm gun on a sponson rather than its own turret, the M3 Medium tank currently wasn’t a suitable candidate as the standard cruiser tank. In 1941, the Canadian Interdepartmental Tank Committee decided to use the M3 chassis as a foundation for a new and better, locally-produced design. The British took interest on this redesigning of the M3 Medium tank and sent a tank expert, L.E.Carr, to assist in the designing of the hull and turret. The hull itself was to be cast and the turret was designed around the expectations to mount the 6-pounder or the 75 mm gun. The name for the design was the Ram, while the US would designate the Canadian models as the M4A5

Throughout the Ram’s designing and testing, the Canadians ran into problems due to their lack of inexperience in tank design as well as lacking the production lines suitable for the production of tank parts. Since the tank was derived from the M3, the production line required parts such as the transmission and engine that were being built in the USA, but which were required for US tank production, resulting in little surplus for Canadian use. The United States assisted in the production of the Ram by producing the pilot models and the Canadian Tank Arsenal was to be built by Montreal Locomotive Works, themselves a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company who had experience building M3 tanks for the Americans.

The first prototype was produced in June 1941 and featured a full 360 degree traversable turret with a cast steel body, featuring the same powertrain and engine as the M3 it was derived from. The Ram was also adapted for British specifications with adaption to a right-hand drive and weaponry. Overall the Ram was also shorter than the M3. It also featured the side doors and a machine gun turret on the front, but these were removed in later versions. Production for the Ram started in November. Though intended to be fitted with the 6-pounder, the first 50 Rams produced used a 2-pounder due to lack of guns or mounts available for the Canadians. These were labelled Ram Mk.I. By February 1942, the Ram design switched back to the 6-pounder, which was designated the Ram Mk.II, production of which continued until July 1943. During that time span, about 2,032 Rams and its variants were produced.

Combat history

Unfortunately, by the time the Ram became battle-worthy for the front-lines, the Americans had started their mass-production of the M4 Shermans. The M4 Sherman was by all means similar in automotive performance, but benefited by the mass-production of the American automotive industry. The Ram was designed primarily to give the M3 Medium a turret, and the arrival of the M4 made the design redundant, and obsolete. In March 1942, the Canadian government made the decision to switch all production lines to produce the M4A1, with the Ram production only continuing until the proper machinery was ready. The Ram never saw combat usage and was only used as a training vehicle in Britain until mid-1944.

The Ram never saw combat as a tank, but variants of it did. Many Ram tanks were converted into armoured personnel carriers known as the Kangaroo, flamethrower vehicles known as the Badger, artillery observation vehicles, ammunition carriers, armoured recovery vehicles, and anti-tank gun tractor. Its most combat-oriented variant was the Sexton self-propelled gun with the 25-pounder howitzer developed to support the infantry, though the Sexton was also produced by the chassis from the Grizzly design.

After World War II, the Netherlands were free to take possession of any Ram tanks in army dumps on their territory. The Dutch used these tanks to equip their first tank units, the 1st and 2nd Tank Battalions. The Rams were in a poor state from low maintenance and disuse so they received additional Rams from Britain in slightly better conditions in 1947. By 1950, most of the Rams were broken down and only 50 were available for use between the two battalions. They were all replaced, along with Shermans in their inventory, by the Centurion tank in 1952. The Rams only usage past that was as static pillboxes on the IJssel line facing the Soviets in the Cold War.

Legacy

The Ram, unfortunately, went down in history as one of Canada’s war design failures, with the M4 Sherman being produced in parallel by the U.S. overtaking it. It is also a testament to the disparity in the industrial base between the two countries. The Ram could still be attributed to kick-starting Canadian production lines to be able to produce the M4A1 Shermans, which were designated the Grizzly.

About 6 Ram tanks still survive today, with only 3 being the original tank design.

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

• [Devblog] M4A5: Canadian Cadet