page_title: Tanks of the U.S. in the World Wars
section_title: M4 Sherman
hierarchical_section_title: Tanks of the U.S. in the World Wars / Medium tanks / M4 Sherman
caption_attribution_description: Sherman tank using a Churchill 'Ark' armoured ramp carrier to climb over an escarpment, 79th Armoured Division
context_page_description: As the American army did not have tanks of its own, the French two-man Renault FT Light Tank was used by US in the later stages of World War I. It was cheap and well-suited for mass production, and in addition to its traversable turret another innovative feature of the FT was its engine located at the rear. This pattern, with the gun located in a mounted turret and rear engine, became the standard for most succeeding tanks across the world even to this day.
  The M1917 was a US tank accepted by the army in October 1918 and is primarily based on the plans of the French Renault FT. The crew, a driver and gunner, were separated from the engine by a bulkhead. Steel idler wheels replaced the wooden idlers fitted to French examples. Approximately 64 of the M1917 were built before the end of World War I and 10 were sent to Europe, but too late to be used in combat. After the war Van Dorn Iron Works, the Maxwell Motor Company, and the C.L. Best Tractor Company created 950 more. 374 had cannons and 526 had machine guns and 50 were signal tanks.
caption: Sherman tank using a Churchill 'Ark' armored ramp carrier
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