Tanks of the U . S . in the World Wars Light tanks . FT 17 . World War I . As the American army did not have tanks of its own , the French FT 17 was used by US in the later stages of World War I , and brought tanks to their attention . It was cheap and well - suited for mass production , and in addition to its traversable turret another innovative feature of the FT - 17 was its engine located on the back on the tank rather than the front . This pattern , with the gun located on a mounted turret and with the engine on the back , became the standard for most succeeding tanks across the world even to this day . The Six Ton Tank ( or Special Tractor ) M1917 was a US tank accepted by the army in October 1918 and is primarily based on the plans of the French Renault FT - 17 . There were 31 of the M1917 tanks built during World War I and 10 were sent to Europe . After the war Van Dorn Iron Works created 950 more . 374 had cannons and 526 had machine guns and 50 were signal tanks . The US tank , the M1917A1 , was a lengthened , rebuilt updated version compared to the French one with a 100 hp Franklin engine and an electric self - starter rather than a crank starter . The crew , mainly a driver and gunner , were separated from the engine by a bulkhead . All steel wheels were fitted as well as a turret , which were found on some French examples . M3 / 5 Stuart . World War II . The Stuart was an upgrade of the M2 Light Tank . The initial upgrade was designated the M3 Stuart and had thicker armor , modified suspension and a 37mm mm gun . Production of the M3 and later the M5 Stuart started in March 1941 and continued until October 1943 with a total of 25 , 000 produced . An upgrade of the M3 , which was initially called M4 but later redesignated the M5 , was developed with improved engines and produced through 1942 . The M5 featured a redesigned hull and driver ' s hatches moved to the top . The M5 gradually replaced the M3 in production from 1942 and was in turn succeeded by the Light Tank M24 in 1944 . The British Army was the first to use the M3 in combat . In November 1941 , some 170 Stuarts took part in Operation Crusader , with poor results . Although the high losses suffered by Stuart - equipped units during the operation had more to do with better tactics and training of the enemy than superiority of enemy tanks in the North African campaign , the operation revealed that the M3 had several technical faults . Mentioned in the British complaints were the 37 mm gun , a limited range and poor internal layout . The two - man turret crew was a significant weakness , and some British units tried to fight with three - man turret crews . Crews liked its high speed and mechanical reliability . From the summer of 1942 , when enough US medium tanks had been received , the British usually kept Stuarts out of tank - to - tank combat . M3s , M3A3s , and M5s continued in British service until the end of the war , but British armor units had a smaller proportion of these light tanks than US units . The other major Lend - Lease recipient of the M3 , the Soviet Union , was even less happy with the tank , considering it undergunned , underarmored , likely to catch fire , and too sensitive to fuel quality . The narrow tracks were highly unsuited to operation in winter conditions , as they resulted in high ground pressures that sunk the tank . However , the Stuart was superior to early - war Soviet light tanks such as the T - 60 , which were often underpowered and possessed even lighter armament than the Stuart . In 1943 , the Red Army tried out the M5 and decided that the upgraded design wasn ' t much better than the M3 . Being less desperate than in 1941 , the Soviets turned down an American offer to supply the M5 . M3s continued in Red Army service at least until 1944 . In US Army service , the M3 first saw combat in the Philippines . Two battalions , comprising the Provisional Tank Group fought in the Bataan peninsula campaign . When the American army joined the North African Campaign in late 1942 , Stuart units still formed a large part of its armor strength . After the disastrous Battle of the Kasserine Pass the US quickly disbanding most of their light tank battalion s and subordinating the Stuarts to medium tank battalions performing the traditional cavalry missions of scouting and screening . For the rest of the war , most US tank battalions had three companies of M4 Sherman s and one company of M3s or M5 / M5A1s . In the European theater , Allied light tanks had to be given cavalry and infantry fire support roles since their main cannon armament could not compete with heavier enemy AFVs . However , the Stuart was still effective in combat in the Pacific Theater , as Japanese tanks were both relatively rare and were generally much weaker than even Allied light tanks . Japanese infantrymen were poorly equipped with anti - tank weapons and tended to attack tanks using close - assault tactics . In this environment , the Stuart was only moderately more vulnerable than medium tanks . In addition , the poor terrain and roads common to the theatre were unsuitable for the much heavier M4 medium tanks , and so initially , only light armor could be deployed . Heavier M4s were eventually brought to overcome heavily entrenched positions , though the Stuart continued to serve in a combat capacity until the end of the war . The US liquidated its Stuarts when it got sufficient numbers of M24 Chaffee s but the tank remained in service until the end of the war and well after . In addition to the United States , United Kingdom and Soviet Union , who were the primary users , it was also used by France and China . M24 Chaffee . World War II . In April 1943 the government started work on the M24 Chaffee , designated Light Tank T24 as a replacement for the M3 / M5 Stuart after the original replacement , the M7 , was rejected in March . Every effort was made to keep the weight of the vehicle under 20 tons . The armor was kept light , and a lightweight 75 mm gun was developed . The design also featured wider tracks and torsion bar suspension . It had relatively low silhouette and a three - man turret . In mid - October the first pilot vehicle was delivered and production began in 1944 under the designation Light Tank M24 . 4 , 730 were produced by the time production was stopped in August 1945 . The first thirty - four M24s reached Europe in November 1944 and were issued to the U . S . 2nd Cavalry Group ( Mechanized ) in France . These were then issued to F Company , 2nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion and F Company , 42nd Cavalry Reconnaissance Battalion which each received seventeen M24s . During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 , these units and their new tanks were rushed to the southern sector ; two of the M24s were detached to serve with the 740th Tank Battalion of the U . S . First Army . The M24 started to enter widespread issue in December 1944 but they were slow in reaching the front - line combat units . By the end of the war many armored divisions were still mainly equipped with the M5 . Some armored divisions did not receive their first M24s until the war was over . Reports were generally positive . Crews liked the improved off - road performance and reliability , but were most appreciative of the 75 mm main gun , as a vast improvement over the 37 mm . The M24 was not up to the challenge of fighting tanks , but the bigger gun gave it a chance to defend itself when required . Its light armor made it vulnerable and The M24s contribution to winning the war was insignificant , as too few arrived too late to replace the M5s of the armored divisions . Medium tanks . M4 Sherman . World War II . The U . S . Army designed the M4 as a replacement for the M3 Medium . The designated goals were to produce a fast , dependable medium tank able to support infantry , provide breakthrough striking capacity , and defeat any tank currently in use by the Axis nations . In April 1941 the U . S . Armored Force Board chose the simplest of five designs . Known as the T6 , the design was a modified M3 hull and chassis , carrying a newly designed turret mounting the Lee ' s main gun . This became the Sherman . The prototype M4 was completed in September 1941 . The T6 became standardized as the M4 , and production after modifications began in October 1941 . The U . S . Army had seven main sub - designations for M4 variants during the production period : M4 , M4A1 , M4A2 , M4A3 , M4A4 , M4A5 , and M4A6 . These designations were manufactured concurrently at different locations . While most Shermans ran on gasoline , the M4A2 and M4A6 had diesel engines : the M4A2 with a pair of GMC 6 - 71 straight six engines , the M4A6 a Caterpillar RD1820 radial . These , plus the M4A4 which used the Chrysler A57 multibank engine , were mostly supplied to Allied countries under Lend - Lease . " M4 " can refer specifically to the initial sub - type with its Continental radial engine , or generically , to the entire family of seven Sherman sub - types , depending on context . Many details of production , shape , strength , and performance improved throughout production without a change to the tank ' s basic model number ; more durable suspension units , safer " wet " ( W ) ammunition stowage , and stronger armor arrangements , such as the M4 Composite , which had a cast front hull section mated to a welded rear hull . British nomenclature differed from that employed by the U . S . Early Shermans mounted a 75 mm medium - velocity general - purpose gun . Although Ordnance began work on the Medium Tank T20 as a Sherman replacement , ultimately the Army decided to minimize production disruption by incorporating elements of other tank designs into Sherman production . Later M4A1 , M4A2 , and M4A3 models received the larger T23 turret , with a high - velocity 76 mm gun M1 , which reduced the number of HE and smoke rounds carried and increased the number of anti - tank rounds . Later , the M4 and M4A3 were factory - produced with a 105 mm howitzer and a new distinctive mantlet in the original turret . The first standard - production 76 mm gun Sherman was an M4A1 , accepted in January 1944 , and the first standard - production 105 mm howitzer Sherman was an M4 accepted in February 1944 . In June – July 1944 , the Army accepted a limited run of 254 M4A3E2 " Jumbo " Shermans , which had very thick armor , and the 75 mm gun in a new , heavier T23 - style turret , in order to assault fortifications . The M4A3 was the first to be factory - produced with the HVSS ( horizontal volute spring suspension ) suspension with wider tracks to distribute weight , and the smooth ride of the HVSS with its experimental E8 designation led to the nickname " Easy Eight " for Shermans so equipped . Both the Americans and the British developed a wide array of special attachments for the Sherman ; few saw combat , and most remained experimental . Those which saw action included the bulldozer blade for Sherman dozer tanks , Duplex Drive for " swimming " Sherman tanks , R3 flame thrower for " Zippo " flame tank s , and the T34 60 - tube " Calliope " 4 . 5 " rocket launcher for the Sherman turret . The British variants ( DD ' s and mine flails ) were among " Hobart ' s Funnies , " named after their commander , Percy Hobart of the 79th Armoured Division . The M4 Sherman ' s basic chassis was used for all the sundry roles of a modern mechanized force : roughly 50 , 000 Sherman tanks , plus thousands more derivative vehicles under different model numbers . These included M32 and M74 " tow truck " - style recovery tanks with winches , booms , and an 81 mm mortar for smoke screens ; M34 ( from M32B1 ) and M35 ( from M10A1 ) artillery prime movers ; M7B1 , M12 , M40 , and M43 self - propelled artillery ; and the M10 and M36 tank destroyers . The M4 Sherman served with the U . S . Army and Marine Corps during World War II . The U . S . also supplied large numbers to the various Allied countries . Shermans were used during the war by British and Commonwealth armies , the Soviet Union ' s Red Army , Free French forces , the Polish army in exile , China ' s National Revolutionary Army , and Brazil ' s Expeditionary Force . The U . S . Marine Corps used the diesel M4A2 and gasoline - powered M4A3 in the Pacific . However , the Chief of the Army ' s Armored Force , Lt . Gen . Jacob L . Devers , ordered that no diesel - engined Sherman tanks be used by the Army outside the Zone of Interior ( the continental U . S . ) . The U . S . Army used all types for either training or testing within the United States , but intended the M4A2 and M4A4 to be the primary Lend - Lease exports . The M4A1 Sherman first saw combat at the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942 with the British 8th Army . The first U . S . Shermans in battle were M4A1s in Operation " Torch " the next month . At this time , Shermans successfully engaged German Panzer IIIs with long barreled 50mm L60 guns , and Panzer IVs with short barreled 75 mm L24 guns . Additional M4 and M4A1s replaced M3 Lees in U . S . tank battalions over the course of the North African campaigns . However , by June 1944 , most German tanks were up - gunned and 75 mm Shermans were out - gunned . The M4 and M4A1 were the main types in U . S . units until late 1944 , when the Army began replacing them with the preferred M4A3 with its more powerful engine . Some M4s and M4A1s continued in U . S . service for the rest of the war . The first Sherman to enter combat with the 76 mm gun ( July 1944 ) was the M4A1 , closely followed by the M4A3 . By the end of the war , half the U . S . Army Shermans in Europe had the 76 mm gun . The first HVSS Sherman to see combat was the M4A3E8 ( 76 ) W in December 1944 . References . The Encyclopaedia of Tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles ; Published in 2007 by Amber Books Ltd .