Super Sherman The Sherman M - 50 and the Sherman M - 51 , both known abroad as the Super Sherman , were modified versions of the American M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid - 1950s to early 1980s . The M - 51 was also referred to as the Isherman ( i . e . Israeli Sherman ) . However , the designations Super Sherman and Isherman were never used by the Israeli Defense Forces . History . In 1953 , an Israeli delegation visited France to examine the new AMX 13 light tank . The tank was armed with the high - velocity 75 mm gun " CN 75 - 50 " , a development of the German 7 . 5 cm KwK 42 L / 70 ( used in the Panther tank ) . While the gun was satisfactory , the armor of the French tank was considered too light . Eventually , Israel did purchase the AMX 13 , however in a parallel development it was decided to graft the powerful French gun onto the available , familiar and better - armored hull of the American M4 Sherman , the standard tank of the IDF armored units in the early 1950s . The project started in 1954 , and in 1955 a prototype turret was sent from France to Israel . In March 1956 Israeli Ordnance Corps facilities started to convert tanks , using guns received from France . The gun was known in Israel as the " M - 50 " and as a result the upgunned Sherman was designated Sherman M - 50 . The M - 50 was similar to the Sherman Firefly in that it had the original turret of the " old " type ( as used by the 75 mm gun M3 armed Shermans ) , which was fitted with a large counterweight at the rear end . The first 50 units were based on M4A4 hulls , had a Continental R - 975 gasoline engine and VVSS suspension . However , the increased weight of the vehicle combined with narrow tracks led to poor off - road mobility . It was also putting too much strain on the engine , resulting in frequent mechanical failures . Consequently , for the rest of the conversions , hulls fitted with HVSS suspension and Cummins V - 8 diesel engine were adopted . These subvariants were sometimes referred to as the M - 50 Continental and M - 50 Cummins . Diesel engines were also preferred since diesel fuel is less flammable than gasoline , which factors into battlefield survivability . In total , about 300 M - 50s were built by 1964 ( though it ' s possible that this number includes 120 155 mm self - propelled guns on Sherman chassis , also designated M - 50 ) . The same gun was also fitted to a number of M10 Wolverine tank destroyers . In the 1960s , 180 Sherman tanks received the even more powerful French 105 mm Modèle F1 gun . The barrel length of the gun was reduced from 56 caliber to 44 and equipped with a muzzle brake ; ammunition was altered to use a smaller cartridge . In Israel the gun was designated " M - 51 " and the tank the Sherman M - 51 . M4A1 hulls and " new " turrets ( from 76 mm armed Shermans ) were used for the conversion . All tanks were fitted with Cummins diesel engines and HVSS suspension . The tank was displayed to the public for the first time during the Independence Day ceremony in 1965 . Abroad the M - 50 was known as " Super Sherman " ( the " Continental " variant as Mark I and the " Cummins " variant as Mark II ) and the M - 51 as either " Super Sherman " or " Isherman " ( i . e . " Israeli Sherman " ) . These designations were never used in Israel . The only tank model designated Super Sherman by the IDF was M4A1 with 76 mm M1 gun and HVSS suspension , which was named " Super Sherman M - 1 " . Service history . The first 25 M - 50s were finished just in time for the Operation Kadesh in the Sinai against the Egyptian Army ( which also employed its own up - gunned version of the M - 4 , fitted with the AMX - 13 turret , making it equal to the M - 50 in firepower ) . In 1964 , Israel started to divert water from the Sea of Galilee to the Negev Desert for agricultural purposes . The Arab nations were in uproar , and Syria began a project to divert water into Jordan ( the Headwater Diversion Plan ) . Maj General Israel Tal had trained Israeli tank gunners to shoot beyond and , on March 6 , 1965 , an M - 50 , commanded by Tal , engaged a Syrian recoilless rifle that had killed an Israeli tractor driver ; Tal personally destroyed the recoilless rifle at long range . A few days later , General Tal , with an M - 50 and a Centurion Mk III tank , was waiting for a chance to fire upon the Syrian water diverting project . When Syrian gunners fired on a border patrol , Tal ' s M50 and the Centurion fired on eight tractors away , and destroyed them all in two minutes with 10 shots - Tal destroyed 5 tractors with his M - 50 ' s 75 mm gun , and the Centurion destroyed the remainder . Both the M - 50 and M - 51 saw combat in the Six - Day War that left the Golan Heights , the West Bank and the Sinai peninsula in Israeli hands , often fighting Soviet World War II - era armor like the T - 34 - 85 ( for example at the Battle of Abu - Ageila ) . Both were also employed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War alongside and against much more modern tanks . The use of such seemingly obsolete tanks was necessary given the desperate nature of the fighting . In combat against the Arab armies , the M - 51 proved itself capable of fighting newer , heavier tanks like the Soviet - built T - 54 / 55 / T - 62 . The M - 51 ' s 105 mm gun could penetrate these adversaries using HEAT ammunition . The M - 51 served well during its time , and is regarded as an excellent example of how an obsolete tank ( the Sherman ) can be upgraded beyond the limits of its original capabilities . M - 50 Continentals were retired by 1972 . The M - 50 Cummins and M - 51 were gradually phased out in late 1970s - early 1980s . During the Lebanese Civil War , a total of 75 M - 50s were given to the Israeli - supported Christian militia s – Kataeb Regulatory Forces ( 19 ) , Tigers Militia ( 20 ) , Guardians of the Cedars ( 1 ) , the Lebanese Forces ( 40 ) , and the South Lebanon Army ( 35 ) – in 1976 ; two tanks were later captured by the Palestinian Liberation Organization ( PLO ) , which they employed in the defense of West Beirut during the June 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon . Many tanks were also sold to Chile , and some of those were fitted with 60 mm HVMS gun and are often referred to as M - 60 . This variant was never used by the IDF . The few M - 51s that Israel retained were converted into engineer vehicles and self - propelled artillery .