Trying to make sense of the confusing history of Chinese Shermans (ROC only for now)

[DMYEugen 688]

Hey everyone. Lately I've been digging around and trying to find information when it comes to Chinese Shermans. In my search I've found several very interesting facts and/or possibilities that could allow for some pretty nice additions to low-tier China.

 

Let's start with what is most known and move into uncertainty the further we go.

 

We know that the ROC received and used M4A4s during WW2. These 52 Shermans were received from the US and would all seemingly feature the M34A1 gun mount, which is the mount with the characteristic mantlet of 75mm Shermans. These Shermans are already represented in-game by the M4A4 (1st PTG). After WW2, these Shermans would be retrieved by the US, leaving the ROC with only Stuarts and captured Japanese equipment.

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Not satisfied with their post-war tank arsenal, the ROC sought to reacquire Shermans, however, the US was not on board with this. To get around this, the ROC would ask the British Government to purchase 100 surplus Shermans for them. Export licenses for 85 of these vehicles were obtained and began transport to the ROC under the guise of being sent back to the US for restoration. The US would quickly find out about the plan and obstruct delivery, resulting in only around 30 Shermans reaching the ROC. These Shermans were of a few variants:

 

M4A4:

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M4A1 (76) which would be domestically rearmed with the 75mm:

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and standard M4A1:

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 Let's start with the M4A4. The M4A4s supplied to the ROC were not of one uniform configuration. In fact, the ROC had at least 3 different different M4A4 configurations.

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M4A4 with the M35A1 gun mount:

 

M4A4 with the M35 gun mount (does not have the large mantlet) and a three-piece transmission housing:

 

And a rarer configuration, the M4A4 with an M35 gun mount and a one-piece transmission housing:

 

When it comes to the rearmed M4A1 (76)s, there aren't any different configurations, however, at least one of them would be fitted with a dozer blade:

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Moving on to the standard M4A1s, not many people know that the ROC actually had these. In any picture I can find of the ROC's standard M4A1s, they all have the M35A1 gun mount as well as a one-piece transmission housing, making them different from the US standard M4A1 already in-game.

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This picture is a screenshot from a parade video and thus doesn't give us a good look at the tank, however, a keen eye can identify the standard 75mm turret as well as the one-piece transmission housing.

 

Beyond here is where things get muddier. Below is a supposed picture of either M4A2s or M4A3s (maybe both) after capture by the PLA. Take the following with a grain of salt. I don't fully believe it myself. The supposed story behind this picture is that these Shermans were transferred over to the ROC by the US Marine Corps after they withdrew. These vehicle would then see service with the ROC before getting captured by the PLA, which is when this picture was taken.

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This story is obviously rather strange for many reasons, however, it could be a possible explanation of our next oddity. At first glance, the below picture looks like an M4A4 albeit with a one-piece transmission housing, which appears to have been rare for the M4A4 variant, however, if you look closely, you'll notice that the pairs of roadwheels are way too close to be an M4A4. This means that this vehicle is either an M4A2 or an M4A3. I'd need to see the rear of the vehicle to be completely sure since identifying Shermans from a glance isn't my strong suit. Exactly how the ROC got their hands on this, I don't know. Maybe the previous story is true and this Sherman is one that the PRC didn't capture. Maybe this was mixed in with their batch of Shermans obtained from the UK. Maybe this tank was simply acquired as a museum or display piece.

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An M4A4 for comparison:

 

That's all for now, however, I will update the post as I find out more. As you can see, the history of the ROC's Shermans is not as simple as "they got M4A4s". They had quite a few different variant and configurations which could help bolster Chinese Rank II or act as semi-unique premium, event, or squadron vehicles. I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions. All this information comes purely from the internet, so if you have any better sources or information, I'd be very happy if you'd share it with me.

Edited March 7, 2023 by DMYEugen

[不是很能抗压 1,265]

Useful for me.

[hypilot 123]

The nationalist did have M4A2 tanks as they wanted to modify their guns along with the M10. Maybe this is referencing the artillery version of the M10’s. So there may have been a Chinese artillery gun M4A2. 
 

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Edited April 8, 2023 by hypilot