Posted: Aug 23, 2012 1:15 pm
I read in some military magazine that one of the reasons the M4 was preferred over heavier, better armoured tanks, was that the Americans could ship three M4s instead of two heavies. While the M26 wasn't available until the final days of the war, the 42 tons vs the M4's 32 tons bear this out. One problem was the gun; when the Brits upgunned it with the 17 pdr (Sherman Firefly), they got a tank with better punch. What crippled the Germans was lack of fuel, no great numbers of superior tanks, and lack of air superiority. When the Germans called the shots, they could deal a lot of destruction, but that was in battles. The overall strategic initiative and freedom of action was lost since the summer of 1943. When the western Allies landed in Normandy, the Wehrmacht had already suffered 80% of the total losses during the war on the Eastern Front. Hitler clearly bit off more than he could possibly chew.