The M4 Sherman medium tank was regarded by many as the workhorse of the US Army during World War II. In fact, virtually all of the Allied armies employed the Sherman in their armed forces, including the British, who developed an upgunned variant called the "Firefly". Eleven different US plants manufactured six basic models of the Sherman, and by June 1944 over 49,234 battle-ready vehicles had been produced. While it was no match for the German Panther or Tiger tanks, the Sherman soldiered on, using its weight in numbers to wrest control of Europe from the Wehrmacht. The M4A3 was fitted with a long-barrel M1A1 76mm gun, which replaced the shorter and less effective 75mm gun, and sported a larger, more angular turret to house the bigger gun. In addition, the slope of the M4A3's frontal armor was changed to 47-degrees to increase frontal protection and simplify the production process.

Pictured here is a 1:48 scale limited edition US M4A3 105mm Sherman medium tank then seeing action during the Battle of the Bulge. Only 500 pieces produced. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 6-inches
Width: 3-inches

Release Date: August 2008

Historical Account: "Thunderbolts" - The 11th Armored Division was activated on August 15th, 1942. It arrived in England on November 12th, 1944, and prepared for combat with two months' training on the Salisbury Plain. The division landed in Normandy, December 16th, 1944, assigned to contain the enemy in the Lorient Pocket, but the Von Rundstedt offensive resulted in a forced march to the Meuse and the defense of a 30-mile sector from Givet to Sedan, 23 December. Launching an attack from Neufchateau, Belgium, on December 30th, the 11th defended the highway to Bastogne against fierce assault.

The division acted as spearhead of a wedge into the enemy line, and its junction with the First Army at Houffalize, on January 16th, 1945, created a huge trap. After the liquidation of the Bulge, the Siegfried Line was pierced, Lutzkampen falling February 7th, Grosskampenberg on the 17th, and the key point, Roscheid, February 20th.

After a brief rest, the division crossed the Prum and Kyll Rivers, taking Gerolstein and Nieder Bettingen against violent opposition. Andernach and Brohl fell on March 9th, in the sweep to the Rhine. In the swing southward to clear the Saar-Moselle-Rhine pocket, the Moselle River was crossed at Bullay and the Worms Airport captured, March 21st.

After rest and maintenance, the division drove across the Rhine at Oppenheim, took Hanau and Fulda, and headed for the Thuringian Forest, reaching Oberhof, April 3rd. The offensive raced through Bavaria, Coburg falling on the 10th, Bayreuth on the 14th.

In the final drive, the division crossed the Regen river, April 24th, overran Grafenau and Freyung, and plunged toward the Danube, seizing Rohrbach, Neufelden, and Zwettl. The enemy put up its last fanatical resistance along the approaches to Linz, Austria, but the 11th entered that city on May 5th. Pushing onward, elements contacted Soviet forces on May 8th, the first unit of the Third Army to meet the Russian armies. The war in Europe officially ended on May 9th, and the division was placed on occupational duty until inactivation on August 31st. (Courtesy Wikipedia)