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 US M4A3 Sherman medium tank with 105mm gun that was assigned to HQ Company, 15th Battalion, 6th Armored Division, deployed to Houfallize, Luxemburg Province, Belgium, January 1945. Sold Out!

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

Release Date: January 2010

Historical Account: "Super Sixth" - Formed with a cadre from the 2nd Armored Division. the 6th Armored Division was formed under the 1942 Table of Organization and Equipment.

At the end of the Normandy Campaign, the 6th assembled at Le Mesnil on July 25th, 1944. The Division then passed through the 8th Infantry Division to clear the heights near Le Bingard on July 27th, 1944, and Combat Command A secured a bridgehead across the Sienne River near Point de la Roche on July 29th, 1944, then overran Grenville on July 31st, 1944. The 6th then returned to Avranches where it relieved the 4th Armored Division and secured the area bridges.

In mid-August, the Division moved down to Lorient. It was relieved there by the 94th Regional Readiness Command in September. Afterwards, it turned east and cut across France, reaching the Saar in November. It crossed the Nied River between the 11th-12th against strong opposition, reaching the German border on December 6th, and established and maintained defensive positions in the vicinity of Saarbrucken.

On December 23rd, the division was ordered north of Metz to take part in the Battle of the Bulge, assuming control over a sector along the south bank of the Sauer. The 6th was heavily engaged in the battle for Bastogne, finally driving the enemy back across the Our River into Germany by late January 1945.

After a short period of rehabilitation, the division resumed the offensive, penetrated the Siegfried Line, crossed the Prum, reached the Rhine River at Worms on March 21st, and set up a counter-reconnaissance screen along its west bank. The 6th crossed the Rhine at Oppenheim on the 25th, drove on to Frankfurt, crossed the Main, captured Bad Nauheim, and continued to advance eastward. It surrounded and captured Muhlhausen between April 4th-5th. After repulsing a light counterattack, it moved forward 60 miles to cross the Saale River and assisted in freeing Allied prisoners of war and the notorious German concentration camp at Buchenwald. The division raced on, took Leipzig, crossed the Mulde River at Rochlitz on April 15th, then stopped, pending the arrival of the Red Army. Defensive positions along the Mulde River were held until the end of hostilities in Europe.

The division was inactivated on September 18th, 1945 at Camp Shanks, New York.