- Yes
- No
I would like to make a quite interesting suggestion for Israel. the M4A2 Meir
The M4a2 Meir was the first Israeli Sherman to ever see services. bought from a bride to the British soldiers, this tank was not what it looked like in the photo. the tank wasn’t always armed with a 75mm even if it looked just like any other Sherman.
the tank was in the British services during WW2 but in 1947 it was stored in Haifa waiting to either be transported to the UK or be destroyed as the British were withdrawing from Palestine. the way the tank was to be destroyed was simple, they brought it to a mountain and just threw it down a cliff where it would be too damaged to be repaired. but this is not what happened with this M4a2 (called Sherman III in the UK). The Haganah militia who later became the IDF bribed the British personnel who were ordered to destroy the tank for £2,000 and had the tank in their service. only it was just an empty shell, the tank was not in working condition at all. the gun was removed, the sighting equipment missing, the engine was not working and even the track was missing. still, the tank was not lost. the Haganah transported the tank to Tel Aviv where the British had set up a repair faculty for the armor vehicles and left it with most of the needed equipment. but the part was not found there. it was just scavenged here and there and it took a lot of effort to just get the engine running. the track was found buried in the sand and was probably the original track for this tank (as the British who sold it didn’t want them to have a tank) but there was a major part that was missing, the tank still had no gun.
Desmond Rutledge, a tank driver of the 82nd Tank Battalion, with his wife Miriam sitting on the Meir
the tank was used for a while without a gun for training purposes but the need for a gun was clear otherwise the tank was just a large and heavily protected armored personal carrier who couldn’t care much about people. the solution was to fit a 20mm Hispano gun from the gunnery training field. the 20mm auto-cannon was fitted inside the 75mm tube which made the modification almost invisible. this tank was renamed “Meir” after the girlfriend of one of the crewmembers.
this tank saw services in 1948 during the Israeli-Arab war which led to the Israeli independence. it was used along with Cromwell who was also obtained by the bride and the help of a defective British soldier. still without the proper gun at that time. it was damaged in the battle of El Arish in 1948 where it was sabotaged so that the enemy did not take it. the first and probably most interesting Sherman that the IDF ever had was them lost.
Firepower
the armament of this tank is not common for a Sherman. I believe it’s the smallest caliber from any Sherman as the main gun. the armament is a 20mm Hispano-Suiza. the model is not specified but the HS.404 and HS.804 are the only possible gun available that could match the description. those are a good thing as the gun is quite decent against tanks. it offers more punch than the usual 20mm of his time. with a penetration of 45-40mm at combat distance, it may be capable of penetrating most enemy tanks even at the front if it can aim at a specific place. the magazine includes 30 or 60 rounds in a drum depending on the user’s choice. I believe the 30-round drum would be a better choice for this tank as the reload would be much faster and easier in this crowded turret. this is more than enough to be effective. for the rest of the tank, the armament seems to be missing. the 20mm might be the only armament it had, but at the same time, when you have an auto-cannon this powerful, you do not need a coaxial. the ammunition carried is unknown. I will just let Gaijin fill the tank with a pile of drum magazines where the 75mm should be inside the tank. I am sure it would be more than enough to have fun. I would not be surprised if the tank could carry more than 30 drums of 30 rounds which makes 900 rounds.
Mobility
the mobility is what we can expect from any Sherman. it is pretty average. neither too fast or too slow. but sometimes feeling sluggish. the tank weight will not be much changed from the normal M4a2 which means about 31.3 tons and a 410 hp engine for a power-weight of 12.62. it can reach 48 km/h but will quickly slow down when turning as it lacks power steering.
Protection
This tank protection is unchanged from the usual M4A2 Sherman. As the gun may lead it to a lower Battle Rating, it might make this tank feel well protected on the battlefield as the enemy may have weaker armament. it offers decent protection and survivability over the other tanks. but over the other Israeli Sherman, it is one of the only ones that does not have additional smoke. the crew of 5 men will be quite decent as well to survive.
Source
Tanks of the Early IDF, Written by Tom Gannon
Spoiler
https://i.imgur.com/johNtA2.png
https://i.imgur.com/5H7Qprn.png
https://i.imgur.com/qg9oHQj.png
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