Re: sandbags on tanks
 

There were M4A1E8's, M4A2E8's, etc.

On of my favorite looking Shermans is a M4A1E8/76(W)

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

E8 Could fire HVAP rounds with a some deals with TD crews right?

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

The 76mm gun needed the muzzle brake to fire the M93 HVAP-T round. The HVAP rounds were never plentiful and were first priority for tank destroyer crews and were hard for tank crews to get. Apparently the US War production board also had arguments regarding mass producing tungsten cored rounds.

Through bartering and trading tank crews were usually able to get a couple of HVAP rounds. I would describe the situation with US HVAP rounds as being similar to the problems the German tankers had getting their tungsten cored PzGr.40 rounds. They were rare and hard to get.

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

this just showes that politics should never be mixed with military during time of war. ex. tungsten cored rounds not being produced for tanks, also the the making of 76mm shermans and not sherman fireflys.

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

Politics always play a part in war fighting. Heck look at the F-22. We just recived the last of fifty fighters. Origional the order was for several hundred air dominance fighters. But cost cutting measures has reduced the entire run to well under a hundred. And future aircraft R&D has been cut so much that the US is not likley to get another Fighter into testing, let alone production for another ten years. Nevermind the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter which is a be all end all. IE Good at everything, excellent at nothing.

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

i will always love the tomcat. anyways, back to the sideskirts.sandbags...im kinda sad. being a usual non-tanker but AT infantry, i can no longer 1 shot panzer 4's. this makes me sad cause wherever i see their big flat, sideskirted sides, i lick my lips cause its an easy kill.

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

Why didnt they put skirts on the rear of the tank? seems like a good place..

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

possibly because of hte heat there? a tanks engine is rather hot, maybe a skirt would stop it cooling easily.

Re: sandbags on tanks
 

Probably experience? It is hard for an enemy soldier to get at the back of a tank especially when there are Panzergrenadier around or of course other tanks covering the back of the first one.