This Sherman M4A2E8 was the mechanical star of the 2014 film ‘Fury’.
A2 indicates that the vehicle is fitted with the General Motors 6046 12-cylinder twin in-line engine. E8 means it is fitted with the Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension, abbreviated as HVSS and nicknamed the ‘Easy Eight’ suspension. Armed with a long 76mm gun and fitted with ‘wet’ ammunition stowage. The main armament ammunition was stored in ammunition boxes with a fluid jacket to prevent ammunition fires. Had the vehicle entered British service it would have been known as a Sherman IIIAY. ‘III’ as that was our designation for the M4A2, ‘A’ for the 76mm gun and ‘Y’ for the E8 suspension.
Britain only received five M4A2(76) vehicles, the vast majority of the 2915 built were sent to the Soviet Union who received 2073. Not all of these vehicles were fitted with the HVSS suspension as production of the E8 equipped tanks only began in December 1944. It is believed that only the Soviet Union used the M4A2 (76)W HVSS in action during World War Two and it’s not clear if they were used in Germany or solely against the Japanese in Manchuria.
In 1946 the Canadian Army received some M4A2 HVSS vehicles to replace their wartime equipment that was worn-out. These tanks had some post-war modifications such as an infantry telephone fitted to the rear hull and a first aid box carried on the left side of the hull.
The Tank Museum’s M4A2E8
This Sherman was built at the Fisher Tank Arsenal in Grand Blanc, Michigan in March 1945. Its serial number is 65016. It’s believed to be one of the five M4A2E8s (Sherman IIIAYs) received by the British during the war. It came to The Tank Museum from the then Royal Military College of Science at Shrivenham in 1985.
For many years this tank was a mainstay of demonstrations at the Museum, often crewed by Ron Huggins and Harry Webb, two Second World War veteran tank crewmen.
In the 2014 Sony film ‘Fury the tank was dressed to look like the very similar M4A3E8 as the US Army did not use M4A2E8s in North-West Europe.
