The demand for heavier tanks was a constant request that became more urgent as a result of the Allied advance on Europe and the arrival in Germany. Although the development of M-26 Pershing was underway, it was not far enough developed to be used during the Allied 1944 summer advance.The Sherman “Jumbo” weighed 38 tons due to the extra armour and reached a maximum speed of 35 km/h, 7 km/h less than other variants of the M-4 Sherman tank. They had installed some extensions (grousers) on the edge of the tracks to reduce their ground pressure on muddy terrain.The M-4A3E2 were used to assault strong defended positions, such as weapons depots and fuel reserves, or valuable bridges that allowed the Allies to continue their advance through Germany.In this image it is clearly visible the armour plate added to the frontal part of the vehicle and that it was one inch thick. Likewise, the gun mantlet is much thicker compared to that of the other Shermans, reaching 178mm in thickness.The Jumbos were in charge of opening the way for the American armoured forces in their rapid advance over Europe. Although they were well protected for their task, the gun remained a serious problem when they had to face the “German giants”.
