![]() ![]() This US 5th Armored Division M4A3E8 crew rests near the bridge at Tangermunde, Germany. ![]() US 5th Armored Division, Germany, April 1945 Note that the tank was completely whitewashed leaving only the name intact. This new M4A3E8 named “Block Buster 3rd” belonged to Captain James Leach the commander of B company, 37th Tank Battalion, US 4th Armored Division in Bastogne. The crew probably is sleeping inside the tank and fresh snow had fallen overnight. This new M4A3E8 still has fenders fitted on the left side. The tank is parked at the edge of a field along the highway in a hull down position. This new M4A3E8 tank is covering highway H-4 outside Bastogne, Belgium on 8 January 1945. The 4th Armored Division received new M4A3E8s to replace the tanks lost during the drive to relieve Bastogne. ![]() Further small actions continued until 8 January and the German hold on Bastogne was finally broken. German units counter attacked around Bastogne and the last attack began on 4 January 1945 which stalled very quickly. On 26 December, the 4th Armored reached the besieged US 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne and took up positions around the perimeter defenses. On 23 December, the 37th Tank Battalion knocked out a German operated Sherman tank and two 75mm SPs near Begonville. On 19-20 December 1944, 4th Armored Division began moving north towards Belgium. US 4th Armored Division, Bastogne, Belgium, January 1945 M4A3E8 Sherman Easy Eight (European Theater) – 2015 After units received the new tanks, the greatly improved ride over the earlier models earned the nickname “Easy Eight”. Starting in March 1944, Chrysler produced 2,617 M4A3E8s by the end of WWII. The improved Horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS) and the cast steel, center guide, single pin, double arc, 23 inch wide T-66 tracks reduced the ground pressure and provided better mobility in snow and over soft terrain. This variant also known as M4A3(76)W HVSS featured a welded hull armed with a 76mm gun and had wet ammo storage (“W”) where the ammo racks were surrounded by separate small containers of a mixture of water, ethylene glycol, and a rust inhibitor, known as “Ammudamp” which prevented the ammo from igniting when the tank was hit. ![]() The M4A3E8 was the last modification of the US Sherman tank series during WWII. ![]()
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