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M3 Lee and M4 Sherman in the Brazilian Army 1941
to 2000
by Expedito Carlos Stephani Bastos,
Brazil
Starting from 1941, the Brazilian Army received several North American
military equipment through the agreement LEND-LEASE. Among the several
received equipment we detached the following tanks:
-
50 M3A3 and M3A5 Lee, designated Grant erroneously in Brazil;
-
80 M4, M4A1 AND M4 COMPOSITE HULL;
The tanks SHERMAN possessed three types of towers the knowledge: with a
hatchway; with two straight hatchways and with two round and arched hatchways.
Two types of chassis: of M3 Grant/Lee (bolted) and of M4 (melted). One
of M4 just possessed motor in line, the others were all radial motors.
Just one of M3, probably a pure M3 with two diesel engine, 6 cylinders,
420 HP, being the others with radial motors.
Several they are preserved today in several military units, existing
models of M3A3 and M3A5, and still M4, M4A1 and M4 Composite Hull, none
of them in operational conditions.
These cars began to arrive in 1941 and soon after Second World War,
even middles of the fifties. All were armed with cannon of 75 mm. M3 Lee
were operational until the sixties and M4 until the seventies, very away
several models exist developed in Brazil, using the chassis of M4 that
will be described in another opportunity.
Several vehicles also came M32, M32A1, M32A1B1, M32B1, M32B3, T14B1
(M32B3), that not to get to know how many they still came. Two M74 (suspension
HVSS) they also came and they are still in service in the Brazilian Army.
The Brazilian Army never used M7 Priest 105 mm.
Only 11 M4 Sherman were converted for the version Engineer Armoured
Vehicle: The Sherman M4 combat car, after undergoing the modernization
process by Motorcycle Pieces technical personnel, becomes an integral part
of the engineering battalion, equipped with an earth moving blade goes
emergency it uses, the windlass goes hauling, or it goes lifting weights
of up to 10 tones. Through the simple process it can also be adapted to
serve the the mine-detector. Its Saab-Scania DSI 11, 400 CV motor can attain
the velocity of 50 km/hour and have her it screeches of 500 km, with excellent
performance on uneven terrain, climbing 60th you tilt longitudinally, and
30th tilt transversally. The Sherman Engineers vehicle carries the crew
of 6, weighs 29 tones and carries .50 (12,7mm) machine gun. Still operational
in several units of engineering.
Mine Clearing Device: Just a built prototype, used M50 Israeli chassis
and rollers anti-mine of the firm Israeli URDAN. It was developed by the
firm BERNARDINI INDUSTRIA E COMÉRCIO LTDA, he/she became never operational
in the Brazilian Army, and this prototype was sucateado, sold in the old
iron.
Brazil never used M4 with suspension HVSS, sómente the model
M74, M32A1, M32A1B1 and T14 used the suspension HVSS.
Sherman Bridge Layer: It was never built. He/she/you never left the
paper. Abandoned project.
Sources:
-
Expedito Carlos Stephani Bastos, Brazil.
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