Sherman tank in Sicily, 3 August 1943. Photo by Dwight E. Dolan. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-136670.

Sherman flail tank near Thaon, France, 6 August 1944. Mines are exploded as chains attached to a rotating drum hit the ground. Photo: by Ken Bell. Department of National Defence / National Archives of Canada, PA-131366.

As the Battle of Normandy developed, it became obvious that the Sherman was seriously outgunned and inadequately armoured compared to the German Panther and Tiger tanks. The range of the 88-mm gun mounted in the latter, for example, was on average four times greater than the Sherman's 75-mm. To compound the problem, the Sherman's high profile silhouette made it a more visible target. A match for the powerful German tank guns was found with the conversion of British and Canadian Shermans to mount the 17-pounder, but it could not fire high explosive (HE) rounds and only about 25% of tanks were thus equipped during the Battle of Normandy. The US Army developed a 76.2-mm gun, but it proved inadequate. Such technological disadvantages had unfortunate consequences in battle.
The Sherman's saving grace was the fact that it was more mechanically reliable than its German counterparts, thus requiring less down-time for maintenance. If it could avoid being hit, it was thus able to spend more time in the field than the vastly outnumbered German tanks. Allied numerical superiority became a decisive factor as the campaign wore on: while the Germans were unable to replace their losses, the Allies had no such difficulty.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles in the Second World War fell victim to anti-tank mines and projectiles fired from anti-tank guns. Aside from striking crew members, the projectile would frequently ignite the fuel and ammunition carried inside the tank… What happens to a tank when hit?