Once in a while I find myself smitten by a photograph and I feel the need to emulate the photo in miniature. Enter the lend-lease Sherman. Red Army tankers referred to the imported American M4A2 affectionately as the Emcha which is Russian for the letter M (em) and number 4 (cha).

As one reader pointed out: the number four in Russian is “chetyre”, not “cha”. The “cha” in Emcha comes from the Cyrillic letter ч (“ch”), allegedly because it resembles the digit 4 – though it’s also the first letter of “chetyre”. Thanks Ignacy!

There is something striking about Shermans in Soviet service. The big bold turret numbers. The red stars. The political slogans. The tall imposing slab of green metal. They just look the “liberator at all costs” part.

I started my miniature wargaming journey with the 15mm scale WWII wargame called Flames of War. At the time the game was in its 3rd edition. While in one of my endless research sessions I stumbled across the story of Kapitan Dmitriy Loza. The write up captured my imagination. One of Loza’s unit’s engagements was allegedly an assault north of Budapest in January. The tale congers up imagery of Loza’s M4 tank company surging through a snowstorm into the German positions. The tanks were laden with tank riders and had the support of the gnarly four barreled ZSU M17 MGMC self-propelled anti-aircraft guns. The combined arms force sliced through the German defenders and over ran rear echelon units and an artillery battery. Later near Vienna, during the attack on the city, his unit managed to capture a large amount of German war material. This included trains (plural!) of ammunition, a dozen artillery pieces, and four Panther tanks still on their train cars. A very impressive haul. The Soviet high command thought highly of the action and made him a Hero of the Soviet Union.

Loza ended up writing a memoir called Commanding the Red Army’s Sherman Tanks: The World War II Memoirs of Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitriy Loza. I read a few excerpts from the book while brushing up on the EmCha but I plan on snagging it sometime in the near future so I can give it a proper read.

So historically speaking, how did American tanks end up in Russian hands? Sherman tanks were part of the lend-lease program where American arms and equipment were given (lent and payment expected at a later date – Thanks to Tankboy for that important distinction) to her allies to stem the tide of the Axis powers. Everything from Thompson sub-machineguns and Jeeps to M3 Stuart light tanks, M3 Lee, and M4 Sherman medium tanks were sent. The Soviet Union was one of the main benefactors of the program. While the Soviets took what they could get to bolster their forces, they began to prefer certain vehicles over others. One vehicle a Soviet tanker would be happy to see being unloaded from a cargo ship was the M4 Sherman. Compared to its Soviet contemporary, the T-34, the Sherman was quieter and, more importantly, had much better ergonomics for the crew. The tankers found the quality of the construction and ease of maintenance on the Shermans was better than the T-34s. Even the inside of the imported tank was superior. The inner walls were painted a white silver color. This enabled “buttoned up” crews to see better in the darkness. It also helped that the factory workers who built the Shermans packed them with American alcohol and rations as a gift for their new owners. It’s no surprised the red army tankers took a liking to the M4A2.

Most of the American built armored vehicles arrived via the Arctic convoys. Many ships carrying lend-lease equipment were sunk by U-Boats. Excluding the convoy loses the Soviets ended up taking delivery of 1990 M4A2 75mm Shermans and 2073 M4A2 76mm Shermans. The Soviets also eventually received two of the newest M4A4 models but after testing they didn’t like them and refused to take more. One of the unique things about the M4A2 Sherman is its diesel engine. This was very important to Soviet logistics as most of their other vehicles were also diesel powered. The other models of Sherman were gasoline powered which made them much less attractive to the Russians. There is an old adage that war is usually won by the army with the best logistics. It is understandable the Russians would be hesitant to complicate their fuel logistics by adding a new gasoline guzzling tank.

Soviet reports indicate they had a preference to issue Shermans to their premier armored units, the Guards Tank Corps. Guards units were only given the honorable designation upon proving their mettle through heroic actions in battle. They tended to be equipped with better equipment than an equivalent non-guard unit. Guard units were used as shock troops during offensives. I read an interesting excerpt saying that the Guard tankers loved the M4 for a surprising reason. Shermans came with rubber padded tracks. They were much quieter than the T34’s all metal tracks. This allowed the units to sneak up (as much as a 30 ton vehicle could) on German units.

M4A2 in Bolt Action

Now, for most purposes an M4 Sherman is an M4 Sherman. Most games only differentiate between the 75mm and 76mm armed variants. To be fair, it’s hard to quantify the various improvements at a platoon or company wargame level. The one exception is the wet ammunition racks found on later M4A2 76mm tanks. “Wet Stowage” had the ammunition bins in the tank surrounded by a water/gylcerine mixture held in an outer hollow casing. The idea was that if the bin was penetrated the mix would prevent or slow down ammunition fires. Shermans equipped with wet stowage bore the “w” designation at the end of their name.

In Bolt Action a M4A2 Sherman 76w falls under the general entry of Sherman 76mm. It clocks in at a respectable 188pts (Inexperienced), 235pts (Regular), 292pts (Veteran). It comes with a gyro-stabilized heavy anti-tank gun with co-axial MMG in the turret and a forward-facing hull-mounted MMG. Sporting Damage Value 9 it is a pretty sound tank. It has the option to add a pintle mounted MMG for air defense or to add another 5 dice against a ground target. If fired, the pintle mount makes the tank open topped as the crew had to unbutton (open hatches) to use it. The pintle MMG can be upgraded to an HMG. And finally, if you’re expecting bocage a set of Cullen hedgerow cutters can be added. One thing to note as well is that the rules allow you to remove the “easily catches fire” rule usually sported by Sherman tanks in the game. This is the in game effect of the wet stowage ammunition racks. All in all it is your average medium tank. The Bolt Action 76mm Sherman is a solid buy for American and Soviet Players.

M4A2 in Chain of Command

Available from September 1944 to May 1945 the M4A2 76mm Sherman occupies a similar spot as the T-34/85 although it is on support list 8 to the T-34/85’s list 9. The Sherman has a respectable armor 7 reflective of its medium tank status. It’s 76mm cannon throws 10 Armor Piercing dice or 5 High Explosive dice. It has an average speed rating and a fast turret traverse. The fast turret traverse allows the tank to have a 180 degree arc of fire and to traverse 180 degrees in a single phase.

One thing to note is the wet stowage allows the 76 to rid itself of the Ronson rule that plagues its 75mm Sherman brother. As a review (for myself too) the Ronson special rule requires you to +1 to rolls to see if the vehicle explodes when knocked out.

The Rubicon M4A2 76mm Kit

An M4 Sherman is an M4 Sherman. Until you run into a project like this or enjoy a level of pedantry like me. As the Soviets only used the M4A2 model I wanted to find an accurate representation. There are surprisingly few model options for the A2 even counting digital files. Enter Rubicon, my savior. Rubicon is known for their wide range of plastic models and for providing kits that can build multiple marks of vehicles. The M4A2 76(w) is no exception. To be honest there almost too many choices and I had to pick a photo of a particular tank to emulate so I had all of the appropriate options. One aspect I appreciated was that the kit came with several versions of fragile parts. One beefier set was meant for wargaming and the more accurately scaled parts meant for model builders.

The Box Contents

The Build

I was excited and I did not take many photos of the build process. Like I noted above there were more than a few options to put on. I followed my reference picture to ensure I had a realistic combination of accessories.

My main gripe is that the roadwheels are cast with the tracks in two pieces. This means there is a gap right down the center of the tread of the wheel. It is quite visible and I plan to fill the gap with green stuff. However, I am picky and most people would be happy leaving it as is and hiding it with paint.

I also had to do some green stuff work on the rear of the turret. There is a noticeable gap between the pieces. But çe la vie. It’s a plastic model after all.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed building the Rubicon M4A2. The parts fit together well and there was only minor green stuff work needed on the turret and roadwheels. The Emcha checks all the right boxes for me, flavorful, exotic, and has the potential for some cool painting and decaling. I am stoked to move it along to the painting step.