First, I want to thank all you folks for all your help you gave me on my last topic on what tank to use other than a Sherman in the Ardennes battle. You all educated me on this subject. Well, I decided to use another Sherman in this dio. which I did not want to in the first place but, finding out from you guys that there were many Sherman variants, I will now being using a Sherman with the 76mm gun. And may I say eager to use this Serman variant. Now to the question! Was the Sheram M4A1 76mm (w) used in the Battle of the Bulge euiped with the muzzle break? Or did that come later? I would like to use the muzzlw break. IT just looks "mean" and embelishes the power. I will be using Dragons new M4A1 76mm (w) kit 6083 "Operation Cobra". I noticed the picture on the box of this Dragon kit depics a winter scene which is strange because Operation Cobra started in summer of July. Thanks T. Skaz

The M4A3(76) VVSS would have been better choice as they started being produced at the factory with muzzle brakes around August 1944. An M4A1(76) with muzzle brake would be a repair/retro fit. I have no photos of an M4A1(76) VVSS with muzzle brake

This kit does come with 2 barrel's, one with the muzzle break and also comes with decal markings for Belgium where the Battle of the Bulge took place. I know the M4A2 came with the muzzle break and the M4A3. Would it take away from accuracy if I did use a muzzle break? And why would a M4A1 kit come with a barrel having a muzzle break?
T. Skaz

Hey! Me again! I noticed Dragon's kit Sherman M4A3E8 DX'05 has a muzzle braek and states on the box "Battle of the Bulge". What is the difference in this Sherman to the M4A1 76mm? T. Skaz

I just looked it up in the Hunnicutt Sherman bible. To paraphrase, according to Hunnicutt the M4A1(76) originally came with a 76mm w/o muzzle brake. Then the 76 was upgraded to include the threading to incorporate a muzzle brake but this was never installed before the war ended. Looks like all the 76mm w/muzzle brakes were reserved for the M4A3. It wasn't until the M4A1E8(76) that the muzzle brake was put on an M4A1 variant

As to why Dragon included the muzzle brake, perhaps it was cheaper to include the same gun as they do in their M4A3(76) Battle of the Bulge than to make a new sprue.

Thanks for the info. As always you came through again with some great info.

T. Skaz.

The first batch of 76mm gun tanks shipped to the ETO were M4A1 tanks with the early turret delivered for the Normandy breakout. Thereafter, preference was given to the M4A3, and 75mm, 76mm and 105mm howitzer models were delivered through 1944. In the Spring of 1945, another small batch of M4A1 76mm VVSS tanks were received. These had the later turret with small loader's hatch and the gun was fitted with a muzzle brake. The M4A1 HVSS versions do not appear to have reached Europe before VE Day, though the French and Italian armies received some in the early postwar period as they reequipped their armed forces.