What is the armament on a basic Sherman?

Depends on what you call a "basic Sherman." From the factory, the main gun was a 75mm or a 76mm. There were also some 105mm howitizer tanks. The British swapped in their 17-pounder anti-tank gun to create the Firefly.

All Shermans had a .30 caliber coaxial MG and most had a .30 cal. in a flexible mount in front of the assistant driver. Shermans were also issued with a .50 cal. that was mounted on the commander's copula or the turret roof for anti-aircraft duties (though it was also used against other soft targets as well).

Crew weapons included the Thompson SMG, the M3 greasegun, the M1 carbine and the .45 cal. M1911 pistol. The mix varied from crew to crew and when in the war the tank was issued.

Hope this helps.

The Sherman started out with a 75mm gun. The later variants with the T23 turret carried a 76mm gun. The British converted some of their Shermans to carry the 17 pounder. There was also a Sherman variant which carried a 105mm howitzer

M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4, - M3 75mm main gun, .30 cal coax, .30 cal bow MG, .50 cal AA MG

M4A5 Canadian Ram - 2 pound main gun (later 6 pound, as originally designed), .30 cal coax, .30 cal bow MG, .50 cal AA MG

M4A3E8 - 76mm main gun, .30 cal coax, .30 cal bow MG, .50 cal AA MG

British Sherman Firefly VC - 76.2mm ROQF 17-pounder Mk.IV or VII main gun, .30 cal coax

There were also 105mm cannon equipped Howitzer Support Tanks as well.

I'm sure there are other designations, but these are the basic guns in most.

As others point out, the Sherman had a wide variety of armament.

The M4 was equipped with either a 75mm, 105mm howitzer or as a Firefly with 17 lb gun.

The M4A1 could be found with the 75mm or 76mm gun. Each would have a different turret.

The M4A2 could also have the 75mm or 76mm gun/turret combination.

The M4A3 could have the 75mm, 76mm, or 105mm howitzer.

The M4A4 could have the 75mm or 17 lb gun (did a 76mm exist on this chassis?).

Any of the above vehicles could be found with HVSS in the later stages of the war.

If you go beyond WW2 and into use during the Middle East wars, there were even different gun/turret combinations.

No 76mm gun armed M4A4's. The final M4A4 was accepted in Sept. 43 which was about 4 months before the first 76mm gun armed Sherman was accepted.

Chris "toadman" Hughes
Toadman's Tank Pictures

Thanks, I didn't think there was a 76mm M4A4.