Editing M4 Sherman (section)

===Hull===
[[File:Yanks of 60th Infantry Regiment advance into a Belgian town under the protection of a heavy tank. - NARA - 531213.tif|left|thumb|The 1943 improvement program added appliqué armor panels to the sides of the turret and hull. This Sherman also has a [[Rhino tank|Culin hedgerow cutter]], a 1944 field improvisation for breaking through the thick hedgerows of the Normandy [[bocage]]]]
The Sherman's [[glacis]] plate was originally {{convert|50.8|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick.{{sfn|Zaloga|1993|p=14}}{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=27}} and angled at 56 degrees from the vertical, providing an effective thickness of {{convert|90.8|mm|in|abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} The M4, M4A1, early production M4A2, and early production M4A3 possessed protruding cast "hatchway" structures that allowed the driver and assistant driver's hatches to fit in front of the turret ring. In these areas, the effect of the glacis plate's slope was greatly reduced. Later Shermans had an upgraded glacis plate that was uniformly {{convert|63.5|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick and sloped at 47 degrees from the vertical, providing an effective thickness of {{convert|93.1|mm|in|abbr=on}} over the entire plate.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} The new design improved overall ballistic protection by eliminating the "hatchways", while also allowing for larger hatches for the driver and bow gunner. The cast hull M4A1 for the most part retained its previous glacis shape even after the larger hatches were introduced; the casting, irrespective of the larger hatches, sat 37 to 55 degrees from the vertical,{{sfn|Conners, ''Medium Tank M4A1 Sherman'' (2013)}} with the large majority of the piece sitting closer to a 55-degree angle.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

The transmission housing was rounded, made of three cast sections bolted together or cast as one piece. It ranged from {{convert|50.8|–|108|mm|sp=us|in|frac=4}} thick.{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=27}} The upper and lower hull sides were {{convert|38|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick,{{sfn|Reid|2005|p=215}}{{sfn|Buckley|2006|p=110}} and vertical,{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=27}} while the upper hull rear was also {{convert|38|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick, vertical or sloped at 10 degrees from the vertical. The lower hull rear, which protected the engine, was {{convert|38|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick, sloped at 0 to 22 degrees from the vertical depending upon the variant.{{sfn|Conners, ''Medium Tank M4A1 Sherman'' (2013)}} The hull roof was {{convert|25.4|mm|in|abbr=on}}.{{sfn|Hart|2007|p=27}} The hull floor ranged from {{convert|25.4|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick under the driver and assistant driver's positions to {{convert|12.7|mm|in|abbr=on}} thick at the rear. The M4 had a hatch on the hull bottom to dispose of spent shell casings and to provide an emergency escape route. In the Pacific, Marines often used this Sherman feature in reverse to recover wounded infantry under fire.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}