M4A3 SHERMAN TANK USMC, 1ST MARINE AMPHIBIOUS CORPS, 1943 - CORGI CC51009 1/50

The Marine Corps had been using the M3 Stuart light tank in the Pacific. The Stuart's 37mm gun was ineffective against Japanese bunkers, and its light armor made it vulnerable to the new 47mm Japanese antitank guns. The Marines desperately needed a better tank, and in November 1943 they used Shermans at Tarawa in the first landing of tanks on a beachhead under direct enemy fire. Many of the tanks never made it to shore, being knocked out by Japanese artillery fire or drowned in deep sell holes. Three did end up making it in, with the Condor mistakenly knocked out by a U.S. Navy dive-bomber, the Colorado hit with Molotov cocktails but surviving, and the China Gal providing valuable fire support for the grunts. (Each of the tanks was given a name starting with a "C" since they were all from C Company.) In a unique twist, each case pack of four will come with four differently named tanks: Condor, Colorado, China Gal, and Chicago (which did not make it ashore).

The pilot model of the M4 was completed in September 1941, and the Sherman became the most widely produced tank of the war. The M4 Sherman defeated heavier tanks with superior numbers, and by using outflanking tactics to strike thinner enemy flank armor. Shermans also achieved success with progressively upgunned models and by working with tank destroyers. The Sherman tank--named by the British--was fast, maneuverable, mechanically reliable, easy to manufacture, and effective in its infantry support role. It served with the US Army and Marines during World War II, and the US transferred large numbers to the United Kingdom and allied forces of many countries.