Merriam Press World War 2 Album No. 12. Second eBook Edition, 2016. This Album is a history and pictorial with 681 photos, drawings and illustrations of the M4 Sherman, officially the Medium Tank, M4, covering design, production, service, armament, armor, variants, and Lend-Lease vehicles. The M4 Medium Tank was the primary battle tank used by the United States and the other Western Allies in World War II, and proved to be a reliable and highly mobile workhorse, despite being outmatched by heavier German tanks late in the war. Thousands were distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and the Soviet Union, in the lend-lease program.