GM Funds Sherman Tank Museum Exhibit

Trying to remember the everyday American that it is a close friend of the US Army, and at the same time wanting to give them a little history lesson, American manufacturer GM announced on Wednesday that it will give $1 million to the National Museum of the United States Army. The money is to be used by the museum to create programs that would educate the Americans about the history and achievements of the M4 Sherman Tank, the Army's workhorse during the Second World War.

Having seen action long before America entered the war with its own forces, the Sherman fought alongside all allied forces, including the Soviets who got it through the lend-lease program. Thousands were deployed in the war theaters in Europe, Africa and the Pacific.

On its own, a single Sherman tank stood little chance against the much better German Panthers and Tigers, but the sheer number of Shermans deployed (in all, 50,000 units were built in the war years) managed to land the tank the title of first allied armored vehicle to break the German lines and enter the town of Bastogne during the last major German offensive of the war, known as the Battle of the Bulge.

The National Museum of the United States Army will be displaying the tank in its Saving Democracy: Global War Gallery, a show that presents “the story of the Army’s role in global conflict and how the retooling of American industry changed the course of the war and defeated the enemies of democracy.”