M50 Sherman
(AISBX04)
includes two M50 Sherman tanks, four Rare earth magnets & one Tank Commander sprue.
Israel acquired its first Sherman tank via a clandestine arrangement with British soldiers tasked with destroying military equipment prior to the British withdrawal from Palestine in 1948. By 1956, they had several hundred Sherman tanks scrounged from various scrap yards around the world, including 60 M1 Shermans provided by France (M1 was the Israeli designation for the M4A1 tanks armed with 76mm guns). The Israelis acquired more M1 tanks in the late 1950s, having some 300 at their peak. By 1967 the remaining M1 tanks had been fitted with the improved HVSS suspension of the ‘Easy Eight’ and were used for infantry support work on the Jordanian front.
With the surrounding Arab nations receiving increasingly powerful Soviet tanks, the Israelis began to modify their Sherman tanks to keep pace. The first model, the M50
Sherman, mounted the French 75mm CN-75-50 gun from the AMX‑13 light tank in a modified 75mm turret. The first 50 vehicles were ready just in time for the 1956 war. The mobility of these initial vehicles was poor and the engine was overworked, so the engines were replaced with powerful Cummins diesel engines and the suspension upgraded to HVSS like the M1 Super Shermans. In 1967 the Israelis had 179 M50 ‘French’ Sherman tanks.
The M50 Sherman in Fate of a Nation
M50 Sherman
Mobility: Standard tank
Armour Front: 7
Armour Side: 4
Armour Top: 1
Co-ax MG, Hull MG, .50cal AA MG, Protected ammo, Unreliable, Wide tracks
75-CN-50 gun
Range: 32”/80cm
Rate of Fire: 2
Anti-tank: 14
Firepower: 3+
Protected Ammo
Many tanks are destroyed not by the enemy shell but by their own ammunition being hit by white-hot fragments of armour and exploding. The chances of this were minimised by providing a safe place for stowing ammunition within the vehicle such as an armoured compartment or inside a water-filled jacket.
If forced to bail out, crews of tanks with protected ammunition are far more confident when it comes to remounting their vehicle quickly.
Tanks with Protected Ammo re-roll all failed Motivation Tests to Remount Bailed Out vehicles in the Starting Step (see page 102 of the main rulebook).
Unreliable
Whether poorly designed, unsuitable for the conditions, or requiring more maintenance than current supply considerations will allow, these vehicles have a significant chance of breakdown when pushed too hard.
If an Unreliable vehicle attempts to move At the Double, roll a die. On a roll of 1 the vehicle becomes Bogged Down.
Wide Tracks
Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any Terrain.
If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.
15mm, resin/metal
Battlefront Miniatures
