User:MastahCheef117/M7A1 Sherman All-Purpose Tank

"She's greener, tougher, faster, and more powerful than 10 Scorpions and 100 Shermans."

- Anonymous Tank Commander asked about the difference between the M7 and it's old counterparts, the M808 MBT and the M4 Sherman

The M7A1 Sherman, named after it's older counterpart during WWII, was the first all-purpose battle tank produced by the UNSC after the Human-Covenant War. It's dimensions and name are very much alike, although some of the weapons and other components differ very much. It is nearly twice as heavy as the original M4A1 Sherman, carries a bigger gun, and therefore is bigger to complement the bigger cartridge shells and fuel. To keep the famous speed factor with the Sherman line, they upgraded the original 1,500 horsepower engine in the M808B Scorpion Tank to a 1,600 horsepower, 14 cylinder electric/diesel fed engine.

Speed
"If it's faster than a Scorpion, fine by me."

- Private Walter O'Brien of the 89th Heavy Drop Battalion hearing that they will be supported by the new M7A1 during battle

The M7 had an improved engine from the M808B Scorpion MBT. The Scorpion carried a heavy 12 cylinder, 1,500 diesel engine that could let the heavy tank traverse basic terrain at an average of 6 feet per second. The M7, with it's 14 cylinder, 1,600 horsepower engine, could travel at speeds of up to 9 feet per second, a great battlefield advantage.

Turret
"At the Battle of Delopi, me and my lance were under attack by the Demons. We would've won with our anti-tank support, but when they were slaughtered, I snuck up behind one of their green tanks. Before I could blink, the turret was pointed at my face, and I was surrounded"

- Anonymous Elite describing his capture by UNSC forces

The turret on the M7 was exceptional for a tank it's size and weight- it could turn ninety degrees in approximately two seconds. The turret, carrying a nearly overpowered 105mm armor-piercing cannon, could destroy a Scorpion in just one or two shots, depending on where fired. Range was not a big problem. The gun was extremely powerful and reliable at close and medium range, but at long distance of at least 300 yards, the shell would start to fall from gravity. To fix that, the later M7A2 would carry smaller rounds, fired from a 100mm cannon. It kept basically the same amount of power, but would be able to cut through the air more precisely and have better accuracy at longer ranges, although some power was deduced from the cannon.

Engine
"Hell, the engine itself is powerful as hell, but in muddy and cold situations, it bites the dust."

- Anonymous Marine tank commander regarding the engine performance of the M7

The engine is nearly three times as powerful as the M4 Sherman tank, and slightly more powerful than the M808B. One of the major problems engineers feared during battle was freezing situations and muddy combat zones. If mud somehow managed to get into the engine and dry on key components, the engine would shut down alltogether, to prevent any more unecessary causes. To fix this problem, the M7 would have heat generators near the engines. Anything that touched the engine would be incredibly warm, warm enough for the engineers to find and get rid of the mud. But they also had cold air generators inside the engine to keep it from overheating.

Another big drawback to the M7's engine was cold weather. At a solid temperature of 28°F or less would instantly freeze the cylinders, preventing fuel being fed to the engine, stopping the tank all together. To prevent this issue, several M7A1's were installed with more advanced heating systems, and kept the cold air systems inside the engine. The problem was that the crew would burn like toast inside the tank.

So, when the M7A2 was being developed, engineers and architects would install a warning system. Every now and then, when the engine started to freeze, a klaxon would sound, and a crew member would rush to the engine and turn on the heat systems. When it registered above at least 35°F, he would turn the heat system down slightly and return to his duty.

Cannon
"The cannon is as powerful as one of them old 105mm M2A1 howitzers, but the best part is, it's mobile!"

- Anonymous Gunnery Sergeant on the cannon of the M7 Sherman

The 105mm cannon was a big improvement of the 75mm and later 76mm cannons on the M4 Shermans, and the 90mm guns on the Scorpions. As said before, the guns were powerful and accurate and close and medium ranges, but ranges 400 yards and farther, the tank suffered from low accuracy.

The tank's gun could completely immobilize and destroy a Scorpion in just one or two shots, depending on where the shells hit. By 2557, still in the Second UNSC-URF War, reports were coming in that the URF's stolen Scorpion tank's turrets were being blown off of the chassis by the new M7 tank.

Engine
"I guess you could call the thing a "hybrid tank"!"

- Anonymous Marine Private on the electric-diesel engine of the M7 tank

The engine is one of the most powerful engines supplied to ground vehicles by the beginning of the Reconstruction Era, but suffered from mud, dirt, and cold weather.

The engine was also different that it wasn't all diesel fed. The reason it's acceleration is so quick is that electricity is used to start up the acceleration. Once at the desired speed, the tank would switch to diesel and would run on that for the rest of the time until it accelerated more or stopped, where all power would be cut to the engine.

Armor
"The armor's thick, Marine, just as thick as your skull!"

- Anonymous Marine Sergeant to his Marine about their Sherman not withstanding an aerial bombing by the URF

The Armor, 94mm thick, was able to sustain all UNSC and URF small-arms fire, and was also able to sustain three to four SPNKr rocket strikes.

The armor of the M7 is approximately 32mm thicker than the original M4 Sherman, a big advantage. Another big advantage is being able to take four dead-on shells from ab M808B Scorpion tank on the frontal armor. If fighting against another M7A1, it could take just two rounds to the frontal shield before penetrating the armor completely and detonating the ammo storage.

Machine guns
"This gun brings back a lot of stuff from the old days, but they still kick ass!"

- Private Walter O'Brien seeing the M7's .50 caliber guns mowing down a platoon of URF soldiers

The M7A1's three M2 .50 caliber machine guns are one of the most powerful anti-personnel weapons in UNSC service alongside the SRS99C-S2 AMB Sniper Rifle and the AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun. Each one in the M7 carries 290 rounds, a total of 670 .50 caliber shells. The tank was tested on how many kills it could get with the machine guns alone, manned by a veteran tank crew, and it was proved that the guns alone could kill 597 Marine personnel and two M12IDF Rapid Deliverance Transports.