WWII Sherman Tanks: Back in Action in 2016

Dave Majumdar

Security, South America

One country is putting WWII-era M3 Stuarts and M4 Shermans into service today.

Paraguay is putting World War II-era M3 Stuarts and M4 Sherman tanks back into service. The country is thought to have three Shermans medium tanks and up to fourteen Stuart light tanks in its inventory.

The venerable tanks—which are now over seventy-five years old—were originally designed to fight the German Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS in Europe. Neither tank proved to be a match for the Nazi panzers on a one-for-one basis. But the combined Allied effort prevailed, and the Sherman would nonetheless continue to serve around the world for decades to come.

Paraguay decided to re-activate its M3 fleet in 2014, sources told IHS Jane’s, mostly for operational training purposes. Ten of the vehicles were overhauled with refurbished engines and received M2 .50-calibre machine-guns in place of the original Browning .30-calibre. Four tanks remain in storage, with one other machine being used as a gate guard. There are no further details about the status of the Shermans—which are still serving with Paraguay’s Presidential Escort Regiment.

The Shermans—which were delivered in 1980 from Argentina—and the Stuarts—which were donated by Brazil in the 1970s—have been hopelessly obsolete for decades. One could argue that the Sherman was already obsolete during World War II, where it was no match for the Wehrmacht’s Panthers or Tigers. But it was cheap and could be readily mass produced, which enabled the U.S. Army to overwhelm the Germans—especially with the aid of air power.