Why did the Sherman tank of World War Two use an aircraft engine?

Question

When I first found this out I was amazed but I read that the profile was higher because of it and since it was gasoline powered it would go up real easy right? I even read the fumes could ignite when they went to start the motor up but was the reason we used an aircraft engine was because we were brought in to the war so suddenly and had no time time to develop a more conventional engine? Was it the power to weight ratio?

Answer 1

The designers thought that particular engine was a good choice for the tank.

Answer 2

Sherman Tank Engine

Answer 3

One of the weaknesses of water cooled engines is even the smallest hole in the water cooling system would soon put the engine out of action. For that reason they chose an air cooled engine and most of those were airplane engines. Airplane engines ran on high octane gas because they were light weight and more powerful than other engine/fuel combination. In a tank, they put a fan on the shaft to increase airflow. The down side was the tanks went BOOM pretty easy and for that reason, the Sherman was called a RONSON by the troops. When it went it it looked like a cigarette lighter.



FYI it took 4-5 Sherman tanks working together to take out one Tiger. The Tiger ruled!!

Answer 4

Lots of tanks in WWII used aircraft derived powerplants. Many British cruiser tanks used the WWI "Liberty" V12 for example. The German Panther's engine was also derived from an aicraft engine. The reason is quite simple - aircraft engines are light, compact and powerful.



M4 medium tanks were in fact fitted with a variety of engines from the aircraft aircooled radial, a multi-bank Chrysler engine hobbled together by sticking several truck engine blocks to a single crank, a diesel and finally the Ford GA V8 dedicated tank engine. The M4's profile was as high as it was because the M4 was based on the M3 which was very tall. An all-new design would have had a lower profile but it was quicker and cheaper to use the existing M3 as a baseline.

Answer 5

Tanks are really hard on engines. The main reason the Sherman used the Wright R-975 Whirlwind was it was plentiful and easy to change out. You just opened the rear panel and the whole engine was exposed and ready to repair or work on. If you left the tank idling for a long period of time, fumes could build up and ignite. It also required high octane fuel that was needed for fighter and bomber aircraft.

Answer 6

almost all tanks since WW2 use an aircraft or jet engine and certainly all good modern tanks have one.



they use aircraft engines because they are powerful but also lighter (in weight) than normal engines



lighter engines means you can use the weight you have saved on the engine by putting on extra armour or heavier guns

Answer 7

The M1A1 tank also has a jet engine. The Tank in use today.



That is a a lot of machine to power. You need a powerful engine.

Answer 8

Because they had aircraft engines in large supply.



That and most of the engine manufacturers around nowadays were working for jerry.