M4A4 FL-10

Type: Medium Tank
Nation: Egypt
Period: Cold War
Location: National Military Museum, Cairo, Egypt

Frankentank

The M4A4 FL-10 was a not too creatively named up-armed Sherman version that combined the long M4A4 hull with the FL-10 oscillating turret taken from the AMX-13 light tank. This variant was designed and built in France for the Egyptian Army who received them in 1955 and went on to deploy it in several conflicts, starting with the 1956 Suez Crisis.

Heart transplant

For the sake of performance and serviceability the fifty converted vehicles were re-engined with GM 6046 twin diesel motors known from the M4A2. These changes are evident by the engine deck and the double exhaust mufflers. As the FL-10 turret featured an autoloader, the crew was reduced to four men.

Opposing ideas

The long 75 mm gun was derived from the Panther’s feared KwK 42 and much more powerful than the Sherman’s original armament. But on the other hand the FL-10 turret’s armour was considerably weaker, as it had originally been designed for a light tank. The Israeli M-50 “Super Sherman”, developed around the same time (and also with the help of the French), incorporated the same weapon into a proper Sherman turret and thus did not suffer from this problem. Both tanks faced each other several times until the 1967 Six Day War, after which the few surviving Egyptian M4A4 FL-10s were removed from active service.

Unique collection

This particular vehicle is located at the Egyptian National Military Museum inside the Cairo Citadel. Given Egypt’s history during the Cold War era, it is exhibiting a long row of tanks, consisting of a wide variety of Western and Soviet-made vehicles from Centurion to PT-76, which all had been part of the Egyptian forces at some point. There is, however, no information given about these tanks‘ history.