The Downloads Page: The Place for Books, Manuals, and Reports On The Sherman Tank.
This section is for manuals on the Sherman or Sherman-related subjects. It will also be the place I post AARs when I find them and interesting reports or studies. I have found no other site with as many Sherman-related Manuals online.
US Army Field Manuals: The ‘HOW TO’ Books of the US MILITARY
FM2-20 Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop Mech 1944: This manual comes in at 137 good quality pages. If you want to read the ‘book’ on employing your armored cav recon troop in WWII, here it is.
FM5-15 ENGINEER FIELD MANUAL FIELD FORTIFICATIONS: Info on field fortifications? This is your book. 303 pages poor but readable quality.
FM5-20B Camouflage of Vehicles 44: This very interesting 61-page manual covers how to camouflage vehicles, but not just the obvious stuff. The PDF is a mixed bag, with some good color images, some bad black, and white ones. There is a whole series of these, I’m going to have to try and find them all now.
FM5-31 Landmines and Booby Traps: A how-to manual for employing mines and booby traps the ARMY way. 357 poor quality but readable pages from 1943.
FM7-35 WDFM Antitank Company, Infantry Regiment, and Antitank Platoon Infantry Battalion: How infantry units employed AT assets made in 1944. 332 ok quality pages.
FM9-6 OD Ammunition Supply 44: Everything you could want to know about Ammunition and keeping it supplied. This TM on PDF is of poor quality, some images, charts, and tables are hard to read 157 pages.
FM9-10 OFM Ordnance Field Maintenance 42: How Ordnance sets up its field repairs workshops and runs them. This one is ok quality but some charts and tables are hard to read. This one is 252 pretty boring pages.
FM17 AFFM The Employment of Armored Units (Armored Division): The ultimate Armor formation, and where a lot of Shermans got used. This one is 54 pages and good quality.
FM17-3-2 ARMOR IN BATTLE: This one is more of a history of armor use than an FM, but still interesting. This TM is 241 pages and good quality.
FM17-5 Armored Force Field Manual Drills 1943: Drilling, and not the power tool. Drilling instills, control, discipline, and teamwork, and this FM has lots of drills in and out of tank to just that. This one is 89 pages and good quality.
FM17-10 AFFM tactics and technique 1942: This one is more about what they do in the field when fighting. This one is 474 pages and ok quality, a few charts or maps are hard to read.
FM17-12 AFFM Tank Gunnery 1943: This one is about Tank gunnery, and it covers just about all you would ever need to know about shooting the 75mm gun on the Sherman tank. This TM comes in at 109 pages and is ok quality, some charts, tables, and maps, not mention photos are a tad hard to make out.
FM17-15 Combat Practice Firing Armored Force Units: How to set up live-fire training ranges. This one is short at 54 pages and is ok quality.
FM17-20 AFFM Employment of Armored Units Reconnaissance Platoon and Company 1942: Using your recon guys without getting them killed. This TM is really interesting and comes in at 141 pages and its ok quality.
FM17-22 AFFM The Reconnaissance Battalion 1942: How to run a recon battalion. This one is 56 pages and ok quality.
FM17-25 AFFM Assault Gun Section and Platoon: Your assault gun platoon and you! This TM is interesting, and comes in at 83 pages, and is ok quality, everything is readable, but the pictures are dark.
FM17-27 Armored Force Field Manual 81MM Mortar Squad and Platoon 42: All you wanted to know about the Mortar platoon in armored units in 1942. This one comes in at 100 pages and is ok quality.
FM17-30 AFFM The Tank Platoon 1942: The five tank unit that does everything together! Except when two wander off and do something else. This one comes in at 170 pages and is poor quality, many images are hard to make out.
FM17-32 The Tank Company, Light, and Medium: 17 Tanks and the men who run them, a how-to book. Published in late 1942. This one is slightly better quality than the last but still just ok and 91 pages. Another thing to keep in mind about any TM from 1942 on tactics, because by 1944 a bunch of it will have changed, and then again by 1945.
FM17-33 Armored Battalion Light & Med 42: The early war armor battalion, this changed a lot by the end of WWII. This one is ok quality and 142 pages.
FM17-42 Armored Infantry Battalion 44: The Dough (old school slang for GI) in an Armor Division. This one is more up to date being from 1944. This one is 172 pages and OK quality.
FM17-45 Armored Engineer Battalion 42: The Dough who likes to dig and blow things up with C4 in an Armor Division. This one is ok quality and 94 pages.
FM 17-50 AFFM Logistics: The name says it all on this one! Beans, bullets and bombs, and how to keep enough of them around. This one is 104 pages and ok Quality.
FM17-63 Service of the Piece 105mm howitzer GMC: How to use your 105 mm armed Half-Track, from 42 69 readable pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM17-67 Crew Drill and Service M4 Medium Tank 1944: More how to drill on an M4 tank! This one is 132 pages and is ok Quality.
FM17-68 Crew Drill M5 Light: How to drill on your M5 tank, thus learning to use it better. This one is 92 pages and of poor quality.
FM17-76 Crew Drill and Service of the Piece Medium Tank M4 Series (105mm) 44: Crew drills for the Sherman and its gun for the 105mm tanks. This one is 112 pages and poor quality.
FM17-80 Armored Medical Units 1944: This TM is 37 ok quality pages on how Armored Medical units work.
FM18-5 Tank Destroyer Field Manual Organization and Tactics of Tank Destroyers 42: This manual is an early TD manual, the revised version can be found below, 192 readable pages from 1942. NEW MANUAL!!
FM18-5 Tactical Employment Tank Destroyer Unit: This is the manual for how to employ your M10 GMC unit, 137 good quality pages 1944.
FM18-15 TDFM Tank Destroyer Drill and Crew Drill M10, T70, and M5: Get to learn your M10 by drilling on it, a lot. This one is 137 pages and of ok to poor quality.
FM 18-18 Crew Drill M36: All the stuff the crew had to learn to drill on! This one is ok quality and 49 pages.
FM18-20 Tactical Employment of Tank Destroyer platoons self-propelled 1944: Got self-propelled TDs? This will tell you how to kill Nazis with them. This one is 83 pages and ok quality.
FM18-22 TANK DESTROYER RECONNAISSANCE PLATOON: How to run your Tank Destroyer battalions or company recon unit. From 1944, 86 readable pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM18-24 Tank Destroyer Pioneer Platoon: Have a bridge and need to know if your M10 can cross it, or need a bridge it can? Here’s your manual on how to run your Engineers NEW MANUAL!!
FM20-15 TENTS AND TENT PITCHING: Army tents, sizes, how to put them up and take them down, and info on poles and ropes used with them. Really, everything anyone could ever want to know about Army tents, from 1945, 81 ok quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM21-5 BASIC FIRST AID TRAINING 41: Just what it says, first aid, basic, from right when the war started, 82 pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM21-11 BFM FIRST AID FOR SOLDIERS 43: This is an improved longer version, using info gleaned from experience in combat. 123 bad quality but readable pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM72-20 JUNGLE WARFARE: The Army guide to Jungle warfare, this includes a very small section on armor use. 146 ok quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
FM23-95 75MM Gun M2, on M3 Lee: All you need to know about the old M2 gun installed on early Lee tanks. This one is 141 pages and low quality.
US Army Technical Manuals
Sherman and Lee related:
TM3-360 Flamer Thrower Mechanized, E12-7R1 (Installed in Medium Tanks M4A1 and M4A3: Everything you would need to know about installing this handing dandy Nazi roasting flamethrower system in your Sherman tank. This one is 179 pages and good quality.
TM9-374 90-mm Gun M3 Mounted in Combat Vehicles: This is a TM for the gun used on the M36 and M26. Lots of details on maintaining and repairing the gun. This one is 137 ok quality pages.
TM9-719 Tank Mounting Bulldozer M1 and M1A1: This Tech Manual tells you everything you need to know to install and use the Bulldozer blade kit for the Sherman. This TN us 110 pages and ok quality.
TM9-731B Medium Tank M4A2 1943: This tech manual would tell you everything you needed to know about. A good scanned PDF at 208 pages.
TM9-731E Carriage Motor 105mm Howitzer M7: The M7 isn’t really a Sherman, but it used the Lee, and then later Sherman’s chassis. This one is 333 pages and ok to poor quality.
TM9-731G 3-INCH Gun Motor Carriage M10A 1943: This TM covers the M10 powered by the Ford GAA V8. 284 readable quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
TM9-733 Mine excavator T5E3 45: This was a mine excavator mounted to the front of Sherman tanks developed late in the war. 72 good quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
TM9-745 90-mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2: This TM is on the M10 hull based M36 90mm TD. The file is HUGE and it is absolutely beautiful. Lots of very good info in here, the M10 is based on the M4A2 after all. Every photo and chart is fully readable this one is very high quality and 538 pages.
TM9-747 155-mm Gun Motor Carriage T83 and 8-inch Howitzer Motor Carriage T89: Big guns mounted on the Sherman Chassis. They used HVSS suspension by R975 motors. 276 good quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
TM9-748 90-mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B1: This lovely TM is on the M36 that used the M4A3 tank hull with Ford GAA motor. They did this because of a hull shortage on the M10 type hull. This tech manual is very very well scanned and readable 445 pages.
TM9-750 Medium Tanks M3 M3a1 And M3A2: M3 Lee Tech Manual! this was a find! If you need to know how to drive a stock M3 Lee tank, this is your book. Ok to good quality, 82 pages.
TM9-752 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 43: This is the TM for the M10 tank destroyer, and is a pretty good scan. Nice detail on the GM 6046. This one comes in at 402 pages and was produced in 1943, and is nice quality.
TM9-752 TANK MEDIUM M4A3 44: M4A3 TM from 1944, oddly this number is lower than the other TM on the M4A3 listed below, TM-9-759, yet that one is for the earlier small hatch version of the tank. Not a great scan. The text is readable but all pictures are very dark, this one is ok to poor to ok quality and 477 pages.
TM9-754 Medium Tank M4A4 1943: This is the M4A4 Tech manual from 1943 and is a great scan. This is a google produced digital TM and I found it on the fabulous Archive.com as did most of these new ones. That sight is great and one I will donate to. This TM comes in at 492 good quality pages.
TM9-759 Medium Tank M4A3 42: M4A3 TM from 1942, small hatch TM for the M4A3 not a great scan. This one is ok quality and only 63 pages.
TM9-834 VEHICULAR GENERAL PURPOSE UNIT EQUIPMENT: Not exactly a Sherman manual, but it is a manual for some of the tools a maintenance battalion would use. 110 ok quality pages.
TM9-1725 Engine Model R975-C4 (Continental): This is the manual for the higher horsepower R975 used in later M4 and M4A1 Shermans and on older ones after overhaul. 272 pages ok quality pages.
TM9-1731B_ Breeze Cartridge Starter For Radial Diesel Engines 41: This TM is about a cartridge starting system that was used on some vehicles based on the M4 chassis, but m not on the M4 series. This one is 59 ok quality pages.
TM9-1731B Ford Tanks Engines (Models GAA, GAF, and GAN): This TM is on maintaining, troubleshooting and overhauling the core of the Ford tank V8s. 1731C covers the accessories. This is 240 low quality pages. I would love to get a better copy.
TM9-1731C Accessories For Tank Engine Model GAA V-8 Ford: This one covers all the accessories that get installed on GAA motors, like water and fuel pumps, gear drives for the cams etc. This TM is 134 pages and a poor quality scan.
TM9-1731K Auxiliary Generator (homelight model HRUH-28) for M4 and Modifications: This Handy Manual covers how to operate and keep operating the auxiliary generator all Sherman tanks came with. This one is 70 pages and ok quality.
TM9-1750E Guiberson Diesel T1400 Engine Series 3 for M3 and M4 related motor carriages: This one is a bit of a mystery, I think it powered some of the artillery vehicles based on the M4 chassis. This TM is 247 ok quality pages.
TM9-1750F Power Unit for Medium Tanks M3A4 and M4A4: This manual is on the A57 multibank motor, how to tune, troubleshoot, and rebuild this monster. This being my favorite tank motor I was very happy to find it, on the down side, its just a good scan, not great, this one comes in at 309 pages and its ok to poor quality.
TM9-1750G General Motors Twin Diesel 6-71 Power Plant For M4A2 1942: This TM is on the GM Twin Diesel, and how to tune, troubleshoot and repair it. This TM is 369 pages and is low quality.
TM9-1750H Hydraulic Traversing Mechanism(logansport) for Medium Tank M3: This is a Lee manual, about the turret traversing mechanism for the 37mm turret.
TM9-1750J Power Unit Accessories for Medium Tanks M3A4 and M4A4: This is a manual on how to service and repair all the accessories on the A57 motor. 381 pages, ok quality scan, but not great.
TM9-1750K Tracks and Suspension, Turret, and, Hull, M4 43: The changes made to the M4 hull, suspension and turret. This TM is missing a few pages and just ok quality, but still very interesting. It comes in at 65 pages.
TM9-1750L Hull and Turret Electrical Systems Tracks and Suspension for 3 Inch GMC M10 and M10A1: As the title suggests, this manual covers a lot of systems on the M10. 118 pages and an ok quality scan.
TM9-1750_Power_Train_Unit,_Three Piece_Differential, M4,_and_Modifications 42: This one covers the early three piece powertrain unit. It is 117 pages and ok quality.
TM9-1751 9-Cylinder, Radial Gasoline Engine (Continental Model R975-c1): The manual for the earlier version of the R975 from 1944. Not sure whats up with it having a higher number than the C4 above. Ok quality, some pics are barely readable though 237 pages.
TM9-1756A Model RD-1820 (Caterpillar): This is the manual for the short lived, 200 made Caterpillar diesel motor powered M4A6. 195 pages ok quality
WWII related:
TM9-294 2.36-inch A.T. Rocket Launcher M1A1: The manual for using and maintaining the original bazooka. 28 ok quality pages. NEW MANUAL!!
TM9-392 4.5 Inch Multiple Rocket Launchers T66 and T66E2: This is the TM for the trailer mounted 4.5 inch rocket launcher. This one is 86 pages, ok quality.
TM9-394 4.5-Inch Rocket Material for Ground Use 45: This manual covers the use of the missile and has some info on the mount used on the Sherman. This TM came in at 140 pages of good quality TM.
TM9-396 7.2-Inch Multiple Rocket Launcher M17 45: This is the TM for a 7.2 inch rocket Launcher for the Sherman tank. OK quality and 63 pages.
TM9-707 Basic Half-Track Vehicles, IHC M5, CAR M9A1, Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M14 and Similar IHC Vehicles: This TM covers a lot of different models of the International Harvester made Half Tracks. It 450 pages and ok to poor, all text is readable but the pictures are not great.
TM9-710 Basic Half- Track Vehicles, by White Autocar and Diamond T: This one covers the half tracks made by Autocar and Diamond T, they are pretty much the same as the half tracks in 707, but with some different sub variants. This TM is 360 pages and OK quality.
TM9-721 HEAVY TANKS M6 AND M6A1 43: What M6 Heavy tank?!?!? This TM is 169 pages and poor quality, but still very interesting.
TM9-726 Light Tank M3 42: This is the TM for the cute little M3 tank. It is 253 pages and fairly poor quality.
TM9-729 Light Tank M24: This is the TM for the M24 Chaffee. This great little light tank made it into the last months of the WWII and the saw use in Korea and Indochina by the French! This manual is 420 pages and ok quality.
TM9-732B 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8: This one is the little SPG based on the M5 light tank. The TM is low quality and 321 pages long.
TM9-1940 Land Mines 43: TM on American landmines from 1943. 71 pages ok quality.
TM E9-369A German 88mm AntiAircraft Gun: This TM falls under the know your enemy category of Manual, this one on the infamous and overrated 88mm AA gun. This one is good quality and 188 pages.
TM-E 30-451 Handbook on German Military Forces: This monster is another know your enemy TM, this one on the German Military, and its a whopping 639 pages long. This one is ok quality and not the best info available on the German army, but the best we had in 1945.
TM-E 30-480 Handbook on Japanese Military Forces: Like the one above, this one is also very large. This scan is ok. The TM is 429 pages long.
Tank Battalion AARs and unit histories: Some of these are harder to read than others but they are all interesting
Special Action Report: Cape Gloucester Operation, 1st Marine Division: 1943-1944, report put out by the Marines about this little known operation. Decent quality, 186 pages.
Tank Versus Tank: A report by Lieutenant Colonel Albin F. Irzyk, HQ, 8th Tank Battalion. If you want a defense of the Sherman tank, by a man who knew how to use them, this is just about the best report you can read.
The 68th Tank Battalion in combat: Unit history 68th Tank Battalion, 57 good quality pages.
717th Tank Battalion record: A short history of the 717, 78 ok pages.
The combat story of the 743rd Tank Battalion: Move out Verify. This unit was in it from D-day to the surrender of the Germans. 194 pages and good quality scan.
752nd Tank Bn: This history is for the 752 who spent their whole war in Italy. It makes for an interesting contrast. 85 ok quality pages.
The History of the 781st Tank Battalion, Up From Marseille: This unit history book covers their whole combat deployment. It’s good quality and illustrated, and comes in at 34 pages
782nd Tank Battalion: Treat’em Rough A short history of this Tank unit, 37 pages, ok scan.
The History of the 786th Tank Battalion, The Path of Destruction: This is a short but interesting history of a tank battalion that got into the war very late, but had M26 tanks. This one is an ok scan and 39 pages.
Our battalion: 89th tank destroyer battalion history This one is 97 pages, ok scan quality.
The History of the 628th Tank Destroyer Battalion, 1941-45: This is 225 pages of TD history, the 628th seems to be one of the first units to get M36 90 GMCs. This has lots of photos and drawings and seems to be a very detailed history. it’s a very large file at 487 megs.
Battle history of A battery 391st Armored Field Artillery Batt: This one is just one A battery, and is 120 ok pages.
37Th Tank Battalion AAR DEC 44
743 Tank Battalion History JAN 45
Odd and ends: Reports and other things about the Sherman, or WWII in armor related. Also some general WWII info here as well.
German Tank Maintenance In World War Two CHM 104-7: Sixty twp pages on how the Germans ran tank maintenance in WWII.
Japanese Tanks And Tank Tactics: This is a Military Intelligence service report on Japanese tanks and tank tactics. This one is 89 pages and an OK scan.
Report on the Reliability of the Cromwell, Shermam and Centaur Maintenance
Fort Knox Survey of Tank Crew Problems 52
Fort Knox Report on Toxic Gases in Crew Compartment of Armored Vehicles 1943
The Tank infantry team By Mudd 1999
Combat Lessons Number 1: The Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This series was intended to help soldiers utilize the lesson learned in combat by the US Army. This one covers all kinds of things from Battle Leadership, to info an Ranger training and even a section called “Hints on the Heinie.” a section on German tactics. Very interesting read, at 64 good quality pages, 1945.
Combat Lessons Number 2: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This is just like the one above with different content, it seems like this one covers some Leadership subject, then Normal Operations, Mountain Operations, and Jungle Operations, 82 good quality pages.
Combat Lessons Number 3: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This one much like the last one covers leaderships and operations in various places 98 good quality pages.
Combat Lessons Number 4: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This one is much like the last, covering leadership, Normal, Jungle and Amphibious operations to shake it up this time. 94 good quality pages.
Combat Lessons Number 5: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This one covers Leadership, Jungler, Airborne and Amphibious operations. This one is 98 pages, but the quality has really dropped off.
Combat Lessons Number 6: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This one is formated a little differently, with more photos. it also covers things differently, dropping the four section layout of the older ones. This one covers, Leadership, streetfighting, patrolling, armored notes, and many other subjects. This one came in at 97 very good quality pages. The Armor notes in this one are of particular interest to our subject mater.
Combat Lessons Number 7: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This one keeps the quality and new format of the last, but lacks anything interesting to people looking for something specific to the Sherman. This scan is 65 good quality pages.
Combat Lessons Number 8: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: Archive.com does not have number 8, all the number 8s are number 7. I’ll continue to look for it. Sorry folks. (Thank you John S. for sending me this file! I figured I would never see a copy!)
Combat Lessons Number 9: Rank and File in Combat, what They Are Doing and How They Are Doing it: This is the last one in the series, it covers leadership, tank infantry team work, a salute to medics, commo comments, and odds and ends. A very good quality scan at 50 pages and it wraps up the series. This one also has a large section of armor tips, most from the Okinawa campaign
Army Battle Casualties and Non Battle deaths in WWII Parts 1: These are just what they sound like, very detailed statistics on battle deaths and non battle deaths.
Army Battle Casualties and Non Battle deaths in WWII Parts 2:
Army Battle Casualties and Non Battle deaths in WWII Parts 3:
Army Battle Casualties and Non Battle deaths in WWII Parts 4:
Link to Aviation related downloads. I like WWII Aviation and have collected a a few pilots manuals over the years on PDF, those and some other interesting WWII aviation related things can be found here.