[RyanW]

For a lot of little reasons that often get missed, the Sherman is a very good tank. Especially by late war - with the 76mm, HVAP ammunition, wet ammo storage, and HVSS, it had became one of the most refined tank designs in operation at the end of the war. A lot of people overlook things like engine reliability, ease of field maintenance, or ergonomics - compare the Sherman's "oh bugger, the tank is on fire" test to that of... anything else.