The Sherman was the mainstay of the 4th New Zealand Armored Brigade, a unit that had been converted from an infantry brigade in 1942 to provide tank support for the 2nd New Zealand Division in the Middle East. As it so happened the Brigade never saw service in the desert campaign, a shortage of equipment and the need to train the unit with its new arm occupying it for the entire time the Division was away in Tripolitania and Tunisia.
From the outset the Brigade was equipped with the M4A2. known in British service as the Sherman III, the version powered with twin GMC diesel engines. This particular version had been chosen because of the propensity of the petrol-engined models to catch fire...