In March 1956, Israeli Ordnance Corps military facilities began to convert (up-gun) their Sherman tanks with 75mm tank guns of AMX-13s bought and received from France. This project started in 1954 and in 1955, a prototype turret was sent from France to Israel. Eventually, Israel did purchase the AMX-13, but, in a similar parallel development, it was decided that the 75mm main guns of the AMX-13s Israel bought would be grafted to the more-familiar and the better-armored hull of the American M4 Sherman medium tank, which was the standard tank of the IDF's armored units (a large quantity of post-WWII Sherman tanks ended up in Israeli military service from 1948 onwards) during the period of the early 1950s. While the tank's main gun was considered satisfactory, its armor was deemed to be too light. In 1953, an Israeli military delegation visited France to examine the then-new AMX-13/75 light tank, which was armed with the high-velocity CN 75-50 75 mm tank gun. However, the nicknames "Super Sherman" and "Isherman" were never officially used by the Israeli Defense Forces. The M-51 was also referred to as the Isherman (i.e. The Sherman M-50 and the Sherman M-51, both often referred to abroad as the Super Sherman, were modified versions of the American M4 Sherman tank that served with the Israel Defense Forces from the mid-1950s to early 1980s.
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