Old Sherman tanks from World War II that are abandoned in a desert in Chile

During World War II, more than 49,000 M-4 Sherman tanks were manufactured, which were produced between 1942 and 1945.

The lonely remains of Sherman tanks that fought in the Battle of Normandy
The M-4 Sherman tanks submerged in the sea off the coast of the island of Saipan

This tank fought on various fronts and in the ranks of several allied countries: USA, United Kingdom, USSR, Australia, Canada, Poland (it was used by the Polish Army Corps that fought alongside the allies Westerners), France and New Zealand. After World War II, surplus Sherman tanks were sold to dozens of countries. Israel obtained several dozen of them to fight in its War of Independence in 1948, when the newborn Jewish State was invaded by its Arab neighbors.

Israel operated about 300 Sherman tanks, which were improved to the M-50 (about 100, with 75 mm cannons) and M-51 (about 200, with 105 mm cannons) versions. being usually known as Super Sherman. The last Israeli Super Shermans were in service until the early 1980s. Israel later sold 200 of these tanks to Chile: 50 M-50s and 150 M-51s.

Chile had already purchased some Sherman tanks from the US in the 1940s, after the end of the war, specifically 76 M4A1 and 48 M4A1E9. These tanks were in service until the 1970s. The M-50 Super Shermans purchased by Chile from Israel arrived without the 75 mm guns, so Chile installed 60 mm OTO-IMI guns on them, naming them M-60 Sherman.

The last Chilean Shermans were withdrawn from service in 2003. Today some of them are abandoned at a shooting range in the Atacama Desert. Exploring the Unbeaten Path has published a video showing these tanks:

You can see some screenshots of this video here. Here we see one of these old Shermans abandoned in the Atacama Desert, under a starry night. The one in the image looks like an M-50.

Two other Shermans in the desert. They are without engines and with their guns cut off.

A vestige of these tanks' Israeli past. It is a word in Hebrew (its meaning is "superior") that is engraved on a piece inside the turret of an M-51.

An M-51 at the Atacama Desert firing range. The M-51 had to be equipped with a counterweight on the back of its turret, as it was a type of tank that was not prepared for a cannon as heavy as the 105 mm.