In late World War II new tanks with powerful armor, Tiger and Panther, appeared in German tank units. To fight them it was necessary to arm the US Sherman tanks with a more powerful gun instead of the former 75-mm gun. The result was the M4A3 (76) W with 76-mm gun. Another interesting feature was a special "wet" ammunition. Such tanks had water mixed with antifreeze and corrosion inhibitor in the spaces between the shells in the containers. Thus, the risk of detonation in case of an enemy hit or fire was much lower. Production of M4A3 (76) W variant lasted from March to December 1944, during which time 1925 such tanks were built.