One of the worst incidents involving the M551 happened in February 1969, when one Sheridan ran over a mine. The results of the first unit (that actually drove the Ferdinand around a lot) were a disaster while the second unit (using the Ferdinand as an ambush vehicle) was extremely effective, earning the vehicle its murderous reputation. Two types of units received them – one was used to lighter agile vehicles while the other was a StuG unit, used to wait in ambush.
This difference in perception based on the unit background was actually nothing new – same thing happened thirty years earlier to the Germans with the Ferdinand tank destroyers. This all – along with its poor protection – led to many complaints from the former M48 crews, who felt very unsafe in their new aluminum-skinned vehicles. Compared to the M48 it was not reliable at all, required extensive maintenance and everything was getting broken all the time even without the complicated Shillelagh launch system (the Sheridans in Vietnam were not equipped with guided missiles). In a way, the Sheridan was the exact opposite of the M48. Furthermore, the tankers received only shortened training course citing their previous experience with tanks. Compared to their previous fifty ton rugged and reliable M48 battle tanks, the Sheridan looked like an over-engineered toy. The 3/4 ACR crews had exactly the opposite opinion.
They loved the Sheridan speed and off-road capabilities (especially the fact that unlike the M113, the M551 was not prone to throwing tracks even during wildest maneuvers), the smooth ride and the suspension reliability. The M551 offered vastly improved firepower compared to their old vehicles and while they did recognize the Sheridan flaws, they were training as tankers “from scratch” and as such they understood the flaws as something “natural”, as obstacles to overcome. The 1/11 ACR men (formerly M113 crews) were actually quite excited about the Sheridans. Obviously, despite being tracked, both vehicles behaved very differently and this in turn affected the nine week long crew training. While the 1/11 ACR was equipped mostly with the M113 armored personnel carriers, the 3/4 ACR was equipped originally with the M48 Patton tanks. There was one major difference between the two units, which heavily influenced their opinions on the Sheridan.
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