The Sherman Medium Tank evolved several times to try to keep up with the technology they were fighting against during WWII, continually upgrading the guns as well as the armor to fight off the German anti-tank guns and armored vehicles, including the Tiger I as the Germans were proving to be a fierce enemy. The Sherman Tank had over 49,000 variants, so over the course of the war, it seemed inevitable that few would be captured by the Axis. The Sherman was praised for its reliability in the field, it was considered a triumph to capture one. The German soldiers that captured this tank wanted the notoriety for the successful swipe of the American tank during combat in Tunisia as the war battled on and morale ran low for the Germans as they were beginnig to feel the force of the war in North Africa. 1st Company, 501st Heavy Tank Battalion wrote on the side of the tank letting the rest of their fellow troops know not to knock out the captured Sherman as it was sent back to be studied by the Military High Command.