During the Battle of the Bulge, on December 19, 1944, Donald L. Nichols' 105 mm-armed Sherman, a part of Company C, 27th Tank Battalion, 10th Armored Division, engaged and destroyed a Tiger tank from 600 yards away. He also forced other tanks to retreat. Later, he destroyed a Panther tank. The 105 mm howitzer M4 (the vehicle-mounted version of the 105 mm howitzer M2) was provided with an emergency HEAT round for self-defense against tanks, but many of the other rounds that it fired could be effective against tanks as well;
Shell type|Designation|Filling|Muzzle velocity|Armor penetration at all ranges, 0 degrees :--|:--|:--|:--|:--|:-- HE|M1|4.18 lb (2.18 kg) 50/50 TNT/Amatol|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| HEAT-T|M67|2.93 lb (1.33 kg) Pentolite|1,250 ft/s (381 m/s)|128 mm Smoke|HC BE M84|12.3 lb (5.58 kg) zinc chloride (HC)|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| Smoke, colored|BE M84|12.3 lb (5.58 kg) colored (green, red, violet, or yellow) smoke mixture|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| Smoke|WP M60|4.06 lb (1.84 kg) white phosphorus|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| Smoke|FS M60|4.61 lb (2.09 kg) sulfur trioxide in chlorosulfonic acid|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| Chemical|H M60|3.17 lb (1.44 kg) mustard gas|1,550 ft/s (472 m/s)| Practice|M1|N/A|N/A| Drill|M14|N/A|N/A|
Due to the relatively poor quality of German armor plate, especially towards the end of World War II due to a lack of important alloys, it became more vulnerable to high explosive shells. Large shells, besides concussing crew members when they hit a tank, could destroy delicate instruments like periscopes and telescope apertures. Large, flat sections of armor plate, especially if they were prepared poorly, were vulnerable to buckling or spalling when hit, creating deadly shrapnel that could kill or injure crew members. White phosphorus or smoke could be sucked into ventilation ducts and, besides irritating or injuring them, make crew members think their tank was on fire. The extreme heat of burning white phosphorus could also ignite gasoline or lubricants that pooled at the bottom of engine compartments, creating an actual fire.
Sources:
War Department Technical Manual 9-1901 Artillery Ammunition, dated 29 June 1944
War Department Technical Manual 9-1904 Ammunition Inspection Guide, dated 2 March 1944
The Tigers of Bastogne: Voices of the 10th Armored Division in the Battle of the Bulge, by Michael Collins and Martin King
WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery, by Robert Livingston and Lorrin Bird