On the topic of difficulty when palying Germans.
This is my most played German tank. I read forums after dying and dying again from frontal shots. Best advice was take only 28 shells, this will remove ammo rack behind the driver. You can try to outsmart Shermans , but if you have more ammo than 28 all it takes for them is to shoot you through the driver's window. Works everytime , from any distance up to 1.5 km , one shot kill. I know about angling , but it only works when you are aware that you are under fire.
Now my American tank of choice until I unlock 76 version. As you can see , a huge difference. F2 and Stugs are your main adversaries and it's possible to one-shot them from the front.
I don't want to insult anyone but playing Tier II American tanks , especially first Sherman is 'easy mode'.