M26 Pershing
Encyclopedia
The Heavy Tank M26 Pershing was an American
heavy tank
briefly used in World War II
and in the Korean War
. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force
in Europe in World War I
.
Development of the M26 during World War II was prolonged by a number of factors, the most important being opposition to the tank from Army Ground Forces
(AGF). As a result, only the initial 20 M26 (T26E3) tanks deployed to Europe in January 1945 saw combat in World War II. The M26 and its improved derivative, the M46 Patton
, both saw more combat in Korea. The M26 was underpowered and mechanically unreliable and so was withdrawn from Korea in 1951, in favor of the M46, which had a more powerful engine. The lineage of the M26 continued with the M47 Patton
, and was reflected in the new designs of the later M48 Patton
and M60 Combat Tank
.
in 1942 and represented a significant design departure from the previous line of U.S. Army tanks that had ended with the M4 Sherman
. A number of design features were tested in the various prototypes, some of which were experimental dead-ends, but many of which would become permanent characteristics of subsequent modern U.S. Army tanks. The prototype series began as a medium tank upgrade of the M4 Sherman and ended as the U.S. Army's first operational heavy tank.
and progressed to the M2 Light Tank
, M2 Medium Tank
, M3 Lee
, and finally the M4 Sherman
. These tanks all shared the common traits of using rear-mounted Continental air-cooled radial engines and a front sprocket drive. The rear engine-front sprocket drive layout required a driveshaft to cross underneath the turret, which increased the overall height of the tank, a characteristic shared with German tanks of World War II which also used this layout. In addition, the large diameter of the radial engines in the M4 line of tanks added further to the hull height. These mechanical features accounted for the high silhouette and large side sponsons that were characteristic of the M4 lineage.
In the spring of 1942, as the M4 Sherman was entering production, U.S. Army Ordnance began work on a follow up tank. The T20 tank reached a mockup stage in May 1942, and was intended as an improved medium tank to follow the M4. An earlier heavy tank, the M6
had been standardized in February 1942, but proved to be a failure. The U.S. Army had no doctrinal use for a heavy tank at the time.
V-8, a lower silhouette version of the GAA engine used in later variants of the M4, had become available. The engine had originally been an effort by Ford to produce a V-12 liquid cooled aircraft engine patterned after the Rolls-Royce Merlin
, but failed to earn any aircraft orders and so was adapted as a V-8 for use in tanks. Use of this lower profile engine together with the choice of a rear transmission and rear sprocket drive layout made it possible to lower the hull silhouette and eliminate the side sponsons.
The T20 was fitted with the new 76 mm M1A1 cannon
, developed from the 3 inch anti-aircraft gun. The 3 inch front hull armor was 0.5 in (12.7 mm) thicker than the 63 mm (2.5 in) front armor of the M4. The glacis
plate slope was similar at 46°. The T20's overall weight was approximately the same as the M4.
The T20 used an early version of the horizontal volute spring suspension
(HVSS), another improvement compared to the less robust vertical volute spring suspension
(VVSS) of the early versions of the M4. Later prototypes of the M26 tested a torsion bar suspension, which would become the standard for future US tank suspension systems.
Through much of 1943, there was little perceived need within the U.S. Army for a better tank than the 75-mm M4 Sherman, and so, lacking any insights from the rest of the Army as to what was needed, the Ordnance Department next took a developmental detour into electrical transmissions with the T23 series.
The electrical transmission was built by General Electric
, and had the engine driving a generator
which powered two traction motor
s. The concept was similar to the drive system of the German "Porsche Tiger" (later rebuilt as the Ferdinand/Elefant
). It had performance advantages in rough or hilly terrain, where the system could better handle the rapid changes in torque requirements.
The electrical transmission T23 was championed by the Ordnance Dept. during this phase of development. After the initial prototypes were built in early 1943, an additional 250 T23 tanks were produced from May-December 1943. These were the first tanks in the U.S. Army with the 76-mm M1A1 gun to go into production. However, the T23 would have required that the Army adopt an entirely separate line of training, repair, and maintenance, and so was rejected for combat operations.
The primary legacy of the T23 would thus be its production cast turret, which was designed from the outset to be interchangeable with the turret ring of the M4 Sherman. The T23 turret was used on all production versions of the 76-mm M4 Sherman as the original M4 75-mm turret was found to be too small to easily mount the 76-mm M1A1 gun. The first production 76-mm M4 with the T23 turret, the M4E6, was built in the summer of 1943.
The T26E3 was the production version of the T26E1 with a number of minor modifications made as the result of field testing. Following its introduction into combat, it was renamed the M26 in March 1945.
.
In his 1998 book Death Traps, Belton Cooper, who was a lieutenant in the Third Armored Division during World War II, working as a liaison officer for the Division's armor repair units, made the claim that General George S. Patton
was primarily responsible for delaying the development and production of the M26. Cooper's claim about Patton's role, and his other criticisms of the M4 Sherman
, have since been widely repeated by readers of his book, and have even come to be cited as references. In 2000, the author appeared in the History Channel TV show "Suicide Missions: Tank Crews of World War II" to expound on his views.
Tank historians such as Richard P. Hunnicutt, George Forty and Steven Zaloga
have generally agreed that the main cause of the delay in production of the M26 was opposition to the tank from Army Ground Forces, headed by General Lesley McNair. Zaloga in particular has identified several specific factors that led both to the delay of the M26 program and limited improvements in the firepower of the M4:
Tank destroyer doctrine
McNair, who was an artillery
officer by trade, had promulgated the "tank destroyer
doctrine" in the U.S. Army. In this doctrine, tanks were primarily for infantry support and exploitation of breakthroughs. Enemy tanks were supposed to be dealt with by the tank destroyer forces, which were composed of lightly armored but relatively fast vehicles carrying more powerful anti-tank guns, as well as towed versions of these anti-tank guns. Under the tank destroyer doctrine, emphasis was placed only on improving the firepower of the tank destroyers, as there was a strong bias against developing a heavy tank to take on enemy tanks. This also limited improvements in the firepower of the M4 Sherman
.
Simplification of supply
McNair established a "battle need" criteria for acquisition of weapons in order to make best use of America's 3000 mi (4,828 km)-long supply line to Europe by preventing the introduction of weapons that would prove unnecessary, extravagant or unreliable on the battlefield. In his view, introduction of a new heavy tank had many problems in terms of transportation, supply, service, and reliability, and was not necessary in 1943 or early 1944. Tank development took time, and so the sudden appearance of a new tank threat could not be met quickly enough under such rigid criteria.
Complacency
A sense of complacency fell upon those in charge of developing tanks in the U. S. Army because the M4 Sherman in 1942 was considered by the Americans to be superior to the most common German tanks: the Panzer III
and early models of the Panzer IV
. Even through most of 1943, the 75-mm M4 Sherman was adequate against the majority of German armor, although the widespread appearance of the German 7.5 cm KwK 40
tank gun during this time had led to a growing awareness that the M4 was becoming outgunned. There was insufficient forward thinking to understand that there was an arms race in tanks and that the U.S. needed to anticipate future German tank threats. The Tiger I
and Panther tank
s that appeared in 1943 were seen in only very limited numbers by U.S. forces and hence were not considered as major threats. The end result was that in 1943, the Ordnance Dept. lacking any guidance from the rest of the Army, concentrated its efforts in tank development mainly on its pet project, the electrical transmission T23. In contrast, on the Eastern Front in 1943, a full-blown tank arms race was underway, with the Soviets responding to the German Tiger I
and Panther Tank
by starting development work on the T34/85 and IS-2 tanks.
The most critical period was from mid-1943 to mid-1944, which was when the M26 could still have come to fruition in time for the Normandy invasion. During this time, development of the 90-mm up-armored T26 prototype continued to proceed slowly due to disagreements within the U.S. Army about its future tank needs. The details of what exactly happened during this time vary by historian, but all agree that AGF was the main source of resistance that delayed production of the T26.
Zaloga Version
In his 2008 book Armored Thunderbolt, Zaloga significantly revised an earlier version of this story which had appeared in his 2000 book M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943–53, quoting from a much more extensive list of original documents from the Ordnance Dept., Army Ground Forces
and General McNair's correspondence.
In September-October 1943, a series of discussions occurred over the issue of beginning production of the T26E1, which was advocated by the head of the Armored Force, General Jacob Devers. Ordnance favored its pet project, the 76-mm gun, electrical transmission T23. Theater commanders generally favored a 76-mm gun medium tank such as the T23, and were against a heavy 90-mm gun tank. However testing of the T23 at Fort Knox had demonstrated reliability problems in the electrical transmission of which most army commanders were unaware. The new 76-mm M1A1 gun approved for the M4 Sherman
seemed to address concerns about firepower against the German tanks. All participants in the debate were however unaware of the inadequacy of the 76-mm gun against the front armor of the Panther tank
as they had not researched the effectiveness of this gun against the new German tanks which had already been encountered in combat.
Gen. Lesley McNair had agreed to the production of the 76-mm M4 Sherman, and he strongly opposed the additional production of the T26E1. In the fall of 1943, he wrote this letter to Devers, responding to the latter's advocacy of the T26E1:
Gen. Devers pressed on with his advocacy for the T26, going over McNair's head to Gen. George Marshall, and on 16 Dec 1943, Marshall overruled McNair and authorized the production of 250 T26E1 tanks. Then, in late December 1943, Devers was transferred to the Mediterranean, where he eventually led the invasion of Southern France with the Sixth Army Group. In his absence, further attempts were made to derail the T26 program, but continued support from Gen. Marshall and Eisenhower kept the production order alive. Testing and production of the T26E1 proceeded slowly, however, and the T26E1 did not begin full production until November 1944. These production models were designated as the T26E3.
A single prototype of a T26 turret mounted on an M4A3 chassis was built by Chrysler in the summer of 1944, but did not progress into production.
Hunnicutt Version
Hunnicutt working from Ordnance Department documents reports that Ordnance requested production of 500 each of the T23, T25E1, and T26E1 in October 1943. The AGF objected to the 90-mm gun of the tanks, whereas the Armored Force wanted the 90-mm gun mounted in a Sherman tank chassis. General Devers cabled from London a request for production of the T26E1. In January 1944, 250 T26E1s were authorized. General Barnes of Ordnance continued to press for production of 1,000 tanks.
Forty Version
According to Forty, Ordnance recommended that 1,500 of the T26E1 be built. The Armored Force recommended only 500. The AGF rejected the 90-mm version of the tank, and wanted it to be built with the 76-mm gun instead. Somehow, Ordnance managed to get production of the T26E1 started in November 1944. Forty primarily quoted from a postwar report from the Ordnance Dept.
Following its introduction into combat in Europe, the T26E3 tanks were redesignated as the M26 in March 1945.
s in length and had a much longer high capacity chamber. This gave it a muzzle velocity of 3750 ft/s (1,143 m/s) with the T30E16 APCR shot and could penetrate the Panther's frontal armor at up to 2600 yd (2,377.4 m). This model used a single piece 50 in (1,270 mm) long ammunition and was the only Super Pershing sent to Europe.
A second pilot tank was converted from a T26E3 and used a modified T15E2 gun that used a two piece ammunition. A total of 25 of these tanks were built and designated as the T26E4. An improved mounting removed the need for stabilizer springs
Post-war, two M26 tanks had the T54 gun installed, which had the same long gun barrel, but the ammunition cartridge was designed to be shorter and fatter, while still retaining the propellant force of the original round. They also had the muzzle brake and bore evacuator from the M3A1 gun of the M26A1 and M46. The tanks were designated as the M26E1 tank, but lack of funds cut off further production.
. Designed as a heavy tank
, the Pershing was a significant upgrade from the M4 Sherman in terms of firepower and protection. On the other hand, its mobility was unsatisfactory for a medium tank (it used the same engine that powered the M4A3, which was some ten tons lighter) and its transmission was somewhat unreliable. In 1948, the M26E2 version was developed with a new powerpack. Eventually the new version was redesignated the M46 General Patton
and 1,160 M26s were rebuilt to this new standard. Thus the M26 became a base of the Patton tank
series, which replaced it in early 1950s. The M47 Patton
was an M46 Patton with a new turret. The later M48 Patton
and M60 Patton
, which saw service in later Vietnam and Mideast conflicts and still serve in active duty in many nations today, were evolutionary redesigns of the original layout set down by the Pershing.
The heavy U.S. tank losses in the Battle of the Bulge
against a concentrated German tank force composed of some 400 Panther tank
s, as well as Tiger II tanks and other German armored fighting vehicles, revealed the deficiencies in the M4 Sherman
s and tank destroyer
s on the U.S. side. On 22 December 1944, while the battle still raged, the brand new T26E3 tanks were ordered to be deployed to Europe. The unexpected German tank attack had settled the question once and for all as to whether the T26 was needed. McNair had been killed in a friendly fire incident as the result of inaccurate bombing during Operation Cobra
, on 25 July 1944 while observing the operation. Twenty were sent in the first shipment arriving at the port of Antwerp in January 1945. They were given to the First Army, split between the Third and Ninth Armored Divisions. A total of 310 T26E3 tanks would be sent to Europe before VE Day, but only the first 20 would see any combat action.
In February 1945, General Gladeon Barnes, chief of the Research and Development section of Army Ordnance, personally led a special team to the European Theater, called the Zebra Mission. Its purpose was to support the T26E3 tanks, which still had teething problems, as well as to test other new weapons.
After training the tank crews, the T26E3 tanks were first committed to combat on 25 February, with the Third Armored Division, in the fighting for the Roer River. On 26 February, a T26E3 named Fireball was knocked out in an ambush at Elsdorf while overwatching a roadblock. Silhouetted by a nearby fire, the Pershing was in a disadvantageous position. A concealed Tiger tank fired three shots from about 100 yd (91.4 m). The first penetrated the turret through the machine gun port in the mantlet killing both the gunner and the loader. The second shot hit the gun barrel causing the round that was in the chamber to fire with the effect of distorting the barrel. The last shot glanced off the turret side taking off the upper cupola hatch. While backing up to escape the Tiger became entangled in debris and was abandoned by the crew. Fireball was quickly repaired and returned to service on 7 March.
Shortly afterwards, also at Elsdorf, another T26E3 knocked out a Tiger I
and two Panzer IV
s. The Tiger was knocked out at 900 yd (823 m) with the 90-mm HVAP T30E16 ammunition. Photographs of this knocked out Tiger I in Hunnicutt's book showed a penetration through the front gun mantlet.
On 6 March, in the city of Cologne, a T26E3 knocked out a Panther tank in front of the Cologne Cathedral
after the Panther had knocked out at least one M4 Sherman
. The action was recorded by a Signal Corps cameraman.
On the same day, another T26E3 was knocked out in the town of Niehl near Cologne, by an 88mm self propelled anti-tank gun
, at a range of under 300 yd (274.3 m). There were two other tank engagements involving the T26E3, with one Tiger I
knocked out during the fighting around Cologne, and one Panzer IV
knocked out at Mannheim.
The T26E3s with the Ninth Armored Division saw action in fighting around the Roer River with one Pershing disabled by two hits from a German 150-mm field gun.
Four T26E3s were involved in the Ninth Armored Division's dramatic dash to take the Bridge at Remagen, providing fire support to the infantry in order to take the bridgehead before the Germans could blow it up. Some of the Division's other tanks were able to cross the bridge but the T26E3s were too large and heavy to cross the damaged bridge and had to wait five days before getting across the river by barge. Europe's bridges were in general not designed for heavy loads, which had been one of the original objections to sending a heavy tank to Europe.
The M26 saw service in the Korean War
. When the war began in June 1950, the four American infantry divisions on occupation duty in Japan had no medium tanks at all, having only one active tank company (equipped with M24 Chaffee
light tanks) each. When these divisions were sent to Korea at the end of June 1950, they soon found that the 75mm gun on the M24 could not penetrate the armor of North Korean T-34 tanks, which had no difficulty penetrating the M24's thin armor. Three M26 Pershing tanks were found in poor condition in a Tokyo ordnance depot. They were hastily brought back into operation with missing fanbelts improvised. These three M26s were formed into a provisional tank platoon commanded by Lieutenant Samuel Fowler and sent to Korea in mid-July. When used to defend the town of Chinju, the tanks soon overheated when the substitute fan belts stretched and the cooling fans stopped working, and so the only three American medium tanks in Korea were lost.
More medium tanks began arriving in Korea at the end of July 1950. Although no armored divisions were sent because the initial response from battlefield commanders was "Korea isn't good tank country", six army infantry divisions and one marine division were deployed. Each Army infantry division should have had one divisional tank battalion of 69 tanks, and each army infantry regiment should have had a company of 22 tanks; the marine division had a tank battalion of 70 gun tanks and nine combination flamethrower-howitzer tanks, and each marine infantry regiment had an antitank platoon with five tanks each. While tables of organization and equipment mandated that all tank platoon vehicles should be M26 Pershings, with howitzer tanks in company headquarters and light tanks in reconnaissance units only, some units had a shortfall that had to be filled with other tanks. The 70th Tank Battalion at Fort Knox
Kentucky had pulled World War II memorial M26s off of pedestals and reconditioned them for use, but had to fill out two companies with M4A3s; the 72nd Tank Battalion at Fort Lewis
Washington and the 73rd Tank Battalion at Fort Benning
Georgia were fully equipped with M26s; the 89th Medium Tank Battalion was constituted in Japan with three companies of reconditioned M4A3s and one of M26s from various bases in the Pacific; due to the shortage of M26s, most regimental tank companies had M4A3 Shermans instead. Two battalions detached from the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood Texas, the 6th Medium and 64th Heavy Tank Battalions, were fully equipped with M46 Patton tanks. The 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton California had all M4A3 howitzer tanks, which were replaced with M26s just days before boarding ships for Korea. A total of 309 M26 Pershings were rushed to Korea in 1950.
A 1954 survey concluded that there were in all 119 tank vs. tank actions involving U.S. Army and Marine units during the Korean War, with 97 T-34-85 tanks knocked out and another 18 probable. The M4A3E8 was involved in 50% of the tank actions, the M26 in 32%, and the M46 in 10%. The M26/M46 proved to be an overmatch for the T-34-85 as its 90mm HVAP round could punch all the way through the T-34 from the front glacis armor to the back, whereas the T-34-85 had difficulty penetrating the armor of the M26/46. The M4A3E8, firing 76mm HVAP rounds which were widely available during the Korean War (unlike WWII), was equal to the T-34-85 as both tanks could destroy each other at normal combat ranges.
After November 1950, North Korean armor was rarely encountered. China entered the conflict in February 1951 with four regiments of tanks (a mix of mostly T-34-85 tanks, a few IS-2 tanks, and other AFVs). However, because these Chinese tanks were dispersed with the infantry, tank to tank battles with UN forces were uncommon.
With the marked decrease in tank to tank actions, the automotive deficiencies of the M26 in the mountainous Korean terrain became more of a liability, and so all M26s were withdrawn from Korea during 1951 and replaced with M4A3 Shermans and M46 Pattons. The M45 howitzer tank variant was only used by the assault gun platoon of the 6th Medium Tank Battalion, and these six vehicles were withdrawn by January 1951.
In 1952, the Belgian
Army received 423 M26 and M26A1 Pershings, leased for free as part of a Mutual Defense Assistance Program, then the official designation of U.S. military aid to its allies. The tanks were mostly used to equip mobilizable reserve units of battalion strength: 2nd, 3rd and 4th Régiments de Guides/Regiment Gidsen (Belgian units have official names in both French and Dutch); 7th, 9th and 10th Régiments de Lanciers/Regiment Lansiers and finally the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Bataillon de Tanks Lourds/Bataljon Zware Tanks. However, in the spring of 1953, M26s for three months equipped the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, an active unit, before they were replaced by M47s.
In 1961, the number of reserve units was reduced and the reserve system reorganized, with the M26s equipping the 1st and 3rd Escadron de Tanks/Tank Escadron as a general reserve of the infantry arm. In 1969, all M26s were phased out.
As the U.S. Army units in West Germany reequipped with M47s in 1952-1953, France and Italy also received M26 Pershings; while France quickly replaced them with M47 Pattons, Italy continued to use them operationally through 1963.
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
heavy tank
Heavy tank
A heavy tank was a subset of tank that filled the heavy direct-fire role of many armies.Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to breakthrough enemy lines, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack...
briefly used in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. It was named after General John Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
in Europe in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Development of the M26 during World War II was prolonged by a number of factors, the most important being opposition to the tank from Army Ground Forces
Army Ground Forces
The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the largest training organization ever established in the United...
(AGF). As a result, only the initial 20 M26 (T26E3) tanks deployed to Europe in January 1945 saw combat in World War II. The M26 and its improved derivative, the M46 Patton
M46 Patton
The M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
, both saw more combat in Korea. The M26 was underpowered and mechanically unreliable and so was withdrawn from Korea in 1951, in favor of the M46, which had a more powerful engine. The lineage of the M26 continued with the M47 Patton
M47 Patton
The M47 Patton is an American medium tank, the second tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M46 Patton tank.-History:The M47 was the U.S...
, and was reflected in the new designs of the later M48 Patton
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
and M60 Combat Tank
M60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
.
Development
The M26 was the culmination of a series of tank prototypes which began with the T20T20 Medium Tank
The Medium Tank T20 was part of a series of medium tanks designed by the United States during the Second World War, to be the successor to the Medium Tank M4 "Sherman", and culminated in the M27.-Design and development:...
in 1942 and represented a significant design departure from the previous line of U.S. Army tanks that had ended with the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
. A number of design features were tested in the various prototypes, some of which were experimental dead-ends, but many of which would become permanent characteristics of subsequent modern U.S. Army tanks. The prototype series began as a medium tank upgrade of the M4 Sherman and ended as the U.S. Army's first operational heavy tank.
Improving on the M4
The Army's first lineage of tanks had evolved from the M1 Combat CarM1 Combat Car
The M1 Combat Car was a light tank used by the U.S. Cavalry in late 1930s. After the Spanish Civil War, most armies, including the U.S. Army, realized that they needed "gun" armed tanks and not vehicles armed merely with machine guns...
and progressed to the M2 Light Tank
M2 Light Tank
The Light Tank M2 was an American pre-World War II light tank that saw combat with the US Marine Corps 1st Tank Battalion on Guadalcanal in 1942, during World War II. Its service with the 1st Tank Battalion during the Pacific War was its only U.S...
, M2 Medium Tank
M2 Medium Tank
The Medium Tank M2 was a United States Army tank that was first produced in 1939 by the Rock Island Arsenal, just prior to the commencement of the war in Europe. Production was 18 M2 tanks, and 94 slightly improved M2A1 tanks, for a total figure of 112...
, M3 Lee
M3 Lee
The Medium Tank M3 was an American tank used during World War II. In Britain the tank was called "General Lee", named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and the modified version built with a new turret was called the "General Grant", named after U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant.Design commenced...
, and finally the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
. These tanks all shared the common traits of using rear-mounted Continental air-cooled radial engines and a front sprocket drive. The rear engine-front sprocket drive layout required a driveshaft to cross underneath the turret, which increased the overall height of the tank, a characteristic shared with German tanks of World War II which also used this layout. In addition, the large diameter of the radial engines in the M4 line of tanks added further to the hull height. These mechanical features accounted for the high silhouette and large side sponsons that were characteristic of the M4 lineage.
In the spring of 1942, as the M4 Sherman was entering production, U.S. Army Ordnance began work on a follow up tank. The T20 tank reached a mockup stage in May 1942, and was intended as an improved medium tank to follow the M4. An earlier heavy tank, the M6
M6 Heavy Tank
The Heavy Tank M6 was an American heavy tank designed during World War II. The tank was produced in small numbers and never saw combat.-History and description:...
had been standardized in February 1942, but proved to be a failure. The U.S. Army had no doctrinal use for a heavy tank at the time.
T20
The T20 was designed to have a more compact hull compared to the M4. The Ford GANFord GAA engine
The Ford GAA engine is an all aluminum, 32 valve, DOHC, 60 degree V8 engine produced by the Ford Motor Company during World War II. It featured twin Stromberg NA-Y5-G carburetors, dual magnetos and twin spark plugs, and crossflow induction....
V-8, a lower silhouette version of the GAA engine used in later variants of the M4, had become available. The engine had originally been an effort by Ford to produce a V-12 liquid cooled aircraft engine patterned after the Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Merlin
The Rolls-Royce Merlin is a British liquid-cooled, V-12, piston aero engine, of 27-litre capacity. Rolls-Royce Limited designed and built the engine which was initially known as the PV-12: the PV-12 became known as the Merlin following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after...
, but failed to earn any aircraft orders and so was adapted as a V-8 for use in tanks. Use of this lower profile engine together with the choice of a rear transmission and rear sprocket drive layout made it possible to lower the hull silhouette and eliminate the side sponsons.
The T20 was fitted with the new 76 mm M1A1 cannon
76 mm gun M1
The 76 mm Gun M1 was an American Forces World War II-era tank gun, which replaced the 75 mm gun on late Medium tank M4s, and was used for all 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 tank destroyers. The previous 75 mm M3 L/40 gun on the early M4 Sherman variants was designed more as an infantry support...
, developed from the 3 inch anti-aircraft gun. The 3 inch front hull armor was 0.5 in (12.7 mm) thicker than the 63 mm (2.5 in) front armor of the M4. The glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
plate slope was similar at 46°. The T20's overall weight was approximately the same as the M4.
The T20 used an early version of the horizontal volute spring suspension
Vertical volute spring suspension
Vertical volute spring suspension is a type of vehicle suspension. It was chiefly used on US armoured fighting vehicles from the 1930s to after the end of the Second World War.-Development:...
(HVSS), another improvement compared to the less robust vertical volute spring suspension
Vertical volute spring suspension
Vertical volute spring suspension is a type of vehicle suspension. It was chiefly used on US armoured fighting vehicles from the 1930s to after the end of the Second World War.-Development:...
(VVSS) of the early versions of the M4. Later prototypes of the M26 tested a torsion bar suspension, which would become the standard for future US tank suspension systems.
T22 and T23
The T22 series reverted to the M4 transmission because of problems with the early Torqmatic transmission used in the T20. The T22E1 tested an autoloader for the main gun, and eliminated the loader's position with a small two-man turret.Through much of 1943, there was little perceived need within the U.S. Army for a better tank than the 75-mm M4 Sherman, and so, lacking any insights from the rest of the Army as to what was needed, the Ordnance Department next took a developmental detour into electrical transmissions with the T23 series.
The electrical transmission was built by General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, and had the engine driving a generator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
which powered two traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s. The concept was similar to the drive system of the German "Porsche Tiger" (later rebuilt as the Ferdinand/Elefant
Elefant
The Elefant was a "schwerer Panzerjäger" of the German Wehrmacht used in small numbers in World War II. It was built in 1943 under the name Ferdinand, after its designer Ferdinand Porsche. In 1944, after modification of the existing vehicles, they were renamed Elefant...
). It had performance advantages in rough or hilly terrain, where the system could better handle the rapid changes in torque requirements.
The electrical transmission T23 was championed by the Ordnance Dept. during this phase of development. After the initial prototypes were built in early 1943, an additional 250 T23 tanks were produced from May-December 1943. These were the first tanks in the U.S. Army with the 76-mm M1A1 gun to go into production. However, the T23 would have required that the Army adopt an entirely separate line of training, repair, and maintenance, and so was rejected for combat operations.
The primary legacy of the T23 would thus be its production cast turret, which was designed from the outset to be interchangeable with the turret ring of the M4 Sherman. The T23 turret was used on all production versions of the 76-mm M4 Sherman as the original M4 75-mm turret was found to be too small to easily mount the 76-mm M1A1 gun. The first production 76-mm M4 with the T23 turret, the M4E6, was built in the summer of 1943.
T25 and T26
The T25 and T26 lines of tanks came into being in the midst of a heated internal debate within the U.S. Army in the mid-1943 to early 1944 over the need for tanks with greater firepower and armor. A 90-mm gun mounted in a massive new turret was installed in both series. The T26 series were given additional frontal hull armor, with the glacis plate increased to 4 in (101.6 mm). This increased the weight of the T26 series to over 40 ST (36.3 t) and decreased their mobility and durability as the engine and powertrain were not improved to compensate for the weight gain.The T26E3 was the production version of the T26E1 with a number of minor modifications made as the result of field testing. Following its introduction into combat, it was renamed the M26 in March 1945.
After the war
Post World War II, some 800 M26 tanks were upgraded with improved engines and transmissions and 90-mm gun and were redesignated as the M46 PattonM46 Patton
The M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
.
Delayed production
The M26 was introduced late into World War II and saw only a limited amount of combat. Controversy continues to exist as to why the production of the M26 was so delayed.In his 1998 book Death Traps, Belton Cooper, who was a lieutenant in the Third Armored Division during World War II, working as a liaison officer for the Division's armor repair units, made the claim that General George S. Patton
George S. Patton
George Smith Patton, Jr. was a United States Army officer best known for his leadership while commanding corps and armies as a general during World War II. He was also well known for his eccentricity and controversial outspokenness.Patton was commissioned in the U.S. Army after his graduation from...
was primarily responsible for delaying the development and production of the M26. Cooper's claim about Patton's role, and his other criticisms of the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
, have since been widely repeated by readers of his book, and have even come to be cited as references. In 2000, the author appeared in the History Channel TV show "Suicide Missions: Tank Crews of World War II" to expound on his views.
Tank historians such as Richard P. Hunnicutt, George Forty and Steven Zaloga
Steven Zaloga
Steven J. Zaloga is an American historian, defense consultant, and a well-known author on military technology. He received a bachelors degree cum laude in history from Union College and a masters degree from Columbia University....
have generally agreed that the main cause of the delay in production of the M26 was opposition to the tank from Army Ground Forces, headed by General Lesley McNair. Zaloga in particular has identified several specific factors that led both to the delay of the M26 program and limited improvements in the firepower of the M4:
Tank destroyer doctrine
McNair, who was an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
officer by trade, had promulgated the "tank destroyer
Tank destroyer
A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
doctrine" in the U.S. Army. In this doctrine, tanks were primarily for infantry support and exploitation of breakthroughs. Enemy tanks were supposed to be dealt with by the tank destroyer forces, which were composed of lightly armored but relatively fast vehicles carrying more powerful anti-tank guns, as well as towed versions of these anti-tank guns. Under the tank destroyer doctrine, emphasis was placed only on improving the firepower of the tank destroyers, as there was a strong bias against developing a heavy tank to take on enemy tanks. This also limited improvements in the firepower of the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
.
Simplification of supply
McNair established a "battle need" criteria for acquisition of weapons in order to make best use of America's 3000 mi (4,828 km)-long supply line to Europe by preventing the introduction of weapons that would prove unnecessary, extravagant or unreliable on the battlefield. In his view, introduction of a new heavy tank had many problems in terms of transportation, supply, service, and reliability, and was not necessary in 1943 or early 1944. Tank development took time, and so the sudden appearance of a new tank threat could not be met quickly enough under such rigid criteria.
Complacency
A sense of complacency fell upon those in charge of developing tanks in the U. S. Army because the M4 Sherman in 1942 was considered by the Americans to be superior to the most common German tanks: the Panzer III
Panzer III
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...
and early models of the Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
. Even through most of 1943, the 75-mm M4 Sherman was adequate against the majority of German armor, although the widespread appearance of the German 7.5 cm KwK 40
7.5 cm KwK 40
The 7.5 cm KwK 40 was a German 7.5 cm Second World War era vehicle mounted gun, used as the primary anti-tank weapon of the German medium tank the SdKfz.161 Panzerkampfwagen IV and the SdKfz.142 Sturmgeschütz III assault guns ...
tank gun during this time had led to a growing awareness that the M4 was becoming outgunned. There was insufficient forward thinking to understand that there was an arms race in tanks and that the U.S. needed to anticipate future German tank threats. The Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and Panther tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
s that appeared in 1943 were seen in only very limited numbers by U.S. forces and hence were not considered as major threats. The end result was that in 1943, the Ordnance Dept. lacking any guidance from the rest of the Army, concentrated its efforts in tank development mainly on its pet project, the electrical transmission T23. In contrast, on the Eastern Front in 1943, a full-blown tank arms race was underway, with the Soviets responding to the German Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and Panther Tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
by starting development work on the T34/85 and IS-2 tanks.
The most critical period was from mid-1943 to mid-1944, which was when the M26 could still have come to fruition in time for the Normandy invasion. During this time, development of the 90-mm up-armored T26 prototype continued to proceed slowly due to disagreements within the U.S. Army about its future tank needs. The details of what exactly happened during this time vary by historian, but all agree that AGF was the main source of resistance that delayed production of the T26.
Zaloga Version
In his 2008 book Armored Thunderbolt, Zaloga significantly revised an earlier version of this story which had appeared in his 2000 book M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943–53, quoting from a much more extensive list of original documents from the Ordnance Dept., Army Ground Forces
Army Ground Forces
The Army Ground Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Service Forces. Throughout their existence, Army Ground Forces were the largest training organization ever established in the United...
and General McNair's correspondence.
In September-October 1943, a series of discussions occurred over the issue of beginning production of the T26E1, which was advocated by the head of the Armored Force, General Jacob Devers. Ordnance favored its pet project, the 76-mm gun, electrical transmission T23. Theater commanders generally favored a 76-mm gun medium tank such as the T23, and were against a heavy 90-mm gun tank. However testing of the T23 at Fort Knox had demonstrated reliability problems in the electrical transmission of which most army commanders were unaware. The new 76-mm M1A1 gun approved for the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
seemed to address concerns about firepower against the German tanks. All participants in the debate were however unaware of the inadequacy of the 76-mm gun against the front armor of the Panther tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
as they had not researched the effectiveness of this gun against the new German tanks which had already been encountered in combat.
Gen. Lesley McNair had agreed to the production of the 76-mm M4 Sherman, and he strongly opposed the additional production of the T26E1. In the fall of 1943, he wrote this letter to Devers, responding to the latter's advocacy of the T26E1:
Gen. Devers pressed on with his advocacy for the T26, going over McNair's head to Gen. George Marshall, and on 16 Dec 1943, Marshall overruled McNair and authorized the production of 250 T26E1 tanks. Then, in late December 1943, Devers was transferred to the Mediterranean, where he eventually led the invasion of Southern France with the Sixth Army Group. In his absence, further attempts were made to derail the T26 program, but continued support from Gen. Marshall and Eisenhower kept the production order alive. Testing and production of the T26E1 proceeded slowly, however, and the T26E1 did not begin full production until November 1944. These production models were designated as the T26E3.
A single prototype of a T26 turret mounted on an M4A3 chassis was built by Chrysler in the summer of 1944, but did not progress into production.
Hunnicutt Version
Hunnicutt working from Ordnance Department documents reports that Ordnance requested production of 500 each of the T23, T25E1, and T26E1 in October 1943. The AGF objected to the 90-mm gun of the tanks, whereas the Armored Force wanted the 90-mm gun mounted in a Sherman tank chassis. General Devers cabled from London a request for production of the T26E1. In January 1944, 250 T26E1s were authorized. General Barnes of Ordnance continued to press for production of 1,000 tanks.
Forty Version
According to Forty, Ordnance recommended that 1,500 of the T26E1 be built. The Armored Force recommended only 500. The AGF rejected the 90-mm version of the tank, and wanted it to be built with the 76-mm gun instead. Somehow, Ordnance managed to get production of the T26E1 started in November 1944. Forty primarily quoted from a postwar report from the Ordnance Dept.
Production
Regardless of how it came about, production finally began in November 1944. Ten T26E3 tanks were produced that month at the Fisher Tank Arsenal, 30 in December, 70 in January 1945, and 132 in February. The Detroit Tank Arsenal also started production in March 1945, and the combined output was 194 tanks for that month. Production continued through the end of the war, and over 2,000 were produced by the end of 1945.Following its introduction into combat in Europe, the T26E3 tanks were redesignated as the M26 in March 1945.
Super Pershing
The 90-mm M3 gun of the Pershing was similar to the German 88 KwK 36 used on the Tiger I. In an effort to match the firepower of the Tiger II's more powerful 88 KwK43, the T15E1 90 gun was developed and mounted in a T26E1 in January 1945. This tank was designated T26E1-1. The T15E1 gun was 73 caliberCaliber (artillery)
In artillery, caliber or calibredifference in British English and American English spelling is the internal diameter of a gun barrel, or by extension a relative measure of the length....
s in length and had a much longer high capacity chamber. This gave it a muzzle velocity of 3750 ft/s (1,143 m/s) with the T30E16 APCR shot and could penetrate the Panther's frontal armor at up to 2600 yd (2,377.4 m). This model used a single piece 50 in (1,270 mm) long ammunition and was the only Super Pershing sent to Europe.
A second pilot tank was converted from a T26E3 and used a modified T15E2 gun that used a two piece ammunition. A total of 25 of these tanks were built and designated as the T26E4. An improved mounting removed the need for stabilizer springs
Post-war, two M26 tanks had the T54 gun installed, which had the same long gun barrel, but the ammunition cartridge was designed to be shorter and fatter, while still retaining the propellant force of the original round. They also had the muzzle brake and bore evacuator from the M3A1 gun of the M26A1 and M46. The tanks were designated as the M26E1 tank, but lack of funds cut off further production.
Post World War II
In May 1946, due to changing conceptions of the U.S. Army's tank needs, the M26 was reclassified as a medium tankMedium tank
Medium tank was a classification of tanks; the medium being intermediate in size and weight and armament between heavy tanks and light tanks.The medium tank concept has been eclipsed by the main battle tank.-History:...
. Designed as a heavy tank
Heavy tank
A heavy tank was a subset of tank that filled the heavy direct-fire role of many armies.Heavy tanks have usually been deployed to breakthrough enemy lines, though in practice have been more useful in the defensive role than in the attack...
, the Pershing was a significant upgrade from the M4 Sherman in terms of firepower and protection. On the other hand, its mobility was unsatisfactory for a medium tank (it used the same engine that powered the M4A3, which was some ten tons lighter) and its transmission was somewhat unreliable. In 1948, the M26E2 version was developed with a new powerpack. Eventually the new version was redesignated the M46 General Patton
M46 Patton
The M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
and 1,160 M26s were rebuilt to this new standard. Thus the M26 became a base of the Patton tank
Patton tank
Patton tank may refer to:*M46 Patton, a tank model operational during the Korean War*M47 Patton, a tank model in service from 1952 through 1959 with the U.S. Army, and through the mid 1990s in foreign service...
series, which replaced it in early 1950s. The M47 Patton
M47 Patton
The M47 Patton is an American medium tank, the second tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M46 Patton tank.-History:The M47 was the U.S...
was an M46 Patton with a new turret. The later M48 Patton
M48 Patton
The M48 Patton is a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the third and final tank to be officially named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle It was a...
and M60 Patton
M60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
, which saw service in later Vietnam and Mideast conflicts and still serve in active duty in many nations today, were evolutionary redesigns of the original layout set down by the Pershing.
Europe
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
against a concentrated German tank force composed of some 400 Panther tank
Panther tank
Panther is the common name of a medium tank fielded by Nazi Germany in World War II that served from mid-1943 to the end of the European war in 1945. It was intended as a counter to the T-34, and to replace the Panzer III and Panzer IV; while never replacing the latter, it served alongside it as...
s, as well as Tiger II tanks and other German armored fighting vehicles, revealed the deficiencies in the M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
s and tank destroyer
Tank destroyer
A tank destroyer is a type of armored fighting vehicle armed with a gun or missile launcher, and is designed specifically to engage enemy armored vehicles...
s on the U.S. side. On 22 December 1944, while the battle still raged, the brand new T26E3 tanks were ordered to be deployed to Europe. The unexpected German tank attack had settled the question once and for all as to whether the T26 was needed. McNair had been killed in a friendly fire incident as the result of inaccurate bombing during Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was the codename for an offensive launched by the First United States Army seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy Campaign of World War II...
, on 25 July 1944 while observing the operation. Twenty were sent in the first shipment arriving at the port of Antwerp in January 1945. They were given to the First Army, split between the Third and Ninth Armored Divisions. A total of 310 T26E3 tanks would be sent to Europe before VE Day, but only the first 20 would see any combat action.
In February 1945, General Gladeon Barnes, chief of the Research and Development section of Army Ordnance, personally led a special team to the European Theater, called the Zebra Mission. Its purpose was to support the T26E3 tanks, which still had teething problems, as well as to test other new weapons.
After training the tank crews, the T26E3 tanks were first committed to combat on 25 February, with the Third Armored Division, in the fighting for the Roer River. On 26 February, a T26E3 named Fireball was knocked out in an ambush at Elsdorf while overwatching a roadblock. Silhouetted by a nearby fire, the Pershing was in a disadvantageous position. A concealed Tiger tank fired three shots from about 100 yd (91.4 m). The first penetrated the turret through the machine gun port in the mantlet killing both the gunner and the loader. The second shot hit the gun barrel causing the round that was in the chamber to fire with the effect of distorting the barrel. The last shot glanced off the turret side taking off the upper cupola hatch. While backing up to escape the Tiger became entangled in debris and was abandoned by the crew. Fireball was quickly repaired and returned to service on 7 March.
Shortly afterwards, also at Elsdorf, another T26E3 knocked out a Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
and two Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
s. The Tiger was knocked out at 900 yd (823 m) with the 90-mm HVAP T30E16 ammunition. Photographs of this knocked out Tiger I in Hunnicutt's book showed a penetration through the front gun mantlet.
On 6 March, in the city of Cologne, a T26E3 knocked out a Panther tank in front of the Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral
Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and is a World Heritage Site...
after the Panther had knocked out at least one M4 Sherman
M4 Sherman
The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease...
. The action was recorded by a Signal Corps cameraman.
On the same day, another T26E3 was knocked out in the town of Niehl near Cologne, by an 88mm self propelled anti-tank gun
Nashorn
Nashorn , initially known as Hornisse , was a German tank destroyer of World War II. It was developed as an interim solution in 1942 and was armed with the outstanding Pak 43 anti-tank gun...
, at a range of under 300 yd (274.3 m). There were two other tank engagements involving the T26E3, with one Tiger I
Tiger I
Tiger I is the common name of a German heavy tank developed in 1942 and used in World War II. The final official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. E, often shortened to Tiger. It was an answer to the unexpectedly formidable Soviet armour encountered in the initial months of...
knocked out during the fighting around Cologne, and one Panzer IV
Panzer IV
The Panzerkampfwagen IV , commonly known as the Panzer IV, was a medium tank developed in Nazi Germany in the late 1930s and used extensively during the Second World War. Its ordnance inventory designation was Sd.Kfz...
knocked out at Mannheim.
The T26E3s with the Ninth Armored Division saw action in fighting around the Roer River with one Pershing disabled by two hits from a German 150-mm field gun.
Four T26E3s were involved in the Ninth Armored Division's dramatic dash to take the Bridge at Remagen, providing fire support to the infantry in order to take the bridgehead before the Germans could blow it up. Some of the Division's other tanks were able to cross the bridge but the T26E3s were too large and heavy to cross the damaged bridge and had to wait five days before getting across the river by barge. Europe's bridges were in general not designed for heavy loads, which had been one of the original objections to sending a heavy tank to Europe.
Super Pershing
A single Super Pershing was shipped to Europe and given additional armor to the gun mantlet and front hull by the maintenance unit before being assigned to one of the tank crews of the Third Armored Division. An account of the combat actions of this tank appeared in the war memoir Another River, Another Town, by John P. Irwin, who was the tank gunner. Zaloga described three actions in his book. On 4 April, the Super Pershing engaged and destroyed a German tank, or something resembling a tank, at a range of 1500 yd (1,371.6 m). On 12 April, the Super Pershing claimed a German tank of unknown type. On 21 April, the Super Pershing was involved in a short range tank duel with a German tank identified as a Tiger — the German tank bounced a shot off the Super Pershing's extra armor and then was knocked out by the Super Pershing with a shot to the belly. Irwin described the tank as a Tiger but Zaloga expressed skepticism that it was a Tiger. After the war, the single Super Pershing in Europe was last photographed in a vehicle dump in Kassel, Germany, and was most likely scrapped.Okinawa
In May 1945, as fierce fighting continued on the island of Okinawa, and M4 tank losses mounted, plans were made to ship the M26 Pershing tanks to that battle. A cargo ship carrying 12 Pershing tanks departed on 31 May, but the tanks were not completely offloaded on the beach at Naha, Okinawa until 4 August. By then, fighting on Okinawa had come to an end, and VJ Day followed on 15 August.Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. When the war began in June 1950, the four American infantry divisions on occupation duty in Japan had no medium tanks at all, having only one active tank company (equipped with M24 Chaffee
M24 Chaffee
The Light Tank M24 was an American light tank used during World War II and in postwar conflicts including the Korean War and with the French in the War in Algeria and First Indochina War. In British service it was given the service name Chaffee, after the United States Army General Adna R...
light tanks) each. When these divisions were sent to Korea at the end of June 1950, they soon found that the 75mm gun on the M24 could not penetrate the armor of North Korean T-34 tanks, which had no difficulty penetrating the M24's thin armor. Three M26 Pershing tanks were found in poor condition in a Tokyo ordnance depot. They were hastily brought back into operation with missing fanbelts improvised. These three M26s were formed into a provisional tank platoon commanded by Lieutenant Samuel Fowler and sent to Korea in mid-July. When used to defend the town of Chinju, the tanks soon overheated when the substitute fan belts stretched and the cooling fans stopped working, and so the only three American medium tanks in Korea were lost.
More medium tanks began arriving in Korea at the end of July 1950. Although no armored divisions were sent because the initial response from battlefield commanders was "Korea isn't good tank country", six army infantry divisions and one marine division were deployed. Each Army infantry division should have had one divisional tank battalion of 69 tanks, and each army infantry regiment should have had a company of 22 tanks; the marine division had a tank battalion of 70 gun tanks and nine combination flamethrower-howitzer tanks, and each marine infantry regiment had an antitank platoon with five tanks each. While tables of organization and equipment mandated that all tank platoon vehicles should be M26 Pershings, with howitzer tanks in company headquarters and light tanks in reconnaissance units only, some units had a shortfall that had to be filled with other tanks. The 70th Tank Battalion at Fort Knox
Fort Knox
Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
Kentucky had pulled World War II memorial M26s off of pedestals and reconditioned them for use, but had to fill out two companies with M4A3s; the 72nd Tank Battalion at Fort Lewis
Fort Lewis
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a United States military facility located south-southwest of Tacoma, Washington. The facility is under the jurisdiction of the United States Army Joint Base Garrison, Joint Base Lewis-McChord....
Washington and the 73rd Tank Battalion at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
Georgia were fully equipped with M26s; the 89th Medium Tank Battalion was constituted in Japan with three companies of reconditioned M4A3s and one of M26s from various bases in the Pacific; due to the shortage of M26s, most regimental tank companies had M4A3 Shermans instead. Two battalions detached from the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood Texas, the 6th Medium and 64th Heavy Tank Battalions, were fully equipped with M46 Patton tanks. The 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton California had all M4A3 howitzer tanks, which were replaced with M26s just days before boarding ships for Korea. A total of 309 M26 Pershings were rushed to Korea in 1950.
A 1954 survey concluded that there were in all 119 tank vs. tank actions involving U.S. Army and Marine units during the Korean War, with 97 T-34-85 tanks knocked out and another 18 probable. The M4A3E8 was involved in 50% of the tank actions, the M26 in 32%, and the M46 in 10%. The M26/M46 proved to be an overmatch for the T-34-85 as its 90mm HVAP round could punch all the way through the T-34 from the front glacis armor to the back, whereas the T-34-85 had difficulty penetrating the armor of the M26/46. The M4A3E8, firing 76mm HVAP rounds which were widely available during the Korean War (unlike WWII), was equal to the T-34-85 as both tanks could destroy each other at normal combat ranges.
After November 1950, North Korean armor was rarely encountered. China entered the conflict in February 1951 with four regiments of tanks (a mix of mostly T-34-85 tanks, a few IS-2 tanks, and other AFVs). However, because these Chinese tanks were dispersed with the infantry, tank to tank battles with UN forces were uncommon.
With the marked decrease in tank to tank actions, the automotive deficiencies of the M26 in the mountainous Korean terrain became more of a liability, and so all M26s were withdrawn from Korea during 1951 and replaced with M4A3 Shermans and M46 Pattons. The M45 howitzer tank variant was only used by the assault gun platoon of the 6th Medium Tank Battalion, and these six vehicles were withdrawn by January 1951.
Europe
After the end of World War II, US Army units on occupation duty in Germany were converted into constabulary units, a quasi-police force designed to control the flow of refugees and black marketing; combat units were converted to light motorized units and spread throughout the US occupation zone. By the summer of 1947, the army required a combat reserve to back up the thinly spread constabulary; in the following year, the 1st Infantry Division was reconstituted and consolidated, containing three regimental tank companies and a divisional tank battalion. The 1948 tables of organization and equipment for an infantry division included 123 M26 Pershing tanks and 12 M45 howitzer tanks. In the summer of 1951, three more infantry divisions and the 2nd Armored Division were sent to West Germany as a part of the NATO Augmentation Program. While M26 Pershings disappeared from Korea during 1951, tank units deploying to West Germany were equipped with them, until replaced with M47 Pattons during 1952–53. The 1952–53 tables of organization and equipment for an infantry division included 135 M47 Patton tanks replacing M26s and M45s.In 1952, the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
Army received 423 M26 and M26A1 Pershings, leased for free as part of a Mutual Defense Assistance Program, then the official designation of U.S. military aid to its allies. The tanks were mostly used to equip mobilizable reserve units of battalion strength: 2nd, 3rd and 4th Régiments de Guides/Regiment Gidsen (Belgian units have official names in both French and Dutch); 7th, 9th and 10th Régiments de Lanciers/Regiment Lansiers and finally the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Bataillon de Tanks Lourds/Bataljon Zware Tanks. However, in the spring of 1953, M26s for three months equipped the 1st Heavy Tank Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division, an active unit, before they were replaced by M47s.
In 1961, the number of reserve units was reduced and the reserve system reorganized, with the M26s equipping the 1st and 3rd Escadron de Tanks/Tank Escadron as a general reserve of the infantry arm. In 1969, all M26s were phased out.
As the U.S. Army units in West Germany reequipped with M47s in 1952-1953, France and Italy also received M26 Pershings; while France quickly replaced them with M47 Pattons, Italy continued to use them operationally through 1963.
Variants
- M26 (T26E3). M3 gun with double-baffle muzzle brakeMuzzle brakeMuzzle brakes and recoil compensators are devices that are fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire...
. Main production model. - M26A1. M3A1 gun with bore evacuatorBore evacuatorA bore evacuator is a device on the gun barrel of an armoured fighting vehicle which helps prevent poisonous propellant gases from venting back into the vehicle's fighting compartment when the gun breech is opened to load another round. Bore evacuators are most often used on large-calibre tank...
and single-baffle muzzle brake. - T26E1-1 (T26E4-1 or M26A1E2). Version armed with a T15E1 large exterior stabilizer springs single piece ammo (used in combat).
- T26E4. Experimental version armed with a long T15E2 gun two-part ammunition, improved mounting removed the need for springs.
- M26E1. Longer gun, single-part ammunition T54 gun. (post war)
- M26E2. New engine and transmission and M3A1 gun. Ended up as the M46 PattonM46 PattonThe M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S...
. (post war) - T26E2, eventually standardized for use as the Heavy Tank M45 — a close support vehicle with a 105 mm howitzerM101 howitzerThe 105 mm M2A1 howitzer was the standard light field howitzer for the United States in World War II, seeing action in both European and Pacific theaters. Entering production in 1941, it quickly entered the war against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Pacific, where it gained a reputation...
(74 rounds). - T26E5. Prototype with thicker armor — a maximum of 279 mm.
| Model | Gun | Glacis thickness (inches) | Suspension | Transmission | Engine | Tread width (inches) | Production Dates | Number Produced | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | HVSS | Torqmatic Model 30-30B | GAN | 16-9/16 | May 1943 | 1 | First test of new hydraulic torque converter transmission, which proved leaky and prone to overheating |
| T20E3 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | torsion bar | Torqmatic Model 30-30B | GAN | 18 | July 1943 | 1 | Effort to improve the ride and ground pressure |
| T22 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | HVSS | modified M4A3 Sherman | GAN | 16-9/16 | June 1943 | 2 | Reversion to the known reliable transmission of the M4 |
| T22E1 | 75mm M3 autoloader | 3 | HVSS | modified M4A3 Sherman | GAN | 16-9/16 | Aug 1943 | 1 | Test of autoloader for 76mm gun, new smaller two-man turret with only a gunner and commander, converted from a T22 tank |
| T23 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | VVSS | Electrical | GAN | 16-9/16 | Jan–Dec 1943 | 250+ |
Used same vertical volute spring suspension (VVSS) of the M4 Sherman M4 Sherman The M4 Sherman, formally Medium Tank, M4, was the primary tank used by the United States during World War II. Thousands were also distributed to the Allies, including the British Commonwealth and Soviet armies, via lend-lease... . New cast turret mounting the 76mm gun (used for the 76mm M4) |
| T23E3 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | torsion bar | Electrical | GAN | 19 | Aug. 1944 | 1 | Test of torsion bars, electrical transmission, and 19-in tracks together |
| T23E4 | 76mm M1A1 | 3 | HVSS | Electrical | GAN | 23 | late 1944 | 3 | HVSS, electrical transmission, and 23in tracks |
| T25 | 90mm T7 | 3 | HVSS | Electrical | GAN | 23 | Jan 1944 | 2 | Test of 90mm gun and electrical transmission on converted T23s. The 90mm T7 was later standardized as the 90mm M3 |
| T25E1 | 90mm M3 | 3 | HVSS | Torqmatic | GAF | 19 | Feb–May 1944 | 40 | Improved version of Model 30-30B Torqmatic transmission. The Ford GAF engine was a minor modification of the GAN engine. |
| T26 | 90mm M3 | 4 | torsion bar | Electrical | GAN | 24 | Oct 1944 | 1 | Weighed 95,100 lbs, with 90mm gun, 4" armor, electrical transmission |
| T26E1 | 90mm M3 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 24 | Feb–May 1944 | 10 | Prototype model selected for full production after testing |
| T26E2 | 105mm howitzer M4 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 24 | Jul 1945 | 185 | Standardized as M45 tank postwar |
| T26E3 / M26 | 90mm M3 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 24/23 | Nov. 1944 | 2000+ | Standardized as M26 tank in March 1945, later production had 23in tracks |
| T26E4 | 90mm T15E1, T15E2 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 24 | Nov. 1944 | 25 | "Super Pershing", the first pilot was a converted T26E1 and the only one to see combat. Its T15E1 gun used one-piece ammunition. All other T26E4s had the T15E2 with two-piece ammunition |
| T26E5 | 90mm M3 | 6 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 23 | June–July 1945 | 27 | Same idea as the M4A3E2 "Jumbo" assault tank. Uparmored T26E3, weighed 102,300 lbs. Tracks could take 5" "duckbill" extenders |
| M26E1 | 90mm T54 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 23 | after June 1945 | 2 | Improved version of "Super Pershing" high velocity 90mm gun and ammunition with short, fat propellant casing instead of very long casing. Converted from M26 tanks |
| M26E2 / M46 | 90mm M3A1 | 4 | torsion bar | Allison CD-850-1 cross-drive | Continental AV-17903-3 | 23 | 1948–1949 | 1 / 800 | Upgrade of existing M26. New compact transmission and engine with increased power to 810 hp. Improved 90mm M3 gun, with bore evacuator and other modifications. Additional conversions beyond the prototype were redesignated as the T40, then were standardized as the M46 Patton M46 Patton The M46 was a medium tank that was designed in the United States. It was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S... . A total of 800 M26 tanks were converted to the M46. |
| M26A1 | 90mm M3A1 | 4 | torsion bar | Torqmatic | GAF | 23 | 1948 | 1200? | Lack of funds postwar prevented conversion of all of the M26 tanks to the M46. Most of the remaining M26s only received a gun upgrade with the M3A1 gun. |
See also
- 240 mm T92 Howitzer Motor CarriageT92 Howitzer Motor CarriageThe 240 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T92 was self-propelled howitzer developed by the United States of America during World War II.The 240 mm M1 howitzer was mounted on a slightly modified Heavy Tank T26E3 later chassis - it used an extra bogie wheel, to bring a total of seven.A limited...
- Centurion tankCenturion tankThe Centurion, introduced in 1945, was the primary British main battle tank of the post-World War II period. It was a successful tank design, with upgrades, for many decades...
, the equivalent British tank of the same period - List of "M" series military vehicles
- G-numbers
External links
- "Tanks are Mighty Fine Things", 1946 — story of development & manufacture of tanks by Chrysler Corporation in World War II.
- Pershing Tank Packs 90-mm. Punch July 1945 Popular SciencePopular SciencePopular Science is an American monthly magazine founded in 1872 carrying articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. Popular Science has won over 58 awards, including the ASME awards for its journalistic excellence in both 2003 and 2004...
article - AFV Database
- Armour Reference Articles
- OnWar specifications
- WWII Vehicles
- M26 Pershing prototypes and variants at ww2photo.mimerswell.com
- Tank duel at the Cologne cathedral — Pershing vs. Panther