The War Tank Thread (a collection of articles and photos)

[Kazimiera]

Tank Profile: The M26 Pershing – The First American Heavy Tank To Enter Service

Source: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/mili...service-x.html



As the Second World War was coming to its end, the technologies on the battlefields of Europe were becoming more and more complex. The tank industry especially saw an incredible development, as the pre-war models seemed like medieval war machines opposed to the sophisticated armored beasts introduced in 1944 and 1945.

One of the late-war tanks that tasted first blood on the battlefields of western Europe was the M26 Pershing. Named after the famous American general, John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I, this was the first US-produced heavy tank.


T25E1 variant – one of Pershing’s prototypes

But only a small number of Pershing tanks participated in combat in Europe, as the Pershing only entered service in 1944. The reason why this model’s production was delayed was partly due to the US doctrine to use tank destroyers rather than heavy tanks. This strategy was strongly advocated by some members of the general staff of the US Army.

Another reason for the late introduction of an American heavy tank was the mass production of M4 Shermans which flooded the front in Europe. These were considered capable of overcoming the German tanks with numerical superiority alone.

The M26 was, in fact, a final product of a series of prototypes developed as early as 1942. The final version was equipped with a 90 mm gun, with its secondary armament being a two Browning .30 cal and one .50 cal. machine gun. Its armor was 102 mm thick at its upper hull, with 76 mm on the lower hull. The hull sides varied from 50 to 75 mm.


An M26 Pershing fires at German positions across the Rhine

The Pershing’s most notable appearances in combat in Europe include the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Remagen, which resulted in the unexpected capture of the Ludendorff Bridge over the Rhine.

As the US Army faced an armada consisted of 400 Panther and Tiger II tanks, it became apparent that the Shermans and tank destroyers were no matches to a force of state-of-the-art German Panzers with veteran crews that combined firepower, mobility, and speed to dominate the battlegrounds.

With the Pershing, the Americans could finally match the German armored vehicles which proved technologically superior in prior battles. Soon the Pershing proved its worth, as it was able to knock out Panthers and Tigers alike. One such encounter, in which an M26 destroyed a Panther while moving, was documented by Tec. Sgt. Jim Bates.

After WWII, the M26 Pershing used in Korea against the North Korean T-34-85 tanks with limited success. Even though the Pershing proved to be superior to the Soviet-made T-34, the Korean Peninsula was difficult terrain to stage large-scale tank battles, and all tank encounters were small skirmishes.

Nevertheless, the M26 tanks delivered to the UN forces in Korea participated in 32 % of all tank-to-tank skirmishes, with a significant number of kills. The tank was retired from the service in 1951 and replaced by the M46 Patton.

[Kriptc06]

Some panzer ladas

[Kazimiera]

The American M18 Hellcat Was The Fastest and The Deadliest Allied Tank Destroyer In WW2

Source: http://www.warhistoryonline.com/mili...destroyer.html


A privately-owned M18 Hellcat, in reasonable operating condition.

Apart from being the most effective American tank destroyer during WWII, the M18 Hellcat also held a speed record in the US tank arsenal until the development of the M1 Abrams, decades later.

The Hellcat accomplished great speeds (50 mph, or 80 km/h) due to its extremely light armor which was never more than one inch thick (25 mm). It also had a roofless turret. Together with the M4 Sherman-based M10 tank destroyer, and the highly efficient, 90mm gun-armed M36 tank destroyer, the Hellcat served in all American theaters of world war 2 – both in Europe and the Pacific.


M18 Hellcat of the 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion in action at Wiesloch, Germany, April 1945.

Armed with a 76 mm gun, the Hellcat wasn’t quite adequate for all enemy armor, especially late-war German designs, but it held on bravely and managed to become one of the iconic Allied tank destroyers of the time.

It was produced in 1943 by the Buick Motor Company of General Motors, on orders from the Ministry of Defence, which was keen on forming the Tank Destroyer Force. What they needed was a vehicle that was faster and better armed than a tank, but with weaker armor, so it would be able to move quickly, set up ambushes and support armored attacks.

After a series of prototypes, the M18 Hellcat was finally ready for mass production. It ran on an R-975 radial engine and utilized a torsion bar suspension that provided a steady ride.

The Hellcat first saw action at Anzio in Italy. About the same time, some Hellcats were sent to the Chinese Army, which fought the Japanese invasion. The tank destroyer played a key role in the battlefields of France, Belgium, and Germany in 1944. By this time, the Germans were already using Panthers on a regular basis, which was one of Hellcat’s main concerns.


M-39 Carrier Variant in Korea

Near Nancy, France, a battle occurred after which the Panther tank lost its credibility as an unbeatable opponent. On September 19, 1944, a Tank Destroyer Force Unit knocked out 15 Panthers and lost only three Hellcats.

During the Battle of the Bulge, the Hellcats’s speed proved vital on several occasions and its firepower contributed significantly in repelling the German invasion.

After World War II, many M18s were sold to other countries. Yugoslavia, China, and Venezuela, to name a few, used Hellcats for an extended period, keeping the tank destroyer in reserve up until the 1990s.

Hellcats were shipped to Asia, to be part of the conflict that occurred between North and South Korea, almost immediately after the Second World War.


Armored Utility Vehicle M39 in Korea, 1952.

An M18s variant produced in significant numbers was the M39 Armored Utility Vehicle, a turretless variation used to transport personnel or cargo or as a gun tractor. This version was armed with a single M2 machine gun on a flexible mount. Early production M18s were converted into M39s by removing the turret and fitting seats for up to eight men in the open fighting space. This variant proved very useful during the Korean conflict, as it served as an APC, medical evacuation vehicle, or an armored ammunition carrier.

Check out the video for some awesome modern footage of the Hellcat in action: