Global Firepower | Military Industrial Complex | Second World War History
Home | Military Pay Scale Chart | Infantry Weapons | Military Aircraft | Vehicles | Navy Ships | Military Education | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | French Military Victories
Military Factory Latest from Military Factory
Thumbnail picture of the Arado Ar TEW 16/43-19
Arado TEW 16/43-19
Thumbnail picture of the Winchester Model 1866 Rifle
Winchester Model 1866
Thumbnail picture of the HMAS Brisbane destroyer
HMAS Brisbane
Thumbnail picture of the Henry Model 1860 Rifle
Henry Model 1860
Thumbnail picture of the USNS Henson survey ship
USNS Henson
Thumbnail picture of the FGS Schleswig-Holstein destroyer
Schleswig-Holstein
2010 Military Pay Scale Chart - for Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines
  BY DECADE
    · 1910 to 1919
    · 1920 to 1929
    · 1930 to 1939
    · 1940 to 1949
    · 1950 to 1959
    · 1960 to 1969
    · 1970 to 1979
    · 1980 to 1989
    · 1990 to 1999
    · 2000 and Beyond
    · View All
  BY TYPE
    · 4-Wheeled
    · 6-Wheeled
    · 8-Wheeled
    · Anti-Aircraft
    · Anti-Tank
    · APCs
    · Halftracks
    · Heavy Tanks
    · IFVs
    · Light Tanks
    · Main Battle Tanks
    · Medium Tanks
    · Recon Vehicles
    · Special Purpose
    · SPGs
    · Towed Artillery
    · Utility Vehicles
  WORLD WAR 2
    · Full List
    · Tanks
    · IFVs
    · Tank Destroyers
    · Australia
    · Britain
    · Canada
    · France
    · Germany
    · Italy
    · Japan
    · Soviet Union
    · USA
  WORLD WAR 1
    · Full List
    · Artillery
    · France
    · Imperial Germany
    · United Kingdom
    · United States
    · Tanks
  KOREAN WAR
    · Full List
  VIETNAM WAR
    · Full List

MilitaryFactory > Armored Vehicles > M26 Pershing
 
 
More Pictures QuickGraphs Chassis Types CompareX2 Acronyms

M26 Pershing

The M26 Pershing was developed to counter the Panzer scourge in WW2 but arrived too late in the war to be of much tactical use.
By Staff Writer

Bookmark and Share

The M-26 was developed near the end of World War II and named after World War One General John J Pershing of the American Expeditionary Force. The M26 Pershing had a slow and arduous beginning, when the need for a heavy tank was not in the priorities of the US Army. Instead, efforts were relegated to production of the M3 Stuart Light Tanks and M4 Sherman Medium Tanks. It was not until the debut of the German Panther and Tiger series of tanks on the battlefields of Europe that the need for a heavily armed - and armored - weapons system came to bear.

Considerable effort was then made to develop a gun system capable of competing with the German counterparts. The result was the M26 Pershing armed with a 90mm main gun (nearly on par with the German '88') and heavily armored overall. It was the closest weapon that the Allies would field that was akin to the German Panther in terms of firepower and crew survivability.

The M26 Pershing arrived too late to be of any effective use (overall) in the European Theater but a few (roughly 200) saw service with the 3rd and 9th Armored Divisions. At least 100 were kept in reserve as well.

The mammoth M26 Pershings would be part of the armored column that would cross the Remagen Bridge over the Rhine River and into Germany with the 9th Armored. About 20 M26's were reported to have seen any action at all. Ten M26's were also shipped out to the Pacific Theater for action in Okinawa, though arriving too late to be of any effective tactial use.

This was not the end of the line for the M26, however. It would go on to see extensive combat in the Korean War and, for the most part, handle the Soviet-Built T34/85, credited with destroying half of all T34's destroyed in that war (modified 76mm M4 Shermans accounted for the other half).

Post-war use saw a great number stationed throughout Europe with NATO through the Cold War. Many alternative variants were devised, though some, like the self-propelled gun platform, not used by the US Army.

The M26 Pershing would later be reclassified as a Medium Tank and become the blueprint for tanks such as the M46, M47, M48 Patton and M60 Main Battle Tanks. The M47 was merely a base M26 Pershing with a new engine, transmission and main gun.

History text ©2003-2010 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Without Permission • Corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com

Last Updated: 11/21/2009

 

  Specifications for the M26 Pershing
arrow downDimensions:
Length: 28.38ft (8.65m)
Width:11.52ft (3.51m)
Height: 9.12ft (2.78m)

arrow downStructure:
Accommodation: 5
Weight:46.3US Short Tons (42,000kg; 92,594lbs)

arrow downPerformance:
Speed: 25mph (40km/h)
Range: 100miles (161km)

arrow downSystems:
NBC Protection: None
Nightvision: None

arrow downPower:
Engine(s): 1 x Ford GAF 8-cylinder gasoline engine generating 500hp.

arrow downArmament Suite:

1 x 90mm main gun
1 x 12.7mm machine gun
2 x 7.62mm machine guns

AMMUNITION:
70 x 90mm projectiles
550 x 12.7mm ammunition
5,000 x 7.62mm ammunition


More Pictures QuickGraphs Chassis Types CompareX2 Acronyms

  Special Armored Vehicles Collections

By Nation:
Afghanistan Tanks
American Tanks
British Tanks
Iran Tanks
Iraq Tanks
Israeli Tanks
Russian Tanks

Miscellaneous:
Cold War Tanks
Modern Tanks


  Recent Armored Vehicle Additions
Thumbnail picture of the Rodman 20-inch cannon
Rodman 20-inch
Thumbnail picture of the M-46 field gun
M-46 / M1954
Thumbnail picture of the SA-9 Gaskin air defense system
SA-9 Gaskin

  Contacting MilitaryFactory.com
We can only get better if you tell us how. You can contact MilitaryFactory.com at MilitaryFactory at gmail dot com (replace "at" with "@" and "dot with ".") with any questions, comments or corrections. We also accept related military imagery that you approve for us to use on our website. Keep in mind, however, that due to volume, we may not directly respond to your inquiry. Please add us to your list of non-blocked recipients!

  Armored Vehicle Quick Profile




Image Courtesy of the United States Department of Defense.


flag of United States
1945
Designation: M26 Pershing
Classification Type: Heavy Tank
Contractor:

Country of Origin: United States
Number Built: 2,212

Operators: Belgium; Italy; United States


  Variants
M26 - Base production model with split muzzle brake.

M26A1 - Upgraded main gun with single muzzle brake.

M26A1E2 - Longer barrel main gun (prototype)

M26E1 - Longer barrel main gun (prototype)

M26E2 - New powerpack and upgraded transmission. Would go on to become the M46 Patton Main Battle Tank.

T26E2 - Close support variant (would become M45 Heavy Tank with 105mm Howitzer).

T26E5 - Heavy armor protoype

  Collections
  • Tanks of World War 2
  • Armor of the Persian Gulf War
  • Towed Artillery Reigns
  • Armor of the Vietnam War
  • Tanks of World War 1
  • Armor of the Korean War
  • World War 2 Tank Destroyers

     

Top MF Stuff: 2010 Military Pay Scale Chart | Military Ranks | World War 2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Conversion Calculators


Site Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Site Map | MF Origins

©2010 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2010 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com (replace "at" with "@" and "dot" with ".")

eXTReMe Tracker

Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams

Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.