Self-defense was solved by the installation of a trainable 12.7mm Browning M2HB heavy machine gun. This weapon system fired large caliber, armor-piercing ammunition with a good rate-of-fire and could be suitable against formations of enemy infantry (as suppression or direct attack), light vehicles or low-flying enemy aircraft. 1,000 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition was carried aboard.
The M36 shared a similar external appearance to the M10 before it. The hull was not unlike the Sherman though sporting side superstructure panels that angled inwards towards the hull roof line. "Pioneer" tools could be stowed along the side panels of the vehicle during transport. The glacis plate was well sloped to provide for some basic ballistics protection at the front. The engine was fitted to the rear as was the track idler with the drive sprocket to the front of the vehicle. The track system was decidedly Sherman with its paired road wheel bogies but the turret design was of an all-new approach, more akin to the angled sides of the M10. The turret sported a rounded shape along the sides with a heavy armored gun mantlet at the base of the long-barreled gun system. The gun could also be capped with a double-baffled muzzle brake to counter recoil.
Power for the M36 frame was supplied by a Ford GAA 8-cylidnder gasoline-fueled engine delivering 450 horsepower output (the M36B2 sported a diesel engine). This translated to a top speed of 26 miles per hour with an operational range of 150 miles in ideal conditions. The powerplant was coupled with a synchromesh transmission system allowing five forward and one reverse speed settings. The vehicle was crewed by five personnel made up of the driver, tank commander, gun layer and two ammunition handlers. The turret-mounted 12.7mm defensive machine gun could be manned by any of the turret crew as only the driver sat segregated in a compartment at the front-left of the hull. However, he was the only crew member protected from small arms fire and the elements. The rest of the operating crew resided in the turret.
The vehicle stood at over 10 feet tall which promoted a tempting target to the enemy. She weighed in at nearly 28 tons, making her a heavy and somewhat cumbersome beast for finesse maneuvering through woods or village streets. The chassis was suspended by the typical-Sherman Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS) system as in the M10 series.
In action, the M36 series acquitted itself rather well for being a hastily generated M4 Sherman conversion offspring. It offered up the necessary firepower for the current battlefield requirement and was available in enough numbers to make a difference in many European engagements. Of course the type was outshined by the arrival of the M18 "Hellcat" tank destroyer models which proved to be light, fast, agile, reliable and adequately armed for the role. Towards the end of the war, use of dedicated tank destroyer battalions ended as such vehicles were now being issued to regular mechanized groups, fighting alongside combat tanks and infantry units. In this role, they could also serve as assault guns and self-propelled artillery while benefitting from aerial cover provided by Allied strike aircraft. The tank destroyer in US Army doctrine, therefore, died with the end of the war in 1945.
Beyond combat actions in World War 2, the M36 went on to see extended service in the upcoming Korean War which proved to be a mish-mash of World War 2-era and Cold War-era weapons for all sides. In the conflict, the M36 fared well against the highly-touted Soviet T-34 medium tanks that so soundly repelled the German invasion in World War 2 along the East Front. Additional combat was seen through foreign parties in the 1st Indochina War, the Indo-Pak War of 1965 and - much later - in the Croatian War of Independence and the Bosnian War of the 1990s - an amazing testament to the M36's design and ultimate global reach.
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