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I was surfing around and found this interesting story of 3AD's use of the 'Super Pershing'.



I wasn't sure if anyone had seen this.

Click on 'WWII' shortcut to link to more information:
3rd Armored Division

Would love to see some pics of the production T26E4 at the First Division Museum at Cantigny in Illinois - believe thats the only one left?

Neil

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What were the big differences between a regular M26 and a "Super Pershing"? These are pictures of the M26 Pershing here at Fort Irwin. It is serial number S893, USA number W-30127639. It was being used as a range target at Eglin AFB in the early 90's before making its way here. According to research, this M26 was built May-June 1945, possibly before VE day on 8 May 45.
OK tankers, correct me if I'm wrong, (I'm sure you would anyway, haha).The main area of operations for the M26 was in Europe in February 1945, where 200 were used against Germany, and it saw limited use in the pacific. M26's were used extensively in Korea from 1950 onwards. The M26 served as a model for later tanks such as the M46, 48, and 60 series, and it can even be said that the M26 served as the foundation for the dominant M-1 MBT.

- Dontos

Click on 'WWII' shortcut to link to more information:
3rd Armored Division

Interesting site. I looked around for anything that might have been authored by Irving ("Irv") Kimmel. Irv was the director of the Photo & Graphics Branch of the Armor Board at Ft. Knox when I was with that unit, and as a diving instructor, also the director of our Safty & Salvage Dive activities when we did vehicle swimming or fording exercises.

I didn't realize until years later that he is also the author of a history of the 3rd AD in WWII, and I suspect was in the unit during the war. Don't know what's become of him....

SFC Button, like the 3d Armor's website says, the T26E4 "Super Pershings" were armed with the 73-caliber 90 mm guns T15E1 or T15E2 (the latter using separate-loading ammunition). These could hole a Panther frontally from 2600 yards away. The single T26E4 that made it to Europe had extra armor welded to it in-theater. There is apparently some controversy regarding the T26E4 vs. Tiger Ausf.B battle, however.

And FWIW, M26 begat M46 which begat M47, but M48 was a new design which begat M60.

- SFC_Jeff_Button

What were the big differences between a regular M26 and a "Super Pershing"?

I guess that depends on how wide you use the term "Super Pershing." In general, the T26E4s were fitted with the longer barrel T15E1 90mm gun (which had two-piece ammo). Two temporary pilots were built, one of which was sent to Europe and described in the link Don provided. In addition, that particular tank later sported additional armor from destroyed Panther (sorry, not Tiger) tanks...

A further 25 production T26E4s were produced. The pilots had external recoil springs, whereas the production ones had the recoil springs internal to the turret.

There were also two M26E1 pilots produced later that had long-barrel T54 90mm guns that could fire one-piece ammo.

In theory all of these could be called Super Pershings, but in general that refers to the single pilot that went to Europe at the end of WWII.

Neil

The Super Pershing was pretty well covered in the excellent but flawed memoir "Death Traps". Mainly, the author was the guy who actually welded the extra armor onto the tank! His recollection of the Super Pershing (claimed to have 'Christie' suspension) vs Tiger incident was, if I recall rightly myself, that some big German tank was destroyed but the advancing column continued forward without the distant target being positively identified.

The book Another River, Another Town by John Irwin also details the travels of the ETO Super Pershing, as Irwin was its gunner. He does describe taking out a Tiger in Dessau in the book, but mentions nowhere in his text whether it was an Ausf.E or B. Other researchers have been unable to corroborate the fact that any King Tigers--or other German tanks--were around Dessau at the time Irwin gives, so there are two sides to the story apparently...

- Neil_Baumgardner

- SFC_Jeff_Button

What were the big differences between a regular M26 and a "Super Pershing"?

I guess that depends on how wide you use the term "Super Pershing." In general, the T26E4s were fitted with the longer barrel T15E1 90mm gun (which had two-piece ammo). Two temporary pilots were built, one of which was sent to Europe and described in the link Don provided. In addition, that particular tank later sported additional armor from destroyed Tiger tanks...

Here's the Super Pershing as modified:



And Zaloga's take on it:



Here's a production T26E4



Neil