Challenge: Have the M26 Pershing as the US' Primary Tank

Sior

Banned
The T25 Medium tank was the intended Sherman replacement. It had the same 90mm gun as the M26, was lighter at 30 tons, with the same engine. It was more reliable, faster, and would fit existing LCraft and transports.
The Army did'n want it, because they had an unjustified faith in the 76mm gun then being integrated into the Sherman, and underestimated the impact of the Panthers and Tigers.
A small series was built and not used on operations.
It can be though of as a US equivalent of the T34/85...
A sherman with a 17pdr integrated into the larger turret of the 76mm versions would have been another solution to the panther problem. The israelis modified their Shermans along those lines.

The British did it was called the Firefly!
 
Yep, and is one hell of a tank killer.... But the 17 pounder have a bad HE shell - that is only fixed in late WWII.
The 17 Pounder is even better than the 75/l70 of the panther or the 88/l56 of the tiger as a pure AT gun.
A great number of Panzer V / VI killed in ETO are by Firefly's - the best tank vs tank the WAllies have at the time by far....
 
Yep, and is one hell of a tank killer.... But the 17 pounder have a bad HE shell - that is only fixed in late WWII.
The 17 Pounder is even better than the 75/l70 of the panther or the 88/l56 of the tiger as a pure AT gun.
A great number of Panzer V / VI killed in ETO are by Firefly's - the best tank vs tank the WAllies have at the time by far....

Sorry, 90mm HVAP is better then the 17lbr APDS and it has an effective HE shell.
 
The T-34 was a POS. Several samples were sent to the U.S. for comparison studies and the reports were quite an eye opener. Death Traps doesn't even begin to describe the T-34.

The Panther only had the gun going for it. Everything else about it was a joke and Sherman crews massacred them.

No, the T-34 really was one of the best-all around tanks of the war. Individual tanks of its sort put quite the fright into the Germans, and it's forgotten that not only did the USSR have a lot of US logistical aid in the end of WWII, but they had the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iosif_Stalin_tank as well as Ilyushin Fighter Bombers. German tanks suffered as did most Axis logistics from the complete inability of Nazi leaders to grasp Logistics 101. The Allies won from focusing on the whole panoply of modern warfare, not on single wonder-weapons to add diamonds to a great, stinking POS.
 
Which puts it at over a year later than the 17 pdr.

Wrong, the Firefly entered service in May 44.

Or are we now going to compare it to something else?

The towed 17lb was first used in Feb 43. At that time, the US had the 3" gun on the M10 (SP) and M5 (towed) tank destroyers. Both of which were perfectly capable of handling the Tiger.

In 14 recorded engagements, US Tank destroyers went 22:3 against the Panther.
In 30 recorded engagements, US Shermans went 72:21 against Panthers
In 2 recorded engagements, US Shermans killed 2 Tigers for no losses.

The M26's combat history in WWII recorded 6 kills against 3 lost in combat.
The 'Super Pershing' added 3 more, but would have been destroyed if not for the extra armor on the turret.
 
Wrong, the Firefly entered service in May 44.

Or are we now going to compare it to something else?

The towed 17lb was first used in Feb 43. At that time, the US had the 3" gun on the M10 (SP) and M5 (towed) tank destroyers. Both of which were perfectly capable of handling the Tiger.

In 14 recorded engagements, US Tank destroyers went 22:3 against the Panther.
In 30 recorded engagements, US Shermans went 72:21 against Panthers
In 2 recorded engagements, US Shermans killed 2 Tigers for no losses.

The M26's combat history in WWII recorded 6 kills against 3 lost in combat.
The 'Super Pershing' added 3 more, but would have been destroyed if not for the extra armor on the turret.

The Pershing's less than stellar performance is probably because they were used in the most dangerous situations; after all, that is what they were for.
 
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