M36 tank destroyer
| 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 | |
|---|---|
 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2 | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 29 tonnes (64,000 lb) |
| Length | 7.46 m (24.5 ft) (w/ gun) 5.97 m (19.6 ft) (w/o gun) |
| Width | 3.05 m (10 ft) |
| Height | 3.28 m (10.8 ft) |
| Crew | 5 (Commander, (3x) gun crew, driver) |
The 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American tank destroyer in World War II. It was known as the Jackson or Slugger.
History
With the advent of heavy German armor such as the Panther and Tiger, the standard U.S. tank destroyer, the 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 (Wolverine), was rapidly becoming obsolete, because its main armament, the 3in M7 gun, was not powerful enough to engage these new tanks. This was foreseen however, and in September 1942 American engineers had begun designing a new tank destroyer armed with the M3 90 mm gun.
The M36 was the result. On the M10A1 hull a new turret was mounted, with the 90 mm M3 gun and a .50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun in an AA mount. Like all US tank destroyers, the turret was open-topped to save weight and provide better observation. To provide some protection from shell fragments, a folding armored roofkit was developed. The M36 had a large bustle at the rear of its turret which provided a counterweight to its large gun. Inside, eleven additional rounds of ammunition were stored.
It was not until September 1944 that the vehicle first began to appear in the European Theater of Operations, and only around 1,400 M36s were produced during the war. The need for 90 mm gunned tank destroyers was so urgent that, in the fall of 1944, about 300 conversions of standard Medium Tank M4 hulls were done. These vehicles, designated M36B1, were rushed to Europe and used in combat alongside standard M36s. The M36 was well liked by its crews, being one of the few armored fighting vehicles available to Americans that could take out heavy German tanks from a distance.
Post World War II, the M36 further served in the Korean War, and they proved to be able to destroy any Soviet-made AFV. One of the various field conversions in Korea was attaching a hull machine gun on the co-driver's side as in many other armoured fighting vehicles of the time.
M36 Jacksons were also exported after World War II to various countries. One of the recipients was Yugoslavia where the engine was replaced with the 500 hp Soviet-made diesel engine used in T-55 main battle tanks. Yugoslavian M36s participated in the independence struggle of Croatia (1991–1995) but they are no longer in service with the Croatian Armed Forces due to their withdrawal immediately after the war. They were also supplied as part of US Military Aid to Pakistan in the 1950s and served in the 1965 war.
Variants
- M36
- 90 mm gun turret on 3" GMC M10A1 hull (M4A3 chassis). (1,298 produced/converted)
- M36B1
- 90 mm gun turret on Medium Tank M4A3 hull and chassis. (187 produced/converted).
- M36B2
- 90 mm gun turret on 3" GMC M10 hull (M4A2 chassis, diesel). (287 produced/converted)
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