M26 Pershing

M26 Pershing
A Pershing tank of the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War in 1950.
Type	Heavy tank
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1945–early 1950s
Wars	World War II, Korean War
Production history
Manufacturer	Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant Fisher Tank Arsenal
Unit cost	$83,273
Produced	1944–1945
No. built	2212
Specifications
Weight	46 short tons (41.7 t)
Length	20 ft 9.5 in (6.337 m) (turret facing aft) 28 ft 4.5 in (8.649 m) (turret facing forward)
Width	11 ft 6 in (3.51 m)
Height	9 ft 1.5 in (2.78 m)
Crew	5 (Commander, Gunner, loader, driver, co-driver)
Armor	(T26E3) Upper hull = 102 mm Lower hull and turret sides= 76 mm Hull sides = 50 to 75 mm
Main armament	90 mm Gun M3 70 rounds
Secondary armament	2× Browning .30-06 5,000 rounds 1× Browning .50 cal. 550 rounds
Engine	Ford GAF; 8-cylinder, gasoline 450–500 hp (340–370 kW)
Power/weight	11.9hp (8.9 kW) / tonne
Suspension	torsion bar
Operational range	100 mi (160 km)
Speed	25 mph (40 km/h) (road) 5.25 mph (8.45 km/h)(off-road)

(T26E3) Upper hull = 102 mm
Lower hull and turret sides= 76 mm

The Pershing was a heavy tank of the United States Army. The tank is named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in World War I. It was briefly used in the final months of World War II and extensively during the Korean War.

Intended as a replacement of the M4 Sherman, the prolonged time of development meant that only a small number saw combat in the European theater, most notably in the 9th Armored Division's dramatic dash to take the Ludendorff Bridge during the Battle of Remagen. Based on the criteria of firepower, mobility, and protection, R. P. Hunnicutt ranked the Pershing second, behind the German Panther medium tank, but ahead of the Tiger I heavy tank. In service during the Korean War, the M26 overmatched the T-34-85 in terms of firepower and protection, but was challenged by the hilly and muddy terrain, and as a result was withdrawn in 1951 in favor of its improved derivative, the M46 Patton, which had a considerably more powerful and reliable engine as well as an advanced and improved suspension to better meet the demands of the specific terrain it operated in. The lineage of the M26 continued with the M47 Patton, and was reflected in the new designs of the later M48 Patton and M60 Patton. (Despite being commonly labeled as "Patton", the M60 series was not officially named as such.)

The M26 was the culmination of a series of medium tank prototypes that began with the T20 in 1942 and represented a significant design departure from the previous line of U.S. Army tanks that had ended with the M4 Sherman; a number of design features were tested in the various prototypes, some of which were experimental dead-ends, but many of which would become permanent characteristics of subsequent modern U.S. Army tanks. The prototype series began as a medium tank upgrade of the M4 Sherman and ended as the U.S. Army's first operational "heavy" tank.