M36 tank destroyer

90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	U.S. Army Ordnance Department
Designed	1943
Manufacturer	General Motors Massey-Harris American Locomotive Company Montreal Locomotive Works
Unit cost	$51,290 (M36)
Produced	April–August 1944 October–December 1944 May 1945
No. built	2,324 (all models)
Variants	See Variants
Specifications (90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36)
Weight	63,000 lb (28.6 metric tons)
Length	19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) hull 24 ft 6 in (7.47 m) including gun
Width	10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height	10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) over antiaircraft machine gun
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver)
Armor	0.375 to 5 in (9.5 to 127 mm)
Main armament	90 mm gun M3 47 rounds
Secondary armament	.50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun 1,000 rounds
Engine	Ford GAA V8; 450 hp (336 kW) at 2,600 rpm
Power/weight	15.2 hp/metric ton
Transmission	Synchromesh 5 speeds forward, 1 reverse
Suspension	Vertical volute spring suspension (VVSS)
Fuel capacity	192 US gallons (727 litres)
Operational range	150 mi (240 km)
Speed	26 mph (42 kph) on road

The M36 tank destroyer, formally 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage, M36, was an American tank destroyer used during World War II. The M36 combined the hull of the M10 tank destroyer, which used the M4 Sherman's reliable hull and drivetrain combined with sloped armor, and a massive new turret mounting the 90 mm gun M3. Conceived in 1943, the M36 first served in combat in Europe in October 1944, where it partially replaced the M10 tank destroyer. It also saw use in the Korean War, able to defeat any of the Soviet tanks used in that conflict. Some were supplied to South Korea as part of the Military Assistance Program and served for years, as did re-engined examples found in Yugoslavia, which operated into the 1990s. Two remained in service with the Republic of China Army at least until 2001.

American soldiers usually referred to the M36 as a "TD", an initialism of "tank destroyer".

US combined arms doctrine on the eve of World War II held that tanks should be designed to fulfill the role of supporting infantry in forcing a breakthrough, and then exploiting the breakthrough to rush into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas. The anti-tank warfare mission was assigned to a new branch, the Tank Destroyer Force. Tank destroyer units were meant to counter German blitzkrieg tactics. Tank destroyer units were to be held as a reserve at the corps or army level, and were to move quickly to the site of any massed enemy tank breakthrough, maneuvering aggressively and using ambush tactics to destroy enemy tanks. Tank destroyers were explicitly not supposed to charge or chase enemy tanks. This led to a requirement for very fast, well-armed vehicles. Though equipped with turrets (unlike most self-propelled anti-tank guns of the day), the typical American design was more heavily gunned, but more lightly armored, and thus more maneuverable, than a contemporary tank. The idea was to use speed and agility as a defense, rather than thick armor, to bring a powerful self-propelled gun into action against enemy tanks.