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CadetBrick — U.S. M26 Pershing Heavy Tank
Published: 2012-05-20 21:26:28 +0000 UTC; Views: 1980; Favourites: 4; Downloads: 60
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Unfortunately, the M26 Pershing arrived too few and too late to have any real impact on WWII. By 1945, Germany's military machine was a spent force. Reports do exist however of a Pershing successfully engaging and knocking out a German King Tiger.Related content
Comments: 5
Although the M26 did arrive too late to be used in WW2, it performed outstanding in Korea with its variant M46 Patton. The vehicle was later developed to M48 and M60 Patton.
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Yes! Very good! Thank you for mentioning this valuable history!
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Welcome. Those facts should be mentioned, since I heard that the myth about "Allied weapons from WW2 being inferior to German and Bolshevik ones" has been too much widespread and it needs to be explained.
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Well... Both sides had different strengths and weaknesses. The US was a bit behind at first. For example, the Sherman Tank was initially inferior to German tanks due to its high profile, low velocity barrel, and the highly flammable gas tank (I believe the Germans nicknamed them "Ronsons," like the lighter brand).
By late 1943 and 1944, the Germans had upgraded Pz IVs, Panthers, and in limited numbers Tiger I's. These tanks were of higher quality and more effective than the US Sherman tank, but of much fewer numbers than the Sherman. The US was successful against the Germans due to sheer numbers and also superior air power.
Russia had a similar principle and designed their tanks, such as the T-34, to be super simple, and super fast to build. While perhaps lower engineering quality than say a German Tiger I for example, the strategy worked.
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I do know much about German and Soviet weapons, hence we were occupied by the Nazis between 1939 and 1945 and by the Soviets from 1939 till 1989.
The nickname "Ronson" matches early M4, M4A1 and M4A3, the improved M4A3E2 and M4A3E8 Shermans had wet stowage bins, that stopped fire much better than dry stowage bins in older variants. Besides, M4A3E8 was armed with improved 76mm M1A2 anti-tank gun with HVAP rounds, that performed at least same good as German PaK 40/KwK 40 75mm gun.
You forgot about infantry means of anti-tank defense, such as Bazooka or PIAT, that could knock down even PzKpfW V Panther when aimed properly. German RPzB 43/54 Panzerschreck was developed from M1 Bazooka.
Bolshevik strategies worked only, because they had too much natural resources and slave workforce. On the other hand, I read that their 76mm F-34 and Ł-11 guns mounted in T-34/76 had much worse ballistic parameters than German PaK 40/ KwK 40 or American M1, not to mention the British 17-pounder. Russian 85mm guns used in T-34/85, JS-1 and KV-85 were almost as potent as 88mm FlaK 36, but less accurate. And the 122mm gun mounted in JS-2, JS-3 and JS-4 had slow rate of fire and lacked the accuracy of German 88mm Pak 43.
Also the armor of Russian tanks has always been vulnerable to American HVAP rounds and British APDS ones, especially those developed after WW2.
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