Chapter 5 Weapons

109

M36 Tank Destroyer

Weight 28,120 kg (62,004 lbs)

Maximum speed 48 km/h (29.8 mph)

Main gun 90 mm (3.54 in.)

Armor 12 to 50 mm (0.47 to 1.97 in.)

The Gun Motor Carriage M36 tank destroyer was the most powerful American antitank weapon of World War II. Its modified 90-mm high-velocity antiaircraft gun, in a newly designed turret, ended the reign of the German “88” as the dominant antitank gun of the war in Europe. Mounted on the Sherman M4A3 tank chassis, the big gun and its armor-piercing rounds proved more than a match for German Panther and Tiger tanks, even at long ranges. A variant model (the M36B2) mounted the new M36 turret and 90-mm gun on otherwise unmodified M4A3 Sherman tanks. The M36 soon superseded the successful M10 tank destroyer and established an impressive record against enemy armor.

Jagdpanther (“Hunting Panther”)

Tank Destroyer

Weight 46,000 kg (101,200 lbs) Maximum speed 46 km/h (28 mph) Main gun 88 mm (3.46 in.)

Armor 25 to 100 mm (0.98 to 3.94 in.)

The Jagdpanther tank destroyer, introduced just in time for deployment against the Allied invasion in Normandy in mid-1944, combined two formidable weapons: the Panther tank chassis and the very powerful Pak 43 88-mm antitank gun. The Jagdpanther could maneuver rapidly across most types of terrain, and it could stand off a thousand meters or more and destroy enemy tanks while remaining out of range of most antitank weapons. In the hedgerow country of Normandy, however, Jagdpanthers could not use these capabilities to best advantage. Some tank battalions used Jagdpanthers instead of tanks, but as with most self-propelled artillery, the limited traverse of the main gun proved to be a liability.

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Microsoft Close Combat manual M36 Tank Destroyer, Jagdpanther Hunting Panther Tank Destroyer