M36 Jackson

The M36 Jackson was a American Hunter of tanks used during the Second world war. Also known under the name of Slugger , its official name is the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 or motorized mounting of 90 mm M36 .

History

With the arrival on the battle field of German tanks strongly armor-plated like the Panther or the Tiger, the hunter of American tank standard M10 Wolverine quickly became exceeded because its principal armament, the M7 gun of 76,2 mm was not sufficiently powerful to be opposed successfully to these new tanks. This however had been envisaged and, as of September 1942, the American engineers had begun the study of a hunter of more powerful tank, combining the frame of M10 with a new turret armed with a gun m3 of 90 Misters.

One mounted on the hull of the M10-A1 a new turret accommodating the gun m3 of 90 mm and a coaxial machine-gun. As it was the case for all the hunters of American tanks, the turret was upwards open in order to gain weight and to facilitate the observation. To provide a certain protection to the glares of shell, one designed a collapsible roof for the turret. M36 had large covering with the back of the turret which had the aim of being used as counterweight with its massive gun. It was possible to store 11 shells inside this extension.

It was not before September 1944 that the vehicle started to appear on the theater of operations in Europe and only: Approximately 1400 M36 were produced during the war. The need for a tank destroyer armed with a gun with 90 mm was so urgent that one developed also, fine 1944, a series of 300 specimens of M36-B1, from which the case was derived from the tank M4 Sherman.

The two versions served side by side, at the time of the last phases of the war in Europe. The vehicle was very appreciated of its crews, because it was one of rare able to engage a German heavy tank at a comfortable distance. It was used thereafter during the Guerre as Korea, where it appeared able to put out of combat any Soviet armoured tank .

One of the modifications which it undergoes on the ground consisted, as for many of other combat armored vehicles at the time, to mount a machine-gun on the hull on the side of the copilot.

After the war, of M36 Jackson were also exported towards various countries. One of the purchasers was the Yugoslavia where the engine was replaced by the diesel engine V-2 of Soviet 500 ch d' origin used in the tank T-55. M36 Yugoslavians took part in the fight for the independence carried out by the Croatia (1991-1995) but are not any more in service in the Croatian armed forces because of their withdrawal of the service immediately after the war. They were also provided to the Pakistan under American military aid in the years 1950 and were used in the war of 1965.

Versions

M36: Turret with gun of 90 mm on hull GMC M10A1 (frame M4A3) -: 1298 converted products/
M36-B1: Turret with gun of 90 mm on hull and frame of tank M4A3 - 187 converted products/
M36-B2: Turret with gun of 90 mm on hull M10 (frame M4A2, diesel) - 287 converted products

External bonds

AFV Database
OnWar
Militaria: Tank Destroyers
FM 18-18: Crew Seed-planting drill, Gun Motor Carriage, M36

References

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