M36 Jackson
The M36 Jackson was an American tank destroyer during World War II .
As usual with main battle tanks , it was also named after a general: Thomas Jonathan Jackson .
history
The M36 Jackson (also known as the Slugger ) was a radical evolution of the M10 Wolverine .
The Americans basically treated tanks as support vehicles for the infantry; therefore fighting enemy tanks was not one of their tasks. This mistake was only recognized when the first fighting broke out with the Germans. What was needed was a vehicle that was light, fast, maneuverable and yet effective against enemy tanks. It was the hour of birth of the M10. It was lighter armored than the Sherman, but better protected from projectiles by the sloping armor. Thanks to its 76mm chariot gun, it was the most dangerous armored car used by the Allies in North Africa.
However, when the first Panzer VI (Tiger) appeared on the battlefields in 1942 , the Americans noticed that the M10 had become ineffective. While the Tiger could destroy any tank from 2500 meters, the Wolverine had to get close to it at around 1000 meters to destroy it. So the M10 lost its only strength.
It was therefore decided to install the 90 mm M3 gun in a tank, after tests with this gun on German tanks had given excellent results. After several unsuccessful attempts on other chassis, the M3 was tested on the Wolverine. It turned out that the M10's turret was too small for the gun. A new, larger and better armored turret was needed. Due to disputes in the Army, whether the 90 mm cannon or a 76 should be used, production was delayed; The first prototype was not tested until mid-1944. However, these showed that the new M36 had insufficient armor. Therefore the armor was doubled in some places. So it happened that the M36 had thicker armor than the Tiger on some parts of the front end. Weak spots were provided with additional armor plates, so that he came to a weight of almost 30 tons. A new 500 hp Chrysler engine, which, unlike its predecessor, hardly caught fire when hit, accelerated the Jackson to up to 50 km / h. During combat operations, the M36 crews recorded many kills. In addition, the new fighting technique " shoot-and-scoot " (fire and run away) was introduced. A total of 1700 pieces of this tank destroyer were produced, of which 153 were lost in battle.
variants
M36
Standard model of the M36
M36B1
M4A3 Sherman tank with the turret of the M36. Used in the Ardennes offensive in the winter of 1944/45. Officially, they did not take part, but there are both photos and first-hand reports from eyewitnesses that unequivocally confirm that they were involved in the fighting.
M36B2
conversion version from hulls of the M10A1 with a diesel engine from GMC and new M36 turrets.
Technical specifications
M36
- Crew: 5 men (commander, 3 gun operators, driver)
- Weight: 28.6 tons
- Length: 5.97 m
- Width: 3.05 m
- Height: 3.28 m
- Top speed:
- 42 km / h (road)
- 8–32 km / h (off-road)
- Driving range: 150 km
- Engine: Ford GAA V8 500 HP
- Suspension: VVSS
- Armor:
- Tower 10-76 mm
- Trough 10-108 mm
- Primary armament:
- 1 × 90 mm gun M3 (47 rounds)
- Secondary armament:
- 1 × .50 BMG Browning M2 (1000 rounds)
- Number of items: 1413
Later also with GMC diesel (375 hp), with a longer range but lower speed.
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