Description

Development of what would become the M26 Pershing began in 1942. It was to be a replacement for the M4 Sherman, which was the standard U.S. Army tank at the time, and features such as a lower profile hull and cast turret were incorporated during the development process of the various prototypes. This eventually culminated in the T26E1 prototype armed with the 90mm M3 gun, and from that stemmed the production version which was called the T26E3. The first T26E3s were sent to Europe in January 1944, and as they were deployed to the battlefield, they were re-designated M26. Although over 300 reached the theater before the end of the war, only 20 actually saw combat. In these limited actions, the M26s proved capable of defeating the German Panther and Tiger tanks they were designed to counter.

Product Specifications