M36 Tank Destroyer of the 704th Tank Bn., 82nd Abn. Div., near Werbomont, Belgium, 20 December 1944.
M-36B1 Tank Destroyer at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.
M-36B1 Tank Destroyer at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.
Tank Destroyers were specialized units designed to engage and destroy enemy armor, opening the way for Allied tanks to exploit the gaps. During WW II, tanks did not have sufficient firepower for this task leading to the concept of a separate tank destroyer platform. The M-36 series Tank Destroyers (called the Jackson) provided an increase in firepower vs. the M-10 Tank Destroyer.
The M-36B1 was built on the chassis of the M-4A3 Sherman tank with an M3 90mm gun in an M4 mount in the M36 turret, with an elevation range of 30 degrees and 360 degree traverse. The M-36B1 Tank Destroyer was also equipped with a .50 cal. machine gun. The 34 ton vehicle was powered by a Ford GAA 450 hp engine, reaching a road speed of 26 mph. A total of 1,722 M-36 Tank Destroyers were built but only 187 M-36B1 variants were produced.
M36 tank destroyer, 628th TD Bn., Rheydt, Germany, 1 March 1945.
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