M36 tank destroyer
The Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American tank destroyer in World War II. It was often referred to as the Jackson or Slugger. The name "Jackson" was relatively unknown during WW2, and the vehicle was usually referred to as an M-36 or simply "TD" (a nickname for any tank destroyer).
History
With the advent of heavy German armor such as the Panther and Tiger, the standard U.S. tank destroyer, the thinly armored M10 Wolverine was rapidly becoming obsolete, because its main armament, a 76 mm anti-tank gun, was not powerful enough to engage these new tanks. This was foreseen however, and in September 1942 American engineers had begun designing a new tank destroyer armed with the formidable M3 90 mm gun.
The M36, based on the M10A1 chassis, was the result. Besides the large increase in firepower, the M36 also had a better engine and frontal armor that was twice as thick as the M10.
It wasn't until mid-1944 that the vehicle first began to appear in Europe, and only around 1,400 M36's were produced during the war. It was well liked by its crews though, being one of the few armored fighting vehicles available to Americans that could take out heavy German tanks from distance, especially seen during the Battle of the Bulge.
Like many other tank destroyers, the turret was not fully armored to save weight, and the M36 was open-topped. To help offset this, a folding armored roofkit was developed to provide some protection from shrapnel. The M36 also had a large bustle at the rear of its turret which provided a counterweight to its large gun. Inside, eleven additional rounds of ammunition were stored.
Variants
M36
M36 standard design.
M36B1
A M36 turret fitted onto a standard M4A3 Sherman chassis. The need for 90-mm-armed tank destroyers was so urgent that, in the fall of 1944, about 300 conversions of standard Sherman hulls were done. These vehicles were rushed to Europe and used in combat alongside standard M-36s.
M36B2
A conversion from Diesel powered M10A1 hull.
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