M36 Jackson

Infobox Weapon
name=90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36


caption=90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2
origin=USA
type=Tank destroyer
is_vehicle=yes
crew=5 (Commander, (3x) gun crew, driver)
length=7.46 m (24.5 ft) "(w/ gun)"
5.97 m (19.6 ft) "(w/o gun)"
width=3.05 m (10 ft)
height=3.28 m (10.8 ft)
weight=29 tonnes (64,000 lb)
armour=9 - 108 mm (0.35 - 4.25 in)
primary_armament=90 mm M3 gun
47 rounds
secondary_armament=.50 cal Browning M2HB machine gun
1,000 rounds
engine=Ford GAA V-8 gasoline
engine_power=450 hp (336 kW)
suspension=Vertical Volute Spring Suspension (VVSS)
speed_road=42 km/h (26.1 mi/h)
pw_ratio=15.5 hp/tonne
vehicle_range=240 km (150 mi)

The 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American tank destroyer in World War II. It was known as the "Jackson" Fact|date=May 2008or "Slugger"Fact|date=May 2008. The name "Jackson" refers to Confederate general Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.

History

With the advent of heavy German armor such as the Panther and Tiger, the standard U.S. tank destroyer, the 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 (Wolverine), was rapidly becoming obsolete, because its main armament, the 3in M7 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 M3 90 mm gun. This was several months before any Allied unit encountered a Tiger in combat, and well over a year before any US unit encountered a Panther in combat.

The first M36 prototype was completed in March 1943, with a new turret mounting the 90mm M3 gun on a standard M10 chassis. After testing, an order for 500 was issued. The prototype was designated T71 Gun Motor Carriage; upon standardization the designation was changed to 90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 in June 1944.

Like all US tank destroyers, the turret was open-topped to save weight and provide better observation. Postwar, a folding armored roof kit was developed to provide some protection from shell fragments, as with the M10. The M36 had a large bustle at the rear of its turret which provided a counterweight for the main gun. Eleven additional rounds of ammunition were stored inside the counterweight.

It was not until September, 1944 that the vehicle first began to appear in the European Theater of Operations. About 1,400 M36s were produced during the war. The need for 90 mm gunned tank destroyers was so urgent that, during October-December 1944, 187 conversions of standard Medium Tank M4A3 hulls were produced by Grand Blanc Arsenal. These vehicles, designated M36B1, were rushed to the European Theatre of Operations and used in combat alongside standard M36s. The M36 was well liked by its crews, being one of the few armored fighting vehicles available to US forces that could take out heavy German tanks from a distance.

After World War II, the M36 was used in the Korean War. It could destroy any Soviet-made AFV deployed in that theatre. One postwar modification was the addition of a ball-mounted machinegun on the co-driver's side as in many other armored fighting vehicles of the time.

The M36 was used by the French army, during the French-Indochinise war.

M36s were also exported after World War II to various countries. One of the recipients was Yugoslavia where the engine was replaced with the 500 hp Soviet-made diesel engine used in T-55 main battle tanks. Yugoslavian M36s participated in the independence struggle of Croatia (1991–1995) but they are no longer in service with the Croatian Armed Forces due to their withdrawal immediately after the war. M36s were also used by Serbian forces in Bosnia and Croatia, and they were used during the Kosovo war as decoys for NATO air strikes. They were also supplied as part of U.S. military aid to Pakistan in the 1950s and served in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.

Variants

;M36: 90 mm gun turret on 3" GMC M10A1 hull (M4A3 chassis). (1,298 produced/converted);M36B1: 90 mm gun turret on Medium Tank M4A3 hull and chassis. (187 produced/converted).;M36B2: 90 mm gun turret on 3" GMC M10 hull (M4A2 chassis, diesel). (287 produced/converted)

External links

* [http://afvdb.50megs.com/usa/90mmgmcm36.html AFV Database]
* [http://www.onwar.com/tanks/usa/fm36.htm OnWar]
* [http://efour4ever.com/tank_destroyer.htm Militaria: Tank Destroyers]
* [http://www.lonesentry.com/manuals/m36-motor-carriage/index.html FM 18-18: Crew Drill, Gun Motor Carriage, M36]