M26 Pershing Tank

[Uyraell]

While passingly familiar with the Pershing M26, I do have a question regarding the M28/T95.
Is the story that it was discovered sitting under trees in the late 1960’s a true one, or simply urban legend? And if true, does anyone have the full tale, from the time of the disposal order for the vehicle, to the time of it going on display?
Regards, Uyraell.

[Nickdfresh]

@Uyraell

While passingly familiar with the Pershing M26, I do have a question regarding the M28/T95.
Is the story that it was discovered sitting under trees in the late 1960’s a true one, or simply urban legend? And if true, does anyone have the full tale, from the time of the disposal order for the vehicle, to the time of it going on display?
Regards, Uyraell.

The T-95 was discovered in a place I was both stationed, and later worked. It was found in a wooded area around the time they closed the FT Belvoir Engineer Proving Grounds in Northern Virgina (around 1974?) not far from Alexandria/Washington, DC.

The area, abandoned after a huge petrol spill, consisted of a large circular concrete pad for a race-track like testing of different sorts of engineer combat vehicles, numerous abandoned explosives ranges, and a plantation of (mostly) evergreens adjacent to the rest of the post which has remained continuously active. The wooded area is now being cleared for construction for a new intell/satcom facility…

[Uyraell]

@Nickdfresh

The British Army had a tank that was virtually identical to the M103, and suffered from virtually identical problems with automotive reliability, the name escapes me, but I can look it up. The fact seems to be that the “bang wasn’t worth the buck” in ‘heavy tanks’ insofar that one could purchase several M48AX/M60AX or a Centurion tanks for the price of one of these babies; and as pointed out, the armor protection wasn’t really all that superior to medium MBTs.

Still cool to have had these monsters…

The Brit version was known as the Conqueror, FV200.
Armour was 7.12 inches/178mm maximum.
Combat weight, 145600lb/66044kg.
Main Armament, 120mm. Fired HESH, APDS
Engine, M120 No.2 Mk 1A (Modified Meteor/Merlin from what I can gather) 5 Forward, 2 Reverse gears. Fuel Injected, developing 810 HP.
Horstmann type suspension. 8 road wheels each side, Rear Sprockets, Front idlers.
Road speed, 21.3mph/34kmh, range unrefueled 95 miles/153km.
Crew 4.
Dimensions : Length o/all 38ft/11.58m, L-Hull 25ft 4in/7.721m
Width 13ft 1 in/ 3.987m
Height o/all 11ft/3.353m.
History : Entered service with Brit Army in 1956, withdrawn in 1966.
5 vehicles known to still exist, one in France, 4 in Britain.
I am uncertain if the above figure is in addition to, or includes the known surviving FV219 Armoured Recovery Vehicles , of which there appears to remain 2. These were based on the Conqueror chassis, and so I list them here.

Looking at the beast, it gives every impression of trying hard to be a Brit copy of a KingTiger, and of not-quite-succeeding. However, of note is that the KingTiger was tactically as disadvantaged, and despite an extremely reliable powertrain, not greatly more mobile, nor more agile.

Hope the info helps.
(Source : “Illustrated Directory of Tanks of the world, WW1 to present day.” Salamander Books, publ 2000/2001. While the book contains some inaccuracies, it is in general sufficiently reliable.)
Regards, Uyraell.

[Uyraell]

@Nickdfresh

The T-95 was discovered in a place I was both stationed, and later worked. It was found in a wooded area around the time they closed the FT Belvoir Engineer Proving Grounds in Northern Virgina (around 1974?) not far from Alexandria/Washington, DC.

The area, abandoned after a huge petrol spill, consisted of a large circular concrete pad for a race-track like testing of different sorts of engineer combat vehicles, numerous abandoned explosives ranges, and a plantation of (mostly) evergreens adjacent to the rest of the post which has remained continuously active. The wooded area is now being cleared for construction for a new intell/satcom facility…

Many Thanks, Nickdfresh
I’d always wondered about the T95, since first hearing of it, curiously enough, around 1974/75.
Regards, Uyraell.

[PanzerschreckLeopard]

Ah, my favourite American tank of all time!

Hey, I actually thought up a fictional version of the M26…let me get another drawing sometime.

[benny]

all pictures can’t be seen, what’s the matter?

[Carl_Schwamberger]

@tankgeezer

…There are several threads, and lots of pics here, so search to find what you might need. I have been on the T-28, it is a huge machine, would have been something to see in action had it been used.

It is certain movies were made of the vehical road tests. Perhaps those still exist somewhere? Search You Tube?

[Nickdfresh]

One of two “Super Pershings” that fired a special long bore 90mm gun largely as a combat test bed. The project was abandoned after WWII for reasons that are still unclear…

From the proving grounds…

In a postwar graveyard in Germany sometime around the summer of 1945 I believe…

Modified with applique armor from a knocked-out Panther tank on the front glacius and mantlet…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CbwnjooteyI/STLSfoqsCEI/AAAAAAAAdOM/lQG1MoiOxmE/s1600-h/53.jpg

[PanzerschreckLeopard]

My original description of my drawing:

The most powerfull American tank of WWII was the T26 E1 “Super” Pershing, which was armed with a T15 E2 90mm L/70 gun, compared to the L/53 M3 gun on normal Pershings. Its main problem was that it used separatly loaded ammunition.

After the war, work shifted to the T54 gun. It had the same ballistics as the T15, but used single part ammunition, a concentric recoil mechinism to take less turret space, and had a bore evacuator. It was put into the M26 E1, as seen above.

Firing trials from February 1947 to January 1949 found it to be the best tank gun in service. However, due to an insifficient budget and lack of pressng requirement for the gun, it never made it into service.

[The_Historian]

Korea didn’t forestall development?

[angform]

Excelent post… Great info…thanks

[Nickdfresh]

@PanzerschreckLeopard

My original description of my drawing:

The most powerfull American tank of WWII was the T26 E1 “Super” Pershing, which was armed with a T15 E2 90mm L/70 gun, compared to the L/53 M3 gun on normal Pershings. Its main problem was that it used separatly loaded ammunition.

After the war, work shifted to the T54 gun. It had the same ballistics as the T15, but used single part ammunition, a concentric recoil mechinism to take less turret space, and had a bore evacuator. It was put into the M26 E1, as seen above.

Firing trials from February 1947 to January 1949 found it to be the best tank gun in service. However, due to an insifficient budget and lack of pressng requirement for the gun, it never made it into service.

Thank you for clearing that up!