Екінші дүниежүзілік соғыстағы M36 танк жойғышы

The M36 tank destroyer, formally 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage, M36, was an American tank destroyer used during World War II. The M36 combined the hull of the M10 tank destroyer, which used the M4 Sherman's reliable chassis and drivetrain combined with sloped armor, and a new turret mounting the 90 mm gun M3. Conceived in 1943, the M36 first served in combat in Europe in October 1944, where it partially replaced the M10 tank destroyer. It also saw use in the Korean War, where it was able to defeat any of the Soviet tanks used in that conflict. Some were supplied to South Korea as part of the Military Assistance Program and served for years, as did re engined examples found in Yugoslavia, which operated into the 1990s. Two remained in service with the Republic of China Army at least until 2001. The vehicle is also known under the unofficial nickname Jackson, but this designation appears to be a postwar appellation that was never used by the US Army.

U. S. combined arms doctrine on the eve of World War II held that tanks should be designed to fulfill the role of forcing a breakthrough into enemy rear areas. Separate GHQ tank battalions would support infantry in destroying fixed enemy defenses, and armored divisions would then exploit the breakthrough to rush into the enemy's vulnerable rear areas. U. S. tanks were expected to fight any hostile tanks they encountered in their attack, but the mission of defeating massed enemy armored counterattacks was assigned to a new branch, the Tank Destroyer Force. Tank destroyer units were meant to counter German blitzkrieg tactics. They were to be held as a reserve at the corps or army level, and were to move quickly to the site of any massed enemy tank breakthrough, maneuvering aggressively and using ambush tactics (charging or chasing enemy tanks was explicitly prohibited) to destroy enemy tanks. This led to a requirement for fast, well armed vehicles. Though equipped with turrets (unlike most self propelled anti tank guns of the day), the typical American design was more heavily gunned, but more lightly armored, and thus more maneuverable, than a contemporary tank. The idea was to use speed and agility to bring a powerful self propelled anti tank gun into action against enemy tanks.

With the advent of heavy German tanks such as the Panther and Tiger, the standard U. S. tank destroyer, the M10 tank destroyer, was rapidly becoming obsolete, because its main armament, the 3 inch gun M7, had difficulty defeating the thick frontal armor of these new tanks past several hundred yards. In late summer 1942 American engineers had begun examining the potential of a new tank destroyer armed with a 90mm gun. This study resulted in a prototype vehicle, the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage T53, which placed the 90 mm gun in an open mounting at the rear of an M4 Sherman chassis. In August 1942, it was agreed to immediately produce 500 vehicles, with 3,500 more later. The Tank Destroyer Force objected, arguing that the design of the T53 was too rushed. The 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage T53E1 proved to be even worse, and the entire contract was canceled. In October 1942, the Ordnance Department tested mounting the experimental 90 mm gun T7 into the turret of an M10 tank destroyer. General Andrew Bruce, head of the Tank Destroyer Force, objected to the project, favoring the lighter Gun Motor Carriage M18 'Hellcat', but was ignored. Mounting the 90 mm gun was straightforward, but the gun proved too heavy for the M10's turret. A new turret was designed that incorporated power traverse and a massive counterweight to balance the gun. The first two M36 prototypes, designated 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage T71 were completed in September 1943. Initially, a request for full production was denied as 90 mm guns were already being studied for use on tanks, but Army Ground Forces approved the project in October 1943, and tests began. The ring mount on the left side of the turret for the .50 caliber Browning M2HB antiaircraft machine gun was changed to a pintle mount at the rear. It was decided that production vehicles would use the chassis of the M10A1 tank destroyer, as significant numbers of M10A1s were available, and it was determined that the M10A1 had superior automotive characteristics. After testing, an initial order for 300 vehicles was issued. The T71 was designated upon standardization on 1 June 1944 as the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36.

The first 40 M36s did not make it overseas until September 1944, and entered combat in October 1944. The US First and Ninth Armies used M36s to reequip tank destroyer battalions attached to armored divisions. The 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion began re equipping on 30 September 1944. The Third US Army used them to reequip towed battalions. The 610th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Towed) began retraining on 25 September 1944. The first tank destroyer battalion to actually receive the M36 in early September, the 776th, was in transit from Italy at the time and did not use them in combat until October 1944. By the end of 1944, seven tank destroyer battalions had converted to the M36. The M36 had mostly replaced the M10 by the end of the war. The M36 was well liked by its crews, being one of the few armored fighting vehicles available to US forces that could destroy heavy German tanks from a distance. Corporal Anthony Pinto of the 1st Platoon, Company A, 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion knocked out a Panther at 4,200 yards (3,800 meters). Another 814th gunner, Lt Alfred Rose, scored a kill against a Panther at 4,600 yards (4200 meters), the maximum range of the telescopic sight. However, the Panther's 82 to 85mm thick glacis plate could deflect certain shots from the 90 mm gun at just 150 yards (137 meters). Testing done in December 1944 by the 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion concluded that it was tactically viable to engage Panther tanks from the side and that the M36's 90mm Gun would theoretically not be able to penetrate the frontal armor of a Tiger II at any range with the ammunition that was available to them.

The M36 was used by the US Army in the Korean War. It could destroy any Soviet made AFV deployed in that theater of operations. One postwar modification was the addition of a ball mounted machine gun on the co driver's side, as in many other armored fighting vehicles of the time. Due to the shortage of M26 and M46 tanks, the M36 became one of the preferred armored vehicles for MAP (Military Assistance Program) transfers. The M36 was treated as a tank by the Republic of Korea Army despite technically being considered a self propelled gun. The South Korean military, which faced the war without having a single tank, pushed for the creation of an armored unit and acquired the first six M36s for training in late October 1950. During the war, the South Korean Army had about 200 M36s and operated 9 tank companies. Each company was assigned to the frontline infantry division, and each tank platoon, consisting of five M36s, was attached to an infantry regiment for fire support missions. The M36 played a powerful role by direct firing at the enemy's position during the battle for high ground. Since it was operated by Koreans, command and communication between infantry and armored units were smooth, and it had a significant effect on boosting the morale. During the Battle of White Horse during the 6–15 of October 1952, the 53rd Tank Company, assigned to the 9th Infantry Division, contributed to the victory by bombarding the side of the enemy's offensive force and suppressing heavy weapons deployed on the enemy occupied highlands. In the Battle of Betty Hill on 15–16 July 1953, the 57th Tank Company of the 3rd Tank Battalion provided direct fire support for a platoon defending the highlands overnight, which claimed the lives of 300 communist soldiers. However, the M36 had limitations for large scale operations due to the equipment already being retired from the U. S. military. Spare parts were always insufficient, and it was difficult to obtain fully functional vehicles for the additional construction of the armored unit. In addition, servicing the vehicle became even harder because each unit was too scattered around infantry units. Therefore, the Korean Army began operating in large numbers, forming 3 armored battalions in early 1953. It's 90mm cannon had better performance than the 76mm M4A1E6 Shermans used by the Pakistani Armoured Corps. The M36s were called "Tank Busters" in the Pakistan Army though due to constant mechanical failures, it was disliked by soldiers of the Pakistani Armoured Corps. Colonel M. Yahya Effendi who served with the 11th cavalry in the 1965 war recollects that:
It was an awkward fighting vehicle in every sense. The synchronization of the engines was a nuisance for the mechanics, and while driving, an inexperienced or flappy driver could smash the single plate clutch by sudden release, thus immobilizing the vehicle. Their first combat use by the Pakistan Army was in early September 1965 during Operation Grand Slam at Chumb when 11 M36B2s under the command of Major Mian Raza Shah of the 11th Cavalry fought against AMX 13s of the Indian 20 Lancers. Despite winning the battle, the M36s had performed poorly as only 2 M36s were in fighting condition after the confrontation. Most of the M36s had broken down in the early hours of the battle with a few (including the CO's M36) being knocked out by Indian fire. The M36s saw more action on the Lahore Front particularly during the Battles of Phillaura and Chawinda where it fought heavily against Indian Centurion tanks though they suffered heavy casualties. They were phased out of the Armoured Corps after the war. Later during the 1971 War, some independent squadrons of the Pakistani Armored Corps received a number of M36B2s during the war though they performed badly as they were too outdated to fight against Indian T 54s and T 55s. The engine was later replaced with the 500 hp Soviet made diesel engine used in T 55 main battle tanks. Yugoslavian M36s participated in the Slovenian War of Independence (1991) and Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), but they were withdrawn immediately from service with the Croatian Armed Forces 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. The Republic of China Army acquired eight ex French examples in 1955, having them stationed in Kinmen Island group and saw combat during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958. They were deemed more maneuverable than the bigger M48A3 and later CM11/12 MBTs, while being more powerful than M24 and M41 light tanks. As of April 2001, at least two still remained in service with troops in Lieyu Township.

American tank destroyer doctrine emphasized speed and gun power over armor. As the M10 and M36 were not purpose built tank destroyers (they were based on tank chassis) they were not as fast as the Tank Destroyer Force wanted. General Andrew Bruce criticized the M36 due to it being too slow. The armor configuration of the M36 was identical to that of the M10A1, save the turret. The thickness of the M36's armor ranged from
The lower hull had thick armor on the sides and rear. The rounded, cast transmission cover was thick. Like the M10, the M36 lacked the extra floor plate under the driver's and assistant driver's stations that provided them additional protection from mines. The glacis plate was thick, sloped at 55 degrees from the vertical, and had eight large bosses on it in order to attach appliqué armor plates. The sides and rear of the upper hull were thick, sloped at 38 degrees from the vertical. Depending on the production period of its M10 parent, each side of the M36's upper hull was plain or could be adorned with 12 appliqué armor bosses. The rear upper hull plate was used for storage of the vehicle's pioneer tools; an axe, a crowbar, a mattock handle and head, and a double sided sledgehammer. The track tensioning wrench was also stowed there. As a result, there were no appliqué armor bosses there regardless. The sides and rear of the upper hull featured angled extensions or covers over the upper run of track. These extensions often got in the way of fitting duckbill extended end connectors, used to reduce ground pressure on soft ground, and were often removed, along with the front fenders, by maintenance units. The hull roof plate ranged from thick over the driver's and assistant driver's stations and turret ring, to thick over the engine compartment. The M36B1 had the hull armor configuration of the late production M4A3 Sherman tank. The sides of the M36's rounded turret were thick, constructed of rolled armor plate. A massive hollow cast counterweight was welded to the rear of the turret to balance the heavy gun. The top was thick, and the sides were thick. The rear was thick. The rounded cast gun shield was thick.

The M36 tank destroyer was equipped with a single .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun for anti aircraft or anti personnel use, with 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Due to the difficulty in firing the .50 caliber machine gun directly to the front, the pintle was often repositioned to the front of the turret, or a .30 caliber (7.62 mm) Browning M1919A4 machine gun mounted there. The M36B1 retained the bow machine gun of the M4A3 Sherman tank, and had 2,000 rounds of ammunition for it. The crew had their personal weapons for self defense.