T26E4 SuperPershing: the crooked American dream. Heavy tank T26E1 Super Pershing Use in combat

T26E4 Super Pershing is a tier 8 US premium medium tank. An old-timer of World of Tanks with a preferential level of battles, which is now experiencing its rebirth. Like all tanks, it has its advantages and disadvantages, but one thing is for sure - it really deserves attention. Of course, every player who wants to buy it is interested in the issue of farming silver and the quality of the gameplay, is it possible to “bend over” on it? To this and other questions about the life of the T26E4 after the upgrade in patch 1.2, find out the answers below.

After several years of waiting, the developers condescended to the requests of many players and "upgraded" Super Pershing. Now the tank has sparkled with new colors, it has really changed. In order not to be unfounded, let's get acquainted with the characteristics of the tank.

gun

The main changes affected the firepower of the tank. Armor penetration by armor-piercing shells has been increased from 192 to 202, which allows you to feel more comfortable in battles and more often penetrate enemy armor. Also, the reload time was reduced from 8.2 to 8 seconds, the dispersion of the gun during movement and turret rotation was slightly reduced.

Where to pierce T26E4 SuperPershing

Like many tanks in the first place weak points are small hatches on the tower, feed and a machine-gun point on the VLD. Super Pershing also has personal weaknesses:

• cheeks of the tower, which are not covered by additional armor;
• joint between hull and turret;
• front roller;

But after patch 1.2, the T26E4 received an armor buff just to address its weak points. Let's see what happened:

Improved armor slightly leveled its weaknesses, which allows the tank to play more confidently, being at the top of the list.

Advantages and disadvantages

The T26E4 Super Pershing is an American medium/heavy tank hybrid, with both its advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

1. Preferential level of battles, the tank does not get to the 10th level.
2. Armor penetration allows you to pierce the enemy's same-level vehicles with armor-piercing shells, and if necessary, by loading sub-caliber shells, you can give a worthy rebuff to level 9 tanks.
3. The low cost of AP shells and 240 damage per shot allow this tank to farm, which is very important for a premium vehicle.
4. Frontal booking. Due to the specifics of the reduced armor, standing in a rhombus T26E4 can tank hits from guns with armor penetration up to 200 mm. The main armor of the hull, taking into account the slopes, is 152 mm in the VLD and 140 mm in the NLD.
5. Excellent gun elevation angles allow you to play from the terrain.
6. High durability points of 1500 units.
7. Gives a bonus to the leveling of the crew.

Flaws:

1. At long distances, the mediocre accuracy of the gun is felt.
2. Weak gun stabilization.
3. For good frontal armor, the tank paid with poor dynamics, low speed and poor ground penetration.
4. The lack of maneuverability and impressive dimensions make the tank a tasty morsel for artillery.
5. The sides and feed make their way without difficulty.

Equipment for T26E4 SuperPershing

The equipment helps to increase the strengths of the tank or helps to reduce its weaknesses. Consider the optimal set of additional modules to increase combat effectiveness:

• vertical stabilizer"must have" module to improve gun stabilization;
• rammer, because the rate of fire of the T26E4 is mediocre, so you need to increase the average damage per minute;
• coated optics will help to achieve maximum visibility;
• ventilation protrudes alternative instead of installing optics. If you have a trained crew with a learned skill, Combat Brotherhood will increase the overall combat power of the tank.

Crew training

The T26E4 Super Pershing is ideal for upgrading the crew of the US medium tank branch. The crew consists of 5 tankers, each performs only his own role (there are no mixed specialties). Taking into account TTX of the tank recommended for study are the following perks:

Given the large dimensions and poor dynamics of the tank, repairs are necessary. The second perk will help to improve the stabilization of the gun in motion, increase visibility and reduce the chance of a critical ammo rack. Combat Brotherhood will give a 5% bonus to all crew members, which, together with the ventilation module, will improve the tank's efficiency on the battlefield. The fourth perk can slightly increase visibility and patency on the ground, or for fans of more safe play an alternative option would be to upgrade the disguise.

Equipment

A repair kit and a first aid kit are indispensable companions on every tank. The question remains open for choosing equipment in the third slot.

The Super Pershing has vulnerable sides and stern, a few hits to the tanks are enough to set it on fire and therefore a fire extinguisher is needed.

If you do not expose the sides and stern to the enemy, but play carefully, then you can put gasoline or Coca-Cola.

How to play T26E4 SuperPershing

First of all, the player goes into battle on this vehicle to earn silver. It is from this position that we will analyze the tactics of the game on T26E4. The best option would be the role of fire support on the second line. At medium range, the accuracy of the gun allows it to target weak areas of the enemy and deal damage, but it can be difficult with heavily armored tanks. Then the player is faced with a choice: load an expensive sub-caliber projectile and try to penetrate the enemy, or change the target so as not to lose silver after the battle.

UHV and a fairly strong tower make it possible to play using the terrain. A good view will help keep the enemy team in sight. During reloading, do not stand still, on the move it will be more difficult for the enemy to aim and hit the vulnerable hatches on the tower.

Despite the impressive frontal armor, you should not rush to go forward unnecessarily. You need to take into account the fact that the enemy can also charge gold shells and nullify all the millimeters of your armor.

In battle, the poor dynamics of the tank are felt. The low speed is caused not only by the weight of the T26E4 due to increased armor, but by a weak engine (which is why some players prefer gasoline in equipment). It is necessary to follow the map, because the mobility of the tank will not allow, if necessary, to quickly return to the defense of the base. Also, do not forget about artillery, Super Pershing is always a tasty morsel for it, so it’s better not to expose yourself in open areas once again.

Brief summary

Having thoroughly studied the technique, using it strengths and given the weak, you can achieve good results in battle. Over time, you get used to the leisurely style of playing on this tank. In the hands of an experienced player, the T26E4 Super Pershing is a good farming and damage machine.
The tank is completely self-sufficient: it can illuminate itself, sometimes tank something, and by loading sub-caliber shells it can dismantle any opponent.

Should I buy the T26E4 SuperPershing in 2019?

After the improvement of the preferential vehicles in patch 1.2, the popularity returned to the tank and it can be found more and more often in random. The T26E4 Super Pershing is a representative of an endangered class, because for a long time developers have not added vehicles with a preferential level of combat to the game, but, on the contrary, they have removed them from free access. Also important feature is its presence in the in-game store of the game client and the lowest cost among all premium tanks of level 8 - 7200 gold. T26E4 Super Pershing is definitely worth the money, guarantees the owner comfortable game and earning silver.

Video reviews of T26E4 SuperPershing

Since the fifth of May the company Wargaming announced the start of a promotion in which the main prize will be a premium medium tank T26E4 Super Pershing. You have probably already familiarized yourself with the conditions of the promotion, and some even managed to replenish their hangar with this wonderful machine. T26E4 Super Pershing- american tank VIII level, with a reduced level of battles, that is, you are almost always in the top, except that occasionally it will bring you into the battles of the ninth levels.

Outwardly, the tank looked like an elephant thanks to the "ears" welded to the mask of the "Panther" armor. Due to the overloaded additional armor, the front of the hull of the stern of the tank rose. The additional load on the engine led to a decrease in the speed of the car by 10 km / h. In addition, the aiming of the tank became more difficult, especially on the slopes, since the hydraulic mechanism could hardly rotate the heavier, unbalanced turret.

What causes the neglect of armored vehicles

Before the outbreak of World War II (hereinafter referred to as WWII), the command of the American army paid little attention to its tank forces. For the development of new models of tanks in the pre-war period, a ridiculous amount of $ 85,000 was allocated annually from the US budget. For comparison, the cost of one serial M4 Sherman tank of various modifications in the early 40s reached $45,000-57,000. As a result, before the German attack on Poland, only 18 M2 medium tanks were in service with the US Army, the design of which was imperfect and, compared to German and Soviet counterparts, hopelessly outdated. The rest of the American tanks were light, and, in the event of a collision with enemy armored vehicles, there was little they could oppose.

The situation changed somewhat with the beginning of WWII. The Americans hastily developed and adopted the medium tank M3 "Lee", which largely repeated the layout of the M2, but was better armored and armed. However, this machine did not suit the American military either, and in 1942 medium tanks M4 began to enter the troops. They could fight on equal terms with the German Pz.Kpfw.IV, which the Americans simply called "fours". But already on December 1, 1942, German heavy vehicles Pz.Kpfw.VI "Tiger" appeared in the African theater of operations. The American tankers had nothing to oppose to these monsters, although work was underway to create new armored vehicles in the United States. So, in December 1942, they planned to start production of the M6 ​​heavy tank under development, but tests revealed a lot of flaws in it, so in 1943 work on its improvement continued. As a result, the car was released in an experimental series and did not take part in hostilities.

Heavy tank Pz.Kpfw.VI "Tiger", blown up and abandoned by the Germans on the street of the Sicilian city of Catania near the Biscari Palace
Source - waralbum.ru

One way or another, in the summer of 1943, American troops landed in Sicily without the appropriate armored weapons. Here they encountered the German tank division "Hermann Goering", which was armed with, among other things, "tigers". The day of July 10, 1943 almost ended in disaster for the 7th US Army, when the troops landing at night from the sea near the city of Dzhela were attacked in the morning by German tanks and grenadiers supported by a company of "tigers" (the Americans were saved only by the support of large-caliber naval artillery). In many ways, it was the presence of Pz.Kpfw.VI tanks in Sicily that allowed the Germans long time hold the line in the north-east of the island in the area of ​​Mount Etna and ensure the evacuation of their units to the mainland.

General Patton's Great Mistake

In January 1944, in Tidworth Downs (Great Britain), where the main Allied armored base was located, the high command of the expeditionary forces held a review of the existing military equipment, as well as samples of advanced weapons developments, some of which were not even prototypes, but video footage filmed at test sites. Particularly fierce debate flared up around the T26E3 medium tank, created just to confront the German "tigers" thanks to the long development of a whole series of experimental and serial tanks - such as the T20, T22, T23, T25 and T26.

The T26E3 tank passed the full cycle of tests and was approved by the commissions of both the supply service and the armor tank troops USA. The Detroit tank arsenal was ready to launch the car into serial production - fortunately, the car differed slightly from the already produced T23, and to start production, only the consent of the High Command of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (hereinafter - SES) was required. Moreover, a schedule was also developed for the delivery of new tanks to England so that they would get into combat units by the start of Operation Overlord to land in Normandy.

Tank T26E3 (M26)
Source - wikimedia.org

Combat Group A Commander 2nd tank division(hereinafter - TD) Brigadier General Maurice Rose, whose units were the first to meet in battle with the German "tigers" and in their own skin felt the superiority of these tanks over the American ones, advocated more than others for the adoption of new armored vehicles. Many other British and American tank generals supported his point of view. However, Lieutenant General George Patton, who commanded the troops during the African campaign and the landings in Sicily, believed that the SES did not feel the need for a new heavy tank. According to the doctrine of the actions of the armored forces, set out in the then charter of the US Army, tanks were supposed to avoid clashes with enemy armored vehicles, entering breakthroughs prepared by infantry, artillery and aviation, then breaking out into the operational space and destroying enemy rear lines and communications. The modernized medium M4 Sherman could well cope with these tasks. M26s were much more expensive, consumed more fuel, had a shorter power reserve, and therefore, from Patton's point of view, seemed less preferable. The fight against enemy armored vehicles and infantry support was assigned to self-propelled artillery mounts. As a result, the army refused to launch "Pershings" in a series, which later cost the SES hundreds of lost tanks and thousands of dead tankers and infantrymen.

Lieutenant General George Smith Patton
Source - mynews-in.net

The American and British command believed that the units of the allied forces would not meet a significant number of German "tigers" at the front. The fact is that Pz.Kpfw.VI was an expensive machine - the production of one unit cost the Third Reich 250,800 Reichsmarks (for comparison, Pz.Kpfw.III cost 96,163, and Pz.Kpfw.IV - 103,462 Reichsmarks), to besides, these tanks were more needed by the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front. In general, the American generals were not mistaken in this, but they miscalculated in another way, not foreseeing the emergence of medium tanks more advanced than the Pz.Kpfw.IV in the enemy. Already in the 20th of January 1944, during the landing operation in Anzio, the SES units collided with the Panther Pz.Kpfw.V, whose frontal armor the Shermans could not penetrate. However, the number of "panthers" on the western fronts at that time was still small, and the Allies did not attach much importance to this fact. However, after landing in Normandy, where almost half German tanks The Pz.Kpfw.V was equipped with th forces, the Americans found themselves in a difficult situation, since they had nothing to oppose to the Panthers.

The fact that the illustrious General Patton made a cruel mistake, the American tankers were already able to see in the July battles, when they began to lose their tanks and crews one by one, powerless to somehow influence the situation. SES rescued only an overwhelming advantage in the air and the numerical superiority of artillery and infantry. Finally, in November 1944, the top management realized that it could not continue like this, and ordered the production of two thousand T26E3 machines. In tank production (it is customary to call it the Fisher tank arsenal), created for budget resources and placed under the control of the corporation "General Motors", in November 1944 produced the first 10 T26E3, in December - 30, in January 1945 - 70, in February - 132. The Detroit tank arsenal, managed by the managers of the Chrysler corporation, joined the production in March 1945, as a result of which a total of 194 vehicles were produced at the two enterprises that month. In total, by the end of 1945, the American industry produced 2,000 tanks of this model. The first T26E3s arrived in Europe in February 1945. Already in March, they, like battle tanks, were assigned the M26 indices and the traditional “nickname” for the American troops “Pershing” in honor of the American general who commanded the US Expeditionary Force in Europe during the First World War.

The assembly shop of the Fischer tank arsenal, which assembled the M26
Source - mlive.com

"Pershing" as the forerunner of "Super-Pershing"

What were these tanks, which, according to the calculations of the American generals, were supposed to fight on equal terms with the German armored "predators"? In fact, the tank lost to its German counterparts both in armor and in armament. The 90 mm M3 cannon was larger in caliber than the 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 mounted on the Tigers, as well as the 75 mm KwK 42 L/70 mounted on the Panthers. At the same time, the American gun had the worst penetration ability, since the initial speed of its projectile (853 m / s) was lower than that of German tank guns, in which this figure approached 1000 m / s when firing armor-piercing sub-caliber shells (hereinafter - BPS) .

The frontal armored parts of the Panther hull had a smaller thickness (102 mm versus 80 mm for the upper part and 76 mm versus 60 mm for the lower), but were located at more rational angles of inclination. Otherwise, the tanks were almost equal in terms of armor and mobility. The Tigers, on the other hand, were still superior to the American armored vehicles in all respects, and therefore the crews of the Pershings, although they felt more confident than their colleagues on the Shermans, were also lost when meeting with the German heavyweights. It was especially hard for the American tankers if they met with the "Royal Tigers", whose frontal armor was one and a half times thicker than that of the "Tigers" and "Pershings", and was located at more rational angles of inclination, and the gun even at a distance of 4 kilometers could penetrate a vertical 80 mm steel plate.

American response to the "King Tigers"

To remedy the situation, in January 1945, a 90-mm T15E1 gun, 73 calibers long, was installed on the Pershing T26E1 prototype, which, in terms of its ballistic properties, approached the German 88-mm KwK 43 L / 71 tank gun of the Royal Tigers. To speed up production, two finished barrels were used, stored in the Watervliet arsenal. The T15E1 was a tank variant of the T16 L73 towed gun, specially designed to fight the German King Tiger. The muzzle velocity of her projectile reached 1175 m / s when firing BPS, and she could penetrate the frontal armor of the "Panther" from a distance of 2400 meters. The new prototype received the index T26E1-1. Its ammunition load consisted of unitary cartridges 1250 mm long, which created great inconvenience when loading the gun.

Experimental tank T26E1-1. The springs supporting the gun are clearly visible, mounted above the tank turret.
Source - vint-model.ru

On the second prototype, an improved T15E2 gun was installed, which was charged separately. Because of this, the rate of fire new car compared to standard "pershings" decreased from eight (for 90-mm M3) to four rounds per minute. To balance the heavy gun, the length of which reached 73 calibers, two springs protected by armored casings were mounted on the tank turret, supporting the barrel. To balance the entire structure, a steel frame with a counterweight was welded to the back of the tower. In addition, the cradle of the gun was reinforced, as well as the mechanisms for aiming the gun and turning the turret.

The new tank was assigned the T26E4 index, and both models with separate loading and unitary cartridges were tacitly dubbed "super-pershings". The T26E4 was launched into an experimental series, as a result of which the total number of "super-pershings" increased to 25 units.

Structurally, the T26E4 differed from the M26 only in the gun and counterweights. At the same time, the undercarriage of the new tank remained the same - each side had six rubber-coated road wheels with a diameter of 660 mm and five rubber-coated support rollers. Due to the rear location of the transmission, the rear pair of wheels was the leading one, and the front pair was the guide. The width of the tracks with rubber-metal hinges reached 609.6 mm. The suspension was torsion bar with telescopic hydraulic shock absorbers on the first two and last two rollers, while the first rollers were blocked with a sloth on a common balancer and had two shock absorbers each.

On the "super-pershings" a forced engine was installed, which was also supplied to the "Shermans" of the M4A3 model - a V-shaped eight-cylinder liquid-cooled gasoline engine GAF V8 manufactured by Ford. For new tanks, this 550-horsepower power point nevertheless, it was insufficient due to the fact that their weight was 13 tons higher than the weight of the Shermans. However, the American industry at that time could not offer other tank engines.

V-shaped eight-cylinder GAF V8 at the Bovington Tank Museum
Source - wikimedia.org

Front-line soldiers have their own opinion about perfection

Of the twenty-five "super-pershings", only one took part in the battles. In many sources, there is information that it was a T26E1-1, the gun of which fired unitary cartridges. However, Belton Youngblood Cooper, who fought on the Western Front as a lieutenant of the tank troops, recalls that the tank gun was loaded separately: “The T15E1 gun used standard 90-mm shells, but the separate loading sleeve was longer to accommodate a larger powder charge. At first, two people were required to load the gun, but with some experience, one could handle this, albeit not without difficulty.

Initially, the “super-pershing” entered the repair battalion of the 3rd TD for revision - the practicing officers had their own point of view on how thick the frontal armor of the vehicle should be, intending to compete on equal terms with the “panthers” and “royal tigers”. Lieutenant Cooper, as a certified shipbuilder and happy owner of a slide rule, was entrusted with building up the frontal armor protection of the new tank. As a result, American repairmen carried out the following work:

• From sheets of 38-mm boiler steel found at a nearby German enterprise, linings were cut out for the upper and lower frontal armored parts of the hull (hereinafter referred to as VLB and NLB), which the repairmen welded on top of them, connecting them with the letter “V”. Since the sheets were given a more rational angle of inclination (for the "Pershings" the sheets of frontal armor were located at an angle of 52 ° to the vertical), a gap appeared between them and the junction of the VLB and NLB;
• From the same 38-mm steel, two more linings were welded on top of the previous linings, located at even more rational angles of inclination of 60 ° to the vertical, and therefore a gap also formed between both additional layers of “armor”. Thus, at the junction of the VLB and NLB, the total thickness of the armor increased to 180-200 mm;

• From the turret of the wrecked Panther, the repairmen cut out a fragment of 88-mm armor measuring 150 × 60 cm. They made holes in it for the gun barrel, coaxial machine gun and sight. This plate was put on the gun barrel, advanced to the gun mantlet and tightly welded to the armor. Since it weighed almost 650 kg, the center of gravity of the trunk shifted 35 cm forward from the trunnions;

Photo of the Super-Pershing, most likely taken in the process of strengthening its armor - the front armor parts and the turret were strengthened, but additional counterweights were not yet welded
Source - modeland.com.ua

• To balance the barrel on the sides of the plate, borrowed from the captured Panther, parts were welded as counterweights with narrow ends specific form. Being a little more than a meter long, they had a constant width (30 cm) for the first 45 centimeters, and then doubled, covering the “cheekbones” of the tower in parallel. They were cut out of the same boiler steel;

On the Super-Pershing turret, “ears” are clearly visible - counterweights welded to a plate that strengthened the turret armor
Source - precision-panzer.moonfruit.com

• Since this was not enough to balance the gun, the repairmen welded additional 38 mm steel plates measuring 30 × 60 cm onto the standard counterweights attached to the back of the turret, balancing the entire gun-tower system by trial and error.

The resulting monster turned out to be 7 tons heavier than the standard "Super-Pershing" - its weight reached 50 tons, which is why the car finally moved into the category of heavy tanks. Outwardly, the tank looked like an elephant thanks to the "ears" welded to the mask of the "Panther" armor. Due to the overloaded additional armor, the front of the hull of the stern of the tank rose. The additional load on the engine led to a decrease in the speed of the car by 10 km / h. In addition, the aiming of the tank became more difficult, especially on the slopes, since the hydraulic mechanism could hardly rotate the heavier, unbalanced turret.

The back side of the tower - counterweights are clearly visible
Source - karopka.ru

Nevertheless, the tankers of the 33rd armored regiment who arrived to master the vehicle were completely satisfied with it, since powerful armor increased their chances of surviving in the bloody meat grinder of the last months of that war.

The tank was tested by firing in the field - a wrecked self-propelled gun JagdPz.IV was chosen as the target. From a distance of 2400 meters, the Super-Pershing fired several shots at her. Here is how Belton Cooper describes the results of the hit:

“Standing behind the Sherman, one could follow with a glance how its projectile flies out of the muzzle and rushes to the target, slightly decreasing. The shot from the Pershing looked completely different. We barely noticed the first shell. It even seemed to rise slightly off the ground before hitting its target. It was, of course, an illusion, but the effect of the shot was amazing. When the shell hit the armor, sparks soared into the air in a fountain of about twenty meters, as if a gigantic grinding wheel had touched the self-propelled gun. And when we examined the target, I lost my tongue. The 90-mm projectile pierced 100 mm of armor, then broke the drive shaft of the last stage of the gearbox, passed through the fighting compartment, penetrated the aft bulkhead, passed the 100-mm crankshaft of the Maybach, the self-propelled gun engine, and, after flashing the 25-mm sheet of aft armor, burrowed so deep in the ground that we never found it.”

"Super-Pershing" goes to war

On the morning of March 23, 1945, among other armored vehicles, the Super-Pershing near the town of Bad Honnef was transported along a pontoon bridge across the Rhine to the Remagen bridgehead. The 3rd TD, along with the rest of the VII Corps, concentrated on the northern flank of the bridgehead. The corps was to cover the so-called "Ruhr pocket" from the south, and the 3rd TD in this offensive played the role of a steel tip of a ramming strike.

"Super-Pershing" entered into its first battle at the final stage of the operation on the way from the Weser River to the city of Northeim. Retreating from the bridgehead captured by the Americans on the eastern bank of the river, the German units left ambushes on the roads that blocked the advance along them with fire. One such firing point, arranged on the slope of a forested hill one and a half kilometers from the road, opened fire on the advancing American column. The Super-Pershing in her head turned the turret and fired an armor-piercing projectile at the enemy. A fountain of bright sparks, which shot up fifteen meters high, indicated that the hit target was most likely a tank or self-propelled guns, whose ammunition immediately detonated. However, to check what kind of object they hit, the American tankers had neither time nor much desire.

The most famous and most controversial battle of the "Super-Pershing" took place in the city of Dessau on April 21, 1945. The crew of Staff Sergeant Joseph Maduri encountered a German tank, later identified as the "Tiger" by Corporal John P. Irvine (Super-Pershing's gunner).

The 3rd TD stormed Dessau, well prepared for the defense, from four sides at once. She managed to break through only after the artillery destroyed or swept away with fire numerous reinforced concrete gouges and other anti-tank obstacles that blocked all the entrances to the city. The Super-Pershing reached one of the intersections in the city and was turning to the right when the crew saw a heavy German tank two blocks away at a distance of approximately 550-600 meters. The "Tiger" hurried to open fire, but its projectile flew above the turret of an American tank.

Staff Sergeant Joseph Madouri
Source - 3ad.com

Gunner John "Jack" Irvine responded almost instantly, slamming a shell into the Tiger's upper front plate. But in the barrel of the Super-Pershing there was high-explosive fragmentation ammunition, since the American tankers did not expect to meet armored targets in the city. As a result, the hit did not cause much damage to the German tank - the shell ricocheted off the armor and exploded in the air.

At this time, the American crew felt a concussion from hitting the turret. It was never possible to find out whether it was the crew of the Tiger who fired or the Super-Pershing was hit from some other anti-tank gun. Be that as it may, the shell did not penetrate the armor, but only left a mark on it. Meanwhile, the Americans managed to reload the gun, and Irwin fired at the "Tiger" a second time. He just ran into a pile of broken bricks and for a moment showed his lower frontal armored detail and even part of the bottom. An American shell hit this vulnerable spot, causing the German tank's ammunition to detonate and its turret to fly off the shoulder strap. Not a single member of the Tiger's crew managed to leave it.

"Super-Pershing" did not linger at the defeated tank, but moved further deep into the city, the battles for which continued the next day. In these battles, Maduri's crew knocked out another Pz.Kpfw.V "Panther" tank, disabling its drive wheel with the first shot and knocking down the caterpillar. The German 50-ton vehicle was deployed on the spot, and the Americans put the second shell into its side armor. As a result of a hit in a German tank, the ammunition detonated.

The crew of another German medium tank surrendered to Staff Sergeant Maduri without a fight - the German tankers did not want to tempt fate and test the penetrating power of the long gun that their enemy tank was armed with.

On American Internet resources and in publications, from where information migrated to Russian-language resources, it is stated that the Tiger, shot down by Maduri's crew, was in fact the "royal" Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.B. However, there could not be any "royal tigers" in Dessau - the closest of them at that time fought as part of the 502nd SS heavy tank battalion a hundred kilometers northeast (in Fürstenwalde), trying to stop the Soviet troops rushing to Berlin. So, most likely, the wrecked tank was an ordinary "Tiger", as this tank was identified by John Irwin in his book "Another River. Another city". At the same time, it may well turn out that it was not the Tiger, but the Pz.Kpfw.IV of the latest modifications, that entered into a duel with the Pershing of the Maduri crew.

Unused heavyweight

The post-war life of the "super-pershings" was short-lived. The machine turned out to be crude, slow-moving, unsuitable for modern maneuverable combat, with a very low rate of fire and too long a gun. Therefore, the initial production plans were immediately canceled by thousands of "super-pershings". The last photographs of Staff Sergeant Madouri's tank were taken at the "cemetery" of American armored vehicles, located in the Kassel area.

"Super-Pershing" Staff Sergeant Maduri in the "tank cemetery" near Kassel. Photo taken in June 1945 by Colonel J.B. Jarrett
Source - warl0ckwot.wordpress.com

Interestingly, in the network computer game World of Tanks "Super-Pershing" is known exactly in the form it received after a handicraft modification carried out by the forces of the repair battalion of the 3rd TD. In fact, appearance of this tank as standard was somewhat different.

The Super Pershings that remained in the United States were decommissioned in 1947 and, for the most part, sent for remelting. Another part of them was used at tank ranges as targets, so not a single copy of this tank has survived to this day.

In Game...

Recently, I hear more and more often that this tank does not farm, it is dull and does not live without gold. For this reason, I would like to say a few words of subjective opinion in favor of the T26E4 as a Tier 8 premium tank in our game. I would like to consider it from two aspects - firstly, a credit farmer, and secondly, a tank for fun, a tank capable of miracles in battle, even in today's random environment. In addition, the pumping of the crew for US medium tanks has never been superfluous to me personally.

Although this instance is a representative of medium tanks in the game, it can rather be classified as heavy. A kind of transitional option. Therefore, to the main competitors of Super Persha, for myself personally, I would attribute only prem tt 8 lvl - IS-6 and Lowe. And then, Lowe does not have a preferential level of fights, so it balances it up to 10s as well. And this means that his good penetration of the BB will give a full-fledged advantage only in the top, but if he gets to the bottom of the list, there is no, and you will have to fork out for gold or sweat with penetration. Which of course does not detract from its other charms.

What about T26E4… Super Pershing balances in tier 8-9 fights. And this means that with our modest penetration of 171 mm armor-piercing, we will not be lucky enough to meet Mouse in battle. But even without this adventure, we will have enough. This gun makes you think about every shot, which is of course useful. Such a modest penetration will bring a lot of "joy" when targeting hatches and weak spots, but the accuracy and speed of the gun allow you to independently pull out battles from the deepest places. Yes, the T26E4 does not have good dynamics, and it is not as fast as the Pershing under study ... but it has good screens, this is especially felt by the tower and VLD. It is strictly forbidden to tank with sides and substitute rollers. But through the tower on maps with hilly terrain and through the rubble on city maps, he shows very good tanking, in particular against dangerous Soviet tanks, accustomed to firing HE shells. He is able to work miracles, holding back projectiles with a gun mantlet. Although recently, after many people got it by completing combat missions, and the players in the random house are more accustomed to its features, they know where it breaks through (the rocket launcher on the tower, the hatch of the tower commander and, in fact, a completely defenseless hull and the tower behind and on the side), it’s still on it can severely disappoint the enemy by hiding weak points - for example, a rocket launcher when leaving the shelter to the left, a corps when taking a position on a hill. With the right style of play and control over the situation, he is able to hold the entire flank, including tanks of the ninth level. Of course, if you don't make mistakes and WBR will be on your side. And in such battles (even without a premium account), you can take out from 25 to 60 thousand credits of net earnings per battle! With a premium, with a beautiful fight, the amount of net earnings sometimes exceeds 100 thousand!

If farming is not important to you, you can load sub-caliber shells with a penetration of 259 mm! In this case, your DPM (1757 if without a rammer) will not be exchanged for non-penetration - the same Lowe can be sewn not only in NLD as armor-piercing, but also with complete calmness in VLD, the cheeks of the tower, especially without aiming. And according to the results of a normal battle, you will go to zero. Personally, I prefer to load mainly BB, leaving only up to 10 sub-calibers for especially critical situations where there is no room for non-penetration.

Its 1450 hp will also help you live longer, being reinforced by really nice armored screens, which, however, are the reason for the weight, which has such a negative effect on the dynamics. True, while the armor in the forehead of the hull is 177 mm, the side and stern seem cardboard in comparison with it - only 76 and 50 mm, respectively.

The main enemies of Super Persha, it's not hard to guess - tanks with strong armor, in fact, most of the heavy weapons of level 9 and 8, and of course everyone's favorite art, the shells of which enter us very well. Moreover, if the Soviet heavyweights, with their accuracy and weak points, can still be endured and won both at a distance and in the clinch, then the Germans are more unpleasant in this regard. Their NLD and turret cheeks are often under unfavorable angles and your duel turns into "beaters" without causing damage to each other, you have to load gold shells.

The equipment that the tank needs to improve the comfort of the game is undoubtedly the Rammer, the Aiming Drives, and the third I chose the Horizontal Stabilizer. This is the most rational solution, since ventilation will not give you such an advantage as a more accurate weapon.

Of the skills for the crew - the classic arrangement. The first is the Sixth Sense light bulb for the commander and Repair for the crew. Further - everything is on patency and stabilization. An example of the second perks: Repair, Smooth turret turn, King of the off-road, Radio interception, Proximity ammo rack.

In history...

The tank is one of the experimental tanks of the T20 series, which were created during the Second World War. The main goal during the development was to create a vehicle with sufficient firepower to withstand German armor. The M3 pershing cannon, caliber 90mm, was similar to the German KwK 36 88mm used on the Tiger I.

In an effort to match the firepower of the King Tiger with its more powerful 88mm KwK43 gun, the T15E1 90mm cannon was developed and installed in January 1945 on the T26E1 tank. This tank was named T26E1-1. The T15E1 gun had separate loading and characteristics that allowed it to develop a muzzle velocity of 1140 m / s, which made it possible to penetrate the Panther's frontal armor from an impressive distance of up to 2400 m.

The second prototype was converted from a T26E3 and used a modified T15E2 gun. Frontal armor hulls and turrets were raised to 178 mm with armor plates. Improvements in design removed the need for stabilizing springs. The T26E3 test tank was standardized as the M26 Pershing with a standard 90mm gun. The T26E4 version was a later experiment and was developed in early 1945, also replacing the T26E3 gun with a more powerful and faster 90mm gun.

Super Pershing was so unlucky with the time of creation that the first tank reached Europe only at the end of the war. The war ended before he could meet any German tank. And at the end of the war, the production batch was reduced from 1000 to only 25 tanks and they were produced under the marking T26E4 Super Pershing. On this moment only a few of them have survived.

After the war, two M26 tanks were equipped with the T54 gun, which had the same long barrel, and the ammunition was designed to be shorter and thicker while maintaining the same muzzle velocity. They were also equipped with a muzzle brake from the M3A1 cannon mounted on the M26A1 and M46 tanks. The vehicles were named M26E1, but due to lack of funds, further production was halted.

Production and characteristics:

• Weight: 48 tons
• Produced: 25
• Year of issue: 1945
• Engine: Ford GAF ​​V8 water-cooled, 500 hp
• Gas tank capacity: 183 gallons
• Speed: 30 km/h
• Distance: 150 kilometers
• Crew: 5 - Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, Gunner

Armament:

• 1x 90mm main gun
• 1 x machine gun caliber 50
• 2 x 30 caliber machine guns

Starting from the landing in Normandy, British and American troops from time to time began to meet the new German tank PzKpfw VI Ausf. B Tiger II, also known as the Königstiger. The generally accepted translation of the second name is "King Tiger", although this word is correctly translated as "Bengal Tiger". The Royal Bengal Tigers had excellent protection and an excellent 88 mm gun for that time. If not for the small number of produced tanks of this type - less than five hundred - the soldiers of all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition would have received many problems. However, at the end of the summer of 1944, the American command did not yet have information about the pace of production, so the response measures took on an appropriate character.

Since the beginning of 1944, the Watervliet arsenal has been working on a new towed anti-tank gun. The T15 gun had a caliber of 90 millimeters and, according to preliminary calculations, could hit the Panthers at a distance of about two kilometers. To break through the frontal armor of the "Tiger-2", respectively, it was required to let it in a little closer. Such good performance quickly interested the US military, and they demanded that the development of the gun be completed as soon as possible. Employees of Watervliet, collecting experienced guns, applied an original approach. In the warehouse of the arsenal there were several blanks for guns of a similar caliber. Soon two of them were converted to a channel diameter of 90 millimeters and connected to other gun mechanisms. Two such guns received the T15 index. Test firing at the Aberdeen Proving Ground for several weeks clearly showed the correctness of the calculations. So, the range of penetration of the plate, equivalent to the front plate of the Panther, with the T44 projectile exceeded 2300 meters. The guns were recommended for mass production.

During the tests of the T15 guns, one of the military men said, they would like such a cannon, but on a tank ... No sooner said than done. Workers at the Aberdeen Proving Ground consulted with gunners and soon put the gun on a heavy tank M26 Pershing version T26E1. In this case, the Aberdeen testers were assisted by employees of Wellman Engineering. Tests of the new tank were carried out right at the assembly site, all at the same Aberdeen test site. The gun for the tank received the index T15E1

The undercarriage of the slightly updated tank has not changed. An eight-cylinder Ford GAF ​​gasoline engine with a capacity of up to 500 horsepower provided the tank with highway speeds of up to 30-35 kilometers per hour. It was slightly less than that of the original Pershing. There were reasons for this and they were as follows. The tank, having received a new gun, “gained weight” by a couple of tons. The fact is that the new gun had a longer barrel with a length of 73 calibers. In addition to this, the gun was equipped with a muzzle brake, which turned out to be carried out on a long lever. Because of this, the tower had to be seriously reworked. Firstly, the turret stowage of ammunition was removed, in place of which a counterweight was placed. Secondly, two spring-loaded balancers were placed on the top of the tower. It was very inconvenient for combat use, but enough for testing. Despite the increased length of the machine with a gun, it was able to maintain good performance, although due to the counterweight, long barrel and balancers, it slightly decreased maximum speed. Nevertheless, such a sacrifice in the name of firepower was considered acceptable.

Another feature of the new tank, which affected the ease of use, was considered unsuitable for leaving. The shells for the T15E1 gun had a length of at least 125 centimeters. Handling such ammunition was not very convenient even in the Pershing's native turret. As for the T26E1 tanks, their gun had a more massive breech and there was no question of quick loading of the gun. Because of this, the military demanded to make a new ammunition with separate loading. The T33 projectile was taken as the basis for the new separate shot, and later the T44 was redesigned in a similar way. The gun has also undergone some changes related to the new loading method. The updated gun was designated the T15E2 index.

Simultaneously with the alteration of the shells and the cannon, the American designers brought the experimental tank into a more decent appearance. The new modification was named T26E3. From the previous prototype, they took the idea with a counterweight at the laying site, and replaced the spring balancers with hydropneumatic ones. The greater efficiency of the new compensating devices made it possible to remove them inside the tower and not endanger being damaged by enemy fire. The mounting system of the T15E2 gun made it possible to point it vertically in the range from -10 ° to + 20 °. The ammunition racks housed up to 54 shells and shells of various types.

The second prototype of a heavy tank with a 90 mm gun was ready by the end of 1944. The fate of the first experimental T26E1 is interesting. Immediately after testing at the test site, he was quickly sent to Europe in order to check in real conditions. In January 1945, this tank was finalized in the field workshop of the 3rd Panzer Division. They cut off a sheet of armor from the wrecked Panther and put it on the forehead of the hull of their tank. In addition, the defense of the tower was strengthened in a similar way. After these improvements, the tank once again lost some of its speed, but acquired the nickname: Super Pershing. In a handicraft modified form, the "Super Pershing" with a unitary loader went into battle for the first time. Of course, the handling of the gun was not entirely convenient, but it firepower more than compensated for all other problems.

"Super Pershing" opened its battle account in February 45th. The first target hit was presumably a PzKpfw IV from the latest series. Further, the crew of the experimental vehicle knocked out several German tanks. During the fighting, Super Pershing received some minor damage: thanks to a powerful cannon, it could attack enemy armored vehicles at such ranges at which German tankers could not fire confidently. The “pearl of the collection” of the T26E1 crew was the same Königstiger. The clash of heavy tanks ended in victory for the Americans. True, this episode can hardly be called indicative. The fact is that the American tankers caught the moment when the Tiger II, driving into the wreckage of a building, “showed” its bottom for a few seconds. It was in this detail that I had to hit.

The second prototype of the "Super Pershing" was delayed in testing and did not get to the front. But thanks to him, the US military leadership in March 45th ordered instead of the next M26 Pershing tanks to release a thousand pieces of updated vehicles with the T15E1 gun. By the end of preparation series production Nazi Germany was defeated. The order for new tanks was suddenly limited to a trial batch of 25 units. These armored vehicles went to test sites, where they were used for various purposes related to the development of new tank protection systems - the 90-mm gun was powerful enough to imitate advanced anti-tank guns. According to unverified reports, several "Super Pershings" visited Korea, where they collided with Soviet T-34s. There is no information about the results of such battles.

Crew: 5 people

Dimensions:
Length without gun: 6327 mm
Length with tool: ~10577 mm
Width: 3510 mm
Height: 2780 mm

Armament:
Main: 90mm gun T15E1 L\73 or T15E2 L\73; ammunition - 54 shots
Additional: 2 machine guns 30-caliber M1919A4 (course and coaxial) and anti-aircraft machine gun 50-caliber; ammunition - 5000 and 550 rounds, respectively

Booking:
Frame:
Windshield (upper): 102mm 44°
Frontal (lower) : 76mm 37°
Side: 76mm 90° & 51mm 90°
Stern: 51mm 80° & 19mm 28°
Top: 22mm 0°
Bottom: 25mm 0° & 13mm 0°
Tower:
Windshield: 102mm 90°
Gun mantlet: 114mm 90°
Side: 76mm 82° - 90°
Stern: 76mm 85° - 90°
Top: 25mm 0°
Produced: 25 units (2 before the end of the war in Europe)

Characteristics of the T15E2 gun:

Projectile HE T42, early. speed 975 m/s.

Projectile AP T43, early. speed 975 m/s, armor penetration at 30°
500 yards - 132mm
1000 yards - 127mm
1500 yards - 124mm
2000 yards - 122mm

HVAP T44 projectile, early. speed 1143 m/s, armor penetration at 30°:
91st = 310mm (330mm?)
457th = 244mm
914th = 221mm
1371-m = 196 mm
1828th = 173mm
Charging: separate
Rate of fire: up to 4 rds / min

Fans of American combat vehicles in the game will be able to conquer the virtual battlefields on this premium tank T26E1 Super Pershing

According to the websites:
http://vn-parabellum.com/
http://wwiivehicles.com/
http://peachmountain.com/
http://freeweb.hu/