The Super Pershing tank was a prototype of the standard M26 Pershing tank armed with a new high velocity 90mm gun that was capable of penetrating the thick armor of the German King Tiger. In March 1945, one prototype was sent to Europe and was assigned to the US 3rd Armored Division. It was used in combat for about one month before the war in Europe ended.  After a long development period due to disagreements and delays, production of the T26E3 tank had begun in the fall of 1944 at the Fisher Tank Arsenal in Grand Blanc, Michigan. By the end of December 1944, 40 T26E3s had been built. Twenty went to Fort Knox for testing and the other twenty went to Belgium for "Trial by Fire". The first shipment of T26E3s arrived in Antwerp in January 1945. They were given to the US 1st Army and General Omar Bradley divided the 20 tanks equally between the US 3rd Armored Division and the US 9th Armored Division. In March 1945, the T26E3 was re-designated as the M26 and named after General of the Armies John J. Pershing, who led the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during WWI. A T26E3 tank unloading from a ship is being lowered onto the trailer of a M25 tank transporter "Dragon Wagon". The crates lashed down on the tank's engine deck contains all the tank's tools and fittings.  The M26 Pershing was a much needed boost to the fighting capabilities of the US armored units. The German Panthers and Tiger Is were no longer untouchable foes. The M26’s powerful 90mm (3.54 inch) gun was a nasty surprise to these dreaded panzers. Because the 15.5 foot (4.7 meter) long 90mm M3 main tank gun proved incapable of penetrating the frontal armor of the heaviest German panzers such as the King Tiger and the Jagdtiger "Hunting Tiger", a number of improved versions of the 90mm M3 gun were developed, including the T14 which included a standard muzzle brake and the T15 series. The 90mm T15E1 L/73, with its 21 foot (6.4 meters) long barrel, was designed and developed as an anti-tank gun that could match or surpass the performance of the 88mm KwK 43 L/71 cannon on the King Tiger but not the firepower of the 128mm gun on the Jagdtiger. The T15 90mm Gun barrel without a muzzle break and a closeup of the breach block.  It was decided to up-gun the M26 by installing a more powerful 90mm cannon, the T15E1. The test vehicle was based on the T26E1 prototype which was modified by the Wellman Engineering Company. It entered trials at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds on 12 January 1945. After the trials, it was approved and re-designated as the T26E4 Pilot Prototype No.1. It retained its original registration number 30103292 and carried the number "T26E1-1" on the turret. T26E1-1 was not the designation of a new type of vehicle, but how the prototype modification was labeled. This is the original T26E1 prototype with the standard 90mm M3 gun without a muzzle break fitted being transported on a M25 Dragon Wagon.  These two photos are the T26E4 Pilot Prototype with the T15E1 90mm gun during testing at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds.   The T15E1 cannon fired a 50 inch (1300 mm) long single-piece shell. Testing showed that it was difficult to handle the long shell inside the Pershing’s cramp turret. Also, storing the long shells in the tank was a problem. Using the T26E3 tank (registration number 30119907) as a basis, a second prototype was built for testing the 90mm T15E2 gun. The ammunition for the T15E2 gun was a two-piece configuration where the propellant and the projectile were loaded separately. This consequently caused the cannon to have a longer reload time. Both prototypes had two recuperators mounted on top of the gun, in order to help manage the stronger recoil of the heavier gun. Because the longer gun changed the center of gravity, a counterweight was added to the rear of the turret to balance the longer gun. |
Europe
The T26E4 Pilot Prototype No.1 was shipped to Europe arriving on 15 March 1945 and it was assigned to the US 3rd Armored "Spearhead" Division. In the 3rd Armored Division, the T26E4 Pilot Prototype was dubbed the “Super Pershing”. Logistical oversights hindered the deployment of the Super Pershing. The 50 inch shells for the T15E1 gun were mistakenly shipped to the 635th Tank Destroyer Battalion (towed 3-inch guns) near Cologne. This only came to the attention of the 3rd Armored when the commander of the 635th inquired as to why the shells they had been supplied were too long for their guns. When the Super Pershing arrived in Europe, it was missing the M71E4 telescopic gun sight designed for use with the new high-velocity guns. Instead, the M71C sight, designed for the standard 90mm gun M3, was fitted. The M26 Pershing had a weak mantlet which was proven on 26 February 1945 in Elsdorf, Germany. T26E3 Pershing "Fireball" of F Company, 33rd Armored regiment, 3rd Armored Division, was knocked out by a concealed Tiger I number 201 of s.Pz.Abt.301(Fkl), a radio-controlled panzer battalion. The Tiger I's first shot penetrated the Pershing's turret through the mantlet just above the .30 Caliber coaxial machine gun.  The Chief of Tank Repair Service of the 3rd Armored Division, Major Harrington, did not want to lose the Super Pershing in its first deployment and ordered Lieutenant Belton Cooper (he later wrote a book, see below) to look into the possibly of up-armoring the Super Pershing. Cooper had chosen a crude, but effective method to up-armor the Super Pershing. A 80mm (3.15 inch) frontal plate taken from a destroyed German Panther was welded straight onto the face of the mantlet. Holes were cut to the left and right of the gun for the gun sight and the coaxial .30 Caliber machine gun. Additional, overlapping 38mm (1.5 inch) boiler plates were welded to the forward hull of the tank, creating a crude spaced armor. It was believed that despite the relative thickness of the plates, the multilayered plates mounted at an angle would cause the German shells to ricochet.  These two photos are of the Super Pershing with the additional armor added to mantlet and the front hull. The track fenders and sand shields were removed. Note the driver is wearing a M1 steel helmet and the number "T26E1-1" was removed from the turret.   More armor, in the form of “elephant ears”, were mounted to each side of the mantlet.   There is no information on what date the Super Pershing entered the combat zone on and which Armored Regiment (the 32nd or 33rd) and Company of the 3rd Armored Division it was assigned to. The Super Pershing most likely carried white stars in the combat zone for identification. With the long gun barrel and extra armor, the unfamiliar silhouette could been mistaken as a German panzer. |
Paderborn
The city of Paderborn in Germany was seized by the US 3rd Armored Division after a pitched battle between 31 March and 1 April 1945, in which US tanks and armored infantry assaulted the southwestern, southern and southeastern approaches to the city. There were two German armored units defending Paderborn. Panzergruppe Paderborn was a provisional task force formed in March 1945 from the operational panzers of the Panzerlehr- und Ausbildungsabteilung Tiger. When created, it had 11 Tiger Is and 6 Tiger IIs. Two Tiger Is were taken over by 3rd Kompanie, Schwere Panzerabteilung 424 (formerly 501), and 3 Tiger IIs were given to Schwere Panzerabteilung 508. Panzergruppe Paderborn saw action from 30 March 1945 until April 12th when all it panzers were destroyed or in-operable. This Tiger II (with a pre-production Krupp designed turret also called the "Porsche" turret) belonging to Panzergruppe Paderborn was abandoned in Falkenhagen (northeast of Paderborn) in April 1945.  SS Brigade Westfalen also known as SS Ersatz Brigade Westfalen was an ad hoc unit formed on 29 March 1945 composed of the men of the military training commands of the Paderborn area and the SS Panzer Training and Replacement Regiment in Augustdorf (north of Paderborn). The brigade had 15 old training panzers such as Panzer IIIs, 21 Tiger IIs and 3 Jagdpanthers available by the end of March. Panzergruppe Paderborn was also attached to the brigade. The brigade went into action on March 30th. |
First Combat
The first combat action of the Super Pershing had taken place somewhere between Paderborn and the Weser River on 4 April 1945. Cooper's book state it occurred somewhere between the Weser River and Nordheim on April 4th but the 3rd Armored Division column had crossed over the Weser River on April 9th.  The first combat action was described in Cooper's book. Some of the German units that had fallen back from Paderborn set up a few isolated strong points along the 3rd Armored Division's route. One such position on a wooded hill, opened fire as the column passed. The Super Pershing, in the forward part of the column, immediately swung its turret to the right and fired an armor-piercing (AP) round toward an unidentified target on the forward slope of a wooded hill about 1500 yards (1371.6 meters) away. A blinding flash of sparks accompanied a tremendous explosion as debris shot 50 feet (15.24 meter) into the air. The target was either a panzer or self-propelled gun, had it been a half-track or some other light vehicle, the flash would not have been as large. The rest of the column returned a deluge of cannon and automatic weapons fire, and the Germans soon broke off the action. No one knew what the Super Pershing actually hit and they were not anxious to go over to check it out. The unidentified target was most likely a panzer of the SS Brigade Westfalen as remnants of the brigade did engaged the 3rd Armored Division east of Paderborn along its route to the Weser River. Sometime after this first action, for some unknown reason the Super Pershing became a replacement tank for re-assignment. |
New Crew
On 10 April 1945 in the town of Epschenrode (west of Nordhausen), a M4A3 76mm Sherman tank of Company I, 33rd Armored Regiment, US 3rd Armored Division, commanded by Staff Sergeant Joseph Maduri of Massachusetts, was hit on the right sponson by a German Panzerfaust which penetrated the tank's right fuel tank. Four crewmen managed to bail out of the burning Sherman and ran for cover in a nearby building. However, the assistant driver trapped in the tank was badly burnt. He was rescued and he did survived. The tank gunner was 18 year old Corporal John P. "Jack" Irwin (he later wrote a book, see below).  Later that afternoon, three replacement tanks were brought up from the rear, two Shermans and the Super Pershing. The Super Pershing was assigned to Maduri's crew and the crew also received a replacement assistant driver. |
Duel at Dessau
On April 21st, US tanks slowly entered the city of Dessau (today Dessau-Roßlau) and spread out along different streets, alert to any sudden appearance of German panzers or anti-tank weapons. The half-tracks following behind the tanks stopped, and the armored infantry troops dismounted and advanced along side the tanks. Fortunately, a round was loaded in the cannon breach when the Super Pershing turned the corner onto a street and was confronted by a Tiger.  The Tiger fired at the Super Pershing as it rounded the corner, but missed it completely. The shell went high over the Super Pershing. The Super Pershing returned fire at the royal monster at point-blank range, but the shell ricocheted off the Tiger's frontal armor and it few skyward. While another shell was being loaded into the breach, the Pershing's crew heard/felt a thud on the turret. The Super Pershing gunner took aim and fired again, and that time the shell penetrated the thin armor of the Tiger's exposed underbelly as it attempted to drive over some rubble. The ammo stored in the Tiger's turret floor exploded leaving the burning hulk of the Tiger blocking the Super Pershing's path. The Super Pershing had been hit but there was no evidence of any serious damage. This account was told by Gunner Corporal Erwin in his book, and it has been scrutinized over the years as to its authenticity. Many believed that it was not a King Tiger that was destroyed based on these points. First, the nearest Tiger II equipped unit was the SS 502nd Heavy Panzer Battalion (German: Schwere Panzerabteilung 502) which was about 70 miles (112.65 km) northeast of Dessau fighting the Soviets around Berlin. Second, many larger German panzers were mistakenly identified as Tigers by the Allies, so it was highly likely that it was not a Tiger but merely a Panzer IV. My theory is it was most likely an early King Tiger of either SS Brigade Westfalen or Panzergruppe Paderborn which retreated east and made its last stand in Dessau. Video: Super Pershing vs King Tiger Face-off at Dessau - The Real Story Video: Super Pershing vs King Tiger Duel 1945 Video: America's King Tiger KILLER, the Super Pershing The fighting in Dessau continued throughout the night of April 21st. Before daylight the next morning, the Super Pershing was called to help repel a German counterattack near the center of the city. While moving through the streets, a panzer spotted the Super Pershing and fired its 88. The round was low and passed under the Super Pershing's hull between the tracks. The Super Pershing returned fire at the panzer and its shot ricocheted off the side of the panzer's turret. Then a second panzer appeared on the next street. The Super Pershing maneuvered to get out of the range of the first panzer and managed to get around the corner and duct behind a factory building before the first panzer could fire again. At the back of the factory, there was an entrance to the building set back from the street. The Super Pershing backed itself into the entrance way and it had a clear view of the street. While waiting in entrance way, the first of the two panzers moved slowly into view from the right. As soon as the first panzer was in full view, the Super Pershing fired at the panzer's drive sprocket and it shattered. Before the panzer could wind it turret around to fire, the Super Pershing fired again and hit it on the right side of the hull. The panzer exploded and flames broke out. At that moment, the second panzer rolled into view and stopped behind the burning panzer. The Super Pershing was preparing to fire again but the crew of the second panzer opened their hatches waving white cloths of surrender. Later, it was found out that the second panzer was out of ammunition. This engagement was described by Gunner Corporal Erwin in his book. On April 24th, the fighting in Dessau had ended. The 3rd Armored Division was relieved by the US 9th Infantry Division and went into reserve. The 3rd Armored moved to a former SS camp near Sangerhausen.  The next day, April 25th, was Elbe Day where US and Russian troops met at the Elbe River near Torgau (southeast of Dessau). The war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945. |
Post War
The Super Pershing ended up in a tank dump at Kassel (southeast of Paderborn). These photographs were taken at Kassel in June 1945. To the left of the Super Pershing are two early 75mm M4 Shermans. To the right is the rear of a M31 Tank Recovery Vehicle.  This is the rear of the Super Pershing with its turret rotated to the rear.  The "A" on the mantlet armor plate and the "2" painted on the elephant ear are post war markings and their meanings are unknown. Note the Super Pershing had the early split loader's hatch on the turret.  On the left is the front of the M31 which was based on the M3 Lee medium tank. This photo shows a good view of the counterweight on the rear of the Super Pershing's turret.  These are two photos of the boiler plates added to the front hull. The tracks are T81, all steel, single-pin tracks.  This front right view shows the tank's turret is rotated to the right. Note the boots of a soldier standing on the front right fender.  |
Second Prototype
While the Super Pershing was in Europe, work on the second T26E4 prototype continued. The tank finally received an M71E4 telescopic gun sight. The hydraulic traverse mechanism was also changed to compensate for the heavier turret. The ammunition rack was also altered and the tank could carry 54 rounds.  Since the second prototype was based on the T26E3 tank, it had the later oval shaped loader's hatch on the turret.  |
Production T26E4
In March 1945, a limited order of 1000 T26E4s was authorized, replacing the same number of M26 Pershing tanks ordered. When the war ended in Europe, the number of T26E4s ordered was reduced to 25 and they were manufactured at the Fisher Tank Arsenal. The Production T26E4 mounting the 90mm T15E2 gun had an internally mounted hydropneumatics equilibrator and the two exterior recuperators on top of the gun that are on the first two prototypes were no longer needed.   This is the rear of the production T26E4. Note the different design of the counterweight on the rear of the turret. Also, the counterweight has the mount and brackets for storing the .50 Caliber machine gun.  US Army trials at Fort Knox was conducted with T26E4, registration number 30128151. The objective of the tests was to determine the vehicle's characteristics, crew comfort, and the tank's behavior in conditions as close as possible to combat. On 9 May 1946, while trials were still ongoing, the Heavy Tank M26 was reclassified as a medium tank.  During the mobility trials, the tank's long gun barrel often clipped the ground while crossing obstacles.   This view taken through the open oval loader's hatch shows how difficult it was to load the gun, even with separate propellant.  The T26E4 project was later cancelled and most of the T26E4s were used as targets on test ranges. While the first T26E4 was still undergoing trials, work on its replacement was already underway. Work on a new tank gun began in June of 1945 in parallel with work on the T26E4. The gun was designated the T54, and the Watervliet Arsenal in New York was charged with its development. Externally, the T54 gun was very similar to the T15E2. The biggest difference was the use of a single-chamber muzzle brake. Two prototypes of the Medium Tank M26E1 were ready in early 1947. The first prototype was sent to the Detroit Arsenal, the second to the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. Trials began in February of 1947 and showed significantly improved characteristics. A shorter one-piece shell made the round easier to load. The gun also showed improved precision. The trials were finished by early 1949. Many of the issues were corrected but it still had the same problems with the long gun barrel. However, the budget cuts after the end of WWII meant there was no chance for this tank to enter mass production so the project was cancelled and the prototypes were scrapped. In 1949, the US military only had enough funds to produce the M46 Patton, effectively the same as the M26, but with a new engine, transmission, exhaust system, and a 90mm M3A1 gun with a bore extractor. Also, existing M26s were updated to M46 standards and re-designated as the M26A1. The M46 and M26A1 tanks were used in the Korean War 1950-53. |
Today
The only remaining T26E4 of the 25 built is on display at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois.  The meaning of the "NY. 509" on the left side sand shield is unknown.  The registration number is 30119894. The "OCO-D" probably stands for "Office, Chief of Ordnance - Detroit". The tracks are post WWII T84E1, double-pin track with inner rubber pad and outer rubber chevron blocks which many are worn down.  Video: T26E4 Tank Prototype Tour |
Books
Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II Another River, Another Town: A Teenage Tank Gunner Comes of Age in Combat - 1945 |
RIP
Belton Youngblood Cooper passed away on 26 May 2007 at the age of 89. John P. “Jack” Irwin passed away on 27 October 2021 (age 95) due to Covid-19 related pneumonia. |
Model Kits and Decals
1/35: Braille Strike 35049 M26 Pershing NW Europe Decalset 1/48 3D Printed Kit: 1/72 3D Printed Kit: 1/72: Braille Strike 72049 M26 Pershing NW Europe Decalset |
