What tanks did the U.S have other than the Sherman?

[dgfred]

I wish. My dad has not even retired yet... he is 79. He may outlast me. Haha

[Richard Anderson]

The US Army did not have any "heavy" armor until the M-26 Pershing entered service. They had been working on a heavy tank (the M-6 I think). But the project was dropped because of ideological conflicts for the use of such vehicles. The use of tanks and tank-destroyers was the chief conflict. "Tanks were to support the infantry and Tank-Destroyers were to be used to fight tanks." was the idea up until Normandy. Another problem was the transport of medium tanks vs. heavy tanks. More mediums could be shipped vs. heavies, and with the Allied idea of quantity over quality, this policy remained in force. Also, it was easier from a production aspect: Mediums were cheaper and easier to produce than heavies, and there would be no down-time to retool the production lines to produce heavy tanks. ...

Just in case anyone is still watching this thread after 16 years...

Some 250 M6 were built during 1941-42. In theory a battalion or two could have been sent to Tunisia & fought there. But the Armor Corps or Branch leaders of 1942 no longer wanted the tank. Its main gun was the 3" T7 the same as used on the M10 Tank Destroyer. The TD corps wanted all the 3" gun production for their new vehicles naturally.

Had the M6 made it to Africa one has to wonder what the Germans would have thought of it.

Carl, you need me to finish my book.

[Carl Schwamberger]

... Carl, you need me to finish my book.

Hurry up there grandpa

[paulrward]

Hello All :

Mr. Carl Schwamberger wrote:

Some 250 M6 were built during 1941-42. In theory a battalion or two could have been sent to
Tunisia & fought there. But the Armor Corps or Branch leaders of 1942 no longer wanted the tank. Its
main gun was the 3" T7 the same as used on the M10 Tank Destroyer. The TD corps wanted all the
3" gun production for their new vehicles naturally.

Actually, although 250 were approved, this was cut, first to 115, and then to just 40. They had a mix
of Cast and Welded hulls, and Electric vs. Torquematic transmissions. The number are as follows :

T1E1 / M6A2 - Cast hull, G. E. electrical transmission.
Standardization proposed but not accepted. 8 units built.

T1E2 / M6 – Cast hull, torque converter transmission. 20 units built.

T1E3 / M6A1 – Welded hull, cast turret, torque converter transmission. 12 units built.

M6A2E1 – Two Uparmored T1E1s fitted with a new turret with
T5E1 105 mm gun. Used for testing T29 heavy tank armament. 2 units built.


All of these tanks were completed by February, 1944. I have often wondered what the result would have
been if the Army had ordered an expedited program to get them into service, ie, convert them all to
Hydramatic transmission, fit them all with a 90 mm gun turret from the T25-T26 series, and shipped them
off to France. They would have been slow, road-bound, and clumsy, but they might have provided a
morale boost to the tank troops, as they would have seen that the Army was making efforts to get a tank
into service that was comparable, at least in gun power, to the 88mm Tigers they were so fearful of.

Respectfully :

Paul R. Ward