Going into WWII, the prevailing strategy of the U.S. command was that enemy tanks were to be dealt with by specialized weapons, aptly named tank destroyers. Early on these were 37mm towed anti-tank guns. These were soon found to be inadequate against enemy armor, and the quest for larger weapons began. After initial efforts that involved adapting trucks to mount antitank weapons, attention turned to utilizing a tank chassis as the basis for an antitank weapon. Eventually it was decided to mount the weapon in an open topped turret on the chassis of the diesel-powered M4A2 Sherman medium tank. When the design was standardized it was as the M10. While the 3-inch weapon of the M10 was superior to that found on earlier tank destroyers, it was still found to be inadequate against the ever-increasing weight of German armor. The British addressed this by rearming some of their M10s with the superb 17-pounder Quick Firing antitank cannon. The U.S., also seeking heavier armament, created a new turret, mounting a 90-mm gun. Beginning in April 1944 the new 90-mm armed tank destroyer, designated M36, entered production. While antitank doctrine changed, rendering all the tank destroyers obsolete post-WWII, many of these vehicles were supplied to other nations, and in fact some survived as combat vehicles into the 21st century. Like previous titles in the series, M36 GMC, tells the complete history of the vehicle in period photos, supplemented with superb color walk around images. No detail is left uncovered in the nearly 200 clear, sharp photos. This title will be an invaluable tool for those possessing the Academy or AFV Club scale model kits.
- ISBN10 1944367292
- ISBN13 9781944367299
- Publish Date 31 May 2017
- Publish Status Cancelled
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Ampersand Publishing Company, Incorporated
- Format Paperback
- Pages 120
- Language English