How Bad Was The M26 Pershing?

The last time I talked about an American tank in this series, the video was largely positive. There's not a ton to criticize with the M4 Sherman, so let's take a look at a US tank that didn't get things quite so right, the M26 Pershing. The M26 wasn't quite sure if it wanted to be a medium or a heavy tank, though it did have some of the mechanical attributes of the latter.

Check the channel "About" section for the link to the creator of my profile picture.

Sources:
M26 Pershing by David Doyle
Pershing - A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series by R.P. Hunnicutt
Red Army tests at Kubinka
Armored Champion by Steven Zaloga
M26 vs T-34-85 by Steven Zaloga
Pershing / Patton by Jim Mesko
Armor 1989

Songs used (in order from first to last):
Subnautica - Into the Unknown
Halo 3: ODST - Rain (Deference for Darkness)

Sound mods:
Epic Thunder (Pre-release)
Armored Warfare Crew Voices

Reddit: /u/spookston
Discord: See my Patreon page.

#warthunder​​​​​​​​​​​​ #tanks​​​​​​​​​​​​ #tankhistory

[nagasako]

IRL: "US Army tankers preferred late Model Sherman M4s"
Gaijin: "So you're telling me Pershing should be 7.0 and face Leopard 1s and T-54s"

[Crisis]

If the Super Pershing was so great, why is there no Ultra Pershing?

[hauptmwolf]

The Pershing was one of the things that kept my grandpa alive at Chosin so to me it's the best tank the US ever built

[TheQueer]

the M26 is my favorite tank because of how generic it is. it doesn't get a lot of love, but it was a milestone in American tank development. and a amazing looking machine too.

[BubbleBelly]

I remember when ground forces launched, and the Pershing was the first tank me and my roommate blitzed towards. It was, and still is one of my favorite tanks in the game, even if it's not the best anymore

[johnyricco]

John Pershing got a raw deal. They renamed his namesake tank after he died in 1948. M46 should still have been named Pershing, it only had some parts changes. Arguably M47 as well.

[g.williams]

Ah yes, the best tank stat: Aesthetics

[jjhays]

The M26 saved the day despite its myriad of problems. At the Battle of the "bowling alley" north of Daegu in August of 1950, two lone Perishing's prevented nK armor from piercing the Busan perimeter and running amok thru Daegu to Busan.

[qcarr]

Great video! The fully improved Pershing turned out to be the M46 Patton. I liked your comment about being "able to appreciate it aesthetically"; definitely one of the best looking tanks ever built!

[threnn]

"And at just barely 12 hp/t, the Pershing was very underpowered."
The Sherman had 11 hp/t so the Pershing was by no means underpowered for that period of time.
Pz4 and 3 have quite similar hp/t as well so in my opinion it is average. Not good but not bad either.

[tuskegeeace]

I remember when the M26 came into Warthunder and it just shit stomped everything around it.

[jackjohnson]

I think a video on the centurion would be cool tbh I just want some British tank or something

[Ridiflous]

Brand new tank built with latest, state of the art technology!

Engine and transmission problems: *allow us to introduce ourselves*

[mapershing]

Well he's right on one thing, it is certainly a beauty.

And it *did* establish a basic tank design that lasted well into the '90s,

[geofalke]

the mediocrity of the pershing is the reason why I came to love it in war thunder. it's a tank that if you're doing well in it you know it's not because you're being carried by the tank.

[kobeh]

I think the main criticisms of the Pershing overall is the poor mobility, lack of a stabilizer, and how vertical the frontal armor is. (Consider the T-44 was already being built)

[ussneworleans]

Problem with pershing and super pershing is how much thier repair cost normal perhsing is 12.000 while super is 18.000

[alphawolf]

3:29 ah yes the T33 one of the oldest bug reported rounds in the game which is probably never going to get fix

[christianh]

To elaborate on the Pershing being a "learning experience..." it was a critical stepping stone on the way to the MBT. Its lineage continued to the M46 / M47, and after even more extensive redesigns, the M48 / M60.

[nelsoncheng]

I love the fact that you properly respected the growth process of American tanks industry so you didn’t straight up call it junk but instead gave it the credit and the recognition it deserved.