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Chapter 5 Weapons
109
M36 Tank Destroyer
Jagdpanther
(“Hunting Panther”)
Tank Destroyer
Weight
46,000 kg (101,200 lbs)
Maximum speed
46 km/h (28 mph)
Main gun
88 mm (3.46 in.)
Armor
25 to 100 mm (0.98 to 3.94 in.)
The Jagdpanther tank destroyer, introduced just in
time for deployment against the Allied invasion in
Normandy in mid-1944, combined two formidable
weapons: the Panther tank chassis and the very
powerful Pak 43 88-mm antitank gun. The
Jagdpanther could maneuver rapidly across most
types of terrain, and it could stand off a thousand
meters or more and destroy enemy tanks while
remaining out of range of most antitank weapons. In
the hedgerow country of Normandy, however,
Jagdpanthers could not use these capabilities to best
advantage. Some tank battalions used Jagdpanthers
instead of tanks, but as with most self-propelled
artillery, the limited traverse of the main gun proved
to be a liability.
Weight
28,120 kg (62,004 lbs)
Maximum speed
48 km/h (29.8 mph)
Main gun
90 mm (3.54 in.)
Armor
12 to 50 mm (0.47 to 1.97 in.)
The Gun Motor Carriage M36 tank destroyer was the
most powerful American antitank weapon of World
War II. Its modified 90-mm high-velocity antiaircraft
gun, in a newly designed turret, ended the reign of
the German “88” as the dominant antitank gun of the
war in Europe. Mounted on the Sherman M4A3 tank
chassis, the big gun and its armor-piercing rounds
proved more than a match for German Panther and
Tiger tanks, even at long ranges. A variant model
(the M36B2) mounted the new M36 turret and
90-mm gun on otherwise unmodified M4A3
Sherman tanks. The M36 soon superseded the
successful M10 tank destroyer and established an
impressive record against enemy armor.