# The super pershing



## Joe2 (May 5, 2007)

What was so super about the super Pershing anyway.


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## Soren (May 6, 2007)

Its loading time...


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## amrit (May 6, 2007)

It had a higher velocity gun, and I think, more armour.


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## 102first_hussars (May 6, 2007)

Wasnt it replaced by the Bulldog tank?


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## delcyros (May 8, 2007)

All it´s reputation relies on the gun. Other than a normal M26, the Super-Pershing has a longer barreled gun which fires super velocity projectiles. The effect in terms of pure penetration of this gun is at least comparable, probably even superior to the King Tiger´s 88cmKWKL71 performance (I have to check this).
That´s offensive draw or advantage. But unlike the King Tiger, the M26 is not balanced in protection and sensible to comparably mediocre AT-gunfire, it has, however, more mobility.


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## Joe2 (May 8, 2007)

I read an article about a match with a king tiger and a super-pershing. The pershing won, but only by a lucky shot in the underbelly of the Tiger.


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## machine shop tom (May 9, 2007)

I have a book titled (I think anyway, it's at home, I'm at work) "Deathtrap". It's written by a fellow who was head of mechanical repairs for one of the armored divisions. He tells of being involved with helping to create the Super Pershing. I will post details when I get home.

tom


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## Soren (May 9, 2007)

The SUper Pershing was worth nothing really - the gun was big and long, yes, however IIRC with APCBC rounds it didn't perform very well compared to the 88mm L/71 Kwk43, and the loading time was horribly slow ! As to mobility, no, the Tiger Ausf.B was even more mobile than the std. Pershing, and the Pershing, believe it or not, was even less mechanically reliable than the Tiger Ausf.B. 

The bigger gun didn't do anything for the Pershing, it was oversize for the tank and ruined the balance.


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## comiso90 (May 9, 2007)

DUEL AT DESSAU
3AD's "Super Pershing" vs. Germany's "King Tiger"



Super Pershing vs. King Tiger - Dessau

The Super Pershing (aka T26E4-1) was equipped with a new long-barreled T15E1 90mm gun that was designed to out-perform the German high-velocity 88mm on the King Tiger. In testing, this new U.S. gun had successfully penetrated 8.5 inches of armor at 1,000 yards at 30 degrees. Even more remarkable, it had penetrated 13 inches of armor at 100 yards. The special 90mm ammunition had produced a muzzle velocity of 3,850 feet per second, or some 600 feet per second faster than the 88mm of the King Tiger. The new 90mm round also proved to have superior range and accuracy over the previous version.


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## machine shop tom (May 9, 2007)

AFAIK, there was only 1 Super Pershing made. It was basically a cobble-job just to see if it could be done.

tom


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## comiso90 (May 9, 2007)

machine shop tom said:


> AFAIK, there was only 1 Super Pershing made. It was basically a cobble-job just to see if it could be done.
> 
> tom



According to thr 3rd armored division wbsite, their were 2 that were shipped to europe....


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## machine shop tom (May 9, 2007)

The book I mentioned was "Deathtraps", by Belton Y. Cooper. Cooper served as an ordinance officer with the forward elements of the 3r Armored Division. He states that they were issued a single M26 Super Pershing, the only one shipped to the European Theater. He describes how 5 tons of armor was added to the front of the tank and 2 more were added to counter balance the long barrel and the armor that was added to the mantlet.

From the 3rd Armored Division website (www.3ad.com):

"Only two Super Pershings were ever built, and the 3AD had the only one in the European Theater - an experimental version with its remarkably long barrel. Arriving very late in the war (March, 1945), it was field tested and modified inside Germany and subsequently saw about ten days of actual combat action, beginning several days after the Battle of Paderborn and ending with the Battle of Dessau near the Elbe River."

Cooper describes how the suspension was overstressed by the modifications and that he informed the crew to watch the final drive and track system because of the added stress and the trouble it may cause. Cooper only describes one battle encounter involving the SP, but there are other accounts that describe battles with a King Tiger and a Panther.

tom


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