M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943-53 (New Vanguard) [Paperback]

Steven Zaloga (Author), Tony Bryan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: November 25, 2000

From the moment that the M4 Sherman had been matched against German Panther and Tiger tanks, the American tank crews had known that their vehicles were outclassed by the opposition. What was needed was a more powerful tank, more heavily armed and armored, that could take-on the powerful German panzers on a more equal footing. Although it took time to develop by the latter months of the war numbers of M26 Pershing tanks were reaching the frontline US armored units. Well armored and with a powerful 90mm gun the Pershing was a match for any tank in the German order of battle.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Steven J. Zaloga was born in 1952, received his BA in history from Union College, and his MA from Columbia University. He has published numerous books and articles dealing with modern military technology, especially armoured vehicle development. His main area of interest is military affairs in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the Second World War, and he has also written extensively on American armoured forces.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (November 25, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841762024
• ISBN-13: 978-1841762029
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #541,412 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm. His professional specialization is the commercial and technological aspects of the international trade in missiles, precision guided munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles. He also serves as an adjunct staff member with the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank.

Mr. Zaloga has published numerous books and articles on military technology and military history. His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He has been a special correspondent for "Jane's Intelligence Review" and is on the executive board of the "Journal of Slavic Military Studies". From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/director for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series "Firepower" that aired on The Discovery Channel in the US.

Mr. Zaloga was born in 1952 and received his BA in history from Union College, Schenectady, NY. He received an MA in history from Columbia University specializing in modern East European history, and did graduate research and language study at Uniwersitet Jagiellonski in Krakow, Poland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pershing Promotion, May 20, 2001

By 

Brian M. Ranzoni "Da Killa B" (Albany, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943-53 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

How frustrating it is to find facts. So much is lost in translations, in disorganization, and even outright censorship. Even a serious subject such as the Second World War mires in a swamp of misconceptions and misinformation. What a joy it is to find a current book devoted to the M26 Pershing-- the most underrated tank of World War II.

In the M4 Sherman's shadow, the Pershing's very existance was unknown to me. Gradually a reference here or a dismissal there clued me in; mostly histrories written immediately after the war. New Vanguard's *M26/M46 Pershing* is the most detailed of several new books to finally tell this needed tale.

Steven Zaloga's straight-forward and unpretentious writing summarizes the development and use of America's first heavy tank. Along the way he explores the political scandals surrounding its initial neglect by high Army officials. He follows this great weapon into the Korean War and establishes its ancestry of modern armor units. Tony Bryan and Jim Laurier provide several full color plates, including a digitized cut away with nomenclature list. All around this book respects a classic American machine almost nobody knows about.

Because the ressurgance in war lore still rides high, I'd strongly reccomend this book to anyone with an interest in how America actually fought the war. Zaloga smashes the popular concenption that the Sherman was our best tank. He reveals how our own great tank generals were so devoted to dated doctrines, that Patton himself refused to accept the Pershing. Zaloga writes "...the idea that the [Sherman's] 76mm gun was able to deal with the Tiger was widely held in the US Army in 1943, and was quite wrong." Readers may feel angry as I did to discover that it took the deaths of thousands of American and British men to shock the brass out of its complacency. In regards to Normandy, Zaloga tells us "In the first month of fighting, M4 Medium tank casualties were 32 percent of the available strength, more than four times its expected attrition rate of 7 percent." By the time the Pershing with it's 90mm gun and 102mm frontal armor arrived in Europe, the Nazis were already defeated by their own lack of resources.

A lack of good resources almost defeated me, but New Vangaurd's series has arrived just in time. Read along with Belton Y Cooper's *Death Traps-- The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II*, I have learned everything an amatuer historian needs to know about the M26 and its overlooked role in the fight for freedom.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good value for the money, September 24, 2002

By 

Gary E. Binder "Gary from Nebraska" (Waverly, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943-53 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

The M26 Pershing was the US Army's belated answer to the German Panther and Tiger tanks. Until the invasion of France the US thought their "Tank Destroyer" arm would defend against Nazi armor while the obsolescent Sherman tank would be used to exploit breakthroughs. The close fighting in the hedgerow country of Normandy showed the flaws in this policy and urgent requests went out for a better armed and better protected tank. The Ordnance dDepartment's answer was the T26E3 (later M26) which had been in development. The tank, nicknamed "Pershing", was rushed into production and early examples arrived in Europe late in the war. The Pershing also proved to be a powerful asset in Korea when facing the Soviet T34 tanks used by North Korea.

The recent release of a model of America's M26 Pershing tank led to several new books coming out on this little-know armored vehicle. If I have to choose only one of the new crop I would pick this one. Mr. Zaloga is a dedicated researcher and is very knowledgeable on combat vehicles and their histories. In a thumbnail Zaloga traces development of the new tank and then looks at how the Pershing was used in WW2 and Korea.

For a modest price the reader gets a history of the tank and color scheme information. The Osprey Vanguards are not meant to be the "final word" on any vehicle, but serve as modestly priced, readily available references. This is one of the best in that series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Zaloga Masterwork, February 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: M26/M46 Pershing Tank 1943-53 (New Vanguard) (Paperback)

I'm very impressed with the developmental details leading up to the M26 Pershing tank, and the preponderance of incredibly crisp photographs are simply amazing. I recognize many Korean War pictures from Jim Mesko's Armor in Korea, and the clarity of the same photos in Zaloga's book is a night-and-day difference.

Again, plentiful details on World War Two deployment, from Operation Zebra to the close of hostilities. Just a little more detail on the immediate post-war disposition of these tanks would have been appreciated.

After such intricate coverage of the Pershing's development, even including self-propelled artillery derivatives that weren't put into production, the M46 Patton and M26A1 modifications appear rushed and lacking in essential details. I can't blame Zaloga for not including exact production quantities except 360 M46A1s, as other sources can't seem to pin those numbers down either. One thing I definitely would have appreciated was information on which models served with which units with the occupation forces in Germany, and when they were withdrawn.

The Korean War gets multi-page coverage, but outside of initial deployment during 1950 there is insufficient information on units that traded in Chaffees and Shermans for Pershings and Pattons, or specifics on the withdrawal of Pershings other than "the M26 had been declared 'limited standard' before the outbreak of the Korean War and was retired from service shortly after" (p.42). Shortly after the war, or after the outbreak of the war? How many M45 close support howitzer tanks served in that war, and when were they withdrawn? Did the M46 Patton replace both the Sherman and the Pershing, and if so, when? "The M46 and M46A1 were declared obsolete in February 1957 and were retired from service..." does not illustrate the fact that M46s continued to serve in reduced numbers with battle group assault gun platoons after the two remaining divisions in-theater were reorganized to the Pentomic structure in 1957. Of course that's picking nits in a ten dollar book, but these nits prevent me from giving a full five stars to an otherwise excellent book on the development and service of the M26 Pershing and M46 Patton.