The Gun Motor Carriage M36 was an American tank destroyer in World War II. It was often referred to as the Jackson or Slugger.
With the advent of heavy German armor such as the panther and tigers, the standard U.S. tank destroyer, the thinnly armored M10 Wolverine was rapidly becoming obsolete. This was forseen however, and in September 1942 American engineers had begun designing a tank destroyer based on the formidable 90mm gun.
The M36 was the result. It was based on the M10A1 chassis, but had frontal armor that was twice as thick, a better engine, and, most significantly, the powerful 90mm gun.
It wasn't until mid-1944 that the vehicle first began to appear in Europe, and only around 1,400 M36's were produced during the war. It was well liked by its crews though, being one of the few armored fighting vehicles available to Americans that could take out heavy German tanks from distance, especially seen during the Battle of the Bulge.
Like many other tank destroyers, the turret was not fully armored to save weight, and the M36 was open-topped. To help offset this, a folding amored roofkit was developed to provide some protection from shrapnel. The M36 also had a large bustle at the rear of its turret which provided a counterweight to its large gun. Inside, eleven additional rounds of ammo were stored.
Variants
M36
M36 standard design.
M36B1
A M36 turret fitted onto a M4A3 Sherman chassis.
M3B2
A conversion from Diesel powered M10A1 hull.