![]() A drawback was the lack of a coaxial or bow machine gun, but the M36 had an AA machine gun that the Jagdpanther did not. The American vehicle carried fewer shells than the German, but its ready rack was much better designed. It's unlikely that the GMC M36 was not capable of the same. On trials Soviet tankers managed to accelerate the heavier GMC M10 with a weaker engine to 50 kph. ![]() The top speed of 42 kph on the American vehicle was an artificial limit. It also had much a poorer power to weight ratio, 13.2 hp/ton vs 17.5 hp/ton. It had a bigger gun and thicker armour, but also weighed half again as much as the M36. A comparison of these two vehicles shows that the Jagdpanther had precious few advantages over its American rival. American tank destroyers gained numeric superiority as new shipments arrived. ![]() The GMC M36 and Jagdpanther clashed regularly. Most of these were military men, and Colby himself retired with the rank of Brigadier. The TAC was headed by Joseph Colby and included a number of engineers who used to work for the Ordnance Department. Both the GMC M10 and Medium Tank T20 were developed by the Tank-automotive Center that was organized in Detroit in 1942. This coincidence in armament is no surprise. One of the prospective weapons for the T20 was the T12 gun, later standardized as the M7. Both vehicles were developed with a 76 mm gun based on the 3" AA gun in mind. This had to do with the armament first and foremost. It just so happened that development of the GMC M10 started to cross paths with the Medium Tank T20, a prospective medium tank that was supposed to replace the Medium Tank M4. The last conflict it took part in was the Yugoslavian Civil War in the 1990s. Like the Soviet SU-100 its career spanned more than a decade. ![]() This was the best of American tank destroyers. ![]() Its replacement, the M36, appeared on the battlefield a year and a half later. The first such vehicle was the GMC M10, which made its debut in March of 1943. As a rule they were based on tank chassis, but had thinner armour and higher mobility. After a series of experiments, American tank destroyers became very similar to their own tanks. American self propelled artillery developed on its own terms, especially tank destroyers. ![]()
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