US Armor & Vehicles

M26 Fireball

Photograph shows the first M26 Pershing tank (still designated as T26E3) to be knocked out in combat in World War II, which occurred on its second day in action. The white chalk circle on the gun mantlet marks the penetration of an 88mm round from a German Tiger I. Two crew members were killed. The action occurred on February 26, 1945. The T26E3 was knocked out in an ambush at Elsdorf while overwatching a roadblock. The action was described as follows: Fireball, for that was the tank's name, was in a bad position, silhouetted in the darkness by a nearby fire. A Tiger, concealed behind the corner of a building only about 100 yards away, fired three shots - the first 88 mm projectile entered the turret through the co-axial machine gun port [the M26's gun mantlet], killing both the gunner and the loader instantly. The second shot hit the muzzle brake and the end of the 90 mm barrel and the resulting shock waves set off the round that was in the chamber. Even though this round finally cleared the end of the tube, it still caused the barrel to swell about halfway down. The third and final shot glanced off the right hand side of the turret and in doing so took away the upper cupola hatch which had been left open. But that was the end of the Tiger's run of luck. Hastily backing, to avoid retaliatory fire, it reversed into a large pile of debris and became so entangled that the crew finally had to abandon it.(rudeerude)