US Armor & Vehicles

First Pershing casualty

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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 hole in 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 tank displayed the name "Fireball' Sources: US Army and Hunnicutt, R. P. - Pershing, A History of the Medium Tank T20 Series, 1996, Feist Publications, ISBN 1-112-95450-3. taken from fWW2 uncovered