In early 1945 a mission was formed, code named Zebra, to facilitate
the introduction of new equipment in the European Theater of
Operations. Among the equipment being introduced was the T-26E3
Pershing 90mm heavy tank. The first shipment of Pershings consisted
of 20 vehicles. This group of 20 was given to the First Army
and was divided evenly between 3rd Armored Division and 9th Armored
Division (10 each).
Out of this group of 20 Pershings, 3 were knocked out by enemy
action. 2 of those knocked out belonged to the 3rd Armored. The
following is a brief account of what happened to the one of the
two assigned to the 3rd Armored.
3rd Armored T-26E3 Pershing, serial number 25, registration
number 30119835, was assigned to Company H, 3rd Battalion, 33rd
Armored Regiment, Taskforce Lovelady, Combat Command B.
Pershing number 25 was knocked out on 6Mar45 from the range
of 300 yards by a self-propelled German Nashorn tank destroyer
during the fighting in the town of Niehl, Germany north of Cologne.
The Nashorn hit Pershing number 25 with its 88mm gun on the lower
left front. The armor-piercing round penetrated the armor and
took a path between the driver's legs and under the turret where
it started a fire. The whole crew was able to bail out before
the fire set off the ammo stowed under the turret.
Pershing number 25 suffered a completely burned out turret
as a result and it was determined that it would take too long
to repair. So the tank was cannibalized for parts and became
the only total Pershing loss in WWII of the original shipment
of 20 tanks.
Research Sources:
After The Battle magazine, issue #104
Pershing: A History Of The Medium Tank T-20 Series by
Hunnicut.
Spearhead In The West published by the 3rd Armored Division,
1945
M-26/M-46 Pershing Tank 1943-1953 by Zaloga
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