US M 36 Jackson Tank Destroyer during The Battleof Bulge

Full Title: Dudelange, Luxembourg - during the Battle of the Bulge. An M-36 Tank Destroyer of the US Army, painted white to blend with snow-covered terrain, crosses a field on January 3, 1945.

When the M-36 "Jackson" Tank Destroyer (TD) appeared in Europe during the fall of 1944, the Americans finally had a weapon capable of taking on any German tank. The M36 featured a powerful 90mm high velocity cannon capable of penetrating the frontal armor of Germany's most common 1944 era tanks: the Panzer IV and Panzer V. Unfortunately, as for defensive protection from German weapons, the open topped M-36, like the M-10 and M-18, were highly vulnerable to mortars and artillery. Meanwhile the TD's thin armor meant a first shot debilitating hit served as a necessity  rather than a luxury, otherwise a German panzer could easily destroy the American TD. Nevertheless, the US Army fielded 56 tank destroyer battalions in the ETO during WWII; each comprising 673 officers and men and equipped with 36 tank destroyers apiece. Despite combat experience  proving the general inadequacy of these weapons against tanks, only infantry manpower shortages led to the US Army's decision to disband some of these battalions at the end of 1944.



Picture Courtesy of US Army Signal Corps: Photo #ETO-HQ-45-5944