M36 Jackson
Tank Destroyer · USA
The Pershing's 90 mm in an open turret that traverses under power: it kills Panthers from the front. Only 24 rounds and an open roof: shoot first, then move.
(the vehicle's description in the garage)
At a glance
| Nation | USA |
| Role | Tank destroyer (TD) |
| Modelled variant | M36 Jackson (90 mm GMC M36, M10A1 hull, early 1944 production: plain muzzle) |
| Price | 850 credits |
| Team stock | 2 per five-player team (scales with team size) |
| Hit points | 960 |
| Main gun | 340 damage per AP shot, 6.9 s reload |
| Speed | 48.3 km/h on roads, 22.7 km/h off-road |
| View range | 230 m |
| Ability (B) | Ammo Drop |
| Garage ratings | Armour 3/10 · Firepower 5/10 · Mobility 10/10 · Spotting 7/10 |
History
The 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 Jackson was the most powerful US tank destroyer of the war. It put the 90 mm gun of the M26 Pershing into a new open-topped turret on the M10A1 hull. It was the only US armoured vehicle in 1944 that could reliably knock out a Panther from the front at long range, and it was in great demand.
M36s entered combat in north-west Europe in autumn 1944, and the first battalions fought in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. The game models an early production M36 with the plain muzzle and no muzzle brake.
In Armor Heads
Design note: M36 Jackson (early, plain muzzle): the M26's 90 mm in an open, powered turret on the M10A1 hull.
Compared with the other 34 WW2 vehicles, it is top 5 for shot damage (#5 of 35); bottom 5 for aim time (#32 of 35).
Survivability
- Hit points: 960. Damage taken multiplier: 1.05 (effective HP 914).
- Open-topped: HE near misses hurt more and knock out the crew far more easily.
- Track repair: 9 s.
| Zone | Damage multiplier (lower = thicker) | Raw shell damage to destroy through this zone |
|---|---|---|
| Hull front | 0.73 | 783 |
| Hull side | 1.18 | 484 |
| Hull rear | 1.3 | 440 |
| Roof | 1.36 | 420 |
| Turret front | 0.62 | 922 |
| Turret side | 1.1 | 519 |
| Turret rear | 1.3 | 440 |
Main gun
- Mount: turret, 360° traverse at 24°/s.
- Elevation +20° / depression -10°, at 14°/s.
- Reload: 6.9 s.
- Damage per minute (AP): 2,957.
- Accuracy: 0.06° dispersion when settled, aim time 1.76 s, move bloom 0.09.
- Gunner's sight: M76F, 5x (binoculars 6x / 10x / 15x).
| Shell | Type | Damage | Splash | Blast radius | Muzzle velocity | Penetration threshold | Rounds | Crew shock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Armour Piercing | AP | 340 | 30 | 3 m | 853 m/s | 0.47 | 16 | - |
| Heavy High Explosive | HE | 221 | 170 | 6.5 m | 823 m/s | 0.824 | 8 | 1.21 |
| 90 mm M304 HVAP | HVAP | 255 | 15 | 3 m | 1021 m/s | 0.28 | bought (key 3) | - |
The penetration threshold is the thinnest zone multiplier the shell gets through: zones below it stop the shell (10 % damage for AP, 20 % for HE). See how the numbers work.
HVAP (90 mm M304 HVAP) is bought in the garage, not issued: 3 rounds for 200 credits, at most 6 carried, from a team stock of 3 per player for the whole match (never resupplied). It gets through far thicker plate than the AP up close but loses its punch quickly with range:
| Range | AP needs | HVAP needs | AP damage | HVAP damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m | 0.47 | 0.28 | 340 | 255 |
| 300 m | 0.47 | 0.35 | 313 | 204 |
| 500 m | 0.47 | 0.47 | 286 | 153 |
| 700 m | 0.47 | 0.56 | 272 | 128 |
Matchups (AP against the hull front, square-on, under 100 m)
- Its AP gets through the hull front of 32 of the other 34 vehicles. It is stopped by: Tiger II, IS-2.
- 29 of the other 34 vehicles' AP get through its hull front. Safe from the front against: Panzer II Luchs, M32 TRV, Sd.Kfz. 250/9, T-70M, T-60.
- Sides, rears and roofs are thinner on every vehicle; see each page's zone table.
Secondary weapons and equipment
- Roof machine gun: .50 cal (M2 Browning), the vehicle's own modelled gun on its turret, 9 rounds/s, 2.5 damage per round, overheats after 48 rounds. It elevates to 70° and can shoot down recon planes.
- Smoke: 1 salvo, each recharges in 40 s.
Mobility
- Running gear: tracks (pivot turns).
- Top speed 48.3 km/h on roads, 22.7 km/h off-road (47 %), reverse 6.2 km/h, acceleration 3.4 m/s².
- Turn rate 32°/s (19°/s at top speed). Mass 28,600 kg. Engine start 3.5 s.
Special ability (B)
Ammo Drop: drops a crate behind the tank; team-mates who drive over it within 60 s get 50 % of their full shell and smoke load back (once each). Ready 30 s after the round goes live, once per round; another use costs 150 credits.
Where it appears
Players can take it on all seven WW2 maps, on either team. The AI fields it on:
- Bastogne 1944, Blue (Allied side): 1x in an 8-vehicle line-up (first at position 6).
Where it ranks (1 = best of 35)
| Stat | Rank |
|---|---|
| Hit points | 16 |
| Effective HP | 16 |
| Hull front armour (lower multiplier = thicker) | 22 |
| Turret front armour | 15 |
| Road speed | 13 |
| Off-road speed | 14 |
| Shot damage (AP) | 5 |
| Damage per minute | 21 |
| Reload (shortest first) | 26 |
| Accuracy (smallest dispersion first) | 9 |
| Aim time (fastest first) | 32 |
| Turret / gun traverse speed | 16 |
| View range | 26 |
| AP penetration (lower threshold = goes through more) | 7 |
| Price (1 = most expensive) | 9 |
The real vehicle
| Variant | M36 Jackson (90 mm GMC M36, M10A1 hull, early 1944 production: plain muzzle) |
| Length with gun | 7.46 m |
| Hull length | 5.97 m |
| Width | 3.05 m |
| Height | 3.28 m |
Sources used for the model: AFV Database https://afvdatabase.com/usa/90mmgmcm36.html (235.1 in without gun, gun overhang 58.8 in without muzzle brake, fire height 85 in, 129 in over the AA MG); Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M36_tank_destroyer (5.97 m hull, 7.47 m with gun, 3.05 m wide, 3.28 m over the AA MG; brake on vehicles after the first 600 from Nov 1944); the-blueprints vector 10679 (7460 mm overall); Saranga drawings the-blueprints 72187 / 45001 / 78076; chassis = the game M10 (M10A1 shares its upper hull)
In-game model: 7.52 m long (gun included) × 3.08 m wide × 3.11 m high (antenna excluded), 6,812 triangles, built at true scale.
Images
Renders of the in-game model in a plain nation colour (the game paints its camouflage at runtime).
