Early in June 1944, Army commanders expressed a need for a new breed of tank that could mount either a 90mm or 105mm main gun. This request was approved by the Army Staff soon thereafter even though trials of the new T26E1 had already begun back at Fort Knox earlier that year. Unfortunately, the first limited run of procurement vehicles did not occur until December 1944, largely due to in-fighting among the Army brass who were unsure which gun to use. The first twenty T26E3s were finally shipped out to the ETO in January 1945, with some seeing action in western Germany the following month. Full production of the heavy tank began in March 1945 when it proved itself time and again against some of the more formidable German tanks fielded by the Wehrmacht. At the same time the tank was redesignated the M26 Pershing, in honor of WWI General 'Black Jack' Pershing. Total wartime production of the M26 reached 1,436 vehicles with a further 992 tanks produced in late 1945.

This particular 1:72 scale US M26 Pershing heavy tank was nicknamed "Alice", and attached to C Company, 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, then deployed to South Korea during 1950. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 1-1/2-inches

Release Date: January 2014

Historical Account: "Name Change" - The 756th Heavy Tank Battalion was re-designated the 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion in 1948 at Fort Benning, GA. It has served in the Korean War, Panama Campaign, Haiti incident and Desert Storm. The unit was deactivated at Fort Bragg, NC as the 3rd Battalion, 73rd Armor, 82nd Airborne Division in May 1997.