M10 and M36 Tank Destroyers 1942–53

Osprey New Vanguard #57

by Steven J. Zaloga, Peter Sarson (Illustrator)

The US Army had a unique tactical doctrine during World War II, placing the emphasis for tank fighting on its Tank Destroyer Command whose main early-war vehicle was the M10 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage, based on the reliable M4A2 Sherman tank chassis. This durable and versatile vehicle saw combat service from the North Africa campaign in 1943. By 1944, its gun was not powerful enough and it was rearmed with the new 90 mm gun, becoming the M36 90mm Gun Motor Carriage. This book details one of the only US armoured vehicles capable of dealing with the Panther and Tiger during the Battle of the Bulge.

Genres: History, Military History

48 pages, Paperback

First published August 19, 2002

About the author

Steven Zaloga is an author and defense analyst known worldwide for his articles and publications on military technology.  He has written over a hundred books on military technology and military history, including “Armored Thunderbolt: The US Army Sherman in World War II”, one of the most highly regarded histories of the Sherman Tank.  His books have been translated into Japanese, German, Polish, Czech, Romanian, and Russian. He was a special correspondent for Jane’s Intelligence Review and is on the executive board of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies and the New York Military Affairs Symposium. From 1987 through 1992, he was the writer/producer for Video Ordnance Inc., preparing their TV series Firepower.  He holds a BA in history from Union College and an MA in history from Columbia University.

Mr. Zaloga is also a noted scale armor modeler and is a host/moderator of the World War II Allied Discussion group at Missing-Lynx.com, a modelling website. He is a frequent contributor to the UK-based modeling magazine Military Modelling. He is a member of the Armor Modeling and Preservation Society.

Reviews

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good review of the development and deployment of the M10 and M36 tank destroyers by the U.S. Army and other allied forces during World War II as well as the years following the war. Due to the slimness of this volume do not expect in-depth analysis of maintenance issues, recovery techniques or gripping accounts of battle. A little bit of everything can be found in this booklet and, in many respects, (especially when talking a specific weapon) that's enough. For the truly anal Mr. Zaloga and others have written in-depth and exhaustive books on the World War II American armor fleet. I strongly recommend Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II (which has a section on the U.S. tank destroyer vehicles) by Mr. Zaloga, Lonnie Gill's seminal work: Tank Destroyer Forces and The Tank Killers: A History of America's World War II Tank Destroyer Force by Harry Yeide.

[Donald Bullard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent survey of a dark horse.

This title is up to the many other high quality volumes in the series. The US Army's approach was to have fast moving well armed tanks with minimal protection. Reading about the M 10s development and widespread use often seems to be an accountant having a weapon designed to do one thing (destroy tanks) versus a more general need for firepower in battle. That firepower was needed for other targets than enemy tanks. Such details makes this a great reference.