The M36B2 tank destroyer, formally known as the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2, is an improved modification of the M36 GMC tank destroyer deployed by the U.S. Army near the end of World War II and throughout the Korean War. The M36B2 shared many traits with the original M36 GMC, including the same armour layout, engine, and main anti-tank gun. Beginning in May 1945, the American Locomotive Company rebuilt 672 M10 hulls into the 90 mm Gun Motor Carriage M36B2 variant. In May 1945, the Montreal Locomotive Works delivered another batch of 52 M36B2s. As Germany in World War II unconditionally surrendered in May 1945, this upgraded variant of the M36B2 saw no combat following its introduction. Instead, it was heavily utilized by the U.S. Army and the Republic of Korea Army against Soviet-made North Korean armoured vehicles during the Korean War, which began five years later, in 1950. Because M26 and M46 tanks were in short supply, the M36B2 became one of the favoured armoured vehicles for MAP (Military Assistance Program) transfers.
Introduced in Update "Drone Age", the M36B2 GMC performs extremely similarly to the original M36 GMC. Armoured turret cover shields were added to the M36B2, providing some modest protection against small artillery shrapnel and strafing by small-calibre aircraft machine guns. Despite this, the vehicle remains poorly armoured, leaving it vulnerable to strafing by large-calibre aircraft heavy machine guns or aircraft cannons. For the M36B2 variant, new HEAT-FS ammunition has become available, allowing it to engage strongly armoured enemy vehicles at a significantly greater range with reliability.
Ammunition | Type | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
APBC | 175 | 172 | 161 | 149 | 137 | 126 | |
HE | 20 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | |
APCBC | 185 | 183 | 173 | 161 | 150 | 140 | |
APCR | 287 | 281 | 259 | 234 | 211 | 191 | |
Smoke | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |
HEATFS | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 | 305 |
Belt | Belt filling | Armor penetration (mm) at a distance: | |||||
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10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1000 m | 1500 m | 2000 m | ||
API-T/I/AP/API-T | 31 | 29 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 6 |
Mobility | |
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Protection |
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Firepower | |
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