Inside the Chieftain's Hatch: M26 Pershing, Part 2

Part two of the first tank featured in the Inside the Hatch series, we go through the various crew stations in the M26 tank.
World of Tanks is a free-to-play online game which incorporates a wide variety of vehicles from the 1920s through 1950s. www.worldoftanks.com
I'm found here on Facebook TheChieftainWargaming

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

White is a common colour for AFV interiors. It's not as if they have many windows, so they need to reflect as much light internally as possible so the crew can see what they're doing. Also makes leaks very easy to spot.

[@goosbouwsma7464]

TheChieftainWoT hey do a inside the hatch t29

[@ravener96]

leaks as in people on the outside spotting poor light dicipline, or people on the inside identifying holes in the hull?

[@Wallyworld30]

When he says leaks I believe he's referring to hose leaks. Hydraulic fluid and such.

[@lumox7]

Also makes shell holes easy to spot.

[@andrewgregory151]

The_Chieftain why is the intro 1 minute

[@robertgordon8159]

Littlefield was a God. It is a shame that we lost him a few years ago. Seeing the pristine condition of his tanks is still mind blowing. The parts that are supposed to move, move.. those that don't, don't. I am sure Nick appreciated the difference with all the different tanks he has climbed in and out of over the years.

[@CW-hh8yz]

Met him once while a family friend delivered his Israeli Super Sherman. A very friendly and enthusiastic gentleman.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

It is, and the Panther's in fantastic visual appearance. The problem is that I can't understand the manual, so for the first couple of vehicles, before we go through too much effort on something we didn't know would be successful or not, we went with languages which I can understand.

[@treadhead2693]

You can tell this is an earlier walk around as in the later ones the Chieftain added the much anticipated….OH MY...the tank is on fire, and how easy it is or isn't to exit.

[@crunch9876]

Treadhead 269 plus the music got more quite

[@tyredcar03]

@@crunch9876 quiet

[@Twirlyhead]

And the upload date.

[@kerrydennison7947]

Ironically if you check the combat record of the Persian alongside all of the other NATO tanks in Korean war you will see it had a higher kill ratio even than it's supposed to replacement the m48 when I was inside the whole of one of these we had no fear of the t-3485 our worst fear was infantry swollen our tanks with explosive charges that is why we always covered each other's backs without 30 cal machine guns brings back a lot of memories thank you for doing this video

[@Dcook85]

Amazingly informative video, very well done, I would state though the music is distracting.

[@KKTR3]

It’s more than distracting certainly if you’re watching it at night it’s downright unpleasant

[@fransiscozip1459]

Do alittle dance. Ffs. Gfys

[@KaladinVegapunk]

Hahaha I love that when you rewatch the old videos that's the top comment in like ALL of them The only times it isn't is when there isn't music and then the top comment is someone saying how happy they are there's no music and hope it's permanent It's like they were editing it and thought people wouldn't be engaged without the music? Like everyone here is watching because they're interested and like the cheiftan They don't have to edit it to appeal to some mouth breathing transformers fan that needs constant stimulation to pay attention

[@gemyniraptor8626]

that tank looks relatively nice and roomy as far as the usual for that period. doesn't give you the feel of being shoved in a tuna can

[@douglasfulmer5483]

American tanks tend to be nice like that. Sometimes.

[@tyler_bt3326]

+Douglas Fulmer unless it's an M22

[@douglasfulmer5483]

Tyler Brooke-Thomas XDDDD

[@manjirum]

+Tyler Brooke-Thomas Thank god for the M41...

[@MrSebfrench76]

am i the only one to think that he has something from Neil Hannon from the Divine Comedy? This Pershing is a time capsule..The quality of the restoration is breathtaking.

[@StrelokNikitin]

It's such a shame that other places like Kubinka don't get nearly the same amount of funding and attention as Bovington :(

[@okrajoe]

Nice turret interior.

[@RandallFlaggNY]

Has a breakfast nook too.

[@thecanuck11]

Great series, Mr. Chieftain, keep them coming! I love tanks and these videos explain how everything works are just so fascinating!

[@speed150mph]

He is so calm when doing western tanks it's almost boring. It's funnier to watch him do russian tanks XD

[@richardscales9560]

speed150mph I think it's more that this is a relatively early video. He's more relaxed in later ones which I think makes the presentation more natural

[@betterworld1]

always liked the look of this tank.

[@natopeacekeeper97]

At the beginning of the Korean War, there were no Pershing's in Korea which could deal with the T-34/85 the North Korean Army was equipped with. There were three Pershing's in Japan, but were in poor mechanical shape. General MacArthur had contracted with Japanese workshops to refurbish worn out vehicles, and an emergency rebuild commenced to get the Pershing's operational as quickly as possible. The three were finally rushed to Korea, but the fan belts were incorrectly fabricated, and all three Pershing's were put out of service. The Easy 8 Shermans with their high-velocity 76mm guns were capable to taking on the T-34/85s if being seriously under-armored and once General Matt Ridgeway got the 3.5 inch bazooka into Korea, the North Korean edge of their armor quickly went away.

[@RobSmith123456]

This is just an AWESOME idea ... I know that some things can't be done with such museum pieces (such as loading the main gun with a dummy round to show what it was like) but it really does give an insight to the general operation on the tank. Hopefully you will be able to produce such videos for some of the other tanks found in the game over time.

[@ficklefingeroffate]

need to lose the music track.

[@peterforden5917]

yes truly eyewatering get shot of it....

[@InchonDM]

It's been five years, they still have pretty heavy music in these ;) Definitely less intrusive than it used to be, though.

[@FineArtsTeacher]

definitely!

[@AaronB99999]

5:55 most important piece of equipment on any tank, the heater

[@DickHolman]

No, the Boiling Vessel is the most important, *then* the internal heaters. :)

[@pukalo]

Damn Nick that's a long intro

[@Royalwaffles]

50 seconds xD That's uhhh well movie intro times for a 9 minute video...

[@TheWoodStroker]

I learned a good deal about operating a tank. Tanks, Nick!

[@domEastCoast]

It's pretty cool looking back at these and seeing how far your presentation style has come. Rock on dude

[@klingergary]

Thank you Chieftain, very knowledgeable, great series

[@reddevilparatrooper]

A lot of the controls and concepts on the Pershing were used on later tanks all the way up to the M48s and M60s.Some of it still survives to the Abrams series.One thing about American tanks is they have losts of room even for tall guys.Back in WWII the tank corps back then like to pick short guys for better efficiency.

[@pattoncommander]

What controls are you referring to? The gunners turret controls on the M-26 and 46 were identical. The 47 was totally different with hydraulic traverse and elevation (26 & 46 no power elevation.) 48-A1 and A2 were similar but A3 had changes. Driver controls were totally different in the M-26 with steering laterals, M-46 and 47 had a wobble stick and 47s had no dual controls. M- 48s had an oval steering wheel. Tank commanders override controls in 26-47 were similar but not the same.47 and early 48s were similar. The POS M-60s were all similar .

[@reddevilparatrooper]

I was referring to the GAS (Gunner's Auxillary Sight) which still uses the manual elevation,traverse,and trigger button backed up with the "Master Blaster" magneto firing device.Works well if the tank is in a stationary position and have to do a GAS engagement on a Tank Table VIII.

[@kalaharimine]

Great restoration, even the rubber on the wheels look good.

[@justforever96]

Technically that is not 'low range', it is first gear. Low range refers to a split gearing like a heavy truck or a 4x4 with a 2-speed transfer case. With a 4-speed transmission, high range is the 'range' of ratios from 1-4 in high gear, low range is the range from 1-4 in low gear. But many people just call the lowest gear 'low range', even if it is not technically correct. A tank is generally speaking always in low range (although some have a low-low-range mode). This machine gets away with only three gears because the torque convertor in the automatic works to broaden the working range of each gear, at a cost of efficiency (like how Detroit automobiles found 2 and 3-speed transmissions perfectly workable for a long time).

[@pimpmoney909]

im glad you decided not to have the music running in the background all the time in later episodes

[@Orvtrebor]

Thank you for making this series!

[@bigbob1699]

Nice to have a complete tank to show.

[@emmanuelcruz3723]

This is the tank driven by a young tanker named Cpl Murdoch Ford in the Korean conflict way back in 1950 as I read in a book The Darkest Summer the author Bill Sloan....

[@Daehawk]

Beautiful tank. Saw the video where one kills a Panther. Tough mean tank.

[@jonathanpowell613]

The Pershing _was_ designed specifically to counter the Tiger I - it's main gun was on par with the German 88mm, and it's armor was almost as thick as the Tiger's - the Pershing's armor was just one inch thinner. However, like the Tiger, it suffered from reliability issues. I'm guessing this is why we didn't mass-produce this tank during World War II - the Sherman was easier to mass-produce than the Pershing, but the Pershing stood a better chance against German heavy tanks like the Tiger and Panther. I just wish we had this tank earlier in the war, especially in North Africa.

[@paralysis5353]

@@jonathanpowell613 Pershing's armor was better than the Tiger I's at 100mm sloped

[@lucvanegmond6168]

@@jonathanpowell613 haha youre wrong, pershing has better Armour though

[@oceangross]

Video starts at 0:51

[@arrowsf11973]

nicely restored and looks roomy for a tank

[@Benepene]

This thing looks factorynew

[@andyj74]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep them coming!!! I love these "nuts and bolts" type of videos.

[@DarkSplash99]

This tank is one of the reasons I started playing world of tanks

[@Pradatoru]

This look way better then IS-4 and a lot more space the IS-4 and it even look much more simple commands

[@RevanStarrrR]

Pradatoru IS-4 was largely a failed tank because of its poor mobility and because of it, only about 200-300 were made. IS-4 is more heavily armed and armored though. Which should be expected because its a post-war tank. Pershing is comparable to Tiger I and IS-1.

[@RevanStarrrR]

-T-X-M- In that aspect maybe but specs wise i think its closer to Tiger I and IS-1. Super Pershing is closer to Tiger II and IS-2. Though i heard there was just one of them in Europe.

[@peterson7082]

+-T-X-M- As for the T26E1 pilot model, that became the "Super Pershing" we know in wot, armor wise and gun wise it was marginally superior to both the Tiger II and the IS-2.

[@Pradatoru]

Nice to know wot isn't really that realistic

[@adriandelgado8709]

This is one of my favourite tanks and the super pershing is the other one

[@MrSigmatico]

Looks like a pretty well thought through tank tbh, nice amount of room and it dont seem like anything is obviously screwed up like on just about every other tank.

[@Axemantitan]

Could the pistol port be used for loading main gun ammo into the turret?

[@philipcasa7379]

Outstanding job thanks

[@TheDean04]

Great videos! Hope they can pick u some steam, would love to see the series continue.

[@robw3027]

Great video- an early one. I agree less music pretty much the better. Well done.

[@robbybee70]

used to think it'd be awesome to operate a tank, might be but doesn't seem I'd fit as the gunner in a Pershing I saw something about a manual trigger but it looked a bit like a lever is that so? also how is it normally fired I had hoped to see that is it a trigger or button etc.

[@keithreid8076]

I love this tank!!

[@taggartlawfirm]

I think it’s time we ro-do these I want to know how to tension the track and what happens when OMG the tank is on fire.

[@justforever96]

So they now officially refer to the assistant driver as the bow gunner...just as he is finally given a second set of controls, making in actuality an assistant driver?

[@justinhealey2408]

How did he keep from not bustin his head open when theyr playin that music?

[@Lance-Urbanian-MNB]

Love your channel. As a mere automobile mechanic getting detailed specs on historic military vehicles is really neat. This seams to be your first "mission". Well done. A lot of ad intro but that's ok but the loud accompanying music really annoys the crap out of me cause I want to hear what you are saying and not get earraped over and over again. Cheers and keep on making these vids about old steal monsters.

[@donfrandsen7778]

Love it !!! Well done Nick, by the way the music is fine . Good show, more , is there one on the M4A3E8?

[@1airplane21]

they will, this museum has many different types of tanks.

[@CaptainRin1]

Hey cheiftan. I love these kinda of videos. Keep it up and I'll +1 every video you have. Only one issue. Music is way too loud to understand you at times. Either drop it down more or get rid of it entirely. Overall this is an excellent idea though.

[@barryberthiaume1103]

This tank is light years above the M4 no wonder it t0ok so long to get to the battle field in WW2!

[@Paciat]

Yes people were much shorter in the 40s. Ergonomics dont effect the height of the tank, only the interior set up. Also US tanks were usually far more crew friendly then USRR tanks.

[@gaborvadask9559]

Looks like a greatly improved version of the T34 ..... Very nice looking tank !!

[@dongblak7048]

5:30 - LOL. "Speedo & Tach" sounds like a 90's Action Movie.

[@tangocharlie11]

really like the series, keep them coming.

[@justforever96]

6:43 what is the purpose of the pattern of internal stippling on the turret wall? It looks like it is for traction, except it is on a vertical surface.

[@Stian2001]

Why don't you use a gopro hero 4 insted og that big camera that you can't get inside the tank very well with. Just a tip;)

[@jtem9313]

If it weren't for reliability issues the Pershing might be famous today as the world's first MBT

[@NorthernNorthdude91749]

The first MBT was the Panther.

[@natewallinger9270]

When I win the lottery I'm buying one.

[@wacojones8062]

Serious slippage on Koreas hills Noisy compared to Whispering Death as the Centurions were called. They did good work on the Flats not so good for bunker busting in the Hill fights where Shermans were preferred as they could scoot up a hill fire at each of three targets then rapidly Get Out of Dodge.

[@woooster17]

Love these videos but...lose the heavy metal music, not needed! Intro was almost a minute too!

[@Adamanteus08]

Would love to see a tour of the M3 Lee.

[@nickorama23]

love this series

[@5olace838]

Love your series! I wonder if the music used is an original composition?

[@IIBloodXLustII]

If this tank didn't have it's logistical issues, it's engine and transmission problems, and the general dislike of "new" from the tank crews, this would be remembered as a really good tank. Alas...

[@hudsonwright6506]

Awesome videos

[@1joshjosh1]

Jesus is hard to get into this because of the freaking music. Arg.

[@KKTR3]

What is he thinking of putting this ridiculous track it’s drowning him out it’s drowning my brain

[@Ingvi_Jonsson]

Just fantastic vids :) Only thing, was that the music was a bit loud.

[@davidhulkower7779]

a very good series

[@lardo2525]

ditch the music

[@wunderwaffeyt4077]

I skipped the first one when it was half done since this one features that good parts, which is the gun

[@markeddesign12]

One thing I noticed about this video is that the crew are really squeezy inside a tank.

[@allanstott6999]

Very good vid. Do you have one on the Sherman? I was hoping to learn something about the reasons for the welded or cast hulls as they look like totally different vehicles to me.

[@allanstott6999]

Right, was there a difference for this alteration? I thought the cast hull would have been stronger as it was one solid piece as opposed to plates welded together.

[@allanstott6999]

Got you. Yes I see it with the t34 in wot. If the turret is turned the nearest point to you is actually flat because of the curve.

[@Griffmeister423]

Cast hulls where more prone to destroy the inside of the tank, the hull could not be tempered to prevent spalling (When a shell goes through the armor and fragments said armor around in the tank, like a frag-grenade of sorts), welded hulls where faster to make, able to the tempered to prevent spalling, and plates of the welded hull (like the front-plate) could be replaced, to keep the vehicle on the lines, where the cast-hull, if vitally penned, was a complete loss and the tank would have to be totally replaced. The early-Shermans cast-hull did give better protection due to the sloping, but rate of production eventually trumped protection.

[@tyler_bt3326]

Even though cast metal is one piece, it is standard steel. This type of steel has the same deficiencies as cast iron and is very prone to cracking when impacted from something like a tank shell. The early T-34s had the same problem. Welded plates are made with strengthened steel but as soon as you melt it down to cast it the strengthening is useless. That's why cast armour was phased out.

[@peterson7082]

+-T-X-M- Not exactly design wise. Chronologically yes.

[@TheNavalAviator]

I looked up that all M46 tanks were conversions from M26 tanks. Is that true?

[@manjirum]

Extensive Development/ Improved version of a Pershing.

[@Pershingtank]

M26s rebuilt with many improvements, most significantly the new engine/transmission.

[@maxdelater3369]

yes, I already thought I saw the 90mm M3a1 that was fitted on the m46, instead of the 90mm M3 of the M26. (notice the thing right behind the muzzle brake).

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

The m26 intro to the war was really PR move to prove that they were actually trying to compete with newer German armour. It likely would have been considered a prototype on the way to developing the m46 if not for this.

[@ironiczombie2530]

The m46 was a updated and improved pershing chassis with m47 turret dropped onto it. It was a stop gap tank created due to delays with the m47.

[@fractiousbump6]

Does the Pershing have a button on the ground to step on to fire the guns like the Sherman's?

[@0YtsanBlowout0]

Hope to an M46 video next!

[@garymellett123]

Did the pershing have a turret basket like the Sherman?

[@GottHammer]

Isn't that the same museum that had a Panther restoration? If so...well, I'd like to see the Panther (there's also Saumur for that, and their working King Tiger)

[@Eon2641]

It saw a small amount of combat, there's a famous video of an m26 knocking out a panther. You can look it up on youtube, just type m26 vs panther. The super pershing didn't though they did test it.

[@South_China_Sea_Yacht_Club]

what is the next tank gonna be? can't wait!

[@railwayfan751]

most likely the fact that the transmission was not built to handle the weight of the tank and most of the clutches and bands are easy to wear or break

[@keozer9556]

were heaters common in tanks?

[@foudo13]

Was the interior originally white inside for some reason ? Or was it done by the restorers ?

[@basedjorts]

Is this an M26A1? Looks like the M3A1 90mm.

[@tynko96]

Chief could you do some german iconic tanks like tiger 1or 2 Panther PzIV etc. would be great to have anything except british and american tank overviews

[@FFRavenOne]

Do a video of the Panther or JagdPanther please!

[@ranhat2]

Bravo for the extraordinary looks into the tank and how what works; incredible extra insights--would be interesting to know source of the gentleman's knowledge. However, camera movements are too quick/sequences a bit brief; and the flash-zoom-wow popups are too long too frequent too kiddy-level. I'd trim em and stop the nonsense jumping around, at least. But a great tour, even with the Mickey M. part.

[@Boogyman337]

Thanks.

[@montvilleo]

Background music is intrusive

[@swordmaster2k1]

Moar! I must have moar of these videos!

[@MattS_Filmography]

Does this tank still work?

[@Larry82ch]

what about the "canteen"-writing on the side? is there a coffe machine stored?

[@venator5]

water canteen.

[@1968lr]

Main gun, armour??

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

38, why?

[@TheAKgunner]

I never would've guessed. You look younger.

[@sheepmasterrace]

why do so many channels use super long intros in 2011 and 2012

[@steveross8326]

Are these available with full leather and AC?

[@OGPatriot03]

Very well don't but i wish they were a little bit longer, if they were longer this would be better than TV.

[@ValerieBlackhart]

It wasn't a pistol port!!! It was used to load the cannon shells. In combat they would open it to throw out the empty casings. If it ever got to the point where someone had to shoot a pistol threw that then they were fucked anyway.

[@pektotyou]

Please make a video on the KV-2.

[@Khatz507]

OMG amazing! ;D i can't wait for the next tank!!

[@wolfdemon2000]

What ever happened to the only super Pershing, I'm a little confused why they didn't make more also.

[@TheChieftainsHatch]

+James Barnes Bottom line was that the ammunition was just too bulky to be acceptable in the turret. worldoftanks.com/en/news/pc-browser/21/The_Chieftains_Hatch_Improved_Super_Persing/

[@wolfdemon2000]

+TheChieftainWoT wow, thank you for your reply.

[@Pershingtank]

There were 26 made in total. T26E1-1 rebuilt from T26E1 prototype, this is the one that received the applique armour. It used the T15E1 cannon with very long 1-piece shells. The other 25 were new T26E4 tanks with the T15E2 cannon, which used 2-piece shells.

[@basedjorts]

The Super Pershing that saw combat was likely scrapped at the end of the war. The last picture of it showed it sitting in a scrap yard.