In mid-March, 1945, fresh from gunnery trials in the United States, a modified Pershing T26E1 arrived at the Maintenance Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division. In his book Death Traps (see feature story in ths same website section) Belton Cooper writes, "Having already lost several of the new [Pershing] M26's [aka T26] to high-velocity German anti-tank guns, we knew that its armor was still inferior to that of the Mark VI Tiger."
Cooper described how, despite the 3AD maintenance crew painstakingly and very creatively adding seven tons of weight in additional armor to the Super Pershing, its highest speed had only been dropped by about five miles an hour. Its 550-horsepower engine had proven itself. Cooper felt that the tank's maneuverability and firepower had it marked for great success in combat. "We realized that we had a weapon," Cooper writes, "that could blast the hell out of even the most powerful German Mark VI Tiger."
Some days after the above event, the Super M26 was transferred to a new crew with the 33rd Armored Regiment, where more of it's great potential would be realized, if only weeks before WWII would end.
The main gun specification of the King Tiger was to be a variation of the 88mm anti-aircraft gun. Although the 88mm was initially designed for an anti aircraft role, it proved to be an excellent tank killer. Originally, the intention was to mount an 88mm Flak 41 into a turret for the Porsche VK4501 (P) chassis. The turret had been originally designed by Krupp to hold the 56 caliber 88mm KwK 36 gun of the Tiger 1. After much experimentation and debate, it was decided in early 1943 that it was not possible to mount the 88mm Flak 41. Krupp had then been contracted to design a new turret that could mount their own version of a 71 caliber 88mm Kwk 43 gun that could fit in both the chassis for Henschel and Porsche.
The King Tigers 88mm main gun has a muzzle velocity of 1000m per second when firing armor piercing rounds. It was highly accurate and able to penetrate 150mm of armor at distances exceeding 2200m. Since the flight time of an armor piercing round at a range of 2200m is about 2.2 seconds or less, accuracy and correction of fire against moving targets is more important than with older anti tank guns. This made this heavy predator ideally suited to open terrain where it could engage enemy tanks at long range before the opponents weapons were even in range.
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On this Day In history
Birthdates which occurred on December 09:
1561 Edwin Sandys, a founder of Virginia colony
1569 Martinus de Porres, Peru, saint (patron of social justice)
1594 Gustavus II Adolphus, king who made Sweden a major power (1611-32)
1608 John Milton, London, poet/puritan (Paradise Lost)
1717 Johann J Winckelmann, German archaeologist (History of Ancient Art)
1742 Carl W Scheele, Swedish pharmacist/chemist (lemon acid)
1848 Joel Chandler Harris, US journalist (created Uncle Remus stories)
1886 Clarence Birdseye, frozen vegatable king (Birdseye)
1898 Emmett Kelly (clown: Ringling Bros.: hobo, Weary Willie)
1899 Jean de Brunhoff, France, children's book author (Babar the Elephant)
1902 Margaret Hamilton, Cleveland OH, actress (Wicked Witch-Wizard of Oz)
1905 Dalton Trumbo US, writer/film director (Johnny Got His Gun)(blacklisted)
1909 Douglas Fairbanks Jr, NYC, actor (Ghost Story)
1911 Lee J. Cobb (actor: On the Waterfront, Twelve Angry Men, Death of a Salesman, Exodus, The Virginian)
1912 Tip O'Neil (Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives)
1915 Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Jarotschin Germ, soprano (Der Rosenkavalier)
1916 Kirk Douglas (Isidore Demsky/Issur Danielovitch) (actor: Young Man with a Horn, Spartacus; father of actor, Mike Douglas)
1922 Redd Foxx (John Elroy Sanford) (comedian: Sanford & Son)
1928 Dick Van Patten (actor: Eight is Enough)
1929 John Cassavetes (actor: Shadows)
1930 Buck Henry, NYC, screenwriter/comedian (SNL, Get Smart)
1934 [Amos] Junior Wells Memphis TN, blues singer/harp player
1934 Al Kaline Baltimore MD, baseball outfielder (Detroit Tigers)
1941 Beau (Lloyd III) Bridges (director, actor: The Fabulous Baker Boys; son of actor, Lloyd Bridges, brother of actor, Jeff Bridges)
1942 Dick Butkus (Pro Football Hall of Famer: Chicago Bears: NFL Defensive Player of the Year [1969, 1970])
1943 Rick Danko Canada, rocker (The Band, Stage Fright)
1949 Tom Kite (golf champion: U.S. Open [1992])
1953 John Malkovich, Christopher Ill, actor/director (Killing Fields)
1957 Donny Osmond (singer: Go Away Little Girl, Puppy Love; TV host: Donny and Marie)
2340 Worf Klingon warrior
I've been thinking about doing a subject index to the Foxhole articles, unless you all have already done something of that sort of which I am not aware. The only index I know of is "The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads" from February. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1082437/posts
Today's classic warship, USS Kimberly (DD-521)
Fletcher class destroyer
Displacement. 2,050
Lenght. 376'6"
Beam. 39'8"
Draft. 17'9"
Speed. 35 k.
Complement. 273
Armament. 5 5", 14 40mm., 12 20mm., 6 dcp., 2 dct., 5 21" tt.
USS Kimberly (DD-521) was launched 4 February 1943, by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y.; sponsored by Miss Elsie S. Kimberly, daughter of Admiral Kimberly; and commissioned 22 May 1943, Comdr. H. W. Smith in command.
After shakedown Kimberly cleared Norfolk 10 September 1943, and steamed toward the action in the Pacific. Following additional training at Pearl Harbor, the destroyer arrived off Makin 20 November to begin the Navy's relentless conquest of Micronesia. Throughout the Gilbert Islands campaign, the destroyer served in ASW screen for the battleships and cruisers supporting marines fighting ashore with deadly accurate and devastating gunfire.
Kimberly departed Tarawa 6 December for the West Coast. After repairs at San Francisco, she sailed 22 January 1944, for the Aleutian Islands. Operating with Rear Admiral Baker's Task Force 94, the destroyer departed Attu 1 February to silence enemy antiaircraft batteries on Suribachi Wan and Kurabi Saki. Kimberly remained in the Aleutians for 7 months on ASW patrol, offensive sweeps, bombardment of the Kuriles, and training exercises before steaming toward San Francisco 18 September.
As the tempo of the Pacific war quickened, Kimberly arrived at Manus, Admiralty Islands, to prepare for her roles in the reconquest of the Philippines. In 10 November she departed escorting a supply convoy to Leyte Gulf, carrying material to replenish U.S. forces there. On the evening of 21 December, while Kimberly escorted another convoy to Mangarin Bay, Mindoro, Japanese suicide planes attacked the American ships. During the 2-hour battle, Kimberly's guns splashed one plane and assisted in the downing of two others. After repulsing the attack, the convoy proceeded to Mangarin Bay bringing men and material for the construction of an airstrip and a PT-boat base needed to support the invasion of Luzon, Kimberly's next mission.
The destroyer departed Leyte 2 January 1945, screening a preinvasion battleship group. En route, during one of many kamikaze attacks, the destroyer scored another kill. Arriving off Lingayen Gulf 6 January, the bombardment group was immediately placed on alert to ward off the fanatic enemy suicide pilots. That day Kimberly splashed two more planes. For the remainder of the month, she bombarded enemy railroad and supply centers.
During February the destroyer prepared for the Okinawa campaign which would advance American forces next door to the Japanese homeland. Departing San Pedro Bay 21 March for radar picket duty, the destroyer off the Ryukyus, was attacked 26 March by two "Vals." Despite accurate antiaircraft fire and numerous hits, one enemy plane, trailing fire and smoke, crashed into the aft gun mounts killing 4 men and wounding 57. Kimberly cleared the area 1 April for repairs at Mare Island arriving 25 April.
Returning to the fight, she cleared Pearl Harbor 10 August but Japan capitulated as the veteran destroyer steamed to join the 3d fleet in the Far East. She entered Tokyo Bay 4 September and 2 days later sailed, escorting Missouri. In company with the famed battleship, she arrived Philadelphia 18 October. After Navy Day ceremonies, Kimberly departed Philadelphia 2 November and arrived Charleston, S.C., the next day. She remained there until 5 February 1947 when she was placed in reserve.
The United States shrank her Navy too far. Encouraged by the weakness, the Communists struck in Korea. As fast as crews and material could be assembled, the nation rebuilt her fleet. Kimberly recommissioned 8 February 1951, Comdr. O B. Parker in command. After shakedown out of Guantanamo and exercises along the coast, she cleared Norfolk 15 May 19.51, and steamed to the Pacific as reinforcement. She arrived Yokosuka 18 June and 5 days later sailed for fire support operations off the western coast of Korea. The destroyer also acted as ASW screen and plane guard for the carriers during the raids on enemy positions ashore. In mid-September she arrived off Formosa for patrol operations before sailing 6 October via the Philippines. the Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean, for the United States.
Arriving Norfolk 12 December, Kimberly operated along the Atlantic coast and Caribbean on training exercises until she arrived Charleston, S.C., 20 June 1953. She remained there and decommissioned 15 January 1954.
After 12 years in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston, S.C., Kimberly proceeded to Boston Naval Shipyard in July 1966 for overhaul prior to being loaned to the government of the Republic of China. In June 1967, she was transferred to the Republic of China. Renamed An Yang, she served in the ROC Navy until 1999. She was sunk as a target on October 14 2003.
Kimberly received five battle stars for World War II and one star for Korean service.
Unfortunatly, this Super Pershing vs King Tiger story is a complete myth. The reality is that there were never any King Tiger units anywhere near Dessau in late April 1945. The nearest unit with King Tigers would have been Schwere SS Panzer Abteilung 502, which was in action against the Soviets, just south of Berlin. In fact on April 21st/22nd the unit was located in the region of Arhensdorf, which is precisely 55 miles north east. This was the nearest unit with King Tigers to Dessau on April 21st 1945. There were no others anywhere near Dessau.
The Germans kept meticulous details of their Tiger movements and combat actions. See Wolfgang Schneider’s excellent 2 volume ‘Tigers In Combat’ series.
There are NO photos and NO unit descriptions of this mysterious King Tiger allegedly knocked out in Dessau in April 1945, which in itself is extremely strange considering that such a victory would have certainly been well photographed and documented. Tanks stayed on the battlefield in a ko’d state for months...yet there is NOT EVEN ONE photo of this supposedly destroyed King Tiger in Dessau?
More tellingly, there was only ever ONE Super Pershing used in Europe during WW2 and it ‘just so happens’ to stumble across one of the few dozen ultra rare King Tigers still fighting in the whole of Germany by April 1945??
It doesn’t add up. The lack of evidence, nevermind proof, puts this down as a tall tale, perhaps used for progaganda purposes to ‘prove’ that the most powerful American tank of WW2 managed to best the most powerful German tank of WW2...just in the nick of time before the war came to a close. Either that, or the tank ko’d in Dessau was more likely the quite similar looking Panther. If we believed all allied tanker’s tales about Tigers then the Germans must have produced about 10,000 of them rather than the circa 1,800 they actually produced. Allied tankers saw Tigers everywhere, even in places that none ever served.
Bottom line is that there is a claim made that a Super Pershing bested a King Tiger........in a location where no King Tigers ever were. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.