M26A1

This page is about the Italian medium tank M26A1. For other versions, see M26 (Family).

M26A1

▄Sherman Vc

M47 (105/55)

M26A1

▄Sherman Vc

M47 (105/55)

Italy

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
6.7	6.7	6.7

Class:

Medium tank

Research:63 000

Purchase:200 000

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Description

The Carro Armato M26A1 is a rank IV Italian medium tank with a battle rating of 6.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.85 "Supersonic".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull101 / 76 / 51

Turret101 / 76 / 76

Crew5 people

Visibility105 %

Armour type:

• Cast homogeneous armour (Front, turret)
• Rolled homogeneous armour (Side, Rear, Roof)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	101.6 mm (42-46°) Front Glacis 162.5 mm (25-60°) Upper front glacis 76.2 mm (28-53°) Lower Glacis	76.2 mm (0-1°) Front 50.8 mm (0-3°) Rear	50.8 mm (7°) Top 22.2 mm (71°) Bottom	22.2 mm
Turret	101.6 mm (1-55°) Turret front 114.3 mm (1-84°) Gun mantlet	76.2 mm (2-54°)	76.2 mm (0-79°)	25.4 mm
Armour	Sides	Roof
Cupola	76.2 mm	25.4 mm

Notes:

• Suspension wheels and tracks are 20 mm thick.
• Belly armour is 25.4 mm thick.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB54 / 18 km/h

RB and SB49 / 16 km/h

Number of gears6 forward

2 back

Weight42.0 t

Engine power

AB954 hp

RB and SB500 hp

Power-to-weight ratio

AB22.7 hp/t

RB and SB11.9 hp/t

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	54	18	42	775	954	18.45	22.71
Realistic	49	16		442	500	10.52	11.9

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB3 325 → 4 279

RB3 870 → 4 980

SB4 954 → 6 375

Total cost of modifications52 800

90 900

Talisman cost1 700

Crew training57 000

Experts200 000

Aces800

Research Aces520 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

120 / 180 / 210 %

172 / 172 / 172 %

Modifications

Mobility	Protection	Firepower
Tracks Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 500 155 Suspension Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 145 Brake System Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 145 Filters Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 200 Transmission Research: 4 300 Cost: 7 400 260 Engine Research: 4 300 Cost: 7 400 260	Improved Parts Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 500 155 Improved FPE Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 145 Crew Replenishment Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 200	Horizontal Drive Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 500 155 90mm_us_M82_APCBC_ammo_pack Research: 2 600 Cost: 4 500 155 Adjustment of Fire Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 145 90mm_us_M304_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 2 400 Cost: 4 100 145 Elevation Mechanism Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 200 90mm_us_M332_APCR_ammo_pack Research: 3 300 Cost: 5 700 200 Artillery Support Research: 4 300 Cost: 7 400 260 90mm_us_M313_Smoke_ammo_pack Research: 4 300 Cost: 7 400 260

It's recommended to unlock Parts and FPE first, then the M82 and APCR shots, and after that focus on mobility.

Armaments

Main armament

90 mm Cannone da 90/50 M3A1 cannon

Ammunition70 rounds

First-order10 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

9.7 → 7.5 s

Vertical guidance-10° / 20°

90 mm Cannone da 90/50 M3A1					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	70	-10°/+20°	±180°	N/A	22.8	31.6	38.4	42.5	45.2	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.50
Realistic					14.3	16.8	20.4	22.6	24.0

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M77 da 90/50	AP	162	160	148	135	123	113
M82 da 90/50	APCBC	185	182	170	155	142	130
M304 da 90/50	APCR	287	281	259	234	211	191
M332 da 90/50	APCR	291	286	264	240	217	197
M71 da 90/50	HE	13	13	13	13	13	13

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M77 da 90/50	AP	822	10.61	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
M82 da 90/50	APCBC	853	10.94	1.2	14	137.2	48°	63°	71°
M304 da 90/50	APCR	1,021	7.62	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
M332 da 90/50	APCR	1,165	5.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	66°	70°	72°
M71 da 90/50	HE	823	10.55	0	0.1	925	79°	80°	81°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M313 da 90/50	821	10.7	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	5th rack empty	6th rack empty	7th rack empty	8th rack empty	9th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
70	64 (+6)	55 (+15)	47 (+23)	39 (+31)	31 (+39)	23 (+47)	16 (+54)	10 (+60)	0 (+70)	No

Ammo racks of the M26 (identical).

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• 1 shell from rack 7 is fired after rack 1 is emptied. For the purpose of clarity, it is counted as belonging to rack 2 in the table above.
• Rack 9 is a first stage ammo rack. It totals 10 shells and gets filled first when loading up the tank.
• This rack is also emptied early: the rack depletion order at full capacity is: 9 - 1 - 2 - etc. until 8.
• If you pack 16 (+54) shells, it will keep most of the hull empty of ammo.
• Full reload speed will be realized as long as shells are available in the ready rack 9. If the ready rack is empty, a penalty to reload speed will occur.
• Simply not firing when the gun is loaded will move ammo from racks 1-8 into rack 9. Firing will interrupt the restocking of the ready rack.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Belt capacity200 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate575 shots/min

Vertical guidance-10° / 50°

Horizontal guidance-120° / 120°

7.62 mm M1919A4 machine gun (coaxial)

Ammunition5 000 rounds

Belt capacity250 rounds

Reloadbasic crew → aces

10.4 → 8.0 s

Fire rate500 shots/min

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	1,000 (200)	577	-10°/+50°	±120°

The roof-mounted M2HB .50 cal heavy machine gun is very good at knocking out tracks, punching through lightly armoured vehicles and shooting down low-flying aircraft. Use it sparsely because of its low ammo count.

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Coaxial	5,250 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

The small calibre of the M1919A4 machine gun makes it largely ineffective against all armoured vehicles but the ones with an open compartment. It still can be used to ping targets as a rangefinding help or to mow down minor obstacles blocking your line of sight.

Usage in battles

The M26A1 is played in a very similar way to the normal M26, but it has more firepower and a slightly better APCR. One of the biggest differences is that you will be facing Allied forces instead of Axis forces. It's as versatile as the original Pershing but with a better gun. It can perform in many different roles in battle. It can be used for supporting allied tanks with long reload time as IS-2 or T32. Participate in flanking manoeuvres — your speed and agility are not brilliant but enough for that — and be successful in sniping and ambushing situations. Use the lower profile of Pershing compared to the Sherman's to navigate through. Your vertical guidance (-10°/20°) allows you to shoot from upper positions without exposing too much yourself. That's an advantage compared to Russians which have many ground depression problems.

The 90 mm gun owns a wide selection of ammunition to be used. The M82 APCBC shot with 140 g of explosive filler is extremely deadly. Usually, successful penetration with this shell can lead to a one hit kill on a vehicle. It lacks a bit of penetration for the rank this vehicle sits, but it's great for flanking shots. The M304 or M332 APCR shots give the vehicle the ability to penetrate thick armour but has poor performance against sloped armour. This means you need to aim for flat surfaces. Against a Tiger II (H) for example, this means aiming for the turret if he is looking directly at you on the gunner side. At that position, you can reliably penetrate the turret front from distances up to 1,800 m.

Although you are moderately armoured for your class, most enemies can easily kill you at this rank. A safe play style is a must. To reduce direct impacts in frontal engagements angle the M26A1, the V-shape frontal armour can deflect some shots. Your lower glacis is a very good target, try to keep it hidden from the enemy.

One downside to the Pershing is the engine. The power to weight ratio is poor and does not allow for very quick manoeuvring. It uses the same Ford GAF that can be found in the late series M4 Medium tanks, with nearly 8 tons more weight. Being slightly underpowered, the Pershing has a hard time climbing hills. You will need to know the maps and areas you are operating and use them wisely.

Tactics

Urban maps (Poland, Eastern Europe, Hürtgen Forest, Cologne) are perfect for ambushing, use your moderate speed to catch off-guard heavier enemy tanks. Drop arty in front of suspected enemy positions if you need to cross a street and relocate, the smoke screen will cover you.

If you've been able to flank an enemy, your first shot is decisive. Always shoot the breech to knock out the gun. The best ammo to do this is the M304 or M332 APCR shots, or the M82 APCBC shot. The APCR will guarantee a 100% successful shot, while the APCBC can also work very good and might destroy everything inside the turret. But some Germans have tracks in the hull's sides and if enemy saw you and is turning the turret, the M82 could bounce. Make sure you don't miss. The large sides of German heavies are tempting targets but its very easy to over pen with the wrong ammo like the M77 shot (AP) or M304/M332 round (APCR). If you flank a SPG like a Jagdpanther, a Jagdtiger or a Ferdinand just aim to the engine to immobilize it and you will have all the time needed to knock it out.

Arcade Battles

In arcade battles, it is much harder to flank and ambush enemy tanks because of the player-name system. However, the tank is still very playable and you can do different tactics depending on the situation. For Urban environments, it's best to move with the team and only poke your head out when you have a good shot and the enemy tank isn't aimed at you. In open terrain, you will still be able to use the hills to your advantage and side-shot / pot-shot enemy tanks. The main rule here is don't show your sides and stay low.

Realistic/Simulator Battles

In realistic and simulator battles, The M26A1 shouldn't be in the toughest part of the match facing very heavily armoured enemies. It's better to stay behind front lines supporting or try a flank manoeuvre, you can't be spotted in the minimap. The battle rating can make you be up-tiered to some top tank battles in simulator mode. The compression and matchmaking can put you into situations where you have to fight Cold War era Soviet tanks. Which are especially hard to pierce, even from the sides.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Uses the same gun as the M46 Patton = slightly better penetration compared to the original M26 Pershing
• M82 shot has great post-penetration damage; can easily one-shot enemy tanks
• Decent frontal armour overall
• Respectable mobility
• Great reverse speed
• Good accuracy on the move thanks to its stable suspension
• Good gun depression enables it to use hull-down tactics
• Fast turret rotation speed
• 76 mm of side armour allows the M26A1 some degree of angling

Cons:

• Armour can still be penetrated by most guns encountered at its rank
• Stock ammunition will have some difficulty destroying other tanks effectively
• Mediocre acceleration
• Turret ring can get damaged easily

History

Procurement

The Italian Army received Pershing tanks from the USA as part of the Mutual Defense Assistance Act at the beginning of the 1950s. The previously supplied M4 Sherman had become obsolete and needed replacement. The US Army armoured units stationed in West Germany transitioned from the M26 to the M47 Patton from 1952 through 1953. The M26 tanks, including the M26A1 version, were no longer needed by the US Army and thus given to Italy and France. Italy used their M26 Pershings operationally until 1963, after which they were gradually replaced by more recent M47, M60 and Leopard 1 tanks.

Combat usage

The Italian M26A1 saw service in the Italian Army at the Eastern border with Yugoslavia but never saw combat action.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M26A1 from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Best medium tanks discusses the M26A1 at 1:25 - War Thunder Official Channel

A Hidden "Italian" Gem - M26A1 Pershing - Virus

See also

Vehicles equipped with the same chassis

• M26 (Family)

Vehicles equipped with the same gun

• M36B1

Other vehicles of similar configuration and role

• T25

External links

• [Wikipedia] M26 Pershing
• [Tanks Encyclopedia] Medium/Heavy Tank M26 Pershing
• [Military Factory] M26 Pershing