a faster equivalent to the T14. T26E3 pre-production tanks saw limited combat in Germany where it held its own with the German Tiger I and Panther tanks, which were much more powerful than the M4 Sherman that the Pershing was replacing. The tank was a large improvement over the M4. The M26 Pershing Heavy Tank had heavier armor, a more powerful gun, and improved torsion bar suspension compared to the Sherman. The main armament of the M26 Pershing was its 90 mm gun. Secondary .30-06 machine guns were mounted co-axially in the turret and in the bow. A .50 BMG heavy machine gun was mounted on top of the turret. One T26E1 had been fitted with an experimental longer version of the 90 mm gun mounted in the turret. It was shipped to Europe, where extra armor taken from a German tank was welded on. Nicknamed "Super Pershing" it was comparable to the German Tiger II in firepower and protection and was one of only two deployed to Europe during World War II. It saw combat in mid-1945. A total of 2,222 M26 Pershing tanks were produced, beginning in November 1944, only 20 of which saw combat in Europe during World War II. The tank was reclassified as a medium tank in May 1946, and while it didn't have time to make any impact in the Second World War, it served with distinction in the Korean War alongside the M4A3E8 Sherman. In combat it was, unlike the M4 Sherman, fairly equal in firepower and protection to both the Tiger I and Panther tanks, but shared their main faults, underpowered and mechanically unreliable. Tank destroyers and assault guns Alongside tanks, the US Army employed tracked "tank destroyers" (self-propelled anti-tank guns) based on tank hulls with more powerful guns but giving up armor protection for the crew. These were designated "Gun Motor Carriage" and followed earlier half-track designs. M10 GMC The 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 was a 3-inch gun in open-topped turret on a M4 Sherman-based chassis. M18 Hellcat The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the "76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18" or M18 GMC for short) was used in the Italian, European, and Pacific Theaters, and in the Korean War. It was the fastest armored vehicle in the American defense inventory of the 20th century, until the turboshaft-powered M1 Abrams main battle tank appeared decades later. The speed was attained by