The Museum 's M36 “Jackson” ready to be shipped to "Mil-Spec Vehicle Restoration" in Belvidere, New Jersey.

 

The M36 “Jackson” being towed in Huntsville on it's way to Belvidere, New Jersey on Sep. 16, 2019.  

The M36 “Jackson” on it's return to The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum in Huntsville on April 2, 2025.  

Six years ago, The U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum obtained an M36 tank destroyer “Jackson”, (build in July 1944, serial number 394) that came from Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavians had installed a T55 Soviet-made 500 hp. diesel engine. U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum sandblasted and repainted and the M36 and later sent it to "Mil-Spec Vehicle Restoration" in Belvidere, New Jersey for a total restoration. They also removed the Russian engine and put in an original Ford GAA engine.  

Specifications for the M36 tank destroyer “Jackson":

Main armament: 90 mm gun M3, 47 rounds

Secondary armament: .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun, 1,000 rounds

Engine: Ford GAA V8 gasoline engine 450 hp (340 kW) at 2,600 rpm

Power/weight: 15.2 hp (11.3 kW)/metric ton

Transmission: Synchromesh; 5 speeds forward, 1 reverse

Suspension: Vertical volute spring suspension (VVSS)

Fuel capacity: 192 US gallons (727 Liters)

Operational range: 150 mi (240 km)

Maximum speed: 26 mph (42 km/h) on road

The M36 “Jackson” was the last dedicated American tank hunter design of World War II. After the obsolete M10 Wolverine and the superfast M18 Hellcat, the US Army needed a more powerful gun and a better armored vehicle to hunt down the latest developments in German tanks, including the Panther and Tiger. Indeed, in September 1942, it was already foreseen that the standard 3 inch M7 gun of the M10 was only efficient at short range (500 m) against the enemy vehicles.   Engineers were tasked with devising a new 90 mm (3.54 in) gun, which became the M3 gun, to engage German tanks on equal terms considering range. This gun was also used by the M26 Pershing.  

Many M36 tank destroyers, that were deactivated in the 1950s, were given to Yugoslavia.   By the 1970s, these were modernized with a T-55 Soviet-made 500 hp. diesel engine. After the partition of Yugoslavia, existing M36s were passed to the successor states and saw heavy action, in particular in the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995) and also with the Serbian forces in Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo War as decoys for NATO air strikes. As the United Nations championed the cause for Bosnia, several NATO countries began to upgrade the Bosnian/Croatian (combined Army) these vehicles were swapped out on a “one for one” basis for more modern weapons. Many surviving vehicles were maintained in running conditions and some found their ways into museums and private collections around the world.