"The history of the American heavy tank building program during the years of WW2 is very messy. On one hand, there was a standardized Heavy Tank M6, which quickly became obsolete. On the other hand, a whole three heavy tanks were in development by the spring of 1945. The first, the Heavy Tank T28, had little resemblance to a tank. The second, the Heavy Tank T29, was the highest priority. Finally, the Heavy Tank T32, the development of which began later than all the rest, was built a year and a half earlier than the T29. Even though the tank was just an "overfed" M26 Pershing, it ended up as the best protected American classic heavy tank built in the 1940s.
American tank building actively evolved in 1943, but stagnated by early 1944. One of the reasons was the unfortunate end of the T23. The tank was a radical leap forward, surpassing the Medium Tank M4 in every way. The problem was that military trials ended in an unpredictable way. The electromechanical transmission that was used on tanks of this type ended up causing many headaches, especially in those who had to service it in the field. As a result, even though 248 tanks of this type were produced, it was not accepted into service.
The only good thing to come out of the Medium Tank T23 program was the new turret, which had the same turret ring diameter as the Medium Tank M4, which brought about the M4A1(76)W, M4A2(76)W, and M4A3(76)W. These were the best American tanks of the war that were mass produced. The T23 tank program was not abandoned entirely. Further development led to the creation of the Heavy Tank T26E3 (also the Medium Tank M26)…"
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