M26A1

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

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

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

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

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

Armaments

Main armament

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	22.85	31.62	38.40	__.__	45.18	9.75	8.63	7.95	7.50
Realistic					14.28	16.80	20.40	22.60	24.00

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	14.0	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	0.1	0.5	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

Ammo racks of the M26 (identical).

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	65 (+5)	57 (+13)	49 (+21)	41 (+29)	33 (+37)	25 (+45)	17 (+53)	11 (+59)	1 (+69)	No

Notes:

• Shells are modeled individually and disappear after having been shot or loaded.
• 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 17 (+53) 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 racks 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 racks.

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt capacity)	Rate of fire (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Pintle	1,000 (200)	576	-10°/+50°	±120°

7.62 mm M1919A4
Mount	Capacity (Belt capacity)	Rate of fire (shots/minute)	Vertical guidance	Horizontal guidance
Coaxial	5,250 (250)	500	N/A	N/A

Usage in battles

The M26A1 is played in a very similar way to the normal M26, but it has more firepower and a 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, maybe not for a support role, but for sniping or doing flank manoeuvres if you are brave enough.

If you decide to snipe, use the good depression of your gun (-10°) and your relatively short silhouette to your favour.

To flank, take advantage of your decent mobility to take out unaware enemies.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	M82 da 90/50	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	M304 da 90/50	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	M332 da 90/50	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		Artillery Support	M313 da 90/50

Notes:

• To unlock the M332 shot first you need to research the M304 shot
• It's recommended to unlock Parts and FPE first, then the M82 and APCR shots, and after that focus on mobility.

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

The US Army armored units stationed in West Germany transitioned from the M26 Pershing to the M47 Patton from 1952 through 1953. The M26 Pershings - including M26A1s, no longer needed by the US Army, were then given to Italy and France. Italy used their M26 Pershings operationally until 1963.

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

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the vehicles;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the tank;
• other literature.