The T26E4 Super Pershing is an American medium tank in Tier VIII.
Since the game was released it has been showered with universal love and bitter hatred.
But its most distinctive feature always stayed the same: it was never a “regular tank”.
The premium tanks in our game are always a little different.
“Unique gameplay” is often the way we describe it.
Here that means a little more.
Any premium tank is just a tank: shooting, driving, and pwning, but!
There’s always, always a catch!
And for the Pershing it’s the speed.
Take a peek at its combat characteristics, and you’ll see its maximum speed of 40 km/h.
40 kilometers!
To put it mildly, that’s not much.
Keep in mind this is a medium tank.
And even worse is the fact that once you leave the Garage and enter a battle…
you’ll realize that the Pershing never reaches that maximum speed… ever!
32 km/h is all you can get from this American if it’s not going down a hill!
The Super Pershing has less than 10 horsepower per ton, which makes it the slowest tank within its type.
Looking outside of its type, it’s even inferior to heavy tanks!
And we aren’t talking about some AMX 50 100.
The IS-3, a Soviet heavy, can easily beat the American in a straight line.
And you can forget climbing hills too.
But there is something of note.
Our “not-quite-medium tank” gains speed faster when it’s going backwards rather than forwards!
You can still climb the hill facing either way, but it’ll be equally as slow.
So you’ll suffer whichever way you approach the enemy.
Why does this happen?
That’s easy: the Super Pershing is covered in so much armor that it just can’t move that fast.
This American’s turret is an unusual shape, so it’s very hard to penetrate, even in the weak points.
Not that its weak points are stronger than other tanks—but they still have to hit them!
The daunting BL-10 hits them 4 times out of 10.
In other cases, the shell either misses or fails to penetrate.
Armor-piercing shells, but it doesn’t penetrate!
It’s another story with APCR, they can penetrate anything.
Who uses APCR with a BL-10 though?
A cast iron turret and good angles allow the Super Pershing to be comfortable behind hills.
On Himmelsdorf, it can simply stick out its turret… and fire!
Most of the enemies won’t be able to do a thing!
Within the entire tier, only the Super Pershing and the T32 can manage this.
Well, the T-32, with its turret and elevation angles, can do this.
But nobody can do THIS!
In reality, the Super Pershing’s front plates were made from the sides of a knocked out Panther.
And they were made with several layers.
And we mean several.
If you calculate the effective armor on its upper front plate, it comes out at a daunting 300 mm!
It’s impossible to calculate it more accurately, but one thing is clear, it’s one of the thickest in Tier VIII!
But there’s a catch.
Isn’t that like having a top quality barbecue and living in Greenland?
I mean, how often are you hit on your upper front plate?
Once or twice a month?
Even the beginners know that the most vulnerable spot is the lower plate!
Usually…
Not for the Pershing!
The lower plate is made in the same way as the upper one, so it’s almost as strong.
This armor knows no equal!
Well, you won’t fool the more experienced players.
But the first move of many players is to fire at the lower plate!
No penetration, what a surprise.
Remember that the Pershing has a hard face and a soft behind.
The armor is what makes the Pershing a real frontline tank.
Yes, this is a medium tank, but it does a heavy tank’s job.
Think that’s strange?
However, it’s easy to explain: the Super Pershing is pretty heavy!
You can’t really call it a medium.
All characteristics shout that it’s heavy.
There are some other paradoxes like that in World of Tanks.
For example, the Super Pershing is a medium tank as much as the FCM is a heavy tank.
The only thing medium about the Super Pershing is its gun.
And it’s unbelievably normal.
It’s strange to see something so standard on a tank like this!
Average aiming speed, average accuracy, average alpha: a standard medium tank.
But a Pershing isn’t a Pershing if there isn’t anything to show off!
One little thing: penetration!
There’s a big difference between the characteristics of AP and APCR shells.
AP shells manage 170 mm, and APCR go much further: 258!
That’s really impressive.
And enough for any enemy the Super Pershing might encounter.
The worst case is a Tier IX enemy.
It’s meant to be placed at the forefront.
Tease the enemy with its face, and take 3 to 4 thousand damage, that’s its role in battle.
Don’t be too creative, simply face the enemy.
No diamonds, or angled positions.
You are going to be hit in the tracks before you find the right position.
Well, it won’t hold the front alone.
But be honest, who can?
Just remember that if you need someone to distract enemies and absorb damage, that’s the Pershing.
It’s among the few tanks which you can almost call “impenetrable”
What a shame it will never meet the Bat.-Châtillon!