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The T93 8in Gun Motor Carriage was one of a series of attempts to mount heavy artillery on the chassis of the M26 Pershing tank.
The T93 was part of a Heavy Weight Combat Team, a series of vehicles based on the T26/ M26 Pershing. This included the M26 itself, the T84 8in HMC, the T92 240mm HMC, the T93 8in GMC, the T31 Cargo Carrier and the T25E5 assault tank. The 105mm howitzer armed T26E2/ M45 was later added to the group.
The design of the T93 was approved in March 1956. It was classified as limited procurement in April 1945, and four pilots were ordered. Two of the four had been delivered by September 1945, but all orders for the type were cancelled after the end of the war. Tests in the United States showed that both the T92 and T93 would have been suitable for bombarding Japanese bunkers and caves, and work was underway on shipping them to Pacific for the planned invasion of Japan.
The T93 had a longer chassis than the basic M26, with seven road wheels on each side (up from six). The engine and transmission were moved to the front (leading some sources to suggest that the gun was pointing backwards). The gun was carried in an open topped fighting compartment with armoured sides, located at the rear of the tank. A recoil spade was built at the rear of the vehicle to absorb the shock of the heavy gun.
Stats
Armament: 8in gun