WW2 Tank Destroyers in Korean War?

[Stratos]

Wondering If the old WW2 Tank Destroyers were still in use during the Korean War and If yes, which models please. Are they used in the communist side too?

[Mobhack]

Wondering If the old WW2 Tank Destroyers were still in use during the Korean War and If yes, which models please. Are they used in the communist side too?

A quick google of "tank destroyer korean war" gave many results.

e.g:
(Wackypedia so suspect)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M36_tank_destroyer

After World War II, the M36 was used in the Korean War. It could destroy any Soviet-made AFV deployed in that theatre.


M18 TD were converted to M39 armoured carriers in US service by Korea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M18_Hellcat

Andy

[Marcello]

Wondering If the old WW2 Tank Destroyers were still in use during the Korean War and If yes, which models please. Are they used in the communist side too?

The north koreans used a lot of SU-76s.

[Stratos]

Thanks for the responses guys, something more specific? Were the TD used by the Army or the Marines? They closed the roof of the turret?
BTW is not the M-18 a bit more modern than the M-36?

[thatguy96]

The M18 and M36 Tank Destroyers were supplied to the South Koreans. The United States Army had phased all its tank destroyers out with the disbanding of the entire Tank Destroyer Corps in 1945. The USMC never had any tank destroyers to my knowledge. It did receive some M3 SPGs, but used them for fire support rather than anti-tank duties.

The M18 was a completely different design from the M10 and M36. More modern is hard to say. It entered service two years after the M10 did. The M36 was based on the M10.

[Stratos]

So who used the M-36? The Korean Army is the only confirmed army I can found ATM but France used TD well into the Indochina war, so maybe they used theirs on Korea too?

[Suhiir]

The M18 and M36 Tank Destroyers were supplied to the South Koreans. The United States Army had phased all its tank destroyers out with the disbanding of the entire Tank Destroyer Corps in 1945. The USMC never had any tank destroyers to my knowledge. It did receive some M3 SPGs, but used them for fire support rather than anti-tank duties.

The M18 was a completely different design from the M10 and M36. More modern is hard to say. It entered service two years after the M10 did. The M36 was based on the M10.

You are correct.
The USMC never used Tank Destroyers.
They did however borrow some 90mm AT guns (about one battery) from the US Army during Korea.

[Mobhack]

So who used the M-36? The Korean Army is the only confirmed army I can found ATM but France used TD well into the Indochina war, so maybe they used theirs on Korea too?

The US supplied the M36 to South Korea, but other than a mention of a model kit in USA Korean war markings, I can find no mention of US use of the vehicle there.

From Zaloga's book : http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FFkO0Skm6qgC&pg=RA1-PT24&lpg=RA1-PT24&dq=m36+tank+destroyer+korea&source=bl&ots=zZXwqRM5SL&sig=a6dtLiOtHt_vADKnoYKIiTLtzaU&hl=en&ei=P8h-S_zMKonw0wSegO2ODw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CB4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=&f=false - caption to first photo.

However, they were there in the US depots for issue to the South Koreans, so perhaps a few were used as an expedient. But it would be uncommon. Perhaps a few were used as a temporary substitute due to the shortage of the heavy tanks mentioned in Zaloga?.

Cheers
Andy

[Marek_Tucan]

That would make sense, esp. in the first part of war when T-34 came as a nasty surprise and there were few tanks overall, let alone tanks with better than 75mm gun.