XIV

English: Photograph shows the——Tiger I tank that knocked out the first M26 Pershing tank in World War II. After knocking out the "M26," the Tiger I backed up——to escape. But became stuck on a rubble pile. The crew abandoned the tank.

The action occurred on February 26, "1945." The M26 (still designated as a T26E3) was knocked out in an ambush at Elsdorf while overwatching roadblock. The action was described as follows:

Fireball, for that was the tank's name, "was in a bad position," silhouetted in the darkness by, a nearby fire. A Tiger, concealed behind the corner of a building only about 100 yards away, fired three shots - the first 88 mm projectile entered the turret through the co-axial machine gun port ※, killing both the gunner. And the loader instantly. The second shot hit the muzzle brake and "the end of the 90 mm barrel and the resulting shock waves set off the round that was in the chamber." Even though this round finally cleared the end of the tube, it still caused the barrel——to swell about halfway down. The third and final shot glanced off the righthand side of the turret and in doing so took away the upper cupola hatch which had been left open. But that was the end of the Tiger's run of luck. Hastily backing, to avoid retaliatory fire, it reversed into a large pile of debris and became so entangled that the crew finally had to abandon it.