Manufacturer catalog

Fisher Tank Arsenal; Detroit Tank Arsenal

Fisher Tank Arsenal; Detroit Tank Arsenal identifies two Michigan tank-production plants that built late-war U.S. armored vehicles: General Motors' Fisher Body operation at Grand Blanc and Chrysler's government-owned Detroit Tank Arsenal at Warren. Both facilities are tied to the M26 Pershing program, and both also produced M4 Sherman variants during World War II.

2 weapons

The Fisher side of this attribution refers to the Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal, a General Motors/Fisher Body plant opened for wartime tank work. GM Defense's history credits Fisher Body with more than 18,000 tanks and tank destroyers, including the M4 Sherman, M26 Pershing, M10, and M36. Specialist production summaries identify Grand Blanc as a major M4A2 and M4A3 Sherman source before it shifted into Pershing production near the end of the war.

The Detroit side refers to the Detroit Tank Arsenal at Warren, Michigan. U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal history says Chrysler received the August 1940 contract to erect and operate the first U.S. factory built to mass-produce tanks, and that the plant was renamed Detroit Tank Arsenal on May 29, 1941. The Army history credits the arsenal with 22,234 new tanks and 2,825 refurbished armored vehicles during World War II.

For the M26 Pershing, AFV Database lists both Fisher Tank Arsenal and Detroit Tank Arsenal as manufacturers. That makes the combined attribution useful for Pershing production context, while separate records or source notes may be needed where sources distinguish only one plant.

World War II tank mass productionmedium and heavy tank assemblygovernment-owned, contractor-operated armored vehicle plants

Notable Systems

M26 Pershing, Heavy tank at introduction; later reclassified as a medium tank, Tanks

M26 Pershing

Heavy tank at introduction; later reclassified as a medium tank

AFV Database lists Fisher Tank Arsenal and Detroit Tank Arsenal as M26 manufacturers, and the Army Historical Foundation describes the Pershing as the late-war U.S. tank standardized from the T26E3.

Sources: AFV Database M26 Pershing, The M26 Pershing Tank
M4 Sherman, Second World War medium tank family, Tanks

M4 Sherman

Second World War medium tank family

The M4 Sherman was a major output of both plants: GM Defense identifies Fisher Body Sherman production, and Detroit Arsenal sources describe Chrysler's Warren plant shifting from M3 to M4 production.

Sources: GM Defense History, Fisher Body Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal in World War Two, Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant

Manufacturer History

  1. Chrysler contracted for Detroit tank factory

    U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal history states that Chrysler received the contract to erect and operate the first U.S. manufacturing factory built for tank mass production.

    Sources: U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal History

  2. Detroit Tank Arsenal name adopted

    The Army history says the facility originally called the Detroit Ordnance Plant was officially renamed Detroit Tank Arsenal on May 29, 1941.

    Sources: U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal History

  3. Fisher Body tank output expands at Grand Blanc

    GM Defense's history describes Fisher Body as one of the GM divisions converted for World War II materiel production, including Sherman tanks, Pershings, and tank destroyers.

    Sources: GM Defense History

  4. Pershing production reaches acceptance

    AFV Database records November 1944 as the first acceptance date for the M26 Pershing and lists Fisher Tank Arsenal and Detroit Tank Arsenal as manufacturers.

    Sources: AFV Database M26 Pershing

  5. Detroit tank plant closes

    U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal history records that the Detroit tank plant closed in 1996 after 56 years.

    Sources: U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal History

Website links
U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal historyGM Defense historyAFV Database M26 Pershing

This combined name covers two wartime production sites that also appear separately in historical sources. The Detroit Tank Arsenal label already has a separate manufacturer profile in this catalog, so Detroit-only alternate labels are not duplicated here as aliases.

Manufacturer Sources

  • U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal HistoryPublisher: U.S. Army Detroit Arsenal | Note: Supports Detroit Tank Arsenal contract, renaming date, World War II tank and refurbishment totals, current Army installation context, and 1996 plant closure. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GM Defense HistoryPublisher: GM Defense | Note: Supports General Motors and Fisher Body wartime production context, including Fisher Body production of M4 Sherman and M26 Pershing tanks. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • AFV Database M26 PershingPublisher: AFV Database | Note: Supports M26 Pershing manufacturer attribution to Fisher Tank Arsenal and Detroit Tank Arsenal, first acceptance timing, and production context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • The M26 Pershing TankPublisher: The Army Historical Foundation | Note: Supports late-war Pershing development and standardization context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Fisher Body Grand Blanc Tank Arsenal in World War TwoPublisher: U.S. Auto Industry in World War Two | Note: Supports Grand Blanc/Fisher Body tank plant production context and Sherman/Pershing output summaries. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Detroit Arsenal Tank PlantPublisher: World War II Database | Note: Supports Detroit Arsenal's early M3 contract, transition to M4 production, December 1942 M4 output, and share of U.S. tank production. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • US Army Detroit Tank Plant.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain U.S. Army TARDEC photo used for the Detroit Tank Arsenal production-line image. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Tanks

Heavy armor built around direct fire, protection, and battlefield shock.

2/2
M26 Pershing, Heavy tank at introduction; later reclassified as a medium tank, TanksM26 PershingHeavy tank at introduction; later reclassified as a medium tankBuilt in: United StatesThe M26 Pershing was the U.S. Army's late-World War II T26E3 tank, standardized as the M26 in March 1945 and reclassified as a medium tank in May 1946. It replaced Sherman-era compromises with a 90 mm M3 gun, torsion-bar suspension, heavier armor, and a five-person layout, but its Ford GAF powertrain left it underpowered for its weight and the drivetrain-improved M46 Patton carried the layout into the postwar Patton line.