Shadowing Practice: M26 Pershing vs T34-85 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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It's the evening of August 17, 1950, near the city of Pusan in South Korea.
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Lt. Granville George GG Sweet of the 1st Platoon Company A
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of the 1st Marine Tank Battalion takes a moment to rest by the steel giants under his command.
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Around him is nothing but misery.
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UN forces have been pushed back from the moment they became involved, going from just south of Seoul to cornered against the sea in Pusan in just a month.
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One of the biggest and most demoralizing problems has been surrounding armor.
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The North Koreans are equipped with Soviet T-34-85s.
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With its 85mm cannon it's easily capable of piercing the American Chaffees and Shermans, while only the Sherman can fight it effectively in return.
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And to make matters worse, they vastly outnumber the Shermans, meaning that most of the time soldiers had to fight them with chaffees, bazookas or no anti-tank weapons at all,
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giving the T-34-85s a fearsome reputation.
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But today Sweet has a reason for optimism, for under him isn't a Chaffee or a Sherman, but it's a late World War II M26 Pershing.
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His four-tank platoon has been fighting in the defense of Poussin, and they've performed brilliantly, but he's still to meet the tank that has been dominating the battlefield in the last month.
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Lt. Sweet's crews busy themselves hauling ammunition into their tanks as the sky turns orange with the sunset, when suddenly an urgent message arrives through the radio.
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Flash purple!
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Flash purple!
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Those are code words for one thing.
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Incoming enemy armor.
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Sweet springs into action, ordering his crew to prepare for combat.
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The men of the supply depot rush to finish the resupply job,
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dumping jerry cans into the Pershings' fuel tanks as fast as they can and spilling gasoline in their haste.
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Full!
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We're ready, get moving!
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One after the other, the four Pershings' 18-litre V8s come to life with a deafening roar,
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rolling out to their first tank-on-tank duel.
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On the battlefield, the men of the 1st Marine Provisional Brigade scramble to counter the enemy advance, taking positions on the barren hills lining the narrow dirt road,
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through which four T-34-85s trundle onward, followed by lines of infantry.
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The Marines open fire on the North Korean soldiers, who take cover in the hills.
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The T-34s fire back, continuing to advance as small arms fire bounces off their armor.
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The naval bazooka teams hurry to meet the charging armor.
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They open fire and strike the lead tank right on its external fuel tanks,
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bursting them open and lighting a massive fireball across the engine deck.
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But the tank is unharmed within, and its crew keeps pushing, uncaring of the flames engulfing the rear of their machine.
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Meanwhile, further along the road, Lieutenant Sweet is making his way towards the scene.
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They can hear gunshots and Sweet is in constant update of the evolving situation.
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But then they stumble upon a pair of abandoned supply trucks right in the center of the road blocking the path.
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The commander of the second tank in line, Technical Sergeant Cecil Fullerton, looks down at his gunner and orders him, Keep your eyes ahead.
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If something rounds the bend, shoot it.
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He then climbs off his tank and hurries over to the abandoned vehicles, driving them off the road to open a space for the tanks to proceed.
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The tank convoy immediately gets back going again.
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Fullerton gets back in his tank and Sweet radios him.
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Sweet's tank has a problem with the elevation of the gun, so he orders Fullerton to take the lead.
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He'll take the rear.
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Fullerton's tank drives ahead as ordered, as the sounds of battle become more and more intense.
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Through the radio Sweet is told Four tanks heading your way, we can't stop them.
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Thinking quickly, Sweet orders the platoon to stop
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and his three fully operational tanks to form a wall across the road and aim straight ahead.
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The enemy are coming.
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Fullerton takes his position, heartbeat racing.
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The other pair of Pershings are maneuvering to take their spots beside him
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when suddenly a fireball of a T-34 rounds the corner before Fullerton's eyes.
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He gasps and shouts, Enemy ahead!
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Fire!
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The Pershing's 90mm cannon opens fire with thunderous fury.
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The shell streaks across the air and strikes the enemy straight on the turret, piercing right through and exiting out of the rear,
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continuing its path until it impacts into the hill behind.
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Inside the Pershing, the crew waits for the cloud of dirt picked up by the Pershing's cannon to clear away.
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Slowly, it reveals the enemy T-34, seemingly untouched and still rolling forward.
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Fullerton shouts, another!
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Just as the loader slams a second high-velocity armor-piercing shell into the breach,
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the gunner pulls the trigger a second time and the shell slams into the T-34's upper plate, once again cutting straight through the enemy and firing out the rear of the turret.
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It too impacts the hill behind, making the marines taking cover on the other side believe that they're under fire.
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The smoke clears and Fullerton is shocked to see the T-34 still rolling forward forward.
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Thinking they had missed he exclaims, another!
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Hit it for God's sake!
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The Pershing fires for a third time, impacting the enemy on the left hand side.
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They hit the ammunition and fire immediately pours out of the three points of impact.
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The Soviet-made machine finally comes to a grinding halt.
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It's a hit!
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We got him!
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Simultaneously the second Pershing in line manoeuvres its way next to Fullerton's tank,
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just in time for the next T-34-85 to appear from behind the wreck of his comrade.
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The words FIRE echo within the American machines and both Pershings open fire in unison.
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Two armor-piercing shells slam into the enemy armor.
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One impacts the T-34's turret cheek causing it to violently spin around, and the disoriented North Korean gunner fires into the side of the hill.
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The two American tanks reload and another volley of shells strikes the enemy, piercing their armor and causing the T-34 to burst into flames.
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But despite the inferno, the Americans watch incredulous as its turret continues to slowly turn towards them.
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Load HE, keep firing!
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The 90mm weapons continue to shoot round after round, slamming the enemy with four more high explosive shells, stopping the enemy for good.
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But then a radio transmission comes from the Pershings behind.
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Bulletin, look out, you are on fire.
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Without him realizing, the gasoline spilled during the refueling had been set alight by an ember from his tank's own cannon.
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The flame rises above the engine deck and confusion spreads among the crew,
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but any thought of bailing out is suddenly squashed by a deafening clang reverberating through the Pershing's hull.
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Fullerton looks through the scope and spots a third T-34-85 firing from behind the smoldering wreckages of his comrades.
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With the flames behind them pushed to the back of his mind, Fullerton orders, Enemy ahead!
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Fire!
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Fire!
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A second shot from the enemy ricochets off the Pershing's armor
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before the might of the two 90mm main guns is unleashed once more.
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The ground quakes as they release their fury and the T-34-85 is struck down by their shells.
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Three men immediately jump out of the enemy tank and flee into the darkening landscape
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just in time before another deadly volley pierces through their abandoned war machine.
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The two Pershings continue to lay their fire upon the T-34s, trying to make them burn while Marines watch in amazement from the other side.
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The fire that's burning upon the American tanks is repeatedly blown out by their muzzle blast, only to be re-ignited by the following shot,
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making a very confusing sight for the onlooking Marines.
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Behind the three wrecks, the fourth T-34-85 changes his mind and turns around to flee the scene.
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But a bazooka squad from the gathered marines have other plans.
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They peek over the hill and open fire at its weak side armor, neutralizing it in a single strike.
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Finally the order comes for the fire to cease and the battlefield falls silent.
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Before them lay three burning T-34-85s at the cost of no casualties for the Pershings.
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Lieutenant Sweet can't help but feel relief.
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The myth of the T-34-85's invincibility had been spectacularly shattered.
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Lieutenant Granville Short Sweet would survive the war and return home, and he passed away peacefully in 2010.
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Technical Sergeant Cecil Roy Fullerton would be awarded the Bronze Star for his actions.
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He's still alive today and we hope he likes this film.
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If you haven't yet, please subscribe to the channel and please watch more videos of ours.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “M26 Pershing vs T34-85”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: tank, enemy, Pershing, armor, Sweet. This video has 107 sentences and 1463 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:37. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 73% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| armor noun | /ˈɑːɹ.mɚ/ | A protective layer over a body, vehicle, or other object intended to deflect or diffuse damaging forces. |
| pierce verb | /pɪɹs/ | To puncture; to break through. |
| turret noun | /ˈtʌɹɪt/ | A little tower, frequently a merely ornamental structure at one of the corners of a building or castle. |
| slam verb | /ˈslæm/ | To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise. |
| cannon noun | /ˈkæn.ən/ | A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar… |
| flame noun | /fleɪm/ | The visible part of fire; a stream of burning vapour or gas, emitting light and heat. |
| bazooka noun | /bəˈzuːkə/ | A primitive trombone having wide tubes. |
| gunner noun | /ˈɡʌn.ɚ/ | An artillery soldier, especially one who holds private rank. |
| platoon noun | /pləˈtuːn/ | A unit of thirty to forty soldiers typically commanded by a lieutenant and forming part of a company. |
| battlefield noun | /ˈbætəlˌfiːld/ | The area where a land battle is fought, which may not necessarily be a field. |
| abandon verb | /əˈbæn.dən/ | To give up or relinquish control of, to surrender or to give oneself over, or to yield to one's emotions. |
| deafen verb | /ˈdɛfən/ | To make deaf, either temporarily or permanently. |
| fireball noun | /ˈfaɪəɹˌbɔl/ | A ball of fire, especially one associated with an explosion, or (fiction, mythology) thrown as a weapon. |
| volley noun | /ˈvɑli/ | The simultaneous firing of a number of missiles or bullets; the projectiles so fired. |
| comrade noun | /ˈkɑmɹæd/ | A mate, companion, or associate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| roll forward verb | To extend a condition, investment, position or benefit into a subsequent period. |
| bail out verb | To secure the release of an arrested person by providing bail money. |
| blow out verb | To extinguish something, especially a flame, especially by means of a strong current of air or another gas. |
| bounce off verb | To test (ideas) on someone. |
| clear away verb | To tidy up, to remove mess or obstacles from a place to make it neat. |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. |
| look out verb | To be vigilant and aware often as an imperative to alert a person to danger. |
| look through verb | To take a view of the contents of; search in, either with the eyes or by hand. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | has been surrounding · has been fighting |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been pushed · are equipped · is unharmed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have been pushed · they've performed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, haven't, he'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thunderous /ˈθʌn.də.ɹəs/, myth /mɪθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: ammunition /ˌæmjuˈnɪʃən/, shout /ʃaʊt/, gunshot /ˈɡʌn.ʃɑt/, ricochet /ˈɹɪk.ə.ʃeɪ/, shatter /ˈʃætɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: ammunition /ˌæmjuˈnɪʃən/, demoralize /dɪˈmɒɹəlaɪz/, disorient /dɪsˈɔːɹi.ənt/, incredulous /ɪnˈkɹɛd͡ʒələs/, invincibility /ɪnˌvɪn.səˈbɪl.ə.ti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like armor, pierce, turret.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.