M18 Hellcat

The 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 was a Hunter of tanks developed by the the United States and used during the Second world war. It was called Hellcat and was the tracked machine fastest of the war.

History

In December 1941, the War Ordnance Department launched an invitation to tender aiming at providing to the US Army a hunter of fast tank, assembled on Christie suspension, equipped with the engine Wright Continental R-975 and with a gun of 37 Misters. Following the information feedbacks of the Face in North Africa, the gun selected was of 57 Misters the prototypes of preproduction were also equipped with gun of 75 and of 76,2 mm and it is the latter which was selected. The Christie suspension was replaced by a bar of torsion and, once the drawing standardized in February 1943, the production was launched in July of this year.

M18 incorporated several innovations which the teams of maintenance found very practical. The engine could be dismounted vehicle in very little time and placed on the back part of the tank in order to carry out its maintenance easily there. It was then réaccouplé with the gear box in 1 hour. This engine was equipped with steel wheels making it possible to make it slip easily on the rails of the cap of its compartment. It was the same for the transmission.

T70, prototype of M18, fought at the time of the Anzio and M18 took share with the combat on all fronts European starting from this date.

Contrary to the M10 Wolverine, which used the frame of M4, Hellcat was conceived from the beginning to be a tank destroyer. Thus it was smaller, lighter and more rapid that the M4 equipped with the gun of 76 Misters Moreover, the fitting interns was much more convenient, giving to its 5 team members and its ammunition an important space.

The principal disadvantages of M18 (except the fact that its turret without roof made its crew vulnerable to the Sniper S, glares of shell and street battles) were its weak shielding and its armament a little right (the projectiles which it drew could penetrate the frontal shielding of the German tanks Tigre and Panther only with bearing end). The priority given to its speed and its handiness resulted in conferring this weak shielding and its low power of fire to him. This problem was partly regulated with the appearance of the ammunition HVAP. Nevertheless, these last were available only in limited quantities.

Admittedly, M18 was capable of high-speed on road but its weak shielding made reticent the crews to be advanced too far in the battle field. However, the majority of M18 were used effectively at the time of attack on the sides or in phase of surrounding of the enemy armoured tanks, much slower and handy.

The production of M18 finishes in October 1944, and 2.507 units were produced. They cost each one 57.500 $ of the time. Although the units of tank destroyers were dismantled at the end of the war, of M18 continued their active service. The majority of those yielded to the allied country S were updated by the Brown&Root company in the north of the Italy at the end of the Forties. Certains M18 modified was seen during the war in Yugoslavia, used by the army Serbe with beginning of the year 90. In the same way the armoured train Krajina Ekspres was equipped with turrets of M18.

There be only one derived version from M18 which was born really, it was M39.

Derived versions

105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T88 - M18 of which gun was replaced by a T12 howitzer of 105 mm, cancelled after the end of the war.
Armoured Utility Vehicle T41/M39 - M18 without turret used for the towing, the recognition or the transport of troop. It was equipped only with the machine-gun m2 for the anti-aircraft defense and against the infantry.
76mm Gun Motor Carriage T86 (Amphibious) - M18 with a special hull in order to make it float.
76mm Gun Motor Carriage T86E1 (Amphibious) - T86 equipped with propelling marine propeller.
76mm Gun Motor Carriage T87 (Amphibious) - T86 with the armament of T88.

The 3 amphibious models were also cancelled at the end of the war.

External bonds

AFV Database: M18, M39
OnWar
WWII Vehicles

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