M18 Hellcat

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76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18

General characteristics
Crew	5 (Commander, (3x) gunners, driver)
Length	6.65 / 5.28 m
Width	2.87 m
Height	2.58 m
Weight	18 t
Armour and armament
Armour	9 mm - 25 mm
Main armament	76 mm (76.2 mm) M1A1 gun 45 rounds
Secondary armament	1 x .50 cal machine gun 800 rounds
Mobility
Power plant	1 x Continental R-975 C1 radial piston petrol engine 340 hp (253 kW)
Suspension	torsion bar
Road speed	88 km/h
Power/weight	18.9 hp/tonne
Range	169 km (105 miles)

The 76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 was an American tank destroyer of World War II. It was often given the nickname Hellcat and is recorded as being the fastest tracked armored fighting vehicle during the war, and for awhile after that.

History

In December, 1941, the War Ordnance Department issued a requirement for the design of a fast tank destroyer which used Christie suspension, the Wright Continental R-975 engine and a 37mm gun.

After observing events in North Africa, it was decided that the 37 mm gun was inadequate and the design changed to use a 57 mm gun instead. During a series of prototypes and tests, the design was upgunned to a 75 mm gun, and then to the 76 mm gun. The Christie suspension was also dropped and replaced with a torsion bar suspension. The design was standardized in February 1943 and production began in July.

The M18 first saw combat in North-West Europe and Italy during the summer of 1944. It excelled at ambush or hit-and-run tactics. Its low silhouette, high firepower and great speed gave it the capability of destroying all but the heaviest of German armor, although it was too lightly armoured to stand and fight. One notable instance was that of the 630th Tank Destroyer Battalion. In July of 1944 they reported the destruction of 53 Panthers and Tigers, and 15 self-propelled guns for a loss of only 17 M18's. The fact that it carried an open turret top was also a disadvantage, leaving the crew exposed to gunfire, shellbursts, and adverse weather conditions.

In contrast to the 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10, which used the chassis of the Medium Tank M4, the M18 Hellcat was designed from the start to be a tank destroyer. As a result it was smaller, was only half the weight, was significantly faster and still carried a powerful gun. There was also more internal stowage; it was able to accommodate a five man crew as well as 45 rounds of ammunition and a M2 machine gun.

There was only one other variant of the M18 which saw any real production, the Armored Utility Vehicle M39. It was a turretless variation of the M18 that was used to transport personnel, cargo or as a gun tractor.

The M18 continued in production until October 1944, when the war was nearing its end. Around 2,500 were produced by that time. Though discontinued by the U.S. after the war, surplus M18's continued to see limited service. The primary example is that of Yugoslavia, which was using them up to the early 1990s.

Related Vehicles

105mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T88 - M18 with its 76mm M1A1 gun replaced with a 105mm T12 howitzer, cancelled after end of war.
Armoured Utility Vehicle T41 (M39) - Turretless M18 used for towing, reconnaissance, or transporting infantry, has an .50cal Browning M2 machine gun (900 rounds) for AA defence.
76mm Gun Motor Carriage T86 (Amphibious) - M18 with a specially designed hull to help it float.
*76mm Gun Motor Carriage T86E1 (Amphibious) - Same as T86, but with addition of propellers for propulsion.
**76mm Gun Motor Carriage T87 (Amphibious) - This model had the 105mm T12 howitzer that was present on the T88. It used its tracks for water propulsion. All work on the three amphibious models was cancelled after the end of the war.

External links

AFV Database: [M18], [M39]
[Battlefront]
[OnWar]
[WWII Vehicles]

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