M18 Hellcat
From OMGWiki
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M18 Hellcat is updated to version Beta Two. |
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| Placement | ||
| Faction | American | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctrine | Any | |
| Tree | Any | |
| Price | ||
 Manpower
| 240 | |
 Ammunition
| 0 | |
 Fuel
| 180 | |
 Population
| 10 | |
| Attributes | ||
| Health | 400 | |
| Targeting | ||
| Target Type | armour_m10 | |
| Vision | ||
| Sight | 46 | |
| Detection | 0/0 | |
| Speed | ||
| Max Speed | 6 | |
| Acceleration | 1.5 | |
| Deceleration | 3.8 | |
| Rotation | 35 | |
| Crush | ||
| Crush Mode | crush_medium | |
| Human Crush | true | |
| Upgrades | ||
| M2HB .50 cal Hellcat | ||
| Abilities | ||
| Vehicle Cover | ||
 Field Repairs
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 Allied War Machine
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| Hellcat Camouflage | ||
| Weapons | ||
 76mm Hellcat
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| M2HB Hellcat MG
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| American | M18 Hellcat Veterancy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 10.9% increase to line of sight. | 25 |  Level 1
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| 15% increase to acceleration. | 63 |  Level 2
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| 20% reduction to received damage. | 158 |  Level 3
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| Known Unit (Custom Name) | 316 |  Level 4
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| Feared Unit (Custom Skin) | 474 |  Level 5
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The 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) M18 was an American tank destroyer of World War II. It was given the nickname "Hellcat" and is recorded as being the fastest tracked armored fighting vehicle during the war with a top speed of over 50 mph.
History
In December 1941, the Ordnance Corps issued a requirement for the design of a fast tank destroyer using a Christie suspension, the Wright Continental R-975 engine and a 37 mm gun.
In the light of experience gained in North Africa, the 37 mm gun was found to be inadequate and the design was changed to use a 57 mm gun. During the development process, the design was further up gunned to a 75 mm gun, and then finally to the 76 mm gun. The Christie suspension requirement was also dropped and replaced with a torsion bar suspension. The design was standardized in February 1943 and production began in July 1943.
As a new design, the M18 incorporated several innovative maintenance features. The Wright R-975 engine was mounted on steel rollers, which permitted it to be disconnected from the transmission, rolled out onto the lowered engine rear cover, serviced and then reconnected to the vehicle. Similarly, the transmission could be removed and rolled out onto a front deck plate to allow repairs and inspection.
The T70 prototype for the M18 first saw combat at Anzio, Italy, and production versions of the M18 were used in North-West Europe and Italy from the summer of 1944 onwards.
In contrast to the M10 Wolverine, which used the chassis of the M4 Sherman, the M18 Hellcat was designed from the start to be a fast tank destroyer. As a result it was smaller, lighter and significantly faster, but carried the same gun as the Sherman 76 mm models. The M18 carried a five-man crew as well as 45 rounds of main gun ammunition and an M2 Browning machine gun on a flexible ring mount.
The main disadvantage of the M18 was its very light armor and the inconsistent performance of its 76 mm gun against the frontal armor of later German designs such as the Tiger and Panther. The open-topped turret (a characteristic which it shared with the M10) left the crew exposed to snipers, grenades and shell fragments. The doctrinal priority of high speed at the cost of armor protection thus led to an unbalanced design. The problem of the main gun performance was remedied with High Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP) ammunition late in the war which allowed the 76 mm gun to achieve greater frontal armor penetration, but this was never available in quantity.
While the M18 was capable of high road speeds this attribute was difficult to use successfully in combat, but along with the high top speed was a commensurate ability to accelerate rapidly and change direction at the drop of a hat. Although sustained travel at road speeds was hardly ever used outside of the allied response during the battle of the Bulge, most Hellcat crews found the higher speeds especially useful in a sprint to flank German tanks which had relatively slow turret traverse speeds, and such maneuvering allowed the tank destroyer crew a shot instead into the enemy's thinner side or rear armor. Interviewed veterans described the vehicle's ride as very smooth and generally comfortable, much akin to a ski boat with its tendency to skid turn such that the rear of the vehicle would slide when taking a turn at speed. Aiding the analogy, in earthen terrain, the hellcat frequently threw up "rooster tails" of dirt and turf from the rear of its tracks very similar to a boat's wake. In general, Hellcat crews were complimentary of their vehicle's performance and capabilities, but did complain that the open top created a cold interior in the Northern European winter of 1944-'45.
The only M18 variant which was produced in significant numbers was the Armored Utility Vehicle M39, a turret less variation used to transport personnel or cargo or as a gun tractor. This version was armed with a single M2 machine gun on a flexible mount.
The M18 continued in production until October 1944, when the war was nearing its end. 2,507 had been produced by that time at a unit cost of $57,500. Though all tank destroyer units were disbanded by the U.S. after the war, surplus M18s continued to see limited service.
Tactics & Tips
- This unit will be released within Tales of Valor.
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