M18 Hellcat
| M18 Hellcat | |
|---|---|
M18 shoots at German troops in Italy (between 1943 and 1945) |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 (commander, driver, gunner, loader, radio operator) |
| length | 6.65 m (with cannon) |
| width | 2.87 m |
| height | 2.58 m (tower top) |
| Dimensions | 16.11 tons (empty) |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | 6.35-25.4 mm |
| Main armament | 76mm cannon M1A1, M1A1C or M1A2 L / 55 |
| Secondary armament | Browning M2 12.7 mm machine gun |
| agility | |
| drive |
Continental R-975-C4, air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine 294 kW (400 PS) |
| suspension | Torsion bar |
| Top speed | 88 km / h |
| Power / weight | 24.8 hp / ton |
| Range | 168 km |
The M18 Hellcat was an American tank destroyer that was used in World War II .
In contrast to most other tank destroyers of World War II, which were usually based on outdated chassis of battle tanks, the M18 was built on a tank developed only for this tank and was the first American tank to have torsion bar suspension.
Weighing only 17 tons, it was a very light tank for the last few years of World War II. The low weight was due to its weak armor of 12.7 mm to 25.4 mm, which only offered effective protection against small arms. The tank turret was also open at the top and offered a good view, but again poor protection for the crew. On the other hand, the Hellcat, with its maximum speed of over 80 km / h, was also one of the fastest tanks of World War II, making it fast and agile enough to easily outmaneuver enemy tanks such as the German Tigers and Panthers once their position was known. This gave him a tremendous advantage and often offset his sensitivity to fire; because even if the projectiles of its 76 mm cannon were not able to penetrate the armor of these German tanks head-on, the M18 Hellcat could destroy them by hitting them in the side or the rear. The crews were trained in this tactic of outmaneuvering with comic-style films and illustrations that spoke of "hit and run" or " shoot-and-scoot ".
The M18 proved itself in this role of the tank destroyer despite its weaknesses - such as the lack of armor or the lack of protection from rain and cold - and was particularly popular with its crews because of its driving comfort in the field and its speed, especially since it was equipped with the aiming devices of the time only under the best of circumstances was it possible to destroy a Hellcat by fire while it was in full swing. It did not have to fear a pursuit of the M18 either, since most main battle tanks only reached a speed between 40 km / h to 55 km / h in the Second World War, and often only on the road. In such a case, the M18 could simply run away from them at over 80 km / h.
Production started in July 1943, and in October 1944 the last of a total of 2507 Hellcats rolled off the production line. The production of a copy cost about 57,500 US dollars at the time (taking into account inflation, this corresponds to today's sum of around 826,000 US dollars).
A few hundred copies of the M18 were converted into turretless armored tracked vehicles of the type M39 from 1944 onwards. After the war, the Hellcat was soon retired as attitudes toward anti-tank systems in the United States had changed. The remaining Hellcat were delivered to different countries in South America (Argentina, Venezuela) and Europe (Yugoslavia, Greece, Netherlands). There is film material from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, on which a still functional M18 can be seen.
Technical specifications
- Ground clearance 36 cm
- Wading ability: 1.22 m
- Trench crossing ability: 1.88 m
- Climbing ability: 0.91 m
- Gradeability: up to 60%
- Turning circle: 10.05 m
- Tank capacity: 643 l
- Armor:
- Tower front: 25.4 mm
- Tower sides: 12.7 mm
- Pan (front / back / sides): 12.7 mm
- Top: 7.9 mm
- Bottom: 6.35 mm
- Armament:
- a 76 mm M1A1, M1A1C or M1A2 L / 55 cannon with 45 rounds
- Elevation range: −10 to + 20 °
- a 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun on the turret roof with 840 rounds
- a 76 mm M1A1, M1A1C or M1A2 L / 55 cannon with 45 rounds
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