M-18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer – 1:35

The M-18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer

Official named M-18 Hellcat is “76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18”. It is an American tank destroyer used in World War II, Italy, Europe and the Pacific theater, and the Korean War.

Curiously, the M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer was the fastest American armored vehicle. And it kept this tile until the emergence of the M1 Abrams main battle tank powered by a turbine engine decades later. Even so, most sources still set the standard running speed of the M1 Abrams to only 72 km/h (adjustable speed, the maximum possible speed is much higher). This makes the Hellcat running speed on paved roads higher.

About the speed of the M-18 Hellcat. It is achieved by keeping the armor to a minimum (no more than 38.4 mm thick and partly roofless); also by driving a relatively small but powerful radial engine that is larger than The armored vehicles are the same and more.

M-18 Hellcat, M-10 “Wolverine” (based on M-4 Sherman) and efficient M-36 “Jackson” (barrel 90 mm), provided that the US and Allied forces can maneuver tanks against the new German armor ability.

It’s known that the M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer was the most effective American tank destroyer in World War II. It has a higher casualty rate than any tank or tank destroyer dispatched by the U.S. military in World War II.

M-18 Hellcat Design

Usually, he new design of the M-18 Hellcat has a number of labor-saving and innovative functions. The radial white R975 engine is completely unified, because it is installed on a rail equipped with steel rollers, maintenance personnel can easily disconnect it from the gearbox, spread it on the rear engine cover of the rail, perform repairs, and then reconnect . The gearbox can also be easily disassembled and spread on the front cover for easy inspection and quick maintenance.

Unlike the M-10 and M-36 tank destroyers that use the M-4 Sherman chassis, the M-18 Hellcat tank destroyer was designed as a fast tank destroyer from the beginning. As a result, it is smaller, lighter, more comfortable and faster, but has the same barrel as the M-4 (76mm M1).

The M-18 Hellcat has a five-person crew consisting of a commander, gunner, loader, driver and assistant driver. It contains 45 main artillery shells on the main turret, and 18 artillery shells in each tank. It is equipped with a Browning M2 heavy machine gun with 800 rounds of ammunition, mounted on a flexible ring frame, and can be used against enemy aircraft and infantry.

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