Tank overhaul : The Hellcat

Report

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 37 mm gun.

In the light of events in North Africa, it was decided that the 37 mm gun was inadequate and the design was changed to use a 57 mm gun. 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 requirement was also dropped and replaced with a torsion bar suspension. The design was standardized in February 1943 and production began in July.

As a ground-up design, the M18 incorporated some new features that US Army soldiers found extremely useful. The Wright R-975 engine could be disconnected from the vehicle in a short period of time and rolled out onto the rear deck of the TD when lowered for repairs. It could be refitted to the drive train in less than an hour. The motor mount is equipped with steel rollers that allow the engine to roll easily on tracks built into the rear deck lid when lowered. Similarly, the transmission can be removed and rolled out onto a front deck plate to allow repairs and inspection.

The T70 prototype for the M18 first saw combat in 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 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 fast tank destroyer. As a result it was smaller, lighter and significantly faster, yet still carried the same 76 mm gun as the Sherman 76 models. There was also more internal stowage; the M18 could accommodate a five man crew as well as 45 rounds of ammunition and a M2 Browning machine gun.

An American tank collector and his team are rebuilding a Hellcat.

Production

Producer: UKTV History

Categories

Categories: Documentary / History

Tags: hellcat killer m-18 tank world war

View file

1.

tank_overhaul_the_hellcat.mkv

247.24 kB

Help us keep Vuze open and free We’d like you to help us by being the eyes and ears of the Vuze community. If you come across content you consider to be inappropriate, or in violation of the original copyright owner’s rights, please let us know by clicking the Report button above. Learn more. View the complete Terms of Service.