![]() The vehicle was to be powered by a Wright Continental R-975 C-series 9-cylinder radial engine with the suspension system based on the famed Christie arrangement. British PM Churchill convinced US President Roosevelt that tackling Hitler and Mussolini in Europe and Africa was of priority so resources were geared towards such a foray.Ī US Ordnance Department specification was issued for a "fast tank destroyer" design centered around the fitting of a 37mm main gun mount. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that month ushered the United States into total war with the Empire of Japan to which Germany and Italy declared war on the United States. The design that was to become the M18 Hellcat was already in development as early as December of 1941. It saw production reach 1,400 examples and was capable of tackling the latest German tank offerings but appeared towards the end of the war. The M36 "Slugger" was then developed from the M10 family lineage to field a more potent 90mm main gun and this design was also based on the classic M4 Sherman tank chassis. Its main gun was eventually shown to be largely inadequate as the war progressed. However, the type was based upon the modified chassis of the M4 Sherman and lacked much in the way of armor protection. The original M10 became the definitive American tank destroyer of World War 2 and was produced in nearly 7,000 examples for use by the US Army as well as the armies of its allies. ![]() The Hellcats served through to the end of the war and were even featured in the inventories of several nations in the post-war world. ![]() ![]() The M18 was an improvement over the preceding M10 series and proved as capable as the M36 "Slugger" family, managing its part for the ground successes needed in toppling Germany's late-war surges. The type was fast, agile, well-armed and available in numbers sufficient to combat the armored forces of the German Wehrmacht across Europe. The M18 "Hellcat" served as the finest example of an American Army tank destroyer in World War 2. ![]()
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