Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia all fielded tank-destroyer vehicles, as well. Naturally, tank-destroyer units carried more armor-piercing shells than high explosive shells, while the reverse was true in tank units. However, it had less effective high-explosive shells for use against enemy infantry - at least, compared to the 75-millimeter shells fired by Sherman tanks. The Wolverine mounted a long-barrel high-velocity 76-millimeter gun thoughtto have good armor-piercing performance. ![]() General Motors and Ford produced 6,400 M10s. The first proper tank-destroyer was the M10 Wolverine, which featured the hull of the M4 Sherman tank and a new pentagonal turret. In practice, nobody wanted to consign the infantry to such a fate, so tank-destroyers deployed closer to the front line for forward defense. Fifty-two deployed to the European theater and 10 to the Pacific.Īnother problem was that tank-destroyer doctrine presupposed moving into ambush positions after the German tanks had already overrun defending infantry. Army scaled back the number of tank-destroyer battalions to 106. The German army remained largely on the defensive in the second half of World War II, and failed to achieve armored breakthroughs like those in Poland, France and Russia. tank-destroyers were used in the manner intended - deployed as an entire battalion to stop a German armored breakthrough concentrated on a narrow front. In fact, the battle of El Guettar marked the only occasion in which U.S. George Patton said the tank-destroyers had proved “unsuccessful.” The heavy losses did not endear the tank-destroyers to Allied commanders. However, the 601st had lost 21 of its M3s and the 899th lost seven of its new M10 vehicles. The panzers advanced within 100 meters of the 601st’s position before finally withdrawing, leaving 38 wrecked tanks behind. Two companies from the 899th Tank Destroyer Battalion reinforced them at the last minute, one of them suffering heavy losses while approaching. They were bolstered only by divisional artillery and a minefield prepared by their engineers. Their most important engagement pitted the M3s of the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion against the entire 10th Panzer Division in the battle of El Guettar in Tunisia early in the morning on March 23, 1943.ĭeployed in defense of the 1st Infantry Division just behind the crest of Keddab ridge, the 601’st 31 gun-laden halftracks moved forward and potted off shots at the panzers as they rolled down Highway 15, then scooted back and found new firing positions. ( Recommended: Is It Time to Bring Back the Battleships?) ( Recommended: 5 Ways the Soviet Union Could Have Won the Cold War) ( Recommended: What if Hitler Never Invaded Russia?) ![]() Though some M3 GMCs resisted the Japanese invasion of The Philippines, tank-destroyer battalions first saw action in the deserts of North Africa starting in 1942. Both types were lightly armored and lacked turrets. The M3 Gun Motor Carriage, or GMC, was an overloaded M3 halftrack - a vehicle with wheels in the front and tracks in the rear - toting a French 75-millimeter howitzer on top. The M6 was basically an outdated 37-millimeter anti-tank gun mounted on a three-quarter-ton truck. The first tank-destroyer units made do with hastily improvised vehicles. The recon company also had an engineer platoon to deal with obstacles and to lay mines. Fifty-three battalions of 842 men each initially mobilized, with plans to grow the force to 220 battalions.Įach battalion had 36 tank-destroyers divided into three companies, as well as a reconnaissance company of jeeps and armored scout cars to help ferret out the disposition of enemy armor so that the battalions could move into position. A tank-destroyer center began training units at Fort Hood, Texas. Leslie McNair, tank-destroyers became their own branch in the army, just like armor and artillery already were. With the support of the Army’s chief of training and doctrine Lt. Tanks could only take out anti-tank units by overrunning them, rather than with direct fire. Tank-destroyers performed extremely well against tanks - perhaps because, as the armor branch alleged, the “umpire rules” were unfairly tilted in their favor. The Army tested the concept out in war games at Louisiana in September 1941. ![]() The new armor branch wanted to focus on the same kind of bold armored attacks the Germans were famous for. The Army didn’t intend for its own tanks to specialize in defending against enemy panzers.
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