Old C24
M18 Hellcat tank destroyer at the Museum of the American GI, College Station, Texas
During World War II, US Army tank doctrine advised that tanks should not do battle against enemy tanks but against softer targets instead. The job of fighting enemy tanks was given to so-called tank destroyers, which were fast, had thin armor, and generally more powerful guns than did the tanks themselves.
The M18 was perhaps the pinnacle of tank destroyer design, as it could travel up to 55 miles (90 km) per hour on paved roads and mounted a three inch (76 mm) gun that could fire armor piercing ammunition. The Hellcat's tactics usually required that it use its speed to get around to the enemy's side, which had thinner armor than its front, then try to avoid getting shot at by the enemy.
The typical Sherman tank mounted a 75 mm gun that had a much shorter barrel and a lower muzzle velocity than the 76 mm gun. The third and fourth vehicles visible in this line are Shermans; note the shorter gun barrel. The second vehicle in the line is a half-tracked gun motor carriage which also has the 75 mm gun.
Toward the end of the war, the army realized that tanks pretty much had no choice when it came to fighting enemy tanks, so they stipulated that all tanks going forward should mount at least the 76 mm gun. In 1945, a few army units got the M26 Pershing tank, which had a 90 mm gun. The M36 Jackson tank destroyer also had the 90 mm gun, but still had thin armor, so the Pershing was a significant upgrade to US main battle tanks.
Old C24
M18 Hellcat tank destroyer at the Museum of the American GI, College Station, Texas
During World War II, US Army tank doctrine advised that tanks should not do battle against enemy tanks but against softer targets instead. The job of fighting enemy tanks was given to so-called tank destroyers, which were fast, had thin armor, and generally more powerful guns than did the tanks themselves.
The M18 was perhaps the pinnacle of tank destroyer design, as it could travel up to 55 miles (90 km) per hour on paved roads and mounted a three inch (76 mm) gun that could fire armor piercing ammunition. The Hellcat's tactics usually required that it use its speed to get around to the enemy's side, which had thinner armor than its front, then try to avoid getting shot at by the enemy.
The typical Sherman tank mounted a 75 mm gun that had a much shorter barrel and a lower muzzle velocity than the 76 mm gun. The third and fourth vehicles visible in this line are Shermans; note the shorter gun barrel. The second vehicle in the line is a half-tracked gun motor carriage which also has the 75 mm gun.
Toward the end of the war, the army realized that tanks pretty much had no choice when it came to fighting enemy tanks, so they stipulated that all tanks going forward should mount at least the 76 mm gun. In 1945, a few army units got the M26 Pershing tank, which had a 90 mm gun. The M36 Jackson tank destroyer also had the 90 mm gun, but still had thin armor, so the Pershing was a significant upgrade to US main battle tanks.