The M18 Hellcat was an American tank destroyer of World War II. Armed with a 76 mm cannon, the vehicle was the fastest tracked, armored fighting vehicle during World War II with a top speed up to 60 mph (92kph),[1] and Buick nicknamed it the Hellcat. The speed was attained by keeping armor to a minimum, no more than 1 thick. Hellcat crews took advantage of the vehicles speed to minimize the enemys ability to pierce its thin armor. Hellcats were used to penetrate the sides and back of the heavily armored Tiger and Panther tanks used by the Germans. Utilized in the western front and in D-Day, the Hellcat, along with the Sherman Firefly and M10 Wolverine, was the main firepower in the invasion of Europe.In December 1941, the Ordnance Corps issued a requirement for the design of a fast tank destroyer using a Torsion bar suspension, the Wright/Continental R-975 engine, and a 37 mm gun. The M18 originated in the design studio of Harley Earl from the Buick motor company division of General Motors, whose team also worked extensively on early camouflage paint. Even the Hellcat logo on the M18’s front corner and patches worn by its crew was designed by Earl’s staff. Flanked by the words “Seek, Strike, Destroy,” it depicts a wildcat biting down on crushed treads, signifying the Hellcat’s mission of targeting enemy tanks. Buick engineers brought the Hellcat to life from the design team’s sketches and developed an innovative torsion bar suspension that provided a steady ride. Though it weighed about 20 tons – the same as almost nine modern day Buick Enclaves – the Hellcat was designed to be one of the fastest tanks on the battlefield and was capable of traveling upwards of 60 mph. Its power came from a nine-cylinder, 450-horsepower radial-type aircraft engine paired with a three-speed Hydramatic transmission. “The Hellcat was considered the hot rod of World War II,” said Bill Gross, a historian who restored an M18 now on display at the Sloan Museum in Flint, Mich. “To give perspective, most German tanks of the day were capable of just 20 mph and even today’s M1 Abrams tank is outpaced by the Hellcat.” Once developed, the Hellcat was tested in the same manner as millions of Buick passenger cars before and after it, at the General Motors Milford Proving Ground. Top speed testing was done on a paved, banked oval and ride quality tests were done over specially developed stretches of bumps. Of course, the M18 also required unique tests of its ability to ford six feet of water, climb small walls, and ram through structures. Production of the M18 Hellcat began in mid-1943 and ended in October 1944. The project was so secretive that a story about the “new” tank destroyer ran in newspapers just a month before production. During fighting in North Africa, the vehicles original 37 mm gun was inadequate and the design was upgraded with a British 57 mm gun. During the development process, the design was further upgraded to a use a 75 mm gun, and then finally 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 1943.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:03:15 +0000
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