The M10 was the most important US tank destroyer in WW2 and over 6000 units were built. It sports the 3" (76mm ) M7 gun, which was developed from a Great War era AA gun. The weapon was installed in an open turret and out on a M4A2 Sherman chassis. The weapon was so heavy they had to install over 1100 kg of counterweights at the rear of the turret!
Although of limited use against heavier German tanks like Panthers and Tigers, the M10 combined reasonable, sloped armor with the reliable inner workings of the Sherman. It was outperformed by the newer M18 and M36 tank destroyers, but nevertheless the number of M10s used in combat was 1.5 times higher than that of the later models combined!
The 3" gun was very versatile. Beside the armor-piercing capped ballistic capped (APCBC) and high-velocity armor-piercing (HVAP) ammunition it could also fire high explosive and smoke shells for infantry support. It was even used for indirect fire, although the maximum gun elevation of 19° limited its ability to do so.
Fun fact: nobody knows where the name Wolverine comes from. It is disputed if it was ever used while the tank was in service, and US soldiers would just refer to it as the M10 or TD for tank destroyer.
Our Wolverine has markings loosely based on a vehicle used in Normandy by the 703rd tank destroyer battalion.
Next time we will have more Shermans, followed by some paratroopers - Stay tuned!
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thanks for sharing Bồn nước
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