M10 Tank Destroyer.
M-10 Tank Destroyer at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.
M-10 Tank Destroyer at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.
M-10A1 Tank Destroyer at 4th Infantry Division Museum, Ft. Hood, TX, 2 December 2005. Photo: Courtesy of Bob Pettit.
Tank Destroyers were specialized units designed to engage and destroy enemy armor, opening the way for Allied tanks to exploit the gaps. During WW II, tanks did not have sufficient firepower for this task leading to the concept of a separate tank destroyer platform. The M-10 was built on the chassis of the M-4 Sherman tank with an M7 3 in. gun in an M5 mount placed in the pentagonal welded turret. To balance the turret for the weight of the gun, 3,600 pounds of counterweights were attached to the top, rear of the turret. 4,993 M-10 Tank Destroyers were produced at the General Motors tank arsenal during WW II, beginning in September 1942.
The M-10 Tank Destroyer was also equipped with a .50 cal. machine gun. The 30 ton vehicle was powered by twin General Motors 6-71 diesel engines, reaching a road speed of 25 mph.
The M10A1 Tank Destroyer was a British modification of some of their late-model M10s, equipped with a heavier gun, the Mark 5 17-pounder. This tank destroyer was designated the Achilles IIC by the British and was used during the later months of World War II in Europe.
See also the M-36 Tank Destroyer.
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