He objected to the 3 inch M10 Gun Motor Carriage because it was too heavy and slow for his needs, and later on to the 90 mm M36 Gun Motor Carriage because it was essentially an M10 with a bigger gun. When the Tank Destroyer Force was organized in 1941, their commander, Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Andrew Davis Bruce envisioned the units being equipped with something faster than a tank, with a better gun but less armor to allow for speed a cruiser rather than a battleship. Zaloga characterized the overall design of the M18 as "poorly balanced" and stated that "the Hellcat's combat record is attributable to the training and dedication of its crews, not to its ill-conceived design." Development Despite its excellent mobility and reasonably powerful main gun, the M18 Hellcat also had drawbacks, including thin armor and a poor high explosive shell for its main gun. The M18 Hellcat was an example of the balancing act between firepower, armor, and mobility in armored fighting vehicle design. service immediately after the end of World War II, a variant, the M39 Armored Utility Vehicle, served in the Korean War, and M18s continued in service with some countries until 1995. M18s were ".not primarily used for tank fighting, but were committed more often to improvised roles, usually direct fire support for infantry." Although the M18 was retired from U.S. The kills-to-losses ratio for Europe was 2.3 to 1, and the overall kill to loss ratio was 2.4 to 1. Kills claimed were 526 in total: 498 in Europe, 17 in Italy, and 11 in the Pacific. It had a higher kill-to-loss ratio than any other tank or tank destroyer fielded by U.S. Production continued until October 1944, with 2,507 built. The M18 served primarily in Western Europe, but was also present in smaller numbers in Italy and the Pacific. Entering production in summer 1943, the M18 first saw combat service in spring 1944. The M18 Hellcat was the culmination of the development of various prototypes of fast tank destroyers dating back to 1941. Despite being equipped with the same main gun as some variants of the much larger Sherman tank, the M18 attained a much higher top speed of up to 55 mph (89 km/h) by keeping armor to a minimum, and using the innovative Torqmatic automatic transmission. The M18 Hellcat (officially designated the 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 or M18 GMC) is a tank destroyer that was used by the United States Army in World War II and the Korean War.
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