Weapon stories. "Wolverine" became "Achilles"

2024 Author: Matthew Elmers | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:49

War often disturbs our understanding of formal logic. Agree, even the most incredible things, which simply cannot be, are quite commonplace in war.

An artillery crew, which held the road all day with one gun and did not let the enemy tank column pass. A pilot who shoots down an enemy plane on the very first sortie. A group of snipers who do not allow the enemy battalion to rise. There are many examples.

This is approximately the case with our heroine today. This car is a famous stranger to us. On the one hand, our army had in its composition two regiments of similar self-propelled guns (1239th and 1223rd), and on the other hand, they were similar, but still different machines. So it turns out, do we know this self-propelled gun or don't we? What series of materials should it include?

We thought that since the heroine is still different from the cars that we received under Lend-Lease, then her place is in this series. Our heroine today is the light anti-tank ACS Mk IC "Achilles".

Usually this self-propelled gun does not arouse interest among ordinary people. Another modification of the Sherman tank for the majority. English modification of the American ACS M10 "Wolverine" (Wolverine) for connoisseurs. What could be interesting in the modification?

Meanwhile, the car should be "touched" more attentively. At least in order to understand that this is still an SPG, an anti-tank SPG, a tank destroyer, not a tank.

Let's start with the first American anti-tank self-propelled gun using the tank chassis of the M10 ACS. More precisely, from a motor vehicle for a 3 gun (3-inch Gun Motor Carriadge) M10. This is how (literally) the M10 anti-tank ACS was standardized in the American army in June 1942.

The car is indeed based on the Sherman chassis. Moreover, it really resembles this tank. But if you put "Sherman" and "Wolverine" side by side, the differences become noticeable even to a non-specialist.

First of all, we note: "Wolverine" is less "tall". As befits a person of the "female" sex. And hence a somewhat different "figure". In contrast to the male squareness of the Sherman, the Wolverine has sloped sides that allow to reduce the thickness of the armor while maintaining the necessary protective properties of the armor. The body is welded.

In addition, the "Wolverine" has a different head-tower. This is not a rounded cast Sherman tower, but a welded pentahedral tower with an open top. Such towers are more suitable for anti-aircraft installations. By the way, it was created on their basis.

The turret-mounted cannon is standard 76, 2mm M7. With a barrel length of 50 calibers. Armor-piercing shells, with an initial speed of 793 m / s. Ammunition 54 rounds. In addition, the 12, 7-mm Browning M2HB anti-aircraft machine gun is located at the rear of the turret. Machine gun ammunition 1000 rounds.

Many amateurs and connoisseurs of military equipment during the Second World War doubt the need for such weapons for self-propelled guns. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine in a tank battle the number of the crew that sprinkles the enemy positions with a machine gun when the rest of the crew smashes the tanks.

We consider it necessary to answer this question. We will not answer with arguments, logic or reasoning. It was not in vain that we began our story by talking about the war. The best answer would be just one episode of the war. An episode in which Soviet soldiers took part.

So, the 1st Belorussian Front. July 30, 1944. Already mentioned above, the 1239th self-propelled artillery regiment from the 16th Panzer Corps of the 2nd Panzer Army is moving in the direction of Aleksandruv from Demblin. The task is to help the tankers in the attack on Aleksandruv. For reinforcement, the regiment was given the Su-85 from the adjacent 1441st regiment.

It was not possible to hide the movement of a sufficiently large number of self-propelled guns from enemy aircraft. Air reconnaissance Germans perfectly saw the columns of dust and even the cars themselves in motion. Naturally, the regiment was subjected to several German air raids at once. As a result, several vehicles were disabled.

But what is characteristic, the German pilots damaged and destroyed the Soviet Su-85! And not a single "Wolverine"! Moreover, during one of the raids, the M10 gunner, Petty Officer Landovsky, shot down a Ju-88 bomber from a Browning M2HB machine gun. Chilled the zeal of the Germans in the implementation of the task.

Probably, this is enough (well, we think so) so that questions about the need for an anti-aircraft machine gun on the ACS no longer arise. The vehicle's ability to fight enemy aircraft is not a whim of the designers, but the harsh necessity of that war. However, as well as the conduct of a battle with this weapon with enemy infantry in cases where the vehicle's withdrawal from positions is impossible for some reason.

But back to M10. The M10 turret is very similar to the turret of another American self-propelled gun - "Hellcat" (M18 Hellcat). The answer is simple. The Wolverine Tower was simply used to create the Cat.

The power plant consisted of two GMC 6046 G71 liquid-cooled six-cylinder in-line diesel engines from General Motors, arranged in parallel and connected into one unit: the torque from both was transmitted to one propeller shaft. Each of the diesels developed a capacity of 375 liters. with. at 2100 rpm

The difference between cars, "Sherman" and "Wolverine" is visible in the "muscle mass" - booking. As befits a "girl", "Wolverine" has a significantly lower booking. On the forehead, the thickness of the armor is 50, 8 mm, on the sides and stern - 25, 4 mm, the bottom - 12, 7 mm, the top of the hull - from 9, 5 to 19 mm.

Such characteristics were quite normal, if we take into account the American concept of combat ACS, "hit and run". Swoop-retreat, or, if we really go into the translation, "hit-and-run." This tactic implied a high speed of movement across the battlefield for the ACS. Reducing the reservation "Wolverine" was done precisely in order to speed up the car. However, for some reason, this did not bring the desired result. The speeds of the Sherman and Wolverine were practically equal - 48 km / h.

There are two important points for any SPG. Crew and power reserve. Everything is simple here. The crew of the vehicle is traditional for American self-propelled guns - 5 people. The power reserve is slightly more than that of the Sherman. But it was achieved by simply increasing the capacity of the fuel tanks. And it is 320 km against the tank 290.

To understand the further narration, we are interested in only two variants of M10. Actually, the M10 itself, which is based on the M4A2 and M10A1 tanks on the M4A3 chassis. Interesting because in the history of "Achilles" they are designated differently. On the basis of M10 "Achilles" was called MK IC, and on the basis of M10A1 - MK IIC.

As you understand, we made it to Britain. It was there that the main flow of "Wolverines" was directed. Lend-Lease was also valid for Britain. The M10 was a machine with a satisfactory ballistic profile and a relatively low silhouette. The British took it with pleasure.

However, it was clear that in modern warfare, archaic, created back in 1918, the M7 cannon is completely useless as an anti-tank weapon. And by this time the British had created an excellent 17-pounder (76, 2 mm) anti-tank gun (Ordnance QF 17-pounde).

The decision was made, and in February 1944, the Wolverines began to be equipped with these Mark V versions of the guns. And the machine began to play with new faces.

It was the installation of a new weapon that turned the dangerous animal into an ancient hero, "the ruler of the Scythian land," as the ancient poet said. Now "Achilles" could cope with any German tank. If we compare the efficiency of M10 and MK-IC, then "Achilles" is superior to "Wolverine" in all respects.

The 17-pounder was well balanced. It had a light barrel and a heavy, but compact breech, which made it possible to install it in the trunnions of the old gun practically without alteration.

Two types of armor-piercing shells were used for firing. One of which was armor-piercing with a ballistic tip and an initial speed of 908 m / s. This ensured the penetration of an armor plate 130 mm thick at an angle of 30 degrees at a distance of 900 meters.

The appearance in August 1944 of the SVDS or APDS sub-caliber shells generally made the Achilles gun the most powerful anti-tank self-propelled weapon. Shells weighing 3.5 kg and 2.5-kilogram tungsten core with an initial speed of 1200 m / s at the same distance of 900 meters already pierced 193-mm armor plates!

The only tank that could boast of a more powerful cannon was the German King Tiger. Its 88mm KwK 43 cannon was significantly superior to the British 17-pounder.

"Achilles" were actively used by the British and were even offered to the Americans. But American snobbery defeated American practicality. The USA refused to install "Ordnance QF 17-pounde" on machines intended for themselves. Although later they used British developments in their own guns.

Paradoxically, it was not the M10, but the Achilles that were actively used in Europe. So during the landing in Normandy, as many as 11 regiments of "Achilles" participated. Moreover, under the leadership of Marshal Montgomery, there were units not only of the British army (8 regiments MK-I (II) C), but also of the Canadian army (2 regiments) and the Polish army (1 regiment).

The best Achilles car is the MK-IIC. ACS based on the M4A3 tank. This is what led to the preservation of just such machines in service for quite a long time. "Achilles" on the M4A2 base were disarmed immediately after the war, deprived of the tower and turned into artillery tractors. One machine was even used as a self-propelled plow mine sweep.