M10 tank destroyer

3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10
Type	Self-propelled anti-tank gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Wars	World War II 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Production history
Designer	U.S. Army Ordnance Department
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Fisher Body division of General Motors Ford Motor Company
Unit cost	US$47,900 (equivalent to $893,223 in 2023)[1]
Produced	M10: September 1942 – December 1943 M10A1: October 1942 – November 1943
No. built	6,406
Variants	see Variants
Specifications (3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10/M10A1[2])
Mass	M10 – 65,200 lb (29.1 long tons; 29.6 t) M10A1 – 64,000 lb (29 long tons; 29 t)
Length	19 ft 7 in (5.97 m) hull 22 ft 5 in (6.83 m) including gun
Width	10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Height	9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) over antiaircraft machine gun
Crew	5 (Commander, gunner, loader, driver, assistant driver)
Armor	0.375 to 2.25 in (9.5 to 57.2 mm)
Main armament	3-inch gun M7 (76.2 mm) in Mount M5 54 rounds
Secondary armament	.50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning M2HB machine gun 300 rounds
Engine	M10 – General Motors 6046 twin diesel *375 hp (280 kW) at 2,100 rpm M10A1 – Ford GAA V8 *450 hp (340 kW) at 2,600 rpm
Power/weight	M10 – 12.68 hp (9.46 kW)/metric ton M10A1 – 15.50 hp (11.56 kW)/metric ton
Transmission	Synchromesh, 5 speeds forward, 1 reverse
Suspension	Vertical volute spring suspension (VVSS)
Fuel capacity	M10 – 165 US gal (620 L) M10A1 – 192 US gal (730 L)
Operational range	M10 – 200 mi (320 km) M10A1 – 160 mi (260 km)
Maximum speed	M10 – 25–30 mi (40–48 km)/hr on road M10A1 – 30 mi (48 km)/hr on road

The M10 tank destroyer, formally 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10, or M10 GMC was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. By November 1941, the Army requested a vehicle with a gun in a fully rotating turret after other interim models were criticized for being too poorly designed. The prototype of the M10 was conceived in early 1942 and delivered in April that year. After appropriate changes to the hull and turret were made, the modified version was selected for production in June 1942 as the "3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10". It mounted the 3-inch (76.2 mm) gun M7 in a rotating turret on a modified M4 Sherman tank chassis.

It was built in two variants. The M10 GMC used the M4A2 Sherman chassis and the M10A1 used the M4A3 chassis. Production of the two models ran from September 1942 to December 1943 and October 1942 to November 1943, respectively.

The M10 was numerically the most important U.S. tank destroyer of World War II. It combined thin but sloped armor with the M4's reliable drivetrain and a reasonably potent anti-tank gun mounted in an open-topped turret. Despite its obsolescence in the face of newer German tanks like the Panther and the introduction of more powerful and better-designed types as replacements, the M10 remained in service until the end of the war. During World War II, the primary user of the M10 tank destroyer was the United States, but many were Lend-Leased to the United Kingdom, Canada and Free French forces. Several dozen were also sent to the Soviet Union. Post-war, the M10 was given as military surplus to several countries, such as Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, through the Mutual Defense Assistance Act or acquired through other means by countries like Israel and the Republic of China.

The M10 is often referred to by the nickname "Wolverine", an unofficial name that sometimes appeared in wartime Chrysler advertising, but that was not used by U.S. troops;^[3] the M10 was never officially assigned a nickname or referred to with one when used by American soldiers, who simply called it a "TD" (a nickname for any tank destroyer in general) beyond its formal designation.^[4][5]