Last updated on February 18th, 2019 at 01:00 pm
The M10 Wolverine tank destroyer was America’s first successful tank destroyer. It was called the Achilles by the British, who fitted it with a better main gun.
Originally, the M10 used the chassis of the M3 General Lee/General Grant medium tank. A later model, the M10A1, used the chassis from the M4 Sherman medium tank.
The M10 weighed over 28 ½ tons and could move at a speed of up to 30 miles per hour (48kph).
Its five sided turret had an open top.
The main armament on the Wolverine was a 2.99 inch (7.62 millimeter) M7 gun. A counterweight was placed in the back of the turret to keep the gun balanced.
Five crew members were needed to operate the M10.
The Achilles was the most successful version of the M10. On the Achilles, the British replaced the 2.99 inch M7 gun with a 17 pounder Mark V gun, the same gun that was used on the Challenger A30 and the Sherman Firefly.
As with the Wolverine, the Achilles needed a counterweight to balance its gun.
Between September 1942 and December 1943, five thousand M10s were produced.
 |
M10 Wolverine Tank Destroyer |
|---|---|
| Active: | 1942 |
| Crew: | 5 |
| Weight: | 28.6 tons (29,059kg) |
| Length: | 19ft 1in (5.82m) |
| Height: | 8ft 2in (2.49m) |
| Width: | 10ft (3.05m) |
| Weapons: | Main – Wolverine: 2.99in (76mm) M7 gun (Achilles: 17 pounder OQF Mark V gun), Secondary – 0.5in (12.7mm)machinegun |
| Armor | Maximum – 1.46in (37mm) |
| Engine: | 2 x GMS6-71 diesel, 400hp |
| Speed: | 30mph (48kph) |
| Range: | 200 miles (322 km) |