Artist's commentary
Here Comes the Cavalry - December, 1944 - Bastogne
"Yeaaaaah! Here comes the cavalry! Hey guys!"
This installment in my "Tank Illustration Series" features the M18 Hellcat.
I decided to draw an American military tank, but anytime someone mentions the American military tanks of WW2 all anyone can think about is the M4 Sherman (though I'm caught up in "Shermania" myself), so I figured that would be boring. As a result, I drew an M18 Hellcat GMC instead of something from the M4 series. It looks like a tank, but it wasn't a tank at all. It was more of a GMC (Gun Motor Carriage), that is, a self-propelled (anti-tank) gun.
For the American military, the tank was, fundamentally, to be used as a weapon to break through enemy defenses, while anti-tank battles were the duty of the independently organized Tank Destroyer Battalion (aka. TDB). This TDB was normally placed behind the lines and used its high level of mobility to spread out and attack the enemy tank corps when they would break through enemy defenses. In other words, it was a unit similar to the cavalry which would save covered wagons under attack by Indians. Perhaps the American army really liked the "cavalry" because they had the M4 series as their primary tanks (the M26 did not appear on the battlefield until late in the war) while they continuously developed one anti-tank vehicle after another, such as the M3, M10, M18, and M36. (The M8 light-armored car was also originally planned to be used in the anti-tank regiment.)
So, the M18 had more developed torsion bar suspension than the Sherman series, while the power unit could be easily removed from the frame, making it more convenient. The designs followed the other post-war American military tanks, and the M18 was equipped with a 76mm gun that was more powerful than the M4 at the point in time when the M18 appeared on the battlefields. Its top speed reached 80 kilometers an hour. (For reference, the top speed of the M4 was around 36 kilometers an hour.) However, because it is essentially a self propelled anti-tank gun its armor was very poor, with one inch thickness on the front of the turret and no more than 0.5 inches, or 13mm anywhere else. After the American military began its counteroffensive in Europe there were few opportunities to attack enemy tanks that broke through the lines, and they ended up not being sent to the front lines due to their weak armor, eventually being used for "unfortunate" duties such as cover fire.
However, at last came the stage where these tanks could go into action. It was the German offensive in late 1944 known as the 'Battle of the Bulge.' It was when the battle was around the strategic point of Bastogne and 4 Hellcats from the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion used their speed to attack the German 2nd Panzer Division. Fully taking advantage of a hit-and-run strategy they destroyed 24 enemy tanks (including Tigers) and completely obliterated the enemy division's plans for advancement. (The above is from the Japanese version of Wikipedia.)
So, here is the illustration. As always, I've taken some "artistic lying" with it. lol
I don't have many words left to point everything out individually, so please look through it carefully for yourself. lol