M-18 Hellcat the Speedy Panzer Bane

The M-18 Hellcat with its and High Velocity Armor Piercing (HVAP) 76 mm (3 inch) rounds, was a potent weapon able to knock out a German Panther at rages up to 1000 m (1100 yds) and the MK IV panzer at a greater range.  Its light armor of only 25mm (1 inch) allowed for a high speed of up to 89 kph (55 mph) giving the Hellcat the "shoot and scoot" ability of tank ambush hunting. A great example of "shoot and scoot" was when four Hellcats of the 705 Tank Destroyer Batallion were able to destroy at least 24 tanks of the 2nd Panzer Division in a running  engagement during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944.

The M-18 Hellcat was designed 1942, in accord with the Second World War US Army concept that tanks were for breakthrough movements and tank destroyers were to engage and destroy enemy armor. The Hellcat was the fastest Armored Fighting Vehicle (AFV) in the American arsenal and fastest tank destroyer in the war.

The open top turret was a hallmark American tank destroyers as it allowed greater visibility for the crew to identify, fire and destroy enemy targets. On the down side, the crew was less protected from enemy fire and shrapnel.

2507 Hellcats were built and as with many other American AFV's saw long service in the militaries of many countries until the 1970's, Yugoslavia even kept some in reserve until the 1990's.

               This M-18 Hellcat is a 3D resin model that I painted in 2019.