M7/M10 Tank Destroyer - .50 cals

[schwerpunktgrenadier]

How do you get the M7 (referred to in the manual as M10 GMC Tank Destroyer) to fire the rear mounted .50 cals? I assume it would involve rotating the turret but to do that I would have to put a target arc 180 degrees away from the enemy positions. Or do I just have to turn the whole tank around and point my arse at the enemy?

[Warts 'n' all]

I might be wrong but, I think that you can't give a command to use the .50 cals mounted on tanks and tank destroyers. The crew will decide themselves whether they use them or not.

 

If someone knows more than me, I'm sure that they will help you soon.

[Michael Emrys]

BTW, the M7 and M10 are not the same vehicle. And I think Warts has it right. Tanks will fire the .50 if they are unbuttoned and still have ammo for it. Don't know about non-tank vehicles.

 

Michael

[ASL Veteran]

M7, otherwise known as the 'Priest' I believe.

[Warts 'n' all]

To concur with the above. The M7 and M10 are in no way the same vehicle. So you may have misread your manual.

 

As a general rule. The .50cal was installed as a anti-aircraft weapon. But, with the Luftwaffe posing less and less of a threat as the war went on, it evolved into a close support weapon for use as and when the tank crew felt the need for it.

[YankeeDog]

To build on what Wart 'n' all said, I'm not sure where you're getting the idea there was an "M7 Tank  Destroyer".  The only U.S. Army combat vehicle with the nomenclature "M7" that was widely deployed in WWII was the M7 "Priest", which was a 105mm Self-Propelled Artillery vehicle, not a tank destroyer.  On a few occasions, M7 Priests were employed as ersatz tank destroyers, but this definitely wasn't the M7's primary role.

 

At any rate, in its "out of the factory" configuration, the .50 BMG mounted on the M10 tank destroyer was located on a pintle mount at the rear of the (open) turret lip.  It was mounted there because it was primarily intended for AA use, the logic being that aircraft would more likely attack an armored column from the flank or rear so this is where you'd want the MG mounted in order to fire at attacking aircraft.  However, with the MG mounted in this position it could not be aimed at enemy to the front of the turret by an operator standing inside the turret.

 

It was possible for one of the TD crew, or even friendly infantry, to stand on the rear deck of the M10 and fire the .50 BMG over the turret at enemy to the front.  Anecdotal evidence indicates this was done at times (most famously by MoH recipient Audie Murphy), but how often this was done is difficult to say, and for game purposes this kind of use raises difficult modeling issues.  Among other things, an MG operator standing on the rear deck would be very exposed especially to any incoming fire from the flank or rear, so jumping out of the turret to fire the .50 at ground targets is definitely *not* be something that you'd want your TD crews doing all the time in all situations.

 

Especially late war, as it became clear that the Luftwaffe was a minimal threat and German armor also became increasingly rare, M10 crews were sometimes known to move the .50 to an improvised mounting at the front of the turret lip, and/or scrounge additional MG(s) and mount them to the front of the turret lip for additional firepower against infantry.  Ad hoc vehicle modifications like this were done by all sides in the war, but they're also something that's difficult for the game to model as there are often many possible variations and it's hard to state with any certainty which ad hoc modifications were at all common.  BFC tends to be conservative and only represent ad hoc vehicle modifications that were known to be in widespread use, in the game.

 

So as it is, in the game the .50 BMG on the M10 is currently of very limited use.  The crew *will* use it against known enemy infantry to the rear of the vehicle, but this is an unwise tactical position to put your TD into, so in general you don't want to deliberately position your M10s in this way in order to get the MG to fire.

 

With a low HE ammo load and no forward firing MG, the M10 is not a good anti-infantry weapon.  Best to reserve it for the armor vs. armor fight if you can.

Edited December 27, 2014 by YankeeDog

[schwerpunktgrenadier]

Thanks for the comments. The M7 comes from the in game UI. However, it is an M10 in the manual - the wolverine (p.159). I was in the middle of a PBEM game and didn't have time to conduct research. Just wanted to fire the >1k .50 cal rounds sitting about idle in their cases.

 

[ASL Veteran]

Interesting.  It's possible that the 76mm gun itself was the M7.  American nomenclature for their weapons and equipment during WW2 wasn't known for its clarity. 

[schwerpunktgrenadier]

 

It's possible that the 76mm gun itself was the M7.

Yes, I think you are correct.

[YankeeDog]

Correct; it's an M10 Tank destroyer with a 76mm/L50 M7 main gun.  This is what the "M7" you're seeing in the UI is designating.

[Michael Emrys]

Well, I'm glad we finally got that cleared up!

 

 

Michael

[schwerpunktgrenadier]

What a palaver! Shame the .50 cals are largely decorative. I know the M7 (slaps himself), M10 is a TD and best utilised in that role but in the scenario I was playing (Last Defense) three .50 cals (I had three M10s) blazing would have turned the tide of battle in my favour.

 

Thanks for the help and the unexpected sojourn into the world of the M7 and the wolverine.

[Warts 'n' all]

Anyone who uses the word "palaver" is doing at least one thing right in my book. Haha.

 

And one of the game's little quirks is for tank commanders to fire away on their .50 cal when they should be directing the fire of the main gunner, allowing the Jerry that they have a perfect side-on shot at, time to turn and fire back, whilst you stare at the screen helpless... All good fun.

[schwerpunktgrenadier]

 

Anyone who uses the word "palaver" is doing at least one thing right in my book. Haha.

Haha! Cheers, Ollie.