M8 Motor Carriage vs Marder III

[imported_Hiram Sedai]

I was playing a cute little QB and had an M8 Motor Carriage thingy and a half track. When I saw the opposition, I thought that I was toast. The AI had a Marder III and a 251/2 halftrack. Somehow, my M8 killed the Marder and got a good gun hit on the 251/2 halftrack. This is my first success story with this vehicle.

Is the M8 a tank or not? I thought it had a mortar and couldn’t really penetrate anything armor. Please educate me and elucidate upon the intricacies of these underrated heroes of CM.

[AntiGen]

Im pretty sure its just a short barreled 75mm. Works well against pretty much anything under a PzIV. Inaccurate though, is it not?

[Agua Perdido]

Originally posted by Hiram Sedai:

Is the M8 a tank or not? .... Please educate me and elucidate upon the intricacies of these underrated heroes of CM.

The M8 HMC is a lovely little gem in the US OOB (ie, a gamey bit of nonsense). I like to buy pairs, and think of each as half of a Sherman. They're about half the points, with a 75mm gun, a single MG, and about half the rounds of Sherman (40ish). The gun is low-velocity, so they have HEAT ammo for anti-armor, which ain't the greatest. It'll work on a half-track or light tank okay, but the turret is only medium speed (for those used to lightning-quick US tank gun traverses). Since they're built on a Stuart chassis, they also have enough armor to laugh at 20mm, although anything bigger will pop 'em easy enough. Still, the HE is blast 39, just like a Sherman, so it's a terror on infantry and other soft targets.

Historically, I believe these were the self-propelled arty that supported US armored recon (someone groggier than I will be along to correct me, I'm sure). Using them as little assault guns (as I love to do, being the gamey bastiche I am), is probably somewhat gamey, as one should buy a 75mm FO instead. I also dimly recall that there weren't all that many of them; the figure 300-400 sticks in my mind. If that's so, I think I've used every single one of them in the QBs I've played.

Anyhow, I see the M8 HMC as the US equivalent (game-wise) of the German half-tracks with 75mm guns. Except it has a turret and heavier armor. They're the "little tankettes that could."

Agua Perdido

[Edited to emphasize the wonderful sweet spot of "bang for the buck" the M8 HMC occupies as a DF HE platform, just like the Hetzer does for Axis as an AT thingy.]

[ March 22, 2002, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: Agua Perdido ]

[jgdpzr]

The gun on the M-8 HMC is not a mortar. As previously mentioned, it is the 75mm short howitzer. The heat round for the gun is effective against light or medium tanks/support vehicles, and can even deal with Panthers from the flanks or rear. This provides them with decent punch against enemy vehicles.

The principal advantages of the vehicles are their price and speed. They make wonderful infantry support vehicles, as that short 75 is every bit as effective as the 75 on the Sherman in this role (except for accuracy at longer ranges). I believe Agua Perdido is correct in that they were frequently used as support weapons for cavalry units. Their speed, relatively small size, and parts interchangeability with the Stuarts that were major components of cavalry units made this pairing very sensible.

[Michael Emrys]

I often use them in pairs in games set in 1944. After that, I prefer the 105 Sherman.

I tend to use them pretty much the way Agua Perdido does, as assault guns to support the elements of an armored division. A common task force composition would be a couple companies of infantry, possibly in halftracks, a couple platoons of Shermans, and two to four M8s.

They are useful in fleshing out the anti-personnel firepower of your task force, but you have to be careful how you employ them as they are more fragile than a Sherman (which is already fragile enough) and tend to draw fire from anything that has any armor piercing capability at all.

Michael

[ March 22, 2002, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: Michael emrys ]