Difference between revisions of "M3 GMC"

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The low fire rate can be a fatal downfall for many newer players; always stay in cover while reloading. Many players will stay out in the open while they wait for the gun to reload; this is a deadly mistake.
 
The low fire rate can be a fatal downfall for many newer players; always stay in cover while reloading. Many players will stay out in the open while they wait for the gun to reload; this is a deadly mistake.
  
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=== Modules ===
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As with all tanks Parts and FPE should be your first priority. After that you may want to pick up the M61 shot for an overall much more lethal round, with better penetration and some explosive filler. Beyond that crew replenishment should be a priority; how you get there is personal preference between mobility improvements ore gun handling improvements. Both paths have merit, but seeing as its role is more of a longer range support vehicle gun handling would likely provide a greater benefit for most players.
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{| class="wikitable"
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!Tier
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! colspan="2" |Mobility
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!Protection
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! colspan="2" |Firepower
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|-
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|I
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|Tracks||
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|Parts
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|Horizontal Drive||
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|-
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|II
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|Suspension||Brake System
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|FPE
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|Adjustment of Fire||M61 Shot
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|-
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|III
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|Filters||
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|Crew Replenishment
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|Elevation Mechanism||
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|-
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|IV
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|Transmission||Engine
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|
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|M89||
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|}
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
<!--Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".-->
 
<!--Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in a bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".-->

Revision as of 09:44, 17 April 2020

Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
M3 GMC
us_halftrack_m3_75mm_gmc.png
M3 GMC
AB RB SB
1.7 1.7 1.7
Research:5 900 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:6 300 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game
This page is about the American tank destroyer M3 GMC. For other uses, see M3 (Disambiguation).

Description

GarageImage M3 GMC.jpg


The 75 mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 (M3 GMC) is a rank I American tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory". An M3 half-track with a 75 mm gun on its rear, the M3 GMC packs a punch against its rivals.

General info

Survivability and armour

Just about any enemy is deadly to the 75 mm GMC M3, as the armour will only stop light machine gun rounds. In particular, vehicles with autocannons or heavy machines guns are often the deadliest for the crew. Every tank cannon will penetrate the armour, and although most guns at its rank cannot do so, the vehicle can be hull-broken. Aircraft and artillery are also very dangerous.

Armour type:

  • Rolled homogeneous armour
  • Structural steel (Back side)
Armour Front Sides Rear Roof
Hull 6.35 mm (31°) 6.35 mm 6.35 mm N/A
Turret (Gun shield) 12.7 mm 12.7 mm N/A 12.7 mm

Notes:

  • Track thickness are 7 mm thick.
  • Road wheels are 2 mm of rubber.
  • Structural chassis thickness is 15 mm throughout.

Mobility

Game Mode Max Speed (km/h) Weight (tons) Engine power (horsepower) Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
Forward Reverse Stock Upgraded Stock Upgraded
Arcade 80 19 9.1 210 282 23.08 30.99
Realistic 73 17 131 148 14.4 16.26

Armaments

Main armament

Main article: M1897A4 (75 mm)
75 mm M1897A4
Capacity Vertical
guidance
Horizontal
guidance
60 -10°/+29° -19°/21°
Turret rotation speed (°/s)
Mode Stock Upgraded Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert Qualif. Prior + Ace Qualif.
Arcade 3.60 4.94 5.99 6.63 7.06
Realistic 3.60 4.20 5.10 5.64 5.99
Reloading rate (seconds)
Stock Prior + Full crew Prior + Expert Qualif. Prior + Ace Qualif.
13.00 11.50 10.60 10.00
Ammunition
Penetration statistics
Ammunition Type of
warhead
Penetration in mm @ 90°
10m 100m 500m 1000m 1500m 2000m
M72 shot AP 108 107 90 74 60 50
M48 shell HE 10 10 10 10 10 10
M61 shot APCBC 88 86 79 71 63 57
Shell details
Ammunition Velocity
in m/s
Projectile
Mass in kg
Fuse delay

in m:

Fuse sensitivity

in mm:

Explosive Mass in g
(TNT equivalent):
Normalization At 30°
from horizontal:
Ricochet:
0% 50% 100%
M72 shot 609 6.3 N/A N/A N/A -1° 47° 60° 65°
M48 shell 594 6.3 0.4 0.5 666 +0° 79° 80° 81°
M61 shot 609 6.8 1.2 20 63.7 +4° 48° 63° 71°
Ammo racks
Ammo racks of the M3 GMC.
Full
ammo
1st
rack empty
2nd
rack empty
Visual
discrepancy
60 31 (+29) (+59) Yes

Usage in battles

The 75 mm GMC M3 cannot go toe-to-toe with other tanks due to the lack of protection for the crew and insufficient armour layout. The armour can only stop rifle-calibre rounds from machine guns, and could possibly deflect 12.7 mm rounds off the frontal arc, but this vehicle was never designed to fight other tanks head-to-head. Its play style may generally confuse new or inexperienced players, as they would bring the vehicle up close to the front.

The vehicle was mainly purposed for destroying tanks at a distance, hence the amazing penetration values with the gun at its battle rating. It will still penetrate tanks of its BR and rank even at 500 meters, which means staying from afar is the best way to play this particular vehicle. However, relocating after successive shots is another good idea. It prevents returning fire from the enemy, especially artillery strikes. It is not wise to bring this vehicle upfront, as it will probably not survive long with rigorous combat. However, the M3 GMC can be quite deadly up close as well if it manages to take the enemy by surprise. If planning to go up front, stock up on the M61 shot, which will increase the gun's lethality to tanks due to its internal HE charge. Keep in mind that this vehicle has to be supported by teammates, experienced players will take note of it's long to reload and may try to rush out and destroy the M3 GMC during the reloads. Effective use of its excellent reverse speed to take cover or back out of enemy fire will increase the chances of surviving. Overall, this vehicle is an effective tank destroyer for its rank, rivalling the ZiS-30. It combines the penetration ability of the ZiS-30 on to a larger calibre weapon, at the same time marrying the weapon on to the M3 half-track, which is already blessed with exceptional mobility.

The low fire rate can be a fatal downfall for many newer players; always stay in cover while reloading. Many players will stay out in the open while they wait for the gun to reload; this is a deadly mistake.

Modules

As with all tanks Parts and FPE should be your first priority. After that you may want to pick up the M61 shot for an overall much more lethal round, with better penetration and some explosive filler. Beyond that crew replenishment should be a priority; how you get there is personal preference between mobility improvements ore gun handling improvements. Both paths have merit, but seeing as its role is more of a longer range support vehicle gun handling would likely provide a greater benefit for most players.

Tier Mobility Protection Firepower
I Tracks Parts Horizontal Drive
II Suspension Brake System FPE Adjustment of Fire M61 Shot
III Filters Crew Replenishment Elevation Mechanism
IV Transmission Engine M89

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Good cannon for its rank
  • Good mobility
  • Penetration offered by the M72 shot is excellent, but it lacks explosive fillers
  • The explosive abilities of the M61 shot is deadly if penetration occurs
  • Exceptional reverse speed
  • Acceleration is best when compared to other tank destroyers of its rank
  • Relatively low target compared to other tank destroyers
  • Two spare crew before efficiency is compromised

Cons:

  • New players may find the car-like turning of this vehicle very hard to use
  • Lightly armoured, will only withstand 7.92 mm rounds effectively
  • Any cannon round will penetrate this vehicle anywhere
  • Vulnerable to strafing aircraft
  • Entire crew is exposed, can be incapacitated by aircraft simply ramming into the vehicle
  • Susceptible to nearby explosions, especially from artillery
  • Commander and loader are in-line with each other when viewing from the front, and same for the driver and gunner
  • Poor reload time, will be out-RPMed by every other cannon at the rank
  • Stock AP shell has poor after-armour effect
  • Slow traverse speed for the cannon
  • Limited traverse for cannon

History

Development

In the opening stages of World War II, the American military leaders realize they did not have any adequate anti-tank weaponry to repeal a German tank assault. An urgent request for one developed into something akin of an improvised weapon.

Army development took an M3 half-track and placed the French 75 mm Gun M1897A4 gun onto it with a huge gun shield to protect the crew. This experimental vehicle was called the T12, and was deemed to work well enough to be adopted and standardized in October 1941 as the 75 mm GMC M3. From 1941 to 1943, about 2,200 units were produced, but many were converted back to standard half-tracks before they got issued, so it resulted in only about 842 units seeing combat service.

The M3 GMC was not particularly a protected vehicle given that it used a half-track as its basis, giving it rather limited protection for the crew. The gun crew on the half-track has a huge gun shield to take cover behind as they ready the weapon, but the truck driver and passenger would have no protection available. The French 75 mm Gun M1897A4 attached was a multi-purpose artillery piece, it could fire an armour piercing shell that could penetrate 81 mm of armour at 500 yards in a direct-fire role, and could hit targets up to 9,200 yards in an indirect-fire role. The 75 mm gun could only traverse in a limited arc forward, unable to traverse to face the back. Nevertheless, for a rushed production, the vehicle was deemed acceptable for use.

Combat service

The vehicles saw service first in the Philippines when the Japanese invaded in December 1942, used to fend off Japanese vehicles and infantry. When the Japanese conquered the Philippines, they captured the 75 mm GMC M3s and used them against U.S. Forces when they invaded the Philippines in October 1944. The largest concentration of the 75 mm GMC M3 was in the North African Campaign, and then again in the Sicilian Campaign. During the Sicilian campaign, it was gradually phased out for the 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 as it was starting to become obsolete, but it stayed as a support weapon as assault guns for special forces. In the Pacific, they saw further use in the Marine Corps blasting Japanese tanks and fortifications on the major island battles before being gradually replaced by the 105 mm artillery on the M7 Priest.

The British, French, and Philippine Army were the few Allies who got their hands on the 75 mm GMC M3. In British terminology, it was known as the 75 mm SP, Autocar. The Free French forces used some M3 GMC in the Western Front during the invasion of France. The Philippine forces used the M3 GMC when the U.S. supplied their military there with it. The Philippines retained the M3 GMC up to the 1960s, being used by a number of factions, from the Japanese when they captured it in the 1940s, the rebels of the Hukbalahap Rebellion, and in the Korean War by the Philippine Expeditionary Force.

In-game description

This self-propelled artillery installation was built in 1941 on the base of the M3 semitrack transporter by installing a modified version of an old French cannon onto it. It was released right up until 1943 and was unsuccessful as an anti-tank vehicle due to its poor armament and minimal armor.

Media

Skins and camouflages for the M3 GMC from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

  • reference to the series of the vehicles;
  • links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links


USA tank destroyers
M10  M10 GMC
M36  M36 GMC · M36B2
T95  T28 · T95
M109  M109A1
ATGM  LOSAT · M901 · ADATS
Wheeled  M3 GMC · T55E1
Other  M8 HMC · M50 · M56
China  ▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2)