- Yes
- No
This suggestion is for the multiple Chinese Captured M41 Howitzer Motor Carriage, or called the “Gorilla”
History
The M41 Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) started its development in 1942, but only saw its type designation given and production run start in June of 1945, which was far too late to see action against Germany and was only shortly before Japan would fall on all fronts to the allies. The production version of the M41 was built on a modified M24 Chaffee chassis built with a 155mm Howitzer M1. Being too late to see World War 2, the M41 would have its production run cut from 250 units to only 85. The first and only significant action of the M41 HMC would be the Korean War. When these were pressed into service in the Korean War, they were originally put in the US’s 92nd Field Army Battalion and the 999th Armored Field Artillery Battalion and found themselves to be effective and being well respected by their crews.
During these engagements in the Korean War, multiple M41s were lost to the Chinese Volunteer Army, and multiple (as there are accounts with photos that state 2 were captured and put into use against the US during the 2nd Battle of Maliangshan, and the only surviving one was captured during the 1953 summer counteroffensive) were captured. These M41s under a new banner found themselves to be similarly effective as a SPH against their foes and found action until the end of the Korean War.
After the ceasefire of the Korean War, the M41 would not see any more significant action, and one of these captured vehicles still survives to this day and is in the collection of the 中国人民革命军事博物馆 in Beijing, being displayed with US insignias used during the Korean War. The surviving on display M41 HMC was captured in 1953 during the Summer counteroffensive in the Pyonggang/Pingkang County.
How it fits in War Thunder
With the 155mm howitzer that the M41 uses along with the powerful HE shells it is capable of firing, along with the vehicles high positioning ability and uniqueness as it is currently not in the game in any variant, the M41 HMC could be a very effective and unique addition as a tank destroyer for the lower ranks of the tree. It would be balanced out by its light armor, longer reload, and lack of secondary armament/MGs.
Specifications
Length: 5.8m
Width: 2.8m
Height: 2.4m
Weight: 19.3t
Crew: 5,
-1 driver
-1 commander
-1 gunner
-1 assistant gunner
-1 loader
Armor:
-Hull: 13mm all around, Rolled homogeneous steel
-Gun compartment shielding: 6.5mm
Engine: 2 V8 Cadillac 4T24 producing 2x82kW
Maximum speed: 56kmh
Suspension: Torsion Bar
Armament:
-Primary: 155mm Howitzer M1
-No secondary/coaxial armament
Ammo capacity: 22
Velocity: 565ms
Elevation: +45,-5d
Horizontal traverse: 17.5d right, 20d left
Rate of fire: 4rpm (SUSTAINED FIGURE)
Shells:
-M102 HE Shell, 43.13kg weight, 7.06KG TNT Filler
Source
1: P397. 走进中国人民革命军亊博物馆, ISBN 9787801721327
2: 155mm HMC M41
3: M41 Howitzer Motor Carriage
4: Лёгкое шасси для тяжёлой гаубицы | Warspot.ru
5: M41自行榴弹炮 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书
6: http://mervino.com/window/IBB/chinpics/chin-2.html , archived: Four Maryang-san Photos
