T105 Launcher (M4A1)
The T105 launcher was one of the last iterations of breach-loaded rocket launchers based on the sherman. It utilized the US 7.2 inch Demolition Rocket which was an adaptation of the Mousetrap anti-submarine rocket. The T105 itself was tested on an M4A1 and built based off of lessons learned from the T76 and T76E1 launchers. The largest difference between the T105 versus the T76 launchers was the addition of an armoured launch rail and a completely protected reloading process.
And no it was not a railgun, despite a video from Spookston claiming this on April 2nd 2022. (obviously it was an april fools joke, love your videos Spookston)
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History
The BeginningAfter complications in removing beach obstacles during the Dieppe Raid, a reevaluation of current methods was pursued. This resulted in the British approving the creation of a specialized unit which would develop the Armoured Vehicle, Royal Engineers (AVRE). The vehicle would be based upon the Churchill. Over in the US, the Corps of Engineers also recommended the Army Ground Forces to develop an engineer armoured vehicle capable of deploying the improved demolition methods, which included rockets. Soon after, they received approval from the Army Ground Forces to carry on with the project.
Rockets, Rockets, RocketsThe Corps of Engineers decided on using the sherman as their testbed. This began with turret mounted launchers such as the T34 “Calliope”, M17(T40) “Whizbang”, and T73 launchers. However, the turret mounted launchers still had some glaring issues despite evolving improvements. One such issue was the vulnerability of the rockets. The M17 and T73 launchers slightly improved the survivability of the rockets over the T34 by adding armoured plates to the rocket frame; however, this only improved protection from limited heavy machine gun fire. The M17 and T73 launchers also improved overall destructive capacity. For context, the T34 launcher had 60 rails loaded with 4.5 inch M8 rockets which were small but when launched in rapid succession could target large swaths of area with overwhelming force. However, the M8 Rockets lacked the focused destructive impact the Corps of Engineers wanted. The larger T37 7.2 inch demolition rocket was what they hoped was the answer. This rocket came from the anti-submarine weapon called the Mousetrap, which itself was a Hedgehog projectile but could be launched using a rocket motor instead of the mortar system. Each rocket had 32 lbs (15kg) of explosives versus the 4.5 lbs (2 kg) of the M8. However, the T37 could only go a maximum of 210 meters at a blistering 50 m/s. This greatly limited its effectiveness to shorter ranges. The range of the T37 was remedied with the T57 modification. By adding the 4.5 inch motor of the M8 rocket into the T37, the range was improved significantly. The T57 could now be used at a maximum range of 1097 meters. Although this was far shorter than the M8’s range, it also retained the same speed, it was deemed worth the tradeoffs.
The T105 is BornIn an attempt to reduce the vulnerability of the vehicle, the Corps of Engineers decided to replace the sherman’s cannon with a rocket launcher. This project started late in the war but evolved into the T76, T76E1, and T105 launchers. The T76 utilized a breech-loaded launch tube for the US 7.2 in demolition rocket. It would be mounted on the mantlet with an open space between the turret and the tube followed by a loading port in the turret face. This allowed the crew to load the rocket while still in the vehicle. The loader would simply open the port, load the rocket, and then close the port before firing. The T76 was followed by the T76E1 which modified the design by lengthening the launch tube and implementing an improved loading mechanism. Both the T76 and T76E1 used unarmoured launch tubes, which still presented the possibility of loaded rockets detonating if hit by enemy fire. In August of 1945, the T105 was developed to improve upon this flaw. Similar in design to the T76, the T105 mounted a breach-loaded launch rail instead of a launch tube for the 7.2 in demolition rocket, this rail was protected by a half-inch of armour on all sides. The largest change, besides the armored rail, between the T76 and T105 would be the operation of the breach. The loader would instead close the breach from within the turret before firing which would force the rocket exhaust forward with the projectile. This meant the crew was completely protected by the turret as there was no exposure of the crew during the reloading process, unlike the T76 launchers. The T105 launcher was also designed as a kit, providing the ability for field conversions of 75 or 105mm shermans. This differed from the launch tube variants which required the vehicles to be modified at the factory. None of these vehicles made it past the testing phase.
Specifications
General Specificationsall specs beside armament will be functionally identical to a late production M4A1
- Crew
- 5
- Dimensions
- Length: 6.20m
- Width: 2.62m
- Height: 2.74m
- Powertrain
- Continental R975 C4
- Specs: 460 hp @ 2400 rpm
- Transmission
- Synchromesh: 5 speeds forward, 1 reverse
- Weight
- 31.6 tons (estimated)
- Speed
- Max Forward: 39 km/h
- Max Reverse: 5 km/h
Armament and Armor
- Main Armament
- 183mm/7.2 inch breach-loaded rocket launcher
- Traverse: 360° (hydraulic & manual)
- Max Traverse Rates
- Horizontal: 24 deg/s
- Vertical: Unknown
- (most likely similar to M4A1 rate)
- Elevation: 0° to +30°
- Firing rate: Unknown
- (could be similar to 122mm reload due to similar projectile weight)
- Stabilizer: None
- Ammunition
- T57 7.2 inch Demolition Rocket
- Velocity: 49 m/s
- (uses a 4.5 inch rocket motor)
- Max Range: 1097 m
- Gross Mass: 27.6 kg
- Explosive Mass: 15 kg of Torpex
- (identical to Hedgehog projectile)
- Quantity: 20 rockets stored in hull
- Secondary armament
- 7.62 coaxial mg
- (most likely 3000 rounds)
- Armor Protection
- Hull
- Front: 63mm
- Side: 38mm + 25mm for applique sections
- Back: 38mm
- Top: 19 to 12.7mm
- Turret
- Gun Shield: 76mm
- Rotor Shield: 12.7mm (rocket rail baseplate welded onto gunshield)
- Front: 76mm
- Sides: 51mm
- Back: 51mm
- Top: 25.4mm
- Rocket Rail Armor (all sides): 12.7mm
Gallery
Above: T105 launcher test vehicle loaded onto a trailer.
Above: Excerpt from Sherman by R.P. Hunnicutt explaining the experimentation of the T76, T76E1, and T105 launchers.
Above: A higher resolution photo of the T76, you can more clearly see the gap between the launch tube and the port in the turret face.
Above: Another excerpt from Sherman by R.P. Hunnicutt briefly discussing the 7.2 inch demolition rocket and its use with the M17(T40) launcher.
Above: Excerpt from Sherman by R.P. Hunnicutt describing the T73 launcher and its capabilities.
Above: Excerpt from British and American Tanks of World War Two by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis describing unique rocket launcher variants of the sherman.
Above: The 7.62 coaxial visible on the T105’s turret highlighted by a red circle.
Sources
Sherman - the History of the American Medium Tank by R. P. Hunnicutt
British and American Tanks of World War Two by Peter Chamberlain and Chris Ellis
The Corps of Engineers: Troops and Equipment by Blanche D. Coll, John E. Keith, and Herbert H. Rosenthal
War Department; Film Bulletin No. 156 “The Engineer Armored Vehicle”
- (Found in National Archives under title: 111.FB.156 Reel 1)
Tank Encyclopedia: 7.2 in Multiple Rocket Launcher M17 ‘Whiz Bang’
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