- Yes
- No
Flamethrowers have always been able to strike fear into the hearts of infantrymen, and the only thing more terrifying than a flamethrower is… a flamethrower in a heavily armoured tank! The T33 Mechanized Flamethrower was a M4A3E2 modified to carry two flame guns alongside its regular 75 mm. Additionally, many Jumbo commanders will be pleased to hear that the hull machine gun port weakspot has been welded over too, and its unusual mantlet profile will certainly cause headaches for enemies.
History
Flame-throwing Shermans had been widely used in the Pacific Theatre of World War II and proved an outstanding success, so the US Army decided to go further. In May 1945, the Chemical Warfare Service (CWS) and Standard Oil began developing a new long-range, large-capacity flamethrower, known as the E20-20, for installation on the M4A3E2. The whole system was designated as the Mechanized Flame Thrower T33 by the Ordinance Committee.
The T33 carried 6 cubic feet of propellant gas stored at 3000 psig in 7 tanks and 270 gallons of fuel in 4 cylindrical containers. The propellant and fuel were supplied to not one but two flamethrowers: the E20-20 in the turret front and the E21 (later replaced by the E21R4) in the cupola. The 75 mm M6 cannon seen on the M24 was used instead of the regular M3 to save space. The M6 was expected to be eventually replaced by the M17, which was similar to the M6 but had a muzzle brake, but the M17 was never produced. Hunnicutt claims that the M6 was installed without a stabilizer, although this isn’t explicitly corroborated by other sources.
The T33 carried 40 to 45 75 mm rounds, about half of the normal amount, as the remaining space was taken up by the flamethrower equipment. Notably, these rounds weren’t carried in the hull floor like the wet racks used on late Shermans, but instead in the right sponson. The M6 cannon had a vertical traverse of -10 to +13 degrees, while the E20-20 had a vertical traverse of -15 to +45 degrees. Nash claims that the E20-20 had an independent horizontal traverse of ±15 degrees, though this isn’t corroborated by other sources either. The E21R4 cupola flamethrower could traverse through 240 degrees to the rear; it couldn’t face forward, as it would pour flames onto the turret roof instead.
The T33 initially had a crew of 5, although this dropped to 4 after the hull machine gun was removed and the port welded over. The turret crew had an unorthodox layout, with the commander at the centre in the rear and the gunner and loader positions swapped.
Initial plans called for 20 pre-production vehicles and 300 tanks to be produced from January 1946 onwards. However, the end of the war cut this to just 3 prototypes, all converted from existing Jumbos. The first arrived at Aberdeen in September 1947 and the second and third arrived in January 1948. Tests were conducted but no further vehicles were produced.
Specifications
Crew: 4
Armour: mostly the same as M4A3E2, but with a modified turret and no hull MG port
Armament: 75 mm M6, 40-45 rounds, -10/+13 vertical; E20-20 flamethrower, -15/+45 vertical; E21R4 cupola flamethrower, 240 horizontal to the rear.
Weight: 38 tons battle weight, approx.
Engine: Ford GAA V8, 500 hp
Max speed: 35 km/h
In-game
The lack of a hull MG port is an obvious benefit of the T33, but beyond that, it isn’t that clear if it’s superior to the tech tree M4A3E2. The 75 mm ammo is in a more vulnerable position, and the pressurised fuel will likely explode or at least burn if hit. Finally, if Hunnicutt is to be believed, the T33 would lack the most important advantage of most Sherman tanks: the gun stabilizer. Nevertheless, it would be a nice premium or event vehicle to accompany the tech tree M4A3E2 and the premium Cobra King, and if it didn’t have a stabilizer then it could even be given a little “premium bias” and moved down to 5.3.
Sources
- “Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank” by R. P. Hunnicutt
- “US Flamethrower Tanks of World War II” by Steven J. Zaloga
- Flame Thrower Tank T33 by Mark Nash
- Fire Warfare, Incendiaries and Flame Throwers (AD0221598)