Holt Mark VI

Holt's Mark VI SPG mounting the 75 mm Gun M1920.

Holt constructed two Mk. VI vehicles at their Stockton factory between 1920 and 1921. However, rather than basing these designs off their preexisting tractors, these vehicles were designed from the ground up. Similar to the competing design by Christie, these tanks were designed to mount either a short 75 mm gun or a 105 mm howitzer.

Holt's Mark VI SPG mounting the 105 mm Howitzer M1920.

It was noted that the Mk. VI did not have the loud track noise of other tracked vehicles at the time, giving it a clear tactical advantage. There was also a removable armored enclosure, which could be deployed to protect the crew from small-arms fire while not interfering with the gun's elevation and traverse. The tank was advertised to be able to reach 30 mph for a limited amount of time, although 27 mph was the highest speed ever recorded on the vehicle.

A surviving Mk. VI was on display at Aberdeen, Maryland, but it's now believed to be in storage at Fort Lee, Virginia.

Compared to the CMC 1920, this SPG is simply faster and more agile. It also has better gun characteristics, despite carrying over the same guns. The armored enclosure could also serve as an alternate hull option: it would severely increase the tank's profile and in turn make it an easier target, but it would also increase the tank's health so it could take more hits.

The Mark VI with the 105 mm M1920 and the armored enclosure erected.

In line with the rest of the Holt SPG branch, this tank should have above-average accuracy for its tier. This can be mitigated by giving it a poor reload speed and/or aim time. Armor on these "tanks", while unknown to me, should be practically nonexistent—even for something as commonly unarmored as an SPG.

Guns: 75 mm Gun M1920; 105 mm Howitzer M1920

Engines: Cadillac V8 (70 hp); Holt V8 (75 hp)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): Holt Mark VI (5.9); Holt Mark VI shielded (6)

Hull Armor (mm): ??/??/??

Top Speed: 43 km/h

Crew: 4 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander/Radio/Loader)




Parent: CMC 1920
Children: Holt Mk. X
See Also: Holt Mk. VII

Sources:

http://landships.info/landships/tank_articles.html?load=tank_articles/Holt_SPGs.html#

http://aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/usa/spg_holt_mk6.htm