M44

The production M44 self-propelled howitzer.

During WWII, most of the self-propelled mounts used by the US Army utilized field artillery pieces. In January 1946, it was decided that in the postwar era, such vehicles should use specially designed weapons. It was also required that new vehicles have overhead protection. Several concepts were designed to comply with these new specifications based upon the new T37/T41 chassis that was also then under development, but only two were selected for further development. These were the T98 and T99 155 mm howitzer motor carriages.

The original T99.

Although they were developed in parallel, the T99 was the first to be officially authorized in Spetmeber 1947. Two pilots were constructed by Detroit Arsenal and they were armed with the 155 mm Howitzer T97. This weapon had a traverse of 30 degrees to the right and left, and with an elevation range of -5 to +65 degrees.

The onset of the Korean War in 1950 caused a "crash development" program with greatly accelerated the development and production of several vehicles during this time. As was common during this period, numerous problems were encountered in trying to rush the development. With hindsight, it's easy to conclude a slower and systematic program would have been preferable. However, new weapons were required as soon as possible during this time period, resulting in imperfect designs and projects.

Up until this point, the T99 used the T41 chassis. But as the T41 was being improved into the T41E1, and this tank was being rushed into production, the T99 was redesigned as the T99E1 to try and retain commonality between the designs. The T99E1 had a combat weight of 30 tons and, like the light tank, used the same power package. However, the components were rearranged to leave the rear hull free for the howitzer and crew. The vehicle had a maximum road speed of 35 mph and the howitzer was improved into the T97E1. 

As previously mentioned, the rushed development of the T99E1 saw the emergence of numerous design flaws. As a result, the T99E1 was canceled despite the production of over 250 vehicles. The design was altered, again, and the new version was designated as the T194. The T194 had an open top and the improved 155 mm Howitzer T186E1, which was standardized as the M45. The first 250 T99E1s were then rebuilt to the T194 standard. With the improved Continental AOSI-895-5 engine, the T194 was then standardized as the M44.

The top image shows the production M44.
The bottom right shows the M44 with installed canvas supports.
The bottom left image shows the canvas installed.

This tank is essentially the old M44 bumped up a tier. At Tier VI, it's arguably overpowered for its tier, and without a doubt one of the strongest. Now at Tier VII, with perhaps some minor buffs to its mobility and handling, I think it would be much better balanced.

This tank also takes clear advantage of alternate hulls. The T99E1 would have more health than the M44, while the M44 would have improved weapons handling and view range. This makes both hulls viable options.

Guns: 155 mm Howitzer T97E1; 155 mm Howitzer M45

Engines: Continental AOS-895-3 (500 hp); Continental AOSI-895-5 (550 hp)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): T99E1 (27.22); M44 (29.02)

Hull Armor (mm): 13/13/13

Top Speed: 56 km/h

Crew: 5 (Driver; Gunner; Loader; Commander; Radio)




Parent: M41 Bulldog, M41 Gorilla
Children: T79/T80
See Also: T99, Exp. SPH

Sources:

Hunnicutt, R. P. Sheridan. 2015.