M2A1 AT

Although tank destroyers as a separate entity did not emerge in the United States Army until WWII, specialized self-propelled guns in this role were considered much earlier. On 9 October 1936, the Infantry Board outlined the characteristics for such a vehicle. Procurement was then authorized for one soft steel turret armed with a 47 mm gun for installation on the hull of a M2A1 light tank. The 47 mm gun was based on the 37 mm M1 antiaircraft gun. The ammunition was loaded in five-round clips and fired shells at 1500 fps.

The main idea behind this design was that the vehicle could destroy antitank guns that other tanks could not on account of their limited vision. Unfortunately, the 47 mm gun jammed frequently and it did not meet the penetration requirements. As a result of these failed tests, further work on the project was cancelled.

As the penetration for this tank is supposed to be poor, it should rely on its fast-reloading autoloader in order to have a better chance of dealing damage. The vehicle is also rather mobile, being based on the body of a light tank with no real changes to it outside of the turret. Because of this, we can carry over the engines from the M2 Light.

It should be noted that the name M2A1 AT is a constructed name, as I don't know the name of the actual vehicle.



Guns: 37 mm Gun M1 (autoloader); 47 mm Gun (autoloader)

Engines: Continental R-670-3C (235 hp); Gubierson T-1020 (245 hp); Continental W-670-9A (262 hp)

Turrets (Turret Armor (mm)): M2A1 AT (16/16/16)

Suspensions/Alternate Hulls, Total Weight (metric tons): M2A1 AT (??); M2A1 AT Improved (??)

Hull Armor (mm): 16/13/6 

Top Speed: 72 km/h

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



Parent: T13 Light
Children: T50 GMC, T56 GMC

Sources:

Hunnicutt, R. P. Stuart. 1992.