Hobby Master HG3404 | M-10 Tank Destroyer "Le-Malin", Free French Army 3 Escadron de Combat (tank company), 1 Peloton Southern France 1944

General Background:

The M10 made its first appearance in North Africa where it was quite successful being able to penetrate the armor of most German tanks in the field at that time. As WWII progressed it was realized that the M10 didn’t have the speed required to make up for its lack of armor. As well the crew was left open to the elements and enemy gun fire. In Normandy the M10 was coming up against the newer German Panthers and Tigers that had thicker armor than the previous tanks. This made the M10 ineffective against the
German armor and by late 1944 the newer M36 was beginning to replace the M10. By the end of production there were over 6,000 M10s manufactured.

The Tank:

The French First Army landed in Southern France just after “Operation Dragoon” that same Allied forces make the initial attack and landing. At this point in time the French Army was still a mixture of regular and volunteer members and not a fully trained unit. The French did play a large part in the defeat of the German Army in Southern France and liberated Marseille, Toulon and Lyon as well as forming the right flank Allied Southern
Group of Armies. The re-capture of the port of Marseille proved to be of vital importance.
Through this port alone would come one-third of the necessary supplies for the Allied advance through France and into Germany. Throughout the French advance the M10 would be called upon to dislodge the enemy from their Siegfried Line strongholds. The 3 Escadron de Combat (tank company), 1 Peloton was one such group taking part in the action. During one such incident the Germans retreated from their fortification and into
tunnels to avoid capture. An M10 was called up to fire at the entrance of the tunnel in an effort to have the Germans surrender. One shell penetrated into the tunnel detonating a munitions stock pile and witnesses stated that they never saw such a huge explosion followed by boulders and debris raining down around the area. The French were
responsible for the destruction of the German IV Luftwaffe Korps in 1944 and captured the German XVIII S.S. Korps in 1945. The French First Army cleared southwestern Germany and adopted the motto: Rhin et Danube (Rhine and Danube) referring to the two German Rivers they had crossed in their push into Germany.

Specifications M10 Tank Destroyer

Country of Origin: USA

Entered Service in: 1942

Crew: 5 (Commander, 3x gun crew, driver).

Dimensions
Height: 2.57 m (8.43 ft)
Length: 6.83 m (22.41 ft) (w/ gun) - 5.97 m (19.6 ft) (w/o gun)
Width: 3.05 m (10 ft)
Weight: 29.6 tonnes
Power/weight: 12.5 hp/tonne

Armour
Hull, up to 51 mm
Turret, up to 57 mm

Armament
Main Armament: M7 3-inch "76.2 mm" Gun - 54 rounds
Secondary Armament: .50 caliber M2 Machine Gun - 300 rounds

Power plant
General Motors Twin Diesel 6-71375 hp (276 kW)

Suspension: vertical volute spring

Performance
Road Speed: 51 km/h  (32 mph)
Range: 300 km  (186 miles