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Home | The Machines | The Presenters | The Experts | Find out more
Introduction | Crucial weapons | Rusting hulk | Veteran fighters
The M10 tank was one of the few World War II armoured vehicles the Allies had that was capable of dealing with the German Panther and Tiger tanks. As a result of the continual escalation of armour thickness and gun power, the British had developed a 17-pounder anti-tank gun to counter the threat of the German tanks. This new gun was mounted in the American manufactured M10. The result was a tank destroyer called the M10 Achilles.
The British army took delivery of 1,648 M10s during the Second World War and they were issued to the Royal Artillery anti-tank regiments in the armoured divisions.
The first M10s saw service in Italy; they were then deployed immediately during the Normandy campaign. The 17-pounder was the most effective Allied anti-tank weapon of the campaign. An M10 Achilles of the 75th anti-tank regiment was the first British armoured vehicle to fire into Germany during the 11th Armoured Division operations near the frontier in October 1944.
Rex Cadman is a military vehicle collector who had never been able to take on the massive M10 restoration project. Salvage Squad decide to accept the challenge but when Claire and Suggs first see the M10 it's in a very poor state. It is nothing more than a huge, rusting hulk and looks almost beyond saving.
But with the help of vehicle restoration expert Steve Cobb they roll up their sleeves and get started.
The tank is pulled out of the bushes by a Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle (BARV) and they begin the restoration out in the field, just as repairs would have been done in the 1940s. The main problems are the Chrysler engine, which needs to be mended, and the turret, which lacks the crucial ring that will enable it to traverse.
Suggs goes on a mission to find a new turret ring, and also manages to track down Major Booth and Ron Taylor, two veterans who fought in M10 tanks during the Normandy campaign.
Perfectionist Steve is unhappy that the mantlet around the gun is incorrect. Claire and Steve find the right mantlet and, after a titanic tug-of-war, manage to separate the gun and the mantlet. After shot blasting and repainting, the engine is put back and then Suggs' new turret ring is dropped into place. It fits like a glove.
The finished tank is an impressive sight as it thunders along the Norfolk tank range. And Ron Taylor is amazed – he thought he'd never see an M10 again.
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