m10 tank destroyer

The Fall of France led the United States to frantically find ways to counter the new threat profile of the German panzer divisions. This led to the formation of the Tank Destroyer Branch whose main purpose was to blunt any German armoured exploitation attempts with a mobile tank destroyer force to eliminate the enemy tanks. The rapid creation led to placeholder vehicles like the 37 mm GMC M6 and 75 mm GMC M3 to be put in service, but these were not ideal as the Tank Destroyer Branch sought a vehicle that could reach ideal positions faster than regular tanks. While such a tank destroyer was in development, the urgency for a vehicle led to a conversion of a M4A2 hull with a larger, open-topped turret carrying a high-velocity 3-inch gun into battle. This weapon system would be adopted as the M10 GMC and would see service for all of World War II after its introduction in the Tunisian campaign. The M10 would also be famously known as the Wolverine in modern pop culture, though this is likely a post-war invention and not a term used during World War II.