M8 HMC (China)

␗M8 HMC

␗SU-76M

␗M8 HMC

␗SU-76M

China

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.3	1.3

Class:

Tank destroyer

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

This page is about the SPG M8 HMC (China). For other vehicles of the family, see M8 General Scott (Family). For other uses, see M8 (Disambiguation).

Description

The ␗75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 is a rank I Chinese tank destroyer with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Survivability and armour

Armour type:

• Rolled homogeneous armour
• Cast homogeneous armour (Gun mantlet)

Armour	Front (Slope angle)	Sides	Rear	Roof
Hull	28.5 mm (48-49°) Front Glacis 38.1 mm (15-30°) Lower glacis	28.5 mm Front 25.4 mm Rear	25.4 mm (1-47°) Top 25.4 mm (1-20°) Bottom	12.7 mm
Turret	38.1 mm (6-40°) Turret front 38.1 mm (1-65°) Gun mantlet	25.4 mm (18-20°)	25.4 mm (1°)	N/A

Notes:

• Suspension wheels are 15 mm thick while tracks are 10 mm thick.
• Tracks are peppered on the turret sides that give 17 mm extra where they are.
• Belly armour is 12.7 mm thick

Mobility

Game Mode	Max Speed (km/h)		Weight (tons)	Engine power (horsepower)		Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)
	Forward	Reverse		Stock	Upgraded	Stock	Upgraded
Arcade	70	19	15.6	312	565	20	36.22
Realistic	64	17		195	296	12.5	18.97

Armaments

Main armament

75 mm M2 Howitzer					Turret rotation speed (°/s)					Reloading rate (seconds)
Mode	Capacity	Vertical	Horizontal	Stabilizer	Stock	Upgraded	Full	Expert	Aced	Stock	Full	Expert	Aced
Arcade	46	-20°/+40°	±180°	N/A	5.28	7.31	8.88	9.82	10.45	4.29	3.80	3.50	3.30
Realistic					3.57	4.20	5.10	5.64	6.00

Ammunition

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
		10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
M48 shell	HE	10	10	10	10	10	10
M66	HEAT	89	89	89	89	89	89

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
M48 shell	HE	381	6.3	0.4	0.5	666	79°	80°	81°
M66	HEAT	304	6.02	0	0.1	548.13	62°	69°	73°

Smoke shell characteristics
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile Mass (kg)	Screen radius (m)	Screen deploy time (s)	Screen hold time (s)	Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g)
M64	381	6.9	13	5	20	50

Ammo racks

Ammo racks of the M8 HMC (China)

Full ammo	1st rack empty	2nd rack empty	3rd rack empty	4th rack empty	Visual discrepancy
46	35 (+11)	23 (+23)	12 (+34)	1 (+45)	No

Machine guns

12.7 mm M2HB
Mount	Capacity (Belt)	Fire rate	Vertical	Horizontal
Pintle	400 (200)	576	-5°/+70°	±180°

Usage in battles

In general, the M8 Scott plays like a beefed-up M5A1. The massive increase in gun calibre and destructive potential means that enemies the light tank previously have difficulty destroying are now more easily dealt with. Like the M3/M5 Stuart, playing this tank aggressively will almost always guarantee a place on the leaderboard. Push for the cap and then take it without hesitation. Should an enemy get there first, enter the cap and flank the target. Get behind their turret and go for a shot to the turret rear. Once the capture point is held, find a good hull down position and use the 75 mm HEAT to destroy any and all oncoming tanks.

Against heavier armour, the need to find a good hidden position is critical. On certain tanks, the addition of track armour can give the M8 difficulty in penetrating them. Hence a good hull down position on their flank can provide a good position to hit their side armour, with almost certain destruction coming from it.

Tanks like the Panzer IV F2 and it's line of tanks can be a serious headache for the vehicle to encounter. Aim for the right side of their turret and knock-out their gunner first, then aim for the middle of their hull (upper or lower glacis works) for a final shot. Outside of that most of the heavy armour will be out of the M8's BR range, leaving most encountered vehicles viable to destroy.

Modules

Tier	Mobility		Protection	Firepower
I	Tracks		Parts	Horizontal Drive
II	Suspension	Brake System	FPE	Adjustment of Fire
III	Filters		Crew Replenishment	Elevation Mechanism
IV	Transmission	Engine		M64

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great firepower, HEAT handles everything. Hull-breaking soft targets like the LVT(A), to piercing tough adversaries like the B1 and Matilda
• 12.7 mm heavy machine gun is lethal at the battle rating as most tanks have thin armour, for example the BT-7, Marder
• Extremely rare gun depression of -20 degrees, able to peek above almost every slope and launch surprise attacks
• When hull-down its double layer turret front can bounce some low-calibre or low-penetrating shells like the Pz.IIs' 20 mm
• Fast reloads for the calibre allows quick follow up shots
• Low muzzle velocity shell's parabolic path can allow for shooting over hills which can be surprisingly useful
• Speed and mobility akin to the Stuart light tanks, allowing it to manoeuvre and flank with ease

Cons:

• Extremely slow turret traverse makes CQB challenging; short gun is also bad for long range engagements (requires to predict the enemies' location to make up for the slow turret)
• Open-top turret exposes crew to artillery and aircraft strafing fire
• Thin armour and tightly placed crew makes it very vulnerable to tank destroyers that have APHE, like the SU-76M
• Shells have low muzzle velocity hence a huge drop; hard for shooting long-range or moving targets
• Bad steering at high speeds

History

An M8 in display in Chengkungling, History Museum.

The Republic of China's M8 Scott Howitzers were purchased around 1948 to the United States. Approximately 200 M8 arrived in Taiwan alongside batches of M7 Priest, M4 Sherman.

Around 1948, the Chinese Civil War battles were yet ongoing. The numerous battles were won by the Communist Party of China's armoured forces; and their rising superiority in tank numbers. This superiority leads to their eventual total control of mainland China and the retreat of the Kuomintang to Taiwan.

The M8s were designated to provide close self-artillery support in case of massive Communist amphibious assaults in Taiwan and adjacent islands. This large-scale invasion never occurred and is uncertain if the Scotts took any part in combat on the Chinese Civil war aside than training exercises.

There are several preserved M8 currently in display in Taiwan.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the M8 HMC (China) from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

Best gun depression discusses the M8 HMC (China) at 3:43 - War Thunder Official Channel

See also

US similar versions

• M8 Scott
• M8A1

External links

• "Tanke Mao," Ching-shih Ch'iang-chia, and T'ien Li-jen: "The Evolution of the Republic of China Army Armored Artillery." Illustrated Guide of Weapons & Tactics [兵器戰術圖解], v20 May 2005, p78-82.
• The Developmental History of the Nationalist Armored Force [國軍裝甲兵發展史] by Said Mohamed [孫建中; Sun Chien-chung, 2005

• ROC's M8 pictures
• English forum discussion related to the ROC's M8 combat use
• English forum discussion related to the arrival of the M8 to Taiwan

China tank destroyers
PLA
Gun vehicles	PLZ83 · PLZ83-130 · PLZ05 · PTZ89
Missile vehicles	AFT09
ROC
Missile vehicles	CM25
USA
Gun vehicles	␗M8 HMC · LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) · ␗M10 GMC · ␗M36 GMC
Missile vehicles	␗M113A1 (TOW)
USSR
Gun vehicles	␗SU-76M · ␗ISU-152 · ␗ISU-122 · ␗SU-100