Antitank SP17pdr M10 (Achilles) General Details Specifications Manufacture Date(s) 1944 Quantity Produced 1100 Weight 29.6 tonne Crew 5 M.G's small 1 M.G's large(>10mm) 1 Length 6.03 mtr Width 3.08 mtr Height 2.49 mtr Engine Details/Performance Max Road Speed 32 mph Max Cross Country Speed 20 mph Range Road 322 miles Range Cross Country 186 miles Fuel Type Unknown Fuel Capacity 165 gal Horse Power 375 hp Power/Weight 12 hp/kg General Information The Achilles was a British modification to the American M10 Tank Destroyer utilising the 17pdr gun instead of the American 3" (76.2 mm) Gun M7, which improved the anti-tank capability significantly. The turret was open topped making it vulnerable to high explosives and grenades, and was manually rotated, so was slow to change directions. The basis for the design was a version of the American M10 Sherman tank with reduced armour. Armour Details Turret Front 57mm@45°(81mm) Side 25mm@75°(97mm) Rear 25mm@0°(25mm) Top 19mm@90°(19 mm) Superstructure Front 38mm@35°(46mm) Side 19mm@52°(31mm) Rear 19mm@52°(31mm) Top 19mm@90°(19 mm) Hull Front 51mm@34°(62mm) Side 25mm@0°(25mm) Rear 25mm@0°(25mm) Top 13mm@90°(13 mm) Armour (x)mm @ (y)° (Effective mm @ 0°) Effective Armour - Maximum 97 mm - Minimum 13 mm Weapon Details Bren Gun History The Bren gun was licenced from the Czechoslovak ZB vz.27 light machine gun which was designed and manufactured in Brno from 1935. It fired the standard British .303 rifle round. Manufactured 1930 - 2004 Calibre 7.70mm Length L/82 Rate of Fire 500rpm   Ammunition Details Name/Id Calibre Weight MVelocity Quoted Penetration   Standard british .303 round - HPBT(MG) 7.70mm 0.01Kg   761M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.17 0.4 1.33 Penetration(mm) 11 9 5 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 90 Standard british .303 round -(MG) 7.70mm 0.01Kg   783M/Sec Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.17 0.4 1.33 Penetration(mm) 11 9 5 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 90 0.5 inch Browning Machine Gun M2 Calibre 12.70mm Rate of Fire 480rpm Rounds Carried  420   MG(MG) 12.70mm 0.04Kg   884M/Sec 22mm@100m Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.13 0.28 0.67 2.46 Penetration(mm) 22 20 16 8 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 48 Ordnance Q.F. 17pdr Manufactured 1942 - unknown Calibre 76.20mm Length L/55 Rounds Carried  50   AP(AP) 76.20mm 7.65Kg   950M/Sec 130mm@915m Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.22 0.44 0.94 1.5 2.13 2.85 3.69 Penetration(mm) 137 135 132 124 117 110 102 95 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 98 88 60 34 22 APC(APC) 76.20mm 7.71Kg   883M/Sec 130mm@915m Range(Mtr) 100 200 400 800 1200 1600 2000 2400 Flight Time(Secs) 0.11 0.23 0.48 1.01 1.61 2.29 3.07 3.97 Penetration(mm) 128 127 123 116 110 103 96 89 Hit Probability(%) 98 98 98 98 81 57 25 22

Hit probability is based on a static 2 x 2.4 metre panel at 0 degrees(vertical) at the range specified.

The data that has been used to create these records has come from Wikipedia, The Lone Sentry, The Bundes Archive and numerous books and websites that have provided the detailed information that has not been available anywhere else. The information we use to calculate the penetration tables, flight times and the hit probability comes from the Gun Calibre, the Shell Mass(Kg) and the muzzle velocity, plus range reductions to allow for gravity and wind resistance. This calculation originally came from a pre-war Krupp calculation which has been modified, and seems to fit the actual test results.

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