Home > New Products > Upcoming Releases > May '09 Releases >   US M10 Wolverine Tank Destroyer (1:72 Scale)
	List Price: $19.99 Our Price: $17.99 Pre-Order You Save $2.00! Availability: Pre-Order Product Code: AT2004 Qty:

Description Extended Information   "Seek, strike and destroy." - Motto of the US Tank Destroyer Forces during World War II (500 points) During World War II, American doctrine called for tank destroyers to engage enemy tanks while tanks were used principally to support the infantry. The M10 "Wolverine" used a Sherman tank hull with a special open-topped turret that carried a 3-inch gun. The gun fired the AP M79 armour-piercing shell that could cut through 4 inches of armor at a range of 1,000 yards. The back of the turret carried a large counterweight which gave it a distinctive shape. For local defence a heavy .50 caliber M2 machine gun was mounted on the turret and the crew were equipped with .30 carbines. The Wolverine is perhaps best known as the vehicle in which highly decorated Army Second Lieutenant Audie Murphy single-handedly fought off a German combined arms attack near the Colmar region in early 1945. Note: Image shown is of an unpainted engineering sample. Pre-order price of $17.99; regular price of $19.99. Ship Date: Spring 2007. Length: 4 inches Width: 1.5 inches Release Date: ? Historical Account: "Pint-Sized Hero" - Due to his fragile physical appearance, Audie Murphy still had to "fight the system" to get overseas and into combat after the The US entered World War II. His persistence paid off, and in early 1943 he was shipped out to Casablanca, Morocco (North Africa) as a replacement in Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, of the 3rd Infantry Division. Murphy saw no action in Africa, but instead participated in extensive training maneuvers along with the rest of the 3rd Division. His combat initiation finally came when he took part in the liberation of Sicily in July 1943. Shortly after arriving there, he experienced his first encounter with death by killing two Italian officers as they tried to escape on horseback. Murphy contracted malaria while in Sicily, and this illness put him in the hospital several times during his Army years. After Sicily was secured from the Germans, the 3rd Division invaded the Italian mainland, landing near Salerno in September 1943. Murphy distinguished himself in combat on many occasions while in Italy, fighting at the Volturno River, at the Anzio beachhead, and in the cold, wet, desolate Italian mountains. While in Italy, his instinctive skills as a combat infantryman began to earn him promotions, increased responsibilities, and decorations for valor. Following its participation in the Italian campaign, the 3rd Division invaded Southern France on August 15, 1944. Shortly thereafter, Murphy's best friend, Lattie Tipton (referred to as "Brandon" in Murphy's book To Hell and Back), was killed while approaching some German troops feigning surrender. Murphy went into a rage, and single-handedly wiped out the German machine gun crew which had just killed his friend. He then used the German machine gun to destroy several other nearby enemy positions. For this act he received the Distinguished Service Cross (second only to the Medal of Honor). Just weeks later, he received Silver Stars for two more heroic actions. Murphy, by now a staff sergeant and holding the position of Platoon Sergeant, was eventually awarded a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, which elevated him to the Platoon Leader position. He was later wounded in the hip by a sniper's bullet, and spent three months recuperating. After returning to his unit, he led his men in many more battles, including one that would earn him the Medal of Honor near Holzwihr, France, in January 1945. At Holzwihr, then 2d Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of German infantry. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to prepared positions in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post, continuing to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him and to his right, an M10 tank destroyer received a direct hit and began to burn. The crew abandoned the vehicle and withdrew to the woods. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, Murphy climbed on board the burning tank destroyer and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. Alone and exposed to German fire from three sides while standing atop a tank which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused the infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, now without infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate Murphy, but he continued to hold his position, wiping out a squad which was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. He eventually received a leg wound, but ignored it as he continued the single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy, and his solitary battle killed or wounded about 50 enemy soldiers. Murphy's indomitable courage and his refusal to give ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy's objective all along. For this action, Audie Murphy would later receive the Congressional Medal of Honor, and go on to become the most decorated soldier of World War II.   Features Diecast metal construction Rotating turret Elevating gun Static tracks Weathered appearance Acrylic display case

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