M7

## M7 Medium Tank

The in-game icon for the M7

The **M7** is a Tier IV American medium tank.

## In-game Description

Succeeding the M5 Stuart on the American tech tree, the M7 blurs the line between light and medium tanks. It has performance comparable to a light tank of it tier, despite weighing several tons more and listed as a medium tank. It also is of similar size to the A-20, a Tier IV Soviet light tank.

### Pros

* Speed and mobility comparable to Tier IV light tanks.
* The best HP for a Tier IV medium tank and one of the best for a Tier IV tank overall.
* Best view range for a Tier IV tank.
* Good penetration with both AP and HE shells.
* Good rate of fire.
* Good turret traverse speed.

### Cons

* Poor dispersion.
* Poor base aim time.
* Poor gun elevation and depression.
* Relatively light armor for a Tier IV medium tank.

## History

In 1941, the US Army contracted International Harvester Corp. to develop a light tank to replace the M3/M5 Stuart. The new tank was to be armed with the same 75 mm M3 gun as the M4 Sherman while maintaining the weight and mobility of the Stuart. However, as development progressed, the new tank's weight increased to the point that it was reclassified as a medium tank.

Designated T7, the new tank's performance during testing was unsatisfactory, and numerous attempts to fix this eventually resulted in the production version, the M7. However, the M7 was inferior to the M4A3 in all aspects but speed, and production was halted after only 7 production vehicles were completed. The turret of the M7 would later be used on the T18E2 Boarhound, though this too would not enter mass production.

Only one M7 survives today, in storage at the U.S. Army Center for Military History in Anniston, Alabama.

### Variants

The T7/M7 was built in the following variants:

* **T7**, first prototype with a welded hull, Hydramatic transmission, volute spring suspension, and a 37 mm M5/M6 gun.
* **T7E1**, with a riveted hull, torque converter, and a larger turret with room for a larger gun.
* **T7E2**, with a cast upper hull, Warner Gear torque converter, Wright R-975 engine, and a British Ordnance QF 6-pounder Mark III gun.
* **T7E3**, with a welded hull and turret, Detroit Gear transmission, and two Hercules DRXBS diesel engines.
* **T7E4**, with a welded hull and turret, two Hydramatic transmissions, and two Cadillac engines.
* **T7E5**, similar to the T7E2 but with a 75 mm M3 gun.
* **M7**, production version, similar to the T7E5, but powered by a Continental-built R-975-C1. Only 7 were completed before production was halted, leaving many more tanks unfinished.
* **M7E2**, six of the unfinished M7s which were subsequently finished with lightweight castings and improved power trains. Performance did not improve much and the M7 program was canceled. At least one source claims these were the same as the T7E2, but this is unlikely.

## Historical Accuracy

The most historically accurate version of the M7 is with the M47 turret, M3 gun, and Continental R-975-C1 engine. This configuration closely resembles the M7E2, though there are some inaccuracies:

* The in-game M7 is slightly too narrow and short. Length, however, is spot on.
* The in-game M7 weighs 25.8 t, while the M7E2 weighed 27 t.

The M24A1 turret is similar to that of the real life T7. A configuration with the T47 turret and the QF Mk. III gun is similar to the T7E2. The Wright Continental R-975EC2 and Wright Continental R-975C4B engine options are likely fictional.

## Trivia

* The M7 is often compared to the Soviet A-20. The two share similar performance in-game, despite the M7 being classed as a medium tank and the A-20 being classed as a light. In real life, both of these tanks were designed as a light tank, but by the time they entered production they were classed as medium tanks.
* The M7 used to be a Tier V light tank before Update 5.5. It has since been downgraded to Tier IV and reclassified as a Medium Tank, replacing the M3 Lee.

## Gallery

### Historical Gallery

M7E2 during trials.The only surviving M7.M7 production line after being halted. Four M7E2s are mixed in the bunch of unfinished M7s.The T7, the first prototype of the M7 line.
## External Links

* M7 (Blitzhangar)
* Medium Tank M7 (Wikipedia)