M6 Heavy Tank (US085) includes one M6 Heavy Tank. At the outbreak of World War II the US Army possessed few tanks, and no heavy tanks. In May 1940 the US Army Ordnance Department started to work on the T1, 50-ton heavy multi-turreted tank. This was similar in concept to the Soviet T-35 and other 1930s ‘land battleship’ designs. Check out the M6 Heavy Tank in the online store here...

Mid-war Monsters In our research we have uncovered lots of really interesting experimental tanks. Some were just designs that were never completed. Others were completed as prototypes, and some even saw small-scale field testing! These tanks were weird and wonderful, ranging from a 100-ton monster and a First World War relic, to a tank with two side-by-side main guns, an armoured car weighing more than a tank, and a machine-gun armed light tank with the armour of a heavy tank! Learn more about Mid-war Monsters here... Download a PDF on fielding the M6 Heavy Tank in Flames Of War here... Download the Mid-war Monsters mission pack here...

By October 1940, the Department reached the same conclusions of excessive size, difficulty in crew co-ordination and high production cost that had led to the abandonment of the land battleship concept in Europe.  A new T1 heavy tank design was laid down with a single turret retaining the mixed armament of the earlier design. The turret mounted a stabilized 3 inch gun with a coaxial 37mm gun with a loader and ammunition handler to keep up the rate of fire. Initially the design had six machine-guns, but this was cut to four in the production vehicles.

Unreliable Whether poorly designed, unsuitable for the conditions, or requiring more maintenance than current supply considerations will allow, these vehicles have a significant chance of breakdown when pushed too hard. If an Unreliable vehicle attempts to move At the Double, roll a die. On a roll of 1 the vehicle becomes Bogged Down.

These were twin .50 cal machine guns in a bow mount, a fixed .30 cal machine-gun of dubious value in the front plate fired by the driver, and a .50 cal machine-gun on the commander’s hatch.  On 26 May 1942 a cast-hull T1E2 and a welded-hull T1E3 were standardised for production as the M6 and M6A1 respectively. The initial plan was to produce 5000 tanks at 250 tanks per month, but this was soon cut to a more realistic 115 tanks in the first production run starting in December 1942.

Wide Tracks Some excellent tank designs have successfully utilised wider tracks, allowing them to cross almost any terrain. If a vehicle with Wide Tracks becomes Bogged Down while attempting to cross Rough Terrain, roll again. On a roll of 4+ the vehicle immediately frees itself and continues moving.

	When the specifications were laid down for the M6 heavy tank it was normal for heavy tanks, such as the Soviet T-35, to follow the ‘land battleship’ model, having multiple turrets mounting a variety of guns and machine-guns. The T1 heavy tank specification featured a slightly more modern arrangement with both of its guns mounted in the same turret and its twin .50 cal machine-guns in a relatively conventional bow mounting. Designed by Evan Allen Painted by Jeremy Painter
M6 Heavy Tank in Flames Of War
Armour     Name Mobility Front Side Top Equipment and Notes Weapon Range ROF Anti-tank Firepower   M6 heavy tank Slow Tank 8 6 2 .50 cal AA MG, Unreliable, Wide tracks. M7 3" gun 32"/80cm 2 12 3+ Co-ax mount, Stabiliser. M6 37mm gun 24"/60cm 3 7 4+ Co-ax mount, Stabiliser. Twin .50 cal MG 16"/40cm 4 4 5+ Hull mounted, Twin MG. ROF 2 if other weapons fire. The M6 heavy tank can fire the 3in and 37mm guns together, treating one as having ROF 1.

Hull-mounted Guns Some tanks mount weapons in the front of the hull instead of in a turret to save weight or to make them easier to produce. A hull-mounted weapon mounted in the front of a vehicle has a 180-degree Field of Fire covering everything in front of a line drawn across the front of the vehicle. If the weapon is mounted at the rear of the vehicle, the Field of Fire covers everything to the rear of a line drawn across the rear of the vehicle.

Stabilisers A stabiliser is a device fitted to the tank’s gun that keeps it level when the tank is moving. US tanks are the first in the world to be equipped with gyrostabilisers as standard. With the assistance of the gyrostabiliser, the gunner can stay on target while the tank is moving. A moving tank fitted with a Stabiliser can fire its main gun at its full ROF, but adds a penalty of +1 to the score needed to hit. Before shooting, a tank can choose not to use its Stabiliser and fire at the normal rate if that would give it a better chance.