Meet the 203 mm M55 self-propelled howitzer, coming to the game for the USA, Germany, China, Italy and France!

M55: A Tank Destroyer for the USA, Germany, China, Italy and France at Rank III

At a glance:

• 203 mm guns with a powerful HE shell
• Alright speed
• Thin armor
• Low ammunition amount

Introducing the M55!

Say hello to the M55 self-propelled howitzer, coming to Rank III for five nations at once: the USA, Germany, China, Italy and France! The firepower of this monster is almost unmatched, so let’s take a closer look!

The M55 is armed with the 203.2 mm (8-inch) M47 howitzer, a rifled gun offering excellent ballistics for a weapon of its size. It fires only one type of round, the staggeringly heavy M106 HE shell, weighing in at 104 kg! The size and weight of this projectile limits the total capacity to only 10 shells, which really isn’t too many. A well trained crew will be able to reload in just under 30 seconds. While it may not look like it, the M55 is turreted, and while it can’t traverse around completely it can still manage 30 degrees to the left and right.

Using a redesigned chassis and new tracks, the M55 shares several components with the M47 tank. Despite its size, the M55 is actually lighter than the M47, and can reach a higher top speed of 56 km/h. That said, this vehicle is poorly suited for frontline fighting, its armor is thin and only just bulletproof. The front-mounted engine and transmission may occasionally absorb hits into the hull, but as the turret is packed with crew and ammunition, any penetration here is usually fatal.

Due to the thin armor and long reload, the M55 is a vehicle that relies on support to work effectively, helping the team behind the frontline by supplying devastating supporting fire from a safer position. The benefit of a cannon this size is that accuracy doesn’t need to be perfect, as long as the shell connects it will more than likely be game over for your target!

That’s it for this one! Look out for this new addition coming to several nations in the next major update Tusk Force. Stay tuned for more dev blogs, as we have many more new additions to show you!

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.

You can kick-start and greatly speed up the research of the M55 with these packs: