Mareșal (tank destroyer)

The Mareșal (meaning "marshal"), also known as the M-tank, was a Romanian-produced light tank destroyer from World War II. Romania was a member of the Axis powers and created the vehicle in response to the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 tanks. It is credited with having inspired the German Hetzer's design, according to multiple German military staff. A total of 1,000 vehicles were planned for production, which was to make the Mareșal the backbone of the Romanian armored forces, making it the country's most numerous armored fighting vehicle by far. Thus, apart from the main tank destroyer variant, other versions were also planned. These included a 122 or 150 mm self-propelled howitzer version, an anti-aircraft vehicle and a command vehicle armed with machine guns and a flamethrower (see Variants section). A rocket launcher version was also tested in the early development phase. Germany planned to also buy the vehicle and make its own Flakpanzer version. Due to the ongoing events, however, the goal was not reached. Seven to nine prototypes were built. Additionally, the development of around 100 series production vehicles had begun, of which a first series of 10 tank destroyers was near-completed. The Mareșal never came to see action because its development and production were heavily slowed down by Anglo-American bombings and finally put to an end by the invading Red Army. Had the Mareșal been deployed into combat, it would have had big potential to become an effective tank destroyer, according to Waffenamt and OKH delegates who attended its trials. During tests, it proved to be superior in many aspects to the German StuG III G that it competed against, which itself was very successful and highly appreciated by its crews. The Mareșal's qualities included its strong firepower, accurate gun, good mobility and very low silhouette (around 1.5 m), the latter of which would have made the vehicle a difficult-to-hit target for enemies. However, the vehicle also had drawbacks, mainly a cramped interior, poor sights and thin armor.