50b. M10(a) & M18(a): The Soviets liked the performance of the M10's 76mm gun but were not keen on the open turret. The performance climbing hills was felt to be poor but nevertheless they ordered several of these vehicles. At least 52 vehicles were sent but several of these arrived with parts missing.
44 were sent to the 1239th and 1223rd Self Propelled Artillery Regiments. These vehicles were given the index SU-76, which was already taken by the Soviet SPG, and makes studying their experience in combat difficult.
It's known that the 1223rd regiment participated in the liberation of Belarus and the Baltic as a part of the 29th Tank Corps, 5th Guards Tank Army. All additional information is contradictory. According to some data, the M10s were already gone from the regiment by the time they reached the Baltic, other information states that 10 vehicles were still in the regiment on May 1st, 1945, 4 of them functional. Another document, dated February 7th, 1945, indicates that 37 SU-76es were present in the regiment, 18 of them functional. It is hard to say whether these are Soviet SU-76es or their American namesakes. As for the 1239th regiment, it actively participated in the liberation of Poland as a part of the 16th Tank Corps, 2nd Tank Army.
It is thought that only 5 M-18 were sent to the Soviet Union (listed as "T-70") for analysis. It is not known if they saw active service and thought they were only used for appraisal.
See also Russian Vehicle Note
N & Note
LL