The M8 Scott in the Normandy campaign is a somewhat lackluster tank. While it is an upgrade over the M5 Stuart, it has a slow turret traverse, an open top, fragile armor, very short barrel, poor commander view, and a small ammunition pool for its fast reload, meaning that it cannot effectively push up into combat. While War Thunder calls it a “tank destroyer”, it is actually an artillery piece (a howitzer motor carriage). While it has many weaknesses, one change could make it much better.
What I propose is giving the M8 Scott’s gunner view the ranged markers that we get with mortars (give the distance of the target to the crew). Because the M8 has a such a short barrel, it has a very short velocity making it perfect for indirect support fire. This would use the M8 Scott’s strengths, (its mobility, and reload speed) and couple it with its weaknesses (open top, low velocity, weak armor, and slow turret traverse) to make it excellent.
How it would work (in theory):
- Teammates would spot clusters of enemies and mark them using “V” (assuming the teammates are good people).
- The markers would show up and the crew of the M8 would see them.
- Using the gunner view, they would take the range of the marker and use the ticks on the gunners sight to get an approximate range.
- Assuming there are no objects in the way the M8 crew would fire a salvo of HE shells into the marker and the HE shells should hit the target, and perform “shoot and scoot”, moving to another location before enemies detect the location of the M8.
Just this simple addition would increase the usefulness of the M8 tenfold.
(Yes I realize this would increase camping, but this is what the M8 is designed to IRL and in game, not push up. Tanks like the M5 Stuart and the M4 Shermans are designed to push up with their multitude of MGs and crew protection.)
2 Likes
Interesting but I thought when they add in Self-Propelled Artillery they could function like a mortar on wheels. I think the M8 is fine in it’s current support role.
The map of the game is too small, the velocity is not low enough for indirect support in such a small map.
This is a m8 scott aiming at tank about 500 meters away. You can see why indirect fire won’t work.
3 Likes
First off, the maps are too small. While I like the idea of being able to mortar with it, the current map size would require a shot ALMOST straight up into the air.
Secondly,
I GREATLY disagree. If it wasn’t for the Hellcat (which is the very last unlock), I would still be rocking the M8 Scott as my tank of choice.
- It has pretty good mobility, especially with a fully upgraded crew
- The upper MG is situated well for popping up and gunning down infantry
- Its HE (in my experience) is the most reliable in the game for eliminating infantry.
- Its AP shells pack a punch if lobbed from a distance and used from flanks
- It reload is crazy with an upgraded crew
- The Snub barrel makes it much more concealable (especially if you buy some foliage cover for it)
- Is fairly small so it can fit in some of the least expected places.
Honestly if people focused less on sitting in the back cowering in the greyzone and instead pushed up the wide flanks, they would realize just how strong tanks like this actually are.
EXTRA NOTE:
Using the HE shells and landing a hit to the vents or above the vents of an enemy tank will fairly reliably set them on fire and disable the engine.
1 Like
I play axis but I agree that M8 is kind of meh. Even stuart is a bigger threat.
But I don’t think turning it (rightfully) into SPG is a good idea.
With current size of the maps I’m affraid of scenario where SPGs camp near the resuply point and lob shells at the objective untill plane destroys them. Kind of a lame gameplay loop for everybody involved.
1 Like
I bet new type of armed forces will be Howitzers and self propelled arty. So M8 could be part of it with some new firing mode possibilites.
1 Like
M8 is meh because is supposed to fight aganaist heavy german cat currently, it was one of the best USA tank in early OBT day of normandy because
- his Howitzer wa able go OHK all german cat and massacre the enemy infantry
- the tank was balanced because it was easy to kill
Imo This veichle is one of the many (stuart,panzer 3,puma,m14,bt7) who can shine again with the tier system
I never faced it with more than pz3 and sturmpistole.
It’s always a free kill.
(Of course part of that is lack of skill of the enemy.)
1 Like
Easy to kill with not much in exchange from my perspective.
I never felt threatened by this tank.
Wait till you unlock the M8 Scott in the Pacific. The maps have many hills and roads. It allow the Scott to utilize its gun depression and mobility very well. You can play it as a howitzer in that campaign better than in Normandy.
Alligator Creek South (Invasion) is the best map for the Scott. The playable area resemble a rectangle that extend outward from either side of the objective, this allow you to flank to numerous hull down positions and harass the Japanese from distance.
1 Like
Yes, but if/when bigger maps are added, this feature could become useful.
Then, I guess this can somewhat also apply to other short-barreled, low velocity guns, like pz 4 C-E-F1 series, StuG 3 A.
Heck, maybe even AT guns could get this.
But, as other pointed out, is it really worthwhile for SPG-specific stuff?
1 Like
No, but it would be a cool feature.
unfair assessment. 
I believe here is a self-explaination of legit skill_issue’d, M8 Scott is a masterpiece already, in WT when I play the Chinese M8 Scott I naturally shine w/out even open my eyes(other Chinese tank not, have to struggle in order to shine), WT map facilitated 2000m field howitzer work, but here in enlist, everybody agrees map is way too short for SPG job, the main reason why we haven’t receive a real indirect fire artillery piece or SPG(not howitzer or mortar that req vertical trajectory as a “MUST”/obligatory). nobody can uses M7 Priest, Wespe, Sexton, coz the shells won’t just facilitated in these maps design, except ofc some lucky hilly mountain positionings, but then Soon™ 
we all would receive another problems :
-players gonna report unfair advantage/unbalans mechanism 
-report/suggest the map to be tweaked accordingly like add more trees, make it impassable for tanks or building AT emplacements
-make the map impossible for long range combat by making it even harsher stricter no war zone or you’ll be caught ded by map restriction
so, in conclusion, anybody try to make idea like this, it will just like gas pressure, it goes out another way out, as nobody can withstand unfair advantage of this feature, better abolish or abandon instead before causing cluster endless problems I guess
gotta agree that M8 Scot is already an OP veh/tank
