As my posting on the US 76mm HVAP seems to have received a positive reaction, I thought I might add a bit more quantification to the production of those rounds.
The first 1,000 rounds of 76mm HVAP were completed in July, 1944. As I mentioned, these were airlifted to ETO and demonstrated in live-firing at Chateau d'Isgney* (where Eisenhower put his HQ, and where a large depot of captured and derelict enemy armor was assembled). No 76mm HVAP was produced in August. Regular production began in September and was shipped through normal 5-8 week supply methods.
The first 1,000 rounds of 3-inch HVAP were completed in August, 1944. These were also airlifted, as I understand it. Regular production also began in September. The 76mm and 3-inch rounds used the same projectiles, and the same loading, and were intended to have the same ballistics (with minor variances, as there were even between M1A1 v. M1A2 76mm guns and M6 v. M7 3-inch guns).
By the end of 1944 the number of each that had been produced was:
76mm HVAP: 13,000
3-inch HVAP: 14,000
For comparison, during the whole of 1944 the total M62 and M62A APC rounds produced was:
76mm APC: 3,729,000
3-inch APC: 1,489,000
As can be seen, the proportion of HVAP to APC was higher for 3-inch guns. But the total number of HVAP was almost the same. I have never seen any useful information on how the 76mm HVAP was distributed -- ie: did TD crews (M18 Hellcat) get more per vehicle than tank crews (M4A1 76mm and M4A3 76mm). But the 3-inch HVAP went only to TD units, so those units quite likely had had more HVAP than tank units.
In both cases, from what I can judge based on production numbers, there should have been about 1,000 rounds of each arriving in ETO per week by January of 1945. This is what gives me the idea of something like 4-5 rounds per tank (or TD) per month in that timeframe. As 1945 progressed, total production of the projectiles continued to increase, and shifted towards the 76mm as 3-inch ammo production of all types scaled back, due to the 90mm M36 replacing 3-inch M10s across many TD units. This helped multiply the HVAP availability for 76mm equipped TDs and tanks.
As another point of comparison, the Brits began production of 17pdr APDS in about the same timeframe (June, 1944, vs. July/August). By the end of 1944 they had produced:
17pdr APDS: 35,000
Combined 76mm and 3-inch HVAP: 27,000
While the numbers are not greatly different, they do show a higher production by the Brits on APDS than by the US on HVAP. Worth bearing in mind also is that the British timeline from factory to troops was much shorter, so more of those 35,000 rounds would have been issued by the end of the year compared to the case of US HVAP.
-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)