Germans Never Expected the M18 Hellcat to Outrun Their Panzers – A Shock of World War II During World War II, German Panzer doctrine assumed American armored vehicles would be slow, predictable, and easy to counter. That belief collapsed when the M18 Hellcat entered combat—moving faster than any German tank on the battlefield. Capable of speeds exceeding 55 miles per hour, the M18 Hellcat shocked German crews who were trained to fight slower, heavily armored opponents. Instead of trading fire he