Wwii Ballistics Armor And Gunnery

• Wwii Ballistics Armor And Gunnery Training
• Wwii Ballistics Armor And Gunnery Training

So now that Reto has started working on the Vehicle overhaul I was think about how Range and angle dependent Penetration Values could be easily calculated by the Game Engine. This is what I know about the Engine in this regard: -It is able to measure distances aka. Space Bar auto adjust -It can m.

The 76 mm gun M1 was an American World War II–era tank gun developed by the U.S Ordnance Department in 1942 to supplement the 75 mm gun on the basic Medium tank M4. It was also used to arm the M18 Hellcattank destroyer.

Although the gun was tested in early August 1942 and classified on August 17, 1942,^[2] it was not until August 1943^[3] that the Ordnance Department developed a mounting for the M4 tank that the tank forces would accept. It was not accepted for combat until July 1944.^[4] In January 1943, the decision was made to mount the 76 mm on the vehicle that would become the M18.^[5] By May 1944, it was being combat tested as the T70.^[6]

• 3Acceptance for production by the tank forces
• 10Post-war service
• 14See also

Design and development[edit]

The development of a better weapon than the 75 mm gun was foreseen before the U.S. had combat experience with well-armored German tanks. The original Military specifications of 11 September 1941 for the M4 tank allowed for the mounting of numerous weapons including the 3 inch gun.^[7] The first specimens of the weapon that was to become the 76 mm Gun M1 were being evaluated in August 1942 while the U.S. did not enter the ground war in the European/Africa region until Operation Torch in November 1942.

The 3 inch gun was considered too heavy^[7] at about 1,990 lb (900 kg).^[8] New stronger steels ^[9] were used to create a weapon weighing about 1,200 lb (540 kg).^[10] It was a new gun with a breech similar to that of the 75 mm M3 Gun but with a new tube (barrel and cartridge chamber) design to accommodate a new cartridge.^[7] It fired the same projectiles as the 3-inch (76 mm) M7 gun mounted on the 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 tank destroyer and towed 3-inch Gun M5 anti-tank gun, but from a different cartridge case.^[7] The '76-mm' designation was chosen to help keep the supply of ammunition from being confused between the two cannon.^[11] The 76 mm also differed in that successive models received a muzzle brake and faster rifle twist.

Aberdeen Proving Grounds began evaluations of the first test guns designated the T1 around August 1, 1942.^[12] The first test guns had a bore length of 57 calibers and when tested on an M4 Sherman tank, it was then found that the long barrel caused balance problems.^[7] Another T1 test gun was produced with the barrel shortened and a counterweight added to the breech to improve balance.^[12] The reduction in length by 15 inches (38 centimetres) did not reduce performance; penetration was the same as the 3 inch gun.^[13]

By August 17, the Ordnance Department had classified the test gun with the shorter barrel as the 76-mm M1 ^[14] and set up the precedent for the designation of M4 tanks armed with the gun to include '(76M1)'.^[2]

Tests of production M1 guns revealed that the cannon with its counterweight had issues with binding when trying to rotate the turret when the tank was resting at a steep angle. An 800 lb (360 kg) storage box was added to the turret rear to improve balance,^[2] with evaluations held in early 1943 and the final report tendered April 1943.^[15] This worked but was rejected by the Armored Forces due to the turret being cramped.^[15]

A more satisfactory mounting was found in August 1943 by utilizing the turret design of the T23 tank on the M4 chassis to carry the 76 mm gun.^[16] The 76 mm M1A1 version of the cannon was created, having a longer recoil surface to also help with balance by permitting the placement of the trunions further up front.^[16]

Acceptance by the tank destroyers[edit]

The new M18 Gun Motor Carriage armed with the 76 mm was the result of the Tank Destroyers' request for such a vehicle and as such they accepted them.

Acceptance for production by the tank forces[edit]

By August 1943, the Ordnance Department M4 tank armed with 76 mm in the modified T23 turret was finally ready for production. A proposal was made by the tank forces for a test run of 1,000 tanks for combat trials and, if that was successful, then all of the M4 tank manufacturing capacity would be devoted to the 76 mm gun,^[3] but this was changed to a rate that would equip 1/3 of the M4 tanks with the 76 mm gun.^[17]

The production proposal was part of a memo in September 1943 pointing out various flaws of the gun that made it less desirable for tank use: muzzle blast, the high explosive shell, ammunition handling, and ammunition storage. Summed up, the 76 mm offered about 1 inch (25 millimetres) of added armor penetrating power for a possible loss of some ground attack fire-power.^[18] In a meeting in April 1944 held to discuss the assignment of the first production M4(76M1) tanks received in Britain to units, a presentation comparing the 76 mm to the 75 mm went over similar points, adding that the 76 mm was more accurate and did not have an appropriate smoke round.^[19]

Muzzle blast[edit]

The 76 mm obscured the target with smoke and dust. This could prevent the gunner from seeing where the projectile struck.

The Ordnance Department reduced the amount of smoke by using a long primer that gave a more complete burn of the propellant before it exited the barrel.^[20] The revised ammunition began to be issued for use in August 1944.^[21]

Later production guns were threaded for a muzzle brake to redirect the blast left and right (M1A1C and M1A2).^[20] This was tested in January 1944, authorized in February 1944 with production starting June 1944. The threads of those without a brake were covered by a protector (visible in many pictures).^[22]

For those vehicles that did not have a muzzle brake, once the Armored Force began to accept M4s, it was recommended that tank commanders stand outside the tank and 'spot' the strike of rounds to guide the gunner.^[19]

High-explosive capacity[edit]

The situation with the high-explosive shell was that the 3 inch M42 projectile for the 76 mm gun carried a filler of about 0.9 lb (0.41 kg) of explosives while the 75 mm gun M48 high explosive projectile carried 1.5 lb (0.68 kg).^[23] Far more high explosive ammunition was used by tankers than armor penetrating types, the ratio being about 70% HE, 20% AP and 10% smoke overall,^[24] The ratio could vary by unit: From August 3 to December 31, 1944 the 13th Tank Battalion fired 55 rounds of M62 APC-T armor piercing versus 19,634 rounds of M42 high explosive.^[25]

Smoke ammunition[edit]

The M88 smoke round for the 76 mm provided a 'curtain' of smoke.^[26] The tankers found the 75 mm M64 WP (White Phosphorus) smoke projectile useful not only for providing smoke coverage but also attacking targets including enemy tanks.^[27] Some units equipped with the 76 mm preferred to maintain a 75 mm armed tank on hand to provide the M64 WP projectile.^[28]

Round size[edit]

It was thought that the longer and heavier 76 mm might hamper handling inside the tank's turret, slowing the rate of fire.^[18] This may have been more of a concern than was warranted: on April 22, 1945 an M4 76-mm tank came suddenly onto a strange vehicle and the '...76 roared twice in rapid succession...' adding a friendly British scout car (waiting to ambush passers-by) to the tank's kill tally before (as the British gunner stated) '...I could lay my hand on the trigger.'^[29]

It was also thought that the longer 76 mm would reduce ammunition capacity.^[18] The 76 mm was first tested on the M4A1 series tank which carried 90 rounds of 75 mm ammunition,^[30] while most other models carried 97 rounds of 75 mm.^[31] The 76 mm cartridge reduced this to 83 rounds.^[2] By late 1943, the Army had adopted the wet storage system of water containers among the rounds, to reduce fires and for the 76 mm gun this provided 71 rounds of ammunition, while the 75 mm could carry 104 rounds.^[32] Storage depended on organization: The 76-mm T72 Gun Motor Carriage, designed to mount the 76-mm on the M10 GMC chassis in a T23 turret lightened for the job, carried 99 rounds (but not in wet storage).^[33]

Variants[edit]

• T1: Originally 57 calibers long gun,^[7] reduced to 52 calibers after tests in effort to improve balance^[12]
• M1: 52 calibers long version of gun adopted for use ^[2]
• M1A1: M1 with longer recoil surface to allow it to be mounted on trunions placed 12 inches further forward^[16]
• M1A1C: M1A1 threaded for muzzle brake ^[20]
• M1A2: M1A1C with rifling twist changed from 1:40 calibers to 1:32 calibers^[34]

A muzzle brake was tested in January 1944, authorized in February 1944 with production starting June 1944. Not all guns received them. The threads of those without a brake were covered by a protector visible in many pictures.^[22]

Ammunition[edit]

While the 76 mm had less High Explosive (HE) and smoke performance than the 75 mm, the higher-velocity 76 mm gave better anti-tank performance, with firepower similar to many of the armored fighting vehicles it encountered, particularly the Panzer IV tank and StuG assault gun vehicles. Using the M62 APC round, the 76 mm gun penetrated 109 mm (4.3 in) of armor at 0° obliquity at 1,000 m (3,300 ft), with a muzzle velocity of 792 m/s (2,600 ft/s). The HVAP round was able to penetrate 178 mm (7.0 in) at 1,000 m (3,300 ft), with a muzzle velocity of 1,036 m/s (3,400 ft/s).^[35]

The M42A1 High Explosive shell contained a 0.86 lb (0.39 kg) explosive filler of TNT or a 0.85 lb (0.39 kg) mixture of 0.08 lb (0.036 kg) of cast TNT and 0.77 lb (0.35 kg) 50/50 Amatol.^[36] A reduced charge load existed with a velocity of 1,550 ft/s (470 m/s) and range of 8,805 yd (8,051 m).^[37]

The standard M62A1 Armor Piercing Capped projectile was of the APCBC design.^[36]

The substitute standard M79 Armor Piercing solid monobloc shot had no filler, windscreen, or penetrating cap.^[36]

The M88 H.C. B.I. Smoke Shell contained a filler of H.C.^[36] Based on a British design, it was intended to provide a slow-release 'curtain' of smoke versus the exploding white phosphorus shell available to the 75-mm and other cannon originally designed for artillery spotting but which could also cause damaging burns.^[26]

The M26 brass cartridge case was used for all loaded rounds, with a weight of 5.28 lb (2.39 kg) and length of 21.3 in (54 cm).^[38] It was an entirely different case from the 3-inch MKIIM2 case used for the 3-inch M3 anti-aircraft gun and 3-inch M5, M6, and M7 guns used on the a towed anti-tank gun, M6 heavy tank, and M10 Gun Motor Carriage.^[39] The 76-mm chamber capacity varied by projectile (also given is the capacities for similar 3-inch rounds to illustrate the size differences):

The 3 inch cartridge was not completely filled by the propellants used; a distance wad was used to keep the propellant pressed against the primer end.^[39] By way of comparison the 75 mm M3 gun had a chamber capacity of about 88 cu in (1,440 cc) for the M61 armor piercing projectile and about 80 cu in (1,300 cc) for the M48 high explosive projectile ^[41] and the British 17pdr 300 cu in (4,900 cc).^[42]

Alternatives to the 76 mm M1[edit]

The 76 mm M1 was a project initiated by the Ordnance Department itself.^[3] Various entities suggested other weapon options which were not pursued.

• In October 1942, the Aberdeen-based Ballistics Research Laboratory suggested that research begin into two options: (1) arming the M4 medium tank with the 90 mm gun (if need be by altering the cartridge case and gun) and (2) designing a 3-inch gun firing a 15 lb (6.8 kg) shot at 915 m/s (3,000 ft/s).^[43]
• The Armored Board (the Armored Forces evaluation center at Fort Knox)^[18] suggested the production of 1,000 M4 medium tanks armed with 90-mm guns in the fall of 1943.^[43]
• The British expressed interest in mounting their 17-pounder on the M4 in August 1943, offering a monthly allotment of 200 weapons and ammunition, which could begin three months following acceptance.^[44] By the time that the US took this up in 1944, the British were too busy with their own conversions resulting in the Sherman Firefly.^[4] Some conversions destined for the US Army were performed in 1945 but did not see combat.^[45]

US service[edit]

The 76-mm gun saw first use in a test batch of M18 Hellcat gun motor carriages in Italy in May 1944, under their development number T70.^[46] Only the US used the M18. The moderate performance of the 76-mm cannon by 1944 standards was one of three reasons the plans for M18 production were cut from 8,986 to 2,507, of which 650 were converted to unarmed utility vehicles.^[47] An experiment was performed mounting the 90-mm armed M36 turret on an M18 to provide more firepower than the 76-mm.^[48]

The first M4 tanks armed with 76-mms intended for combat were produced in January 1944.^[49] Tanks equipped with the cannon began arriving in Britain in April 1944.^[19] The issue with muzzle blast had not been addressed and higher level commanders had doubts about the use of, let alone need for, the new weapon.^[19] The medium-velocity 75 mm M3 gun, which first armed the standard M4 Sherman, was quite capable of dealing with most of the German armored fighting vehicles met in 1942 and 1943 and had better ground fire capability and fewer issues with muzzle blast. It was not until July 1944 that a call for M4s armed with 76s was put out in France after unexpectedly high losses by US tank units and the arrival of numerous Panther Tanks on the US sector of the front.^[4]

Deliveries of the 76-mm armed tanks lagged such that by January 1945 they made up only 25% of the tanks in Europe. Plans were made by field units to directly replace the 75s on some tanks using a weight welded to the turret rear to balance it. A prototype was built, but the supply of ready-made tanks increased and that project ended.^[50]

The 75-mm armed M4 tanks were never completely replaced during the war with some units in Europe still having about a 50/50 mix.^[51] Units in Italy readily accepted the 76-mm,^[52] but were never shipped as many as desired.^[45] The US units in the Pacific Theater relied mainly on the 75-mm gun.^[53] The 76-mm armed M18 did see use in the Pacific late in the war.^[54]

British service[edit]

The UK had developed a more effective anti-tank cannon before the 76 mm gun became widely available. Although only slightly longer at 55 calibers, their Ordnance QF 17 pounder (76.2 mm) anti-tank gun had a much larger 76.2×583mmR cartridge case, which used about 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) more propellant. The anti-tank performance of the 76mm was inferior to the British 17 pounder, more so if the latter was using APDS discarding sabot rounds, though with that ammunition the 17-pdr was less accurate than the 76mm. The 17-pounder was also much larger and had a longer recoil than the 76mm, which required a redesign of the turret and despite this, made the turret very cramped. The 17-pounder also had a less effective HE round.

The 76 mm gunned Shermans supplied to the British were only used in Italy or by the Polish 1st Armoured Division in North-West Europe. The British and Commonwealth units in north-west Europe supported their 75 mm gunned Shermans with 17 pdr armed Sherman Fireflies.

Russian service[edit]

The first 76-mm-armed Shermans started to reach Red Army units in late summer 1944. In 1945, some units were standardized to depend mostly on them, transferring their T-34s to other units. Parts of the Polish First Army also briefly used M4A2 (76 mm) tanks, borrowed from the Red Army after heavy losses in the conquest of Danzig.

Post-war service[edit]

Korea[edit]

By the end of 1950, more than 500 76mm gun M4A3E8 tanks were in Korea. These 76-mm armed Shermans served well in the Korean War and, having better crew training and gun optics, had little problem piercing the armor of North Korean manned T-34/85 tanks when firing HVAP rounds, which were amply supplied to units.^[55] Some 76-mm armed M4s ^[56] and M18s were distributed around the world and used by other countries post-war.^[57] The 76-mm gun was sometimes replaced by a more powerful weapon.^[7][55][57]

Middle East[edit]

Some 76mm gun Sherman tanks were used by Israel and Arab countries.

Balkans[edit]

Some M4A3E4, retrofitted with the M1A1 76 mm gun, were used during the 1990s conflict in former Yugoslavia.

Indo-Pak wars[edit]

Pakistan bought 547 M4A1E4(76)s during the 1950s and used them in 1965 and 1971 wars.

Uganda[edit]

Uganda purchased a few ex-Israeli M4A1(76)W and used them during the Idi Amin regime.

Vehicles mounted on[edit]

With British Commonwealth designations in parentheses:

• Medium Tank M4A1(76)W (Sherman IIA)
  • Medium Tank M4A1(76)W HVSS (Sherman IIAY)
• Medium Tank M4A2(76)W (Sherman IIIA)
  • Medium Tank M4A2(76)W HVSS (Sherman IIIAY)
• Medium Tank M4A3(76)W (Sherman IVA)
• T23 medium tank
• T72 experimental Gun Motor Carriage^[33]

Towed variant[edit]

From 1943, at the instigation of the head of the Armored Force General Jacob Devers, US Ordnance worked on a towed anti-tank gun based on the barrel of the M1, known as '76 mm gun T2 on carriage T3'. Later interest in the project declined and the program was officially cancelled in 1945.^[58]

Performance[edit]

See also[edit]

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era[edit]

• British Ordnance QF 17 pounder
• German 7.5 cm KwK 40
• German 7.5 cm KwK 42
• Soviet 85mm D-5T

Notes[edit]

1. ^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
2. ^ ^abcdeHunnicutt 1978, p. 200
3. ^ ^abcZaloga 2003, p. 6
4. ^ ^abcZaloga 2003, p. 16
5. ^Zaloga 2004, p. 7
6. ^Zaloga 2004, p 14
7. ^ ^abcdefgHunnicutt 1978, p. 198
8. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p.563
9. ^Green 1955, p. 237
10. ^ ^abcdefghHunnicutt 1978, p. 564
11. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 4
12. ^ ^abcHunnicutt 1978, p. 199
13. ^Honner, David. 'USA Guns 75mm and 76mm calibre'. Guns Vs Armor.
14. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 200 picture caption
15. ^ ^abHunnicutt 1978, p. 202
16. ^ ^abcHunnicutt 1978, p. 204
17. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 8
18. ^ ^abcdZaloga 2008, p. 116
19. ^ ^abcdZaloga 2003, p. 12
20. ^ ^abcHunnicutt 1978, p. 206
21. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 18
22. ^ ^abZaloga 2004, p. 13
23. ^Ordnance Department 1944, p. 356, 359
24. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 7
25. ^Green 2007, p. 118
26. ^ ^abcLeventhal 1996, p 288
27. ^Green 2007, p. 81 using the wrong designation 'M89'
28. ^Zaloga 1978, p. 37-38
29. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 322
30. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 540
31. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 538, 542, 544, 549
32. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 260, 261
33. ^ ^abHunnicutt 1978, p. 376
34. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p. 207
35. ^Zaloga, Steven. T-34-85 vs. M26 Pershing: Korea 1950. London: Osprey Publishing, 2010. pp. 32-33.
36. ^ ^abcdefLeventhal 1996, p 287
37. ^Ordnance Department 1944, p. 128
38. ^Ordnance Department 1944, p. 124
39. ^ ^abOrdnance Department 1944, p. 132
40. ^Leventhal 1996, p 283,284
41. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p.562
42. ^Hunnicutt 1978, p.565
43. ^ ^abHunnicutt 1978, p. 212
44. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 9
45. ^ ^abZaloga 2003, p. 35
46. ^Zaloga 2004, p. 14
47. ^Zaloga 2004, p. 12
48. ^Zaloga 2004, p. 38
49. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 10
50. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 33
51. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 22
52. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 36
53. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 37
54. ^Zaloga 2004, p. 34
55. ^ ^abZaloga 2003, p. 42
56. ^Zaloga 2003, p. 39
57. ^ ^abZaloga 2003, p. 41
58. ^Zaloga 2005, p. 20
59. ^ ^abSteven J. Zaloga. and Peter Sarson (1993). Sherman Medium Tank.
60. ^ ^abcBovington Tank Museum (1975). Fire and Movement.
61. ^ ^abcHarry Woodman (1991). Tank Armament in World War Two.
62. ^Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 63.

References[edit]

• Green, Constance; Thomson, Harry; Roots, Peter (1955). The Ordnance Department: Planning Munitions for War CMH Pub 10-9. Center for Military History.
• Green, Michael; Brown, James (2007). M4 Sherman at War. Zenith Press. ISBN9780760327845.
• Hunnicutt, R.P. (1978). Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank. Echo Point Books and Media, LLC. ISBN9781626548619.
• Leventhal, Lionel (1996). The American Arsenal. Greenhill Books, London. Stockpile Books, Pennsylvania. ISBN1853672548.
• Ordnance Department, United States (1944). TM 9-1901 Artillery Ammunition June 1944. War Department.}
• Zaloga, Steven (1993). Sherman Medium Tank 1942-45. New Vanguard 3. Osprey Publishing. ISBN185532296X.
• Zaloga, Steven (2003). M4 (76mm) Sherman Tank 1943-65. New Vanguard 73. Osprey Publishing. ISBN9781841765426.
• Zaloga, Steven (2004). M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyer 1943-97. New Vanguard 97. Osprey Publishing. ISBN1841766879.
• Zaloga, Steven (2005). US Anti-tank Artillery 1941–45. New Vanguard 107. Osprey Publishing. ISBN1-84176-690-9.
• Zaloga, Steven (2008). Armored Thunderbolt: The U.S. Army Sherman in World War II. Stackpole Books. ISBN9780811704243.

Further reading[edit]

• TM 9-308
• SNL C-46
• SNL C-58
• SNL C-64

External links[edit]

The 3 inch Gun M5 was an anti-tank gun developed in the United States during World War II. The gun combined a 3-inch (76.2 mm) barrel of the anti-aircraft gun T9 and elements of the 105 mm howitzer M2. The M5 was issued exclusively to the US Armytank destroyer battalions starting in 1943. It saw combat in the Italian Campaign and in the Northwest Europe campaign.

While the M5 outperformed earlier anti-tank guns in the US service, its effective employment was hindered by its heavy weight and ammunition-related issues. Losses suffered by towed TD battalions in the Battle of the Bulge and the existence of more mobile, better protected alternatives in the form of self-propelled tank destroyers led to gradual removal of the M5 from front line service in 1945.

• 6See also

Wwii Ballistics Armor And Gunnery Training

Development and production history[edit]

In 1940, the US Army just started to receive its first antitank gun, the 37 mm Gun M3. While it fit the request of the Infantry for light, easy to manhandle anti-tank weapon, Artillery and Ordnance foresaw a need for a more powerful gun. This led to a number of expedient designs, such as adaptations of the 75 mm M1897 or towed variants of the 75 mm M3.^[1]

Late in 1940, the Ordnance Corps started another project - an anti-tank gun based on the 3 inch anti-aircraft gun T9. The barrel of the T9 was combined with breech, recoil system and carriage, all adapted from the 105 mm howitzer M2.^[2] The pilot of the weapon, named 3 inch Gun T10, was ready by September 1941. Although the subsequent testing revealed minor problems, it was clear that the gun, eventually standardized as M5 on carriage M1, presented major performance improvement over existing designs.^[3]

Production began in December 1942. In November 1943, a slightly modified carriage was standardized as M6. In this carriage, a flat shield borrowed from the 105 mm howitzer was replaced by a new sloped one. In January 1944, AGF requested an upgrade of those guns built with the early carriage M1 to the carriage M6; consequently most of the guns that reached the frontline had the M6 carriage.^[4]

Description[edit]

The barrel was adapted from the 3 inch Gun T9; it had rifling with a uniform right hand twist, with 28 grooves and one turn in 25 inches. Barrel length was 13.16 feet. It was combined with breech, recoil system and carriage from the 105 mm Howitzer M2. The breech was of horizontal sliding type, manual; the recoil system hydro-pneumatic. The carriage was of split trail type, equipped with a single equilibrator spring beneath the breech and wheels with pneumatic tires.^[7]

Organization[edit]

Despite the performance advantages, it turned out that no branch of the US Army wanted the new gun. The Infantry considered it too large and heavy. The other possible user, the Tank Destroyer Center, preferred more mobile self-propelled weapons. Finally, pressure from the head of Army Ground Forces, Gen. Lesley McNair, resulted in the gun being adopted by the TD Center. McNair's opinion was apparently influenced by the experience of the North African Campaign, where self-propelled guns were found to be hard to conceal.^[8]

On 31 March 1943, AGF ordered 15 self-propelled tank destroyer battalions to convert to a towed form; eventually, AGF decided that half of the TD battalions should be towed. A towed TD battalion possessed 36 pieces, in three companies of 12.^[9][10]M3 Halftracks were issued as prime movers. The organization from 1 September 1944 authorized M39 Armored Utility Vehicle instead, but these only reached the frontline in spring 1945.^[11]

Those towed tank destroyer battalions were attached to US Army divisions to improve their anti-tank capabilities. Most often, a complete battalion was attached to an infantry division. In some cases, towed TD battalions were attached to armored or airborne divisions; sometimes, companies of the same battalion were given to different divisions; and sometimes a single division had several TD battalions - including a mix between towed and self-propelled - at once.^[12]

Combat service[edit]

Wwii Ballistics Armor And Gunnery Training

In October 1943, the first towed battalion - the 805th, - arrived in Italy. Subsequently, the M5 saw combat in the Italian Campaign and in the Northwest Europe.^[13] One of the most notable engagements came during the German counterattack on Mortain in August 1944. The 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 30th Infantry Division, played a key role in the successful defence of Saint Barthelemy, destroying fourteen tanks and a number of other vehicles, though at the price of losing eleven of its guns.^[14]

In addition to the anti-tank role, the gun was often used to supplement divisional field artillery^[15] or to provide direct fire against enemy fortifications (e.g. a combat report from the 614th TD mentioned a two-gun section firing 143 shells at an enemy post, achieving 139 hits^[16]).

Although the M5 easily outperformed older anti-tank guns in the US service, it was large and heavy - making it hard to manhandle into position - and its anti-armor characteristics were found to be somewhat disappointing. An APDS round was never developed for the M5;^[7] an APCR round existed (see ammunition table below), but it is not clear if it was ever issued to towed TD battalions.

As a result of the aforementioned shortcomings, commanders and troops generally preferred an alternative in form of self-propelled tank destroyers, which offered better mobility and also better protection for their crews.^[17]

The greatest test of the TD battalions and their M5 guns came during the Battle of the Bulge. In this battle, towed tank destroyers fought much less successfully and suffered much higher losses than the self-propelled ones. A report from the aforementioned 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion said that 'tank destroyer guns were one by one flanked by enemy tanks and personnel driven from guns by small arms and machine gun fire'. Taking the recent combat experience into account, on 11 January 1945, the War Department confirmed a request to convert the towed TD battalions to the self-propelled form.^[18] This decision meant the gradual removal of the M5 from frontline service, a process that continued until the end of the war in Europe.

Today, the M5 is utilized by the US Army for ceremonial purposes. The Presidential Salute Guns Platoon of The Old Guard currently maintains a battery of ten M5's at Fort Myer for service mainly in the National Capital Region.^[19]

Ammunition[edit]

The M5 used fixed ammunition, with the same 76.2x585R cartridge case - designated 3 inch Cartridge Case Mk IIM2 - as other descendants of the 3 inch M1918 anti-aircraft gun, and had basically the same barrel. This meant that the gun had the same anti-tank characteristics as those of vehicle mounted anti-tank guns derived from the T9, namely the M6 (used in the 3 inch Gun Motor Carriage M5, which never reached production) and the M7 (which was the main armament of the 3 inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 and the M6 Heavy Tank). The ballistic characteristics of the gun were also essentially the same as the 76 mm gun M1, which fired the same projectiles with different cartridge case.

The table below lists ammunition available for the three guns. It is possible that some types (e.g. the APCR round) were never issued to towed TD battalions.

See also[edit]

• List of U.S. Army weapons by supply catalog designation (SNL C-40)

Weapons of comparable role, performance and era[edit]

• 7.5 cm Pak 40 - Approximate German equivalent
• 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 - The 50 caliber successor to the M1918

Notes[edit]

1. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 6, 8.
2. ^Hogg - Allied Artillery of World War Two, p 152; Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 17.
3. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 17.
4. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 17, 18.
5. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 21.
6. ^Official Munitions Production of the United States, by Months, July 1, 1940 - August 31, 1945 (War Production Board and Civilian Production Administration, 1 May 1947) p. 138
7. ^ ^abHogg - Allied Artillery of World War Two, p 152-155.
8. ^Gabel - Seek, Strike and Destroy - US Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II, p 46-47; Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 17.
9. ^Gabel - Seek, Strike and Destroy - US Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II, p 47.
10. ^'T/O&E 18-35 Tank Destroyer Battalion, Towed (1 September 1944)'(PDF). Retrieved 18 June 2016.
11. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 20-21.
12. ^TD Battalion Attachments.
13. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 22-23, 33-34.
14. ^Denny - The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War, p 50-54.
15. ^Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 34.
16. ^Lee - The Employment of Negro Troops Chapter XXI: Artillery And Armored Units In The ETO.
17. ^Gabel - Seek, Strike and Destroy - US Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II, p 63; Zaloga - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, p 22-23, 33-34.
18. ^Denny - The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War, p 57-61.
19. ^Army.milArchived 29 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
20. ^Hunnicutt, R. P. - Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank, p 501.
21. ^Technical Manual TM 9-2005 volume 3, Infantry and Cavalry Accompanying Weapons, p 49.
22. ^Bird, Lorrin Rexford; Livingston, Robert D. (2001). WWII Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery. Overmatch Press. p. 63.

References[edit]

• Denny, Bryan E. (2003). The Evolution and Demise of U.S. Tank Destroyer Doctrine in the Second World War. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.^{[permanent dead link]}
• Gabel, Christopher R. (1985). Seek, Strike and Destroy - US Army Tank Destroyer Doctrine in World War II(PDF). Leavenworth papers no. 12. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Archived from the original(PDF) on 3 October 2008.
• Hogg, Ian V. (1998). Allied Artillery of World War Two. Crowood Press, Ramsbury. ISBN1-86126-165-9.
• Hunnicutt, R. P. (1992). Stuart: A History of the American Light Tank. Presidio Press. ISBN0-89141-462-2.
• Lee, Ulisses (1966). The Employment of Negro Troops. United States Army Center of Military History.
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2005). US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45. New Vanguard 107. illustrated by Brian Delf. Osprey Publishing. ISBN1-84176-690-9.
• Technical Manual TM 9-2005 volume 3, Infantry and Cavalry Accompanying Weapons. War Department, 1942.
• TM 9-2300 Standard Artillery and Fire Control Material. dated 1944
• TM 9-322 operators.
• SNL C-40 parts

External links[edit]

• Photo gallery at Kansas City Armor Modeling and Preservation Society website.^{[permanent dead link]}