M15 half-track
| M15 Combination Gun Motor Carriage | |
|---|---|
M2 Browning machine guns | |
| Engine | White 160AX, 386 in3 (6,330 cc) 6-cylinder, gasoline, compression ratio 6.3:1 128 hp (95 kW) |
| Power/weight | 15.8 hp/ton |
| Suspension | Half-track, vertical volute springs; front leaf spring |
| Fuel capacity | 60 US gal (230 L) |
Operational range | 150 mi (240 km) |
| Maximum speed | 41.9 mph (67.4 km/h) |
The M15 half-track, officially designated M15 Combination Gun Motor Carriage, was a
The M15 evolved from the T28 project, an outgrowth of a 37 millimeter (1.5 in) gun mounted on an
During World War II, the vehicle served the U.S. Army throughout the
Specifications
The M15 was based on the
Development
The M15 design developed from the
T28E1
A United States Army
A total of eighty T28E1s were produced from July to August 1942 by White, all of which had a mount lacking protection for the gun combination and crew. After this initial run the vehicle gained an armored mount and went into production as the M15 CGMC.[6][12] Some of the T28E1s still in service had their 37 mm guns removed and were converted into M3A1 half-tracks.[13]
M15, M15A1, M15 "Special"
The M15 was equipped with the M42 armored weapon mount, with two water-cooled coaxial M2 Browning machine guns above a 37 mm gun.[4] A total of 680 M15s were produced in 1943 by Autocar before the considerable stress this mount placed on the M3 chassis resulted in its replacement with the M54 mount. The new mount reversed weapon placement, used simpler and lighter air-cooled M2 Brownings, and added a M6 sighting system.[8][14]
The resulting combination of the M54 mount with the M3A1 half-track chassis was designated the M15A1 CGMC.[10] A total of 1,052 were produced in 1943, and a further 600 in 1944.[15][16] 100 M15s were shipped to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease policy.[17] Both the M42 mount and M15 CGMC were classified as obsolete in August 1946.[18]
The M15 "Special" was the unofficial name for an M15 (and probably other CGMCs) adapted in depots in Australia to carry only a single
Service history
The proficiency of this mobile weapon can be attributed to three characteristics: its mobility, enabling it to work well in close support of combat troops in forward areas and to patrol roads over which heavy traffic must travel under constant threat of bombing and strafing; its flexible firepower, combining the volume of caliber .50 with the knocking power of the 37 mm; and the facility which the fire is controlled, by using the tracer stream from the caliber .50 to bring it on target before opening up with the full volume of armament. Numerous cases are cited in which a "mouse trap" effect has been obtained which enemy planes came in much closer on the initial caliber .50 fire than they would on a light cannon and were caught by the 37 mm.[6]
A U.S. Army report from North Africa[6]
The M15 was first used during
Each US Army
The M15 and M15A1 served in a ground-support role during the Korean War.[12][16][21] The M34 (instead of the M15A1, which was then classified as "limited standard") served with several AAA battalions there, including the 76th AAA Battalion and the 140th AAA Battalion. Several M15 "Specials" managed to avoid being scrapped in the post-war period and were also used, along with those converted in Japan.[18][22] After World War II, many M15s were provided to Japan under the Military Aid Program (MAP).[17] At least 20 were sent to Yugoslavia during the Informbiro period.[23]
See also
- M45 Quadmount
- List of U.S. military vehicles by model number
- List of U.S. military vehicles by supply catalog designation
- Sd.Kfz. 251, equivalent German half-track
References
- ^ a b c Berndt (1993), p. 152.
- ^ a b Ness (2002), p. 206.
- ^ Hunnicutt (2001), p. 221.
- ^ a b Berndt (1994), p. 34.
- ^ Hogg & Weeks (1980), p. 94.
- ^ a b c d Green & Green (2000), p. 151.
- ^ Gander (2013), p. 234.
- ^ a b Hunnicutt (2001), p. 131.
- ^ Popular Mechanics (1943), p. 7.
- ^ a b Green & Green (2000), p. 152.
- ^ Zaloga (1994), p. 38.
- ^ a b c Berndt (1994) p. 32.
- ^ Rottman (2012), p. 30.
- ^ Hunter (1951), p. 220
- ^ a b c Berndt (1994), p. 33.
- ^ a b c d Ness (2002) p. 193.
- ^ a b c Zaloga (1994), pp. 42–43.
- ^ a b c Hunnicutt (2001), p. 195.
- ^ Zaloga (1994), p. 38.
- ^ Hunnicutt (2001), p. 185.
- ^ a b Zaloga (1994), pp. 40–41.
- ^ Doyle (2011), p. 395.
- ISSN 1765-0828.
Sources
- Berndt, Thomas (1993). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles. Iola, WI: ISBN 0-87341-223-0.
- Berndt, Thomas (1994). American Tanks of World War II. Minneapolis, MN: ISBN 0-87938-930-3.
- Doyle, David (2011). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles (Second ed.). Iola, WI: Krause Publications. ISBN 978-1-4402-2572-7.
- Gander, Terry (2013). The Bofors Gun. Barnsley, UK: ISBN 978-1-4738-3680-8.
- Green, Michael; Green, Gladys (2000). Weapons of Patton's Armies. Minneapolis, MN: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 0-7603-0821-7.
- Hogg, Ian V.; Weeks, John S. (1980). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: ISBN 0-13-450817-3.
- Hunnicutt, R.P. (2001). Half-Track: A History of American Semi-Tracked Vehicles. Novato, CA: ISBN 0-89141-742-7.
- Hunter, Kenneth E. (1951). The War Against Germany and Italy: Mediterranean And Adjacent Areas. United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. ISBN 0-16-087289-8.
- Ness, Leland S. (2002). Jane's World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles. London, UK: ISBN 0-00-711228-9.
- Rottman, Gordon (2009). World War II US Armored Infantry Tactics. Oxford, UK: ISBN 978-1-78096-083-8.
- ISBN 1-85532-467-9.
Journals
- Magazines, Hearst (December 1943). "Hit-Run Ack-Ack Guns Mounted on a Half-Track". Popular Mechanics. 80 (6): 7. (including "cover artwork")
Further reading
- Cooper, Belton Y. (2003). Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II. New York, NY: Ballatine Books. ISBN 978-1-299-17054-4.