M20 recoilless rifle
| M20 recoilless rifle | |
|---|---|
 An M20 recoilless rifle in action during the Korean War | |
| Type | Recoilless anti-tank weapon |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1944 |
| Produced | 1945 |
| Variants | Type 56 |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 103 lb (47 kg) |
| Length | 82 in (2.1 m) |
| Barrel length | 65 in (1.7 m) |
| Crew | 1 or 2[2] |
| Shell | 75 x 408 mm R[3] HE, HEAT, Smoke |
| Shell weight | 20.5–22.6 lb (9.3–10.3 kg) |
| Caliber | 75 mm (3.0 in) |
| Recoil | Recoilless |
| Carriage | M1917A1 tripod |
| Elevation | −27° to +65° |
| Traverse | 360°[2] |
| Muzzle velocity | 1,000 ft/s (300 m/s) |
| Maximum firing range | 3.9 mi (6.3 km)[2] |
The M20 recoilless rifle is a U.S. 75 mm caliber
History
During World War II, the U.S. military recognized that, due to advancements in armor technology by enemy forces, a powerful lightweight weapon was needed to defend infantry and light armor units. The Ordnance Department Small Arms Division commenced development of a recoilless rifle and, by 1944, models of a 75 mm recoilless rifle were being tested. Production of the M20 was underway by March 1945; only limited numbers were used by Allied troops in the European and Pacific theaters.
The M20 relied on a perforated artillery shell casing, combined with a rear vented breech using propellant gases from the firing of a shell, to greatly reduce the recoil of the weapon. It is this use of vented propellant gases that eliminated the need for a recoil system, thereby reducing the weight of the launcher and enhancing its use as a light infantry weapon.
The M20 was one of the main anti-tank weapons used by the U.S. military in the early days of the Korean War along with the 2.36-inch Bazooka. However, the recoilless rifle failed to destroy any North Korean T-34-85 during the Battle of Osan on July 5, 1950. After the deployment of the 3.5-inch M20 Super Bazooka in mid-July, the M20 recoilless rifle no longer functioned as an anti-tank weapon, and was used as an infantry support weapon. It was a very effective weapon to destroy enemy bunkers and trenches with easy transportation benefitted from light weight while providing great firepower.[4]
The Royal Moroccan Army used M20s during the Western Sahara War against the Polisario Front.[6]
China also produced unlicensed copies, known as the Type 52 and Type 56 (an upgraded version that could fire fin-stabilized HEAT shells). These versions were widely used by the
Operators
Albania: Type 56[9]
Argentina: M20[10]
Brazil: M20[10]
Burkina Faso: Type 52[10]
Burundi: Type 52[10]
Cameroon: Type 52[11]
Colombia: M20[10]
Democratic Republic of the Congo: M20[10]
People's Republic of China: Type 52 and Type 56[10]
El Salvador[10]
Ethiopian Empire: M20s were used by the Kagnew Battalion[12]
France
Guinea-Bissau: Type 52[10]
Indonesia: Type 52 and Type 56 used by Indonesian Marine Corps[13]
Lebanon
Mauritania: M20[10]
Myanmar:Both US M-20 and Chinese Type 52 and Type 56[citation needed]
Netherlands[14]
Niger: M20[10]
Pakistan: Type 52[10]
Paraguay: M20[10]
Philippines: M20[10]
Saudi Arabia: M20[10]
South Korea: The Armed Forces began receiving M20s from the U.S. in 1951, and 601 were in service with the Army by the end of the Korean War.[4]
Tanzania: Type 52[10]
Togo: Type 56[10]
United States
Vietnam: Type 52 and Type 56[10]
South Vietnam: M20[15]
Turkey: M20[16] 617 units.
Yemen: M20[10]
Yugoslavia: M20[10]
Zambia: M20[10]
See also
- M18 recoilless rifle – smaller 57mm model of the same era
- M40 recoilless rifle
- M29 Weasel – the "M29C Type A" variant had a center-mounted M20 as its armament
- List of weapons of the Lebanese Civil War
- Weapons of the Vietnam War
- Weapons of the Cambodian Civil War
- Weapons of the Laotian Civil War
Notes
- ^ Huon, Jean (March 1992). "L'armement français en A.F.N." Gazette des Armes (in French). No. 220. pp. 12–16.
- ^ OCLC 2067391.
- ^ "75-77 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
- ^ ISBN 979-11-5598-079-8.
- ^ "United States Military Artillery for Avalanche Control Program:A Brief History in Time" (PDF). USDA Forest Service National Avalanche Center. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
- ISBN 978-1-4742-9257-3.
- ISBN 9781846033711.
- ^ A Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40/42 of the AMAL militia in 1984 armed with a Chinese made Type 56 75mm recoilless rifle.
- ^ partisan1943 (April 2018). "Eastern Bloc militaries". Eastern Bloc militaries. Retrieved 2021-10-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ ISBN 9780710623171.
- ISBN 9781032012278.
- ^ "Ethiopians in the Korean War: WWII gear used". wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com. August 18, 2016.[self-published source]
- ^ Jalesveva Jayamahe, p.125
- Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (South Korea). pp. 67–68.
- ISBN 9781849081818.
- ^ "Turkey Turkish army land ground armed defense forces military equipment armored vehicle intelligence | Turkey Turkish army land ground forces UK | West Europe army military land forces UK". 2018-08-08. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2021-05-03.
References
- TM 9-2300 Artillery Materiel and Associated Equipment. dated May 1949
- TM 9-314 operators, and maintenance
- SNL C-74 parts
External links
- The short film STAFF FILM REPORT 66-21A (1966) is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.