![]() ![]() 1944 saw 1,000 additional guns added and total manufacture reached approximately 2,500 weapons by the end of the war in September of 1945 (production had ended back in 1944).Īs completed, the M5 utilized a conventional artillery piece arrangement. Production the first year totaled 250 units followed by 1,250 units in 1943. Production was quickly enacted in 1942 to which field units - the American Army already committed to World War 2 by now - reached frontlines in 1943. This then led to the gun's adoption as the "3-inch Gun M5" in U.S. In September of 1941, the weapon emerged as the prototype "3-inch Gun T10" and it entered the requisite testing phase which proved the overall arrangement sound. ![]() The weapon included the breech and recoil mechanism of the howitzer design for expediency. ![]() The United States Army had begun development of such a weapon as early as 1940 and took the gun component of the T9 anti-aircraft system and mated it to the carriage of the M2 field howitzer. This pushed development of larger-caliber anti-tank guns which came in the 76mm caliber range.© By the time of World War 2, the 37mm type was becoming limited and the 50mm type was soon to reach its battlefield usefulness. These evolved into 37mm and 50mm caliber forms until tank development progressed beyond the effectiveness of these weapon systems. ![]() Chiefly, it was artillery that remained a tank's worst enemy in the war accounting for more of their destruction than any other weapon (although general mechanical breakdowns also proved an early tank's undoing).ĭuring the interwar years following, engineers set about on utilizing the basic concept of the field gun as a towed anti-tank weapon. Since British and French tanks made their presence along the West Front during World War 1 (1914-1918), it fell to the Germans on the other side of the battlefield to develop counters which ultimately evolved along several avenues - a tank of their own in the forgettable A7V and the Mauser 1918 T-Gewehr anti-tank rifle being two notable developments. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |