M3 37 mm gun
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| 37mm Gun M3 | |
|---|---|
 Anti-tank gun crews training, Fort Benning, Apr 1942 |
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| Type | anti-tank gun |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Designed | 1938 |
| Manufacturer | Watervliet Arsenal, Rock Island Arsenal |
| Produced | 1940-1943 |
| Number built | over 20,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 413.68 kg |
| Length | 3.31 m |
| Width | 1.61 m |
| Height | 0.97 m |
| Crew | 4 |
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| Caliber | 37 mm |
| Breech | vertical block |
| Carriage | split trail |
| Elevation | -15 to +15 degrees |
| Traverse: | 60 degrees |
| Rate of fire | 5-20 rounds per minute |
| Muzzle velocity | up to 884 m/s |
| Sights | telescopic |
The 37mm Gun M3 was an American anti-tank gun which was the standard anti-tank weapon of the US Army at the early stage of World War II.
Contents |
[edit] Development history
United States was the last of major World War II combatants to field a dedicated anti-tank gun. In late 30s anti-tank companies of the US Army infantry regiments were still armed with .50-cal machine guns. Only in January 1937, inspired by reports about succesful use of anti-tank guns in Spanish Civil War, the Ordnance Committee recommended development of a such a weapon; a German PaK 35/36 was acquired for evaluation. The Infantry branch was chosen to oversee the work as a future primary user of the weapon. While some Ordnance officers considered larger caliber, the Infantry insisted on 37mm since it wanted lightweight gun which could be moved around by a four man crew. Development and testing continued until late 1938. Several alternative gun and carriage designs were proposed until on 15 December a combination of T10 gun and T5 cariage was officially adopted as 37mm Gun M3 and carriage M4.
The gun was manufactured by Watervliet Arsenal and the carriage by Rock Island Arsenal. First pieces were deliviered early in 1940. In summer 1943 the production of the M3 was terminated in favor of the 57mm Gun M1, which was US-produced version of the British QF 6 pounder. By then, over 20,000 pieces were built.
[edit] Organization and employment
According to the Table of Organization and Equipment (TO&E) valid in 1941, each infantry battalion had an anti-tank platoon with three 37mm guns and each regiment an anti-tank company with nine, totaling 18 pieces per regiment. 3/4 ton or 1/4 ton trucks were employed as prime movers. Two anti-tank companies were also supposed to be a part of the divisional anti-tank battalion (along with eight 75mm guns), but in December 1941 these battalions were reorganized as independent tank destroyer battalions and eventually opted for self-propelled anti-tank guns.
The M3 saw action for the first time during the defense of the Philippines in December 1941. Throughout the war it remained effective against thinly armored Japanese tanks and its weight allowed to move it through the jungle with relative ease. Because of thouse factors, the gun remained in service until the end of the war, being employed in both anti-tank and infantry support roles.
The experience of the North African Campaign was completely different. The gun was soon found out to be not powerful enough to deal with German Panzer III and Panzer IV and to be a generation behind contemporary British and German guns. After the nearly disastrous Battle of Kasserine Pass in February 1943, US Army reports mentioned 37mm projectiles "bouncing off like marbles" from turret and front armor of German medium tanks, proclaimed the gun "useless unless you have gun crews with the guts to stand and shoot from 100 yards" and included requests for more potent weapon. Army Ground Force, however, was still uncertain about the adequacy of the gun and knew it will take some time to replace it, so the TO&E from March left the M3 in place. Only on 26 May 1943 another new TO&E had the M3 replaced by the 57mm M1 guns, with 1 1/2 trucks as prime movers. Ironically, by then the British Army already started to deploy the much more powerful QF 17 pounder, keeping the "generation gap" open.
[edit] Variants
- Gun:
- T3 - first prototype; several more were developed
- T10 / M3 - first adopted version
- M3A1 (1942) - version with threaded barrel end to accept a gas deflector, to avoid raising dust under dry ground conditions. The deflector turned out to be a safety problem when used with canister shot and consequently never saw combat.
- Carriage:
- T1, T1E1 - prototypes
- T5 / M4 - first adopted version
- M4A1 (1942) - carriage with improved traverse controls. Although Ordnance requested upgrade of all M4 carriages M4; the process wasn't completed.
- In 1942 the Airborne Command requested a version with removable trails. A prototype was tested, but then the project was dropped as unnecessary in 1943.
In attempt to increase the armor penetration of the M3 several squeeze bore adaptors (including the British Littlejohn adaptor) were tested; none was adopted. Experiments with rocket launchers on the M4 carriage (e.g. 4.5in rocket projector T3) also didn't produce anything practical.
[edit] Ammunition
| Available ammunition[1] | |||||
| Type | Model | Weight, kg | HE weight, g | Muzzle velocity, m/s | Range, m |
| AP | AP Shot M74 | 0.87 | - | 792 | |
| APCBC steel shot with 3 second tracer | APC Shot M51B1 / M51B2 | 0.87 | - | 884 | |
| HE | HE Shell M52 | 386, TNT | |||
| Canister | Cannister Shell M2 | 122 lead balls | |||
| Armor penetration table[2] | |||
| AP Shot M74 | |||
| Distance, m | Meet angle 60°, mm | Meet angle 70°, mm | Meet angle 90°, mm |
| 457 | 36 | ||
| 914 | 26 | ||
| APC Shot M51B1 / M51B2 | |||
| Distance, m | Meet angle 60°, mm | Meet angle 70°, mm | Meet angle 90°, mm |
| 457 | 53 | 61 | |
| 914 | 46 | 53 | |
| 1,371 | 40 | ||
| 1,828 | 35 | ||
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Zaloga, Steven J., Brian Delf - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45 (2005) Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 107), ISBN 1-84176-690-9.
- USA Guns 37mm calibre: penetration table at "Guns vs Armour 1939 to 1945" website
- M3A1 37mm antitank gun at "World War II Gyrene" website
| United States artillery of World War II |
|---|
| Tank guns |
| 37 mm M5/M6 | 75 mm M2/M3/M6 | 76 mm M1 | 3in M7 | 90 mm M3 |
| Anti-tank guns |
| 37 mm M3 | 57 mm M1 | 3in M5 |
| Field, Medium and Heavy guns |
| 75 mm M1/M116 | 105 mm M2/M101 | 105 mm M3 155 mm M1/M114 | 155 mm M1/M2/M59 "Long Tom" | 203 mm M1/M2/M115 |
| Other vehicle mounted |
| 75 mm M2/M3 | 105 mm M1/M2 | 105 mm M4 | 155 mm M1918M1 | 155 mm M2 |
| Anti-aircraft guns |
| 37 mm M1 | 40 mm M1 | 3in M3 | 90 mm M1 |
