The 3-Inch Antitank Gun M5/M6
Responding to the battlefield realities encountered in the North African campaign against German armor, the United States Army Ordinance Department began to develop a heavier anti-tank gun to replace the diminutive 37mm M3A1 then serving on the front lines in 1942. By modifying the chamber of the barrel from the 3-inch Antiaircraft gun, (M3) and replacing the breech with that of the 105mm Howitzer (M2A1), a hybrid barrel, classified as the 3-inch Anti-tank gun (M5) was put into production. The new gun was then mounted to the M6 carriage, which was also developed out of the 105mm Howitzer's and further modified with sloped shields to protect the crew from small arms fire. The new gun, designated the 3-inch Antitank Gun, M5/M6 was capable of penetrating armor 3.31 inches thick at 2,000 yards. Although heavy, requiring a 6x6 vehicle to haul it into combat, the 2,500 pieces produced during the war proved worthy weapons against Axis armor.HM Number | HM1ZF6 |
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Tags | |
Placed By | U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center |
Marker Condition | No reports yet |
Date Added | Wednesday, July 5th, 2017 at 9:03am PDT -07:00 |
UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 18T E 316243 N 4452807 |
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Decimal Degrees | 40.20555000, -77.15913333 |
Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 40° 12.333', W 77° 9.548' |
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 40° 12' 19.98" N, 77° 9' 32.88" W |
Driving Directions | Google Maps |
Area Code(s) | 717 |
Closest Postal Address | At or near Army Heritage Trail, Carlisle PA 17013, US |
Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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