M6 Gun Motor Carriage

37 mm Gun Motor Carriage M6
Side view of 37 mm GMC M6.
Type	Tank destroyer
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1942–1945
Used by	United States,  Free France
Wars	World War II
Specifications
Weight	3.33 tonnes (7,350 lb)
Length	4.52 m (14 ft 10 in)
Width	2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Height	2.10 m (6 ft 11 in)
Crew	4 (Commander, (2×) gun crew, driver)
Armor	Gun Shield: 6.35 mm (0.25 in)
Main armament	37 mm Gun M3 80 rounds
Engine	Dodge T-214 99 hp (73 kW)
Power/weight	29.73 hp/tonne
Suspension	Semi-Elliptic
Operational range	297 km (180 mi)
Speed	55 km/h (33 mph)

The 37 mm Gun Motor Carriage M6 was a modified Dodge Light Truck mounting a light anti-tank gun. It was used by the US Army for infantry support and tank defense. It operated from late 1942 to January 1945 in the Mediterranean, European, and Pacific theaters of war.

Description

The 37 mm GMC M6 was a 3/4-ton 4x4 Dodge WC-55 truck with a rear-facing 37 mm Gun M3 mounted in the bed of the truck (portee). The gun was normally fired to the rear - it could not be fully depressed when pointed to the front of the vehicle due to blast effects on the crew and vehicle windshield. The gun fired the AP M74 Shot Armor Piercing shell that could penetrate 1.4 inches of armour at 500 yards. Other ammunition carried throughout its service life were; APC M51 Projectile (Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap) (penetrated 2.4 inches of armour at 500 yards), and the HE (High Explosive) M63 Projectile. Eighty rounds of 37 mm ammunition were carried aboard.^[1]

The crew were equipped with personal weapons for self defense.

Service

With the design standardized in February 1942, 5,380 GMC 37 mm M6 tank destroyers were built between April and October, 1942, at a cost of $4,265 per unit.^[2] American doctrine planned for tank destroyers to engage enemy tanks while tanks were used principally to support infantry. The 37 mm GMC M6 saw limited employment with U.S. forces (the 601st and 701st Tank Destroyer Battalions) during the campaign in Tunisia in late 1942 and early 1943. The vehicle was not well liked because it lacked armour and carried an antitank gun that was largely ineffective against German tanks of the period. The 37 mm GMC M6 also saw limited use in the Pacific Theater in 1943 and 1944.^[3] The 37 mm GMC M6 was soon classified as "limited standard" in September 1943, because of the availability of more powerful tank destroyers mounting 75 mm and 3 inch cannon. In January 1945, the GMC M6 was declared obsolete.

After the Tunisian campaign, many M6 Fargos had their 37 mm gun removed and reverted to a cargo truck role as the (WC-52) Some of these 37 mm guns were mounted onto halftracks to provide the armored infantry a gun halftrack.^[4] Other 37 mm GMC M6 vehicles found their way into service with the French Army, and were later provided to French Forces of the Interior units after the liberation of France.^[5] Despite the vehicle's obvious limitations on the battlefields of North west Europe 1944–1945, the FFI used practically any vehicle they could obtain because of equipment shortages of all kinds.

See also

• AEC Mk I Gun Carrier "Deacon" — British 6 pounder (57 mm gun) on armoured truck of 1942.
• G-numbers, (G121)
• M-numbers
• Dodge WC series

References

Notes

1. ^ Hogg, Ian V. (introduction), The American Arsenal, page 45. Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 2001. This is a reprint of the U.S. War Department Ordnance Standard Catalog. Other reference data for the GMC M6 is provided as well.
2. ^ Zaloga, Stephen J., U.S. Tank Destroyers in Combat 1941-1945, page 3. Hong Kong: Concord Publications, 1996.
3. ^ Zaloga, pages 4 and 64.
4. ^ Zaloga, page 12.
5. ^ Zaloga, page 4.

Bibliography

External links

• M6 Gun Motor Carriage at Roberts Armory