5 (commander, gunner, driver, two loaders, and a driver)
Weight:
20,000 lbs
Dimensions:
Length: 20.46 ft, Width: 7.29 ft, Height: 8.17 ft
Armament:
1 x 75 mm (3.0 in)
Armor:
0.25–0.625 in.
Powerplant:
White 160AX, 6-cylinder engine
Performance:
Range: 150 mi, Speed: 47 mph
Description
Manufactured by Autocar during the Second World War, the M3 Gun Motor Carriage (M3 GMC) was a U. S. Army tank destroyer equipped with a 75mm gun. The U.S. Army Ordnance Department began designing a self-propelled artillery vehicle after the Fall of France in 1940. Advances in technology drastically altered warfare tactics from static trench defenses to the rapid deployment of mechanized weapons. Self-propelled artillery radically contributed to the Axis Power victories.
With a shortage of self-propelled anti-tank weapons, the U.S. Army decided to mount the 75mm M1897A4 gun to the newly produced M3 half-tracked chassis. Initially accepted by the U.S. Army in October 1941 as the T12, the designation changed to M3 GMC when a newly designed gun shield compatible with the 75mm M1897A4 gun was attached. The M3 was deployed with U.S. forces to the Pacific and European Theaters. It was not supplied through the Lend-Lease program.
Service History
The M3 GMC was first utilized during the defense of the Philippines, 1941–42. The following year, it was used as a tank destroyer in the North African Campaign. A few M3s were deployed during the invasion of Sicily in 1943. By this time, the U.S. military had started replacing it. The U.S. Marine Corps utilized the M3 during the Island-Hopping Campaigns in the Pacific Theater. It was used by the British military as a scouting vehicle. Production of the M3 GMC ended in April 1943 with over 2,200 produced. It was deemed obsolete and phased-out of service by wars’ end.
