Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma — The American South (West South Central)
U.S. M249 & M250 4x4 Heavy Gun-Lifting Trucks
Photographed by James Hulse, September 9, 2021
1. U.S. M249 & M250 4x4 Heavy Gun-Lifting Trucks Marker
Inscription.
U.S. M249 and M250 4x4 Heavy Gun-Lifting Trucks. . Developed as the T-10 Heavy Artillery Transporter by Kenworth Truck Company, this pair of trucks was standardized as the M249 for the front and M250 for the rear trucks in 1952. A total of sixty-six pairs were built in 1952-53, although only twenty 280mm guns were made. Both trucks were powered by the Continental AO-895-4 six-cylinder engine, which also powered the M75 Armored Personnel Carrier. The M249 driver in the front commanded the pair of trucks and controlled the air brakes for both. The two drivers communicated with one another by headsets and an interphone system. A hydraulic system powered the steering, a power winch and the massive lifting forks, which connected the 280mm gun to the trucks. An integral fifth wheel mounted on the chassis frame allowed for vertical, horizontal and axial movement of the lifting fork. A power winch on either truck was used to move the gun into traveling position for movement and into battery for action. The large size of the entire system was 85 ft long and 10 ft wide. This made it difficult to maneuver both on and off road in West Germany where six of the eight battalions were stationed. The tight corners in small German towns and the often rugged countryside led to a number of incidents and accidents., Weight (trucks) - 37,950/ 35,910 lbs. - 17,191/ 16,267 kg , Weight (w/gun) - 172,865 lbs. - 78,308 kg , Cruising Range - 175 miles - 280 km , Crew 4 , Top Speed - 40 mph - 64 kph , Engine - Continental AO-895-4, 6-cylinder, air cooled, 4-cycle horizontally-opposed gasoline engine, 375 hp , CCN# 112105, 112106
Developed as the T-10 Heavy Artillery Transporter by Kenworth Truck Company, this pair of trucks was standardized as the M249 for the front and M250 for the rear trucks in 1952. A total of sixty-six pairs were built in 1952-53, although only twenty 280mm guns were made. Both trucks were powered by the Continental AO-895-4 six-cylinder engine, which also powered the M75 Armored Personnel Carrier. The M249 driver in the front commanded the pair of trucks and controlled the air brakes for both. The two drivers communicated with one another by headsets and an interphone system. A hydraulic system powered the steering, a power winch and the massive lifting forks, which connected the 280mm gun to the trucks. An integral fifth wheel mounted on the chassis frame allowed for vertical, horizontal and axial movement of the lifting fork. A power winch on either truck was used to move the gun into traveling position for movement and into battery for action. The large size of the entire system was 85 ft long and 10 ft wide. This made it difficult to maneuver both on and off road in West Germany where six of the eight battalions were
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stationed. The tight corners in small German towns and the often rugged countryside led to a number of incidents and accidents.
Weight (trucks) - 37,950/ 35,910 lbs. - 17,191/ 16,267 kg
Weight (w/gun) - 172,865 lbs. - 78,308 kg
Cruising Range - 175 miles - 280 km
Crew 4
Top Speed - 40 mph - 64 kph
Engine - Continental AO-895-4, 6-cylinder, air cooled, 4-cycle horizontally-opposed gasoline engine, 375 hp
CCN# 112105, 112106
Erected by U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum. (Marker Number 012.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, Cold. A significant historical year for this entry is 1952.
Location. 34° 39.968′ N, 98° 23.053′ W. Marker is in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, in Comanche County. It is at the intersection of Corral Road and Randolph Road, on the right when traveling west on Corral Road. The marker is located in the central section of Artillery Park at the U.S. Army Field Artillery Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Sill OK 73503, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Oklahoma’s Kiowa Tribe, in the Comanche Nation, and in
Photographed by James Hulse, September 9, 2021
2. U.S. M249 & M250 4x4 Heavy Gun-Lifting Trucks Marker
Southwest Oklahoma. It is also in the American South, specifically on the prairies, and on the Southern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comancherνa, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Louisiana Purchase.
More about this marker. Marker and Museum are located on Fort Sill, an active
Photographed by James Hulse, September 9, 2021
3. The U.S. M250 4x4 Heavy Gun-Lifting Truck and Marker
U.S. military installation. The museum is open to the public, but appropriate identification is required for access for Fort Sill.
Also see . . . U.S. Army Artillery Museum. (Submitted on February 26, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed by James Hulse, September 9, 2021
4. The Heavy Gun-Lifting Trucks and the M65 280mm Atomic Gun
Credits. This page was last revised on February 27, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 978 times since then and 98 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 27, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
