37mm Antitank Gun M3

37mm Antitank Gun M3. . Between 1933-1935, the U.S. Army procured and tested several foreign antitank guns. The German 37mm Rhinemetall, with ammunition rated at 2,600 feet per second, proved to be the most interesting. This gun used a rubber-tired split trail carriage making it light enough to be pulled by a one-ton motor vehicle and manhandled by the crew., In 1937 the Army built and tested the 37mm Antitank Gun T3, a weapon that weighed no more than 1,000 pounds. Much of the design was copied from the German Rhinemetall gun, except for the rotary breech, which was replaced with a dropping block breech, making it simpler to manufacture and easier to load., In 1939 the Army adopted the 37mm Antitank Gun M3 and production of more than 18,000 guns began immediately. Production continued until 1943. The 37mm gun served as the basis for the nearly identical 37mm gun used on U.S. Army tanks in World War II, especially on the M3A1 Stuart., The 37mm Antitank Gun M3 first saw combat in North Africa in late 1942 and was found to be too light for the armor encountered. However, the gun proved effective against all Japanese tanks encountered during the war. The Army also revived the canister artillery projectile not used since the Civil War era. The canister was a lightweight metal case filled with steel balls packed in wood, flour, or a similar soft material. When fired, the gun had a shotgun effect, spraying charging troops with steel balls., This antitank gun was manufactured in 1942 by the U.S. Machine Co. The M4 two-wheeled carriage was produced by the Duplex Printing Press Company in Battle Creek, Michigan., Specifications: , Weight: 912 pounds , Range: 12,850 yards (7.3 miles) maximum, 500 yards antitank , Rate of fire: 20 rounds/minute in burst, 5 rounds /minute prolonged fire , Projectile weight: 1.5 - 2 pounds , Muzzle velocity: 2,900 feet per second, (captions) , At New River, North Carolina, during early testing for the Bantam jeep, a photographer captured this image of a flying jeep towing a 37mm antitank gun. (Library of Congress), In December 1942 on Guadalcanal, a 37-mm. antitank gun M3 was used in an emplacement the Matanikau River. (Department of Defense), In the foreground is a 37-mm antitank gun M3 aboard ship during transport to New Caledonia during the early days of World War II. (Department of Defense), Between 31 January and 3 February 1944, the men of the 7th Division, U.S. Army, move a 37mm antitank gun up to the front line on Kwajalein Atoll during the World War Il battle for this island. (Department of Defense), The 442nd Combat Team made up entirely of Americans of Japanese descent trained in setting up antitank defenses at Camp Shelby, Mississippi in July of 1943. This all volunteer unit of approximately 8,000 men trained on the 37mm antitank gun. (Department of Defense), A 37mm antitank gun and crew wait for an expected German column through Faid Pass, 14 February 1943. (Department of Defense)