M59 Armored Personnel Carrier

M59 Armored Personnel Carrier. Pennsylvania Military Museum. , Open topped half-track personnel carriers in use during World War II did not adequately protect occupants from small arms fire and shrapnel. The U.S. Army developed APCs, or armored personnel carriers, to solve the problem. These sturdy vehicles were built like small tanks. In them, infantry soldiers could travel into battle in relative safety., About the M59 APC , Date accepted: 1953 , Total built: 6,300 , Manufacturer: FMC Corporation , Crew: 12 men (Driver and Commander in the front; squad of ten men in the rear) , Armament: .50 caliber machine gun at Commander's cupola , Armor: .625" at front, rear, and sides , Engine: Twin GMC Model 302; 6 cylinder, 4 cycle, inline gasoline , Horsepower: 254 @ 3350 rpm , Maximum speed (road): 32 mph , Maximum speed (water): 4.3 mph, The M59 APC could carry a squad of ten infantry soldiers over land or through water. The vehicle's fully enclosed body protected the forces within from small arms fire. With the seats folded up, an Army jeep could drive right into the carrier compartment., The M59 series APC was an improvement over earlier, more costly models. But the cheaper domestic engines installed in the vehicles left them underpowered. As a result, the M59 never saw combat. It was replaced by the M113 series in the 1960s.