T3 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage

The T3 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage was an early attempt to produce self-propelled artillery by mounting an howitzer on the chassis of the M1 Combat Car (later the M1 Light Tank).

The M1 Combat Car was a small light tank produced for the US cavalry, normally armed with two machine guns in a single turret that spanned the entire width of the vehicle. On the T3 this turret was removed. A M1A1 75mm pack howitzer was installed in the fuselage, protected by armoured doors. A single machine gun was still carried, in a small turret mounted to the left of the main gun. This turret closely resembled the left-hand turret on the M2A2 Light Tank, which was armed with two separate machine gun turrets.

When the doors were open the howitzer could traverse 10 degrees to left and 15 degrees to right and had a range of elevation from -10 degrees to +20. When the door were closed it couldn't be traversed, but could still be elevated.

The T3 was tested by the Field Artillery, but was rejected because it was far too cramped. It was briefly examined by the Armored Force, which considered using it as an assault gun, but didn't proceed with the project. Some of the data from the T3 was used in the development of the T18 Howitzer Motor Carriage, which was based on the M3 Light Tank, but that project also failed to reach production.

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (31 March 2014), T3 75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_T3_75mm_HMC.html

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