3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3

3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3
3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3
	A 3-inch M3 anti-aircraft gun on a M2A2 carriage, preserved in Brazil
Type	Anti-aircraft gun
Place of origin	USA
Service history
In service	1928–1945
Used by	USA
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1927
Produced	1928
Variants	Anti-tank
Specifications
Mass	Complete: 16,800 lb (7,600 kg); Barrel: 2,302 lb (1,044 kg)
Length	25 ft (7.6 m)
Barrel length	12.6 ft (3.8 m) 50 caliber
Width	7 ft (2.1 m)
Height	9.4 ft (2.9 m)
Shell	Fixed QF 76.2 x 585R
Shell weight	Complete: 24.6 lb (11.2 kg); Projectile: 12.8 lb (5.8 kg)
Caliber	76.2 mm (3 in)
Action	Semi-automatic
Breech	Vertical sliding-wedge
Recoil	Hydro-pneumatic
Carriage	Four wheel with four collapsible outriggers
Elevation	−1° to +80°
Traverse	360°
Rate of fire	25 rpm
Muzzle velocity	854 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
Effective firing range	21,000 ft (6,400 m) +85°
Maximum firing range	8.3 mi (13.4 km) +45°

Last updated May 14, 2023

The 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 was an American anti-aircraft gun which served throughout the 1930s and possibly into early World War II. ^[2] Developed from the earlier 3-inch M1917 and 3-inch M1918 guns, it was in the process of being replaced by the time of the US entry into World War II, but was subsequently adapted into an anti-tank gun role, both free-standing (as the 3-inch M5) and in a self-propelled tank destroyer (the M10). It may have seen action in the Pacific Theatre.^[2]

History

During the late 1920s, M1917 and M1918 guns were fitted with removable barrel liners and re-designated as 3-inch M1, M2, or M3 guns, depending on the variant they were upgraded from. The most numerous variant was the M3 which was introduced in 1928 and consisted of a new barrel with a removable autofretted liner. During the 1930s further upgrades were proposed but these were abandoned with the adoption of the 90 mm gun M1 in 1938.^[2]

Design

The M3 consisted of a 76.2 mm (3 in) barrel 50 calibers in length, which had a removable liner and a semi-automatic vertical sliding-wedge breech. The barrel had a hydro-pneumatic recoil system and when fired the breech ejected the shell casing and remained open until a new round was loaded. The M2A2 cruciform carriage had a circular center section and four perforated steel outriggers for stability. For transport, the outriggers folded and a two-wheeled, single axle bogie could be screwed onto the outriggers at each end. The carriage had pneumatic tires, electric brakes and was capable of being towed at high speeds. The gun was provided with a set of equilibrators and was capable of both high angle fire +80° and 360° of traverse.^[1]

Anti-tank gun

In September 1940 a project started to adapt the 3-inch gun to the anti-tank role, starting with the T9 experimental model but equipping it with the breech, recoil system and carriage borrowed from the 105mm M2 howitzer. The gun was accepted for service as the 3-inch M5.^[3]

A similar derivative of the T9 – the 3-inch M6 – was intended to be mounted on the M5 self-propelled gun, which was eventually abandoned. A final adaptation was the 3-inch M7, which included minor modifications for mounting on the M6 heavy tank and M10 tank destroyer. The M7 saw wide use although it was supplanted to some extent by more powerful weapons such as the 90mm M3 and the British QF 17 pounder. A total of 6,824 M7 guns were manufactured.^[3]

Ammunition

The M3 fired a Fixed QF 76.2 × 585R round and a number of different styles of ammunition were available:

Armor-piercing
Armor-piercing capped
High explosive ^[1]

Photo gallery

The predecessor of the M3; the M1918 in traveling position.
No. 2 Gun Crew, Btry D, 208th CA AA, man their 3-inch AA gun at New Fighter Strip, Dobodura, New Guinea (17 May 1943).
Secretary of War James W. Good inspects an M3 in traveling position near the White House in 1929.
3-inch anti-tank gun M6 at Fort Lewis, Washington, USA.
M10 tank destroyer with the 3-inch gun M7.

Related Research Articles

The 76 mm Mountain Gun Model 1909 was a rapid-fire mountain gun based on the Schneider-Danglis mountain gun that was used by the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and the Red Army during World War II

The French 75 mm field gun was a quick-firing field artillery piece adopted in March 1898. Its official French designation was: Matériel de 75 mm Mle 1897. It was commonly known as the French 75, simply the 75 and Soixante-Quinze. The French 75 was designed as an anti-personnel weapon system for delivering large volumes of time-fused shrapnel shells on enemy troops advancing in the open. After 1915 and the onset of trench warfare, other types of battlefield use demanding impact-detonated high-explosive shells prevailed. By 1918 the 75s became the main agents of delivery for toxic gas shells. The 75s also became widely used as truck mounted anti-aircraft artillery. They were the main armament of the Saint-Chamond tank in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordnance QF 17-pounder</span> Anti-tank gun and tank gun

The Ordnance Quick-Firing 17-pounder was a 76.2 mm (3 inch) gun developed by the United Kingdom during World War II. It was used as an anti-tank gun on its own carriage, as well as equipping a number of British tanks. Used with the APDS shot, it was capable of defeating all but the thickest armour on German tanks. It was used to 'up-gun' some foreign-built vehicles in British service, notably to produce the Sherman Firefly variant of the US M4 Sherman tank, giving British tank units the ability to hold their own against their German counterparts. In the anti-tank role, it was replaced after the war by the 120 mm BAT recoilless rifle. As a tank gun, it was succeeded by the 84 mm 20 pounder.

The 90 mm gun M1/M2/M3 was an American heavy anti-aircraft and anti-tank gun, playing a role similar to the German 8.8cm Flak 18. It had a 3.5 in (90 mm) diameter bore, and a 50 caliber barrel, giving it a length of 15 ft (4.6 m). It was capable of firing a 3.5 in × 23.6 in shell 62,474 ft (19,042 m) horizontally, or a maximum altitude of 43,500 ft (13,300 m).

The QF 3.7-inch AA was Britain's primary heavy anti-aircraft gun during World War II. It was roughly the equivalent of the German Flak 8.8 cm and American 90 mm, but with a slightly larger calibre of 3.7 inches, approximately 94 mm. Production began in 1937 and it was used throughout World War II in all theatres except the Eastern Front. It remained in use after the war until AA guns were replaced by guided missiles beginning in 1957.

The Cannone da 90/53 was an Italian-designed cannon used both in an anti-aircraft role and as an anti-tank gun during World War II. It was one of the most successful anti-aircraft guns to see service during the conflict. The naval version of the gun was mounted on Italian battleships of the Littorio-class and the Andrea Doria-class.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3-inch gun M1918</span> Anti-Aircraft Gun

The 3-inch gun M1918 was a United States 3-inch anti-aircraft gun that entered service in 1918 and served until it was largely superseded by the 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 in 1930, though the M1918 remained with some National Guard units until early in World War II. The M3 was subsequently replaced by the M1 90mm AA gun early in World War II, primarily during 1942. The M3 3" gun was later adapted for the anti-tank role, serving as the main armament of the M10 tank destroyer during World War II.

The 3-inch gun M5 was an anti-tank gun developed in the United States during World War II. The gun combined a 3-inch (76.2 mm) barrel of the anti-aircraft gun T9 and elements of the 105 mm howitzer M2. The M5 was issued exclusively to the US Army tank destroyer battalions starting in 1943. It saw combat in the Italian Campaign and on the Western Front in Northwest Europe.

The British BL 6-inch gun Mk XIX was introduced in 1916 as a lighter and longer-range field gun replacement for the obsolescent BL 6-inch gun Mk VII.

The QF 3-inch 20 cwt anti-aircraft gun became the standard anti-aircraft gun used in the home defence of the United Kingdom against German Zeppelins airships and bombers and on the Western Front in World War I. It was also common on British warships in World War I and submarines in World War II. 20 cwt referred to the weight of the barrel and breech, to differentiate it from other 3-inch guns. While other AA guns also had a bore of 3 inches (76 mm), the term 3-inch was only ever used to identify this gun in the World War I era, and hence this is what writers are usually referring to by 3-inch AA gun.

The 8 cm Feldkanone M.5 was a field gun used by Austria-Hungary during World War I. It was a conventional design, with its most notable feature being its obsolescent autofrettaged bronze barrel, necessary because Austria-Hungary still had trouble making steel of the proper quality.

The Canon de 75 contre avion modèle 1940 Schneider was a French 75 mm anti-aircraft gun designed and manufactured by Schneider et Cie at Le Creusot. These guns were used by the French Army during the Second World War.

The Ordnance QF 95-mm howitzer was a British howitzer built in two versions during the Second World War. The tank howitzer version was accepted for service use, but the infantry version was not.

The Type 41 3-inch (76 mm) naval gun otherwise known as the 8 cm/40 3rd Year Type naval gun was a Japanese dual-purpose gun introduced before World War I. Although designated as 8 cm (3.15 in), its shells were 76.2 mm (3 in) in diameter.

The L-11 76.2 mm tank gun was a Soviet tank gun, used on the earliest models of the T-34 Model 1940 medium tank and KV-1 Model 1939 heavy tank during World War II.

The 45 mm anti-tank gun model 1932 was a light quick-firing anti-tank gun used in the interwar period and in the first stage of the German-Soviet War. It was created by factory No. 8 which was located in now Korolyov city, under leadership of engineer V. Bering.

The Canon de 75 antiaérien mle 1913–1917 were a family of French 75 mm anti-aircraft guns designed and manufactured by Schneider et Cie at Le Creusot. The guns were used by the French Army during the First World War and Second World War.

The 76 mm air defense gun M1931 was an anti-aircraft gun used by the Soviet Union during the Winter War and the first stages of World War II.

The Canon de 305 modèle 1893/96 à berceau was a French railroad gun that saw action during the First and Second World Wars.

The Cannone da 75/27 A.V. was an anti-aircraft gun developed in Italy during the First World War that also saw service during the Second World War.

References

1 2 3 4 5 Hogg, Ian (2014-11-02). The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalogue. Barnsley, South Yorkshire. pp. 189–190. ISBN 9781473897021. OCLC 958355682.
1 2 3 Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 56. ISBN 978-0668038188. OCLC 2000222.
1 2 Chamberlain, Peter (1974). Anti-tank weapons. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 49. ISBN 978-0668036078. OCLC 1299755.

External links

Media related to 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Hogg_2014-1] 1 2 3 4 5 Hogg, Ian (2014-11-02). The American Arsenal: The World War II Official Standard Ordnance Catalogue. Barnsley, South Yorkshire. pp. 189–190. ISBN 9781473897021. OCLC 958355682.

[Chamberlain_1975-2] 1 2 3 Chamberlain, Peter (1975). Anti-aircraft guns. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 56. ISBN 978-0668038188. OCLC 2000222.

[Chamberlain_1974-3] 1 2 Chamberlain, Peter (1974). Anti-tank weapons. Gander, Terry. New York: Arco Pub. Co. p. 49. ISBN 978-0668036078. OCLC 1299755.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e United States artillery of World War II
Tank guns	37 mm gun M5/M6 75 mm gun M2/M3/M6 76 mm gun M1 3-inch gun M7 90 mm gun M3 90 mm gun T15 105 mm howitzer M4 105 mm gun T5 120mm gun T53 155 mm gun T7
Anti-tank guns	37 mm M3 57 mm M1 75 mm Field Gun M1897 on M2 Carriage 3 inch M5 90 mm T8 105mm T8
Field, medium and heavy guns	75 mm Field Gun M1897 on M2 Carriage 75 mm howitzer M1 105 mm howitzer M2 105 mm howitzer M3 4.5 inch gun M1 155 mm howitzer M1918 155 mm howitzer M1 155 mm gun M1918MI 155 mm gun M1/M2 "Long Tom" 8 inch howitzer M1/M2 8-inch gun M1 240 mm howitzer M1
Mortars	60 mm mortar M2 81 mm mortar M1 4.2 inch mortar M2 Little David
Other vehicle-mounted	75 mm howitzer M2/M3 75 mm gun M1897 105 mm howitzer M2 155 mm gun M1917MI 155 mm gun M2 8 inch howitzer M1/M2
Anti-aircraft guns	37 mm M1 40 mm M1 3-inch gun M1917 3-inch gun M1918 3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3 90 mm M1 120 mm M1
Coast artillery guns	3-inch gun M1903 90 mm M1 6-inch gun M1903 155 mm gun M1918MI 7"/45 caliber gun 8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch gun M1888 10-inch gun M1895 12-inch coast defense mortar 12-inch gun M1895 14-inch gun M1907 16-inch gun M1895 16-inch gun M1919 16-inch Marks 2 and 3 16-inch howitzer M1920
Railway artillery	8-inch Mk. VI 8-inch gun M1888 12-inch coast defense mortar 14-inch M1920

3-inch anti-aircraft gun M3

Contents