| 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M40 | |
|---|---|
 M40 in the US Army Ordnance Museum. |
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| Type | Self-propelled artillery |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 36.3 tonnes |
| Length | 9.1 m |
| Width | 3.15 m |
| Height | 2.7 m |
| Crew | 8 (Commander, driver, (6x) gun crew) |
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| Armor | 12 mm |
| Primary armament |
155 mm M2 gun 20 rounds |
| Engine | Wright (Continental) R975 EC2 340 hp |
| Suspension | HVSS (Horizontal Volute Spring Suspension) |
| Operational range |
170 km |
| Speed | 38 km/h (23 km/h off road) |
The 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M40 was a US self-propelled artillery vehicle built on a widened and lengthened Medium Tank M4A3 chassis but with Continental engine and with HVSS that was introduced at the end of the Second World War. Equipped with a 155 mm M2 gun, it was designed to replace the earlier M12 Gun Motor Carriage. Its prototype designation was the T38, but this was changed to the M40 in March 1945. A few vehicles saw combat at the end of the war in Europe, the first time being in the push towards Cologne. From there it was deployed during the Korean War. Post war; the M40 was used by the British, there it was designated 155 mm SP, M40.
Contents |
Variants
The Army planned to use the same T38 chassis for a family of SP artillery:
- Cargo Carrier T30 - a few built before cancellation in December 1944 to make more chassis available for GMCs
- 8 inch Howitzer Motor Carriage M43 - 8 in (203 mm) HMC, standardized August 1945, 48 built
8-inch HMC M43 in Korea.
- 250 mm Mortar Motor Carriage T94 - 10 in (250 mm) MMC, began design Feb. 1945, one prototype completed in 1946
Related Vehicles
- 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7B1 - self-propelled 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC) based on the M4A3 Sherman chassis.
- 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage M12 - self-propelled 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage (GMC).
- Cargo Carrier M30 - an M12 with crew and ammunition space in lieu of the gun.
References
- Leland Ness(2002)Janes World War II Tanks and Fighting Vehicles, Harper Collins, ISBN 0-00-711228-9
