75mm Gun M3
Introduction
75mm Gun M3
75mm Gun M3 in M34A1 mount as shown in a US Army manual.
Source: US Army -
© Public domain
Origin
United States
Type
Cannon
Entered service
1941
Status
Out of service
Development
1940 - 1941
Developer
United States
Production
1941 - 1945?
Producer
United States
Number produced
Tens of thousands
Designations
T6 (prototype leading to the M2)
T13E1 (prototype for M5 and M6)
T13E1 (prototype for M5 and M6)
Notable users
United States
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Variants
Vehicle guns
75mm Gun M2
75mm L/31 gun for use as a tank gun. Used on the early models of the M3 Lee medium tank.
75mm Gun M3
Longer barrel L/40 variant of the M2. Most common variant. Used on late production M3 Lee and all of the 75mm M4 Sherman variants.
75mm Gun M6
Tank model of the lightweight M5 aircraft model. This 75mm L/39 is used on the M24 Chaffee.
Aircraft guns
75mm Gun M4
Modified M3 for use as an aircraft gun. Used in the B-25G Mitchell gunship.
75mm Gun M5
Lightweight modification of the M3 with thin walled barrel and hydrospring recoil mechanism. Used in the B-25H Mitchell gunship.
Details
Facts
75mm Gun M2
75mm Gun M3
75mm Gun M6
General
Origin
United States
Type
Cannon
Barrel
Caliber
75x350mmR
Feed system
Manually loaded
Barrel length
2.13 m including chamber
Rifling
24 grooves, 650 mm right hand twist
1.77 m rifled section
Muzzle brake
No
Muzzle velocity
563 m/s for APC M61 and AP M72
448 m/s for HE M48
Operation
Breech
Semi-automatic sliding wedge
Vertically sliding in M1 mount
Rate of fire
20 rpm
Dimensions
Weight
355 kg
Length
2.33 m
Media
75mm Gun M2
75mm Gun M2 in M1 mount on display in an Australian musuem separate from the M3 medium tank it was fitted onto.
Source: Bukvoed
Copyright: CC BY 2.5
75mm Gun M3
A 75mm Gun M3 being lifted from a Sherman tank serving in the 5th Indian Division in Myanmar in 1945.
Source: No 9 Army Film & Photographic Unit
Copyright: Public domain
75mm Gun M5
Forward view of a restored B-25H Mitchell gunship showing the 75mm Gun M5 with its rifled barrel protruding from the cowl. Photo taken in 2011 at the Stuart airshow.
Source: Ssaco
Copyright: CC BY-SA 3.0
Application
M4A1 Sherman
75mm Gun M3 is used on all 75mm M4A1 Sherman medium tanks.
M24 Chaffee
75mm Gun M6 in M64 mount is used on the M24 Chaffee light tank.
Related articles
76mm Gun M1
The 76mm Gun M1 was developed to significantly improved the armor piercing capabilities of the M4 medium tank. It has a much longer barrel and fires shells with far more propellant behind them.