Weapons Mounted on American Tank Vehicles During World War II
In the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) during World War II, more than 6,000 American tanks and tank destroyers were lost, resulting in over 12,000 U.S. tank crew casualties.
The M4 Sherman, a staple of American armour, was often the target of German anti-tank weapons. Each time an M4 Sherman was penetrated, one crew member was killed and another seriously wounded.
To combat this, most American armoured vehicles were equipped with at least one submachine gun and a few hundred rounds of ammunition. However, the coaxial gun's collimation with the periscopic sight was generally impossible, and a mount that allows for accurate adjustment was welcomed.
The M1911 pistol was the firearm that made the most sense when tank crew members were outside their vehicles for any reason in the combat zone. The anti-aircraft machine gun was not considered essential in Italy, but a mount for the Cal. .50 machine gun that permits firing at ground targets with ease is desirable.
The bow machine gun on the M4 Sherman was used extensively in combat operations, but was hard to fire accurately. Crews suggested increasing the percentage of tracer rounds to improve accuracy. A rack that holds 12 boxes of .50-cal. ammunition was built on the rear of the turret for easy access.
Some crews of the 35th Tank Battalion mounted airplane .50-cal. machine guns coaxially in the turret of their medium tanks. The Browning M1919A4s or A5s were carried on the turret roof on an anti-aircraft mount, and the .50-cal. Browning M2 machine gun was mounted atop the turret on the M4 Sherman medium and M26 heavy tanks, along with most tank destroyers and self-propelled guns.
Tank commanders reported that accurate collimation of the coaxial gun with the periscopic sight was generally impossible, and a mount that allows for accurate adjustment was welcomed. The .50-cal. machine gun was used against enemy anti-tank guns, half-tracks, and personnel, with one crew reporting knocking out a moving halftrack at 1500 yards.
By the time of the D-Day invasion, the M3 .45-cal. submachine gun (the "Grease Gun") became the most common SMG in the hands of tankers during the last eight months of the war. Tanks that caught fire suffered more casualties than those that didn't. To counter this, tank crews added an extra crew member to use the .50-cal. MG on the M4 Sherman.
The German anti-tank force, the Panzerfaust and Panzerschreck, was responsible for 21 percent of all American vehicle crew losses in the last year of the war. However, the .50-cal. MG was feared by the Germans. The U.S. Army publication "Combat Lessons," published in the summer of 1944, advised tankers to be familiar with all infantry weapons.
The decision to produce compact small-caliber assault rifles for American tank crews needed in the last year of the war was taken by the U.S. military leadership. The context suggests that specialized units such as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) initiated development and procurement of small, easily handled weapons like the silenced High Standard HD pistols during World War II for special forces, indicating military branches or agencies involved in weapons selection for tank crews.
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