M19 Gun Motor Carriage (M19 Twin 40mm)

History of the M19 Twin 40mm

The M19 Twin 40 mm (M19 Gun Motor Carriage) self-propelled air defense system was developed at the end of World War II and launched in April 1945. However, the war in Europe was more or less over the following month, with the surrender of Imperial Japan in August of the same year, ending the Pacific War. As a result, only 300 M19 systems were delivered for the 904 originally ordered. The series would continue to serve in the postwar world, serving with the U.S.

Army into the 1950s.

Design and Development

The M19 was developed to provide the U.S. Army with a mobile, self-propelled medium-range anti-aircraft gun system. The system will provide a measure of defense against low-flying enemy aircraft and protect U.S. Army maneuver columns during transport. The system is designed to track in nature to provide a degree of maneuverability in those tough off-road locations while keeping up with the engine column on the road.

To drive development and production, the chassis of the M24 Chaffee light tank was chosen as the starting point. The Chaffee hull is slightly lengthened and the engine position is moved to the area behind the driver's seat. Essentially, the engine compartment now separates the forward fuselage from the aft fuselage.

The driver will control the vehicle via the steering stalk. In total, the M19's crew consists of six people, including the driver, a passenger (the driver sits in the forward fuselage), two gunners sitting side-by-side in the turret, and two side-by-side loaders. side. The hull structure is constructed of welded, rolled, homogeneous steel, providing up to 0.5 inch thick armor protection along key fairings and thinner armor protection along the rear upper surface. The turret is also made of rolled homogeneous steel, with armor protection ranging from 0.25 inches thick on the sides of the mantlet to 0.5 inches on the front of the mantlet.

The M19 was standardized in June 1944, and by August 1944 hundreds of systems had been ordered, with production scheduled to begin in April 1945.

Armed

The rear of the fuselage is operated by a power-operated 360-degree rotating open-air turret system that carries a pair of dual 40mm M2 automatic guns (primarily US Army 40mm Bofors) mounted in the M4 mount. The turret has an elevation capability of +85 degrees to -3 degrees by hand and hydraulics (40 degrees per second). The weapon system is tied to the M13 or M13A1 and mates with the M23 or M24 reflex sight. Each 40mm gun is loaded with 40mm ammunition and is operated by an autoloader.

Each clip lasts four rounds, while the autoloader has room for seven. The barrel is designed to fire up to 120 rounds per minute. The M19 itself carried 352 40mm rounds, while an additional 320 rounds were available through the use of a special towed M28 trailer.

Ammo

The M2 uses 40mm AP (armor-piercing) or 40mm HE (high-explosive) shells with a muzzle velocity of 2,870 feet per second. The AP has a range of up to 9,475 yards, while the HE has a range of 10,820 yards. Vertical range is limited to 7,625 yards.

Chains and Suspension

The M19 sits on a track on the T72 or T85E1 series, measuring 16 or 14 inches wide, respectively. The suspension is a torsion bar variant, using five individual spring wheels on one side. The drive pinion is mounted on the front and the idler gear is mounted on the rear. Four track return rollers are used.

The shock absorbers are on the first and last two wheels on either side of the track.

Engine and Performance

Power comes from a pair of Cadillac Series 44T4 16-cylinder, four-stroke, 90-degree V-type gasoline engines rated at 110 hp at 3,400 rpm. The powerplant is mated to a dual hydraulic drivetrain with eight forward speeds and four reverse speeds.

This provides a road speed of 35 mph and a road range of about 100 miles from the internal 110-gallon fuel tank. Maximum incline crossing is rated at 60%, and trenches can be conquered up to 108 inches.

The maximum vertical obstacle height is 40 inches, while the wading depth is limited to 42 inches.

Improved M19A1

The M19 was redesigned with the addition of a 200 amp auxiliary engine driven generator (located on the right fender) to become the M19A1. Additionally, some communications equipment was moved to blister locations along the turret. The visually distinguishing feature between the M19 and M19A1 is their different exhaust pipes.

The M19 featured the two units running around each side of the front of the turret, while the M19A1 carried the two tubes along the left side of the vehicle. Overall, however, the M19A1 differs only slightly from its predecessor in overall design.

The Cadillac Automotive Division of General Motors manages all production of the M19 series for the U.S. Army.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Airborne 352 x 40 mm projectile.

The 320x40mm projectile is transported on an M28 trailer.

Changes