The 76 mm M1 Gun was an American Forces World War II-era tank gun, which replaced the 75 mm gun on late Medium tank M4s, and was used for all 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 tank destroyers. It was a new gun with breech similar to that of the 75 mm M3 Gun. It fired the same shell as the 3-inch (76 mm) gun of the 3in Gun Motor Carriage M10 tank destroyer, but from a different case. The gun received a muzzle brake and faster rifle twist during production.
While the 76 mm had less High Explosive (HE) and smoke performance than the 75 mm, the higher-velocity 76 mm gave better anti-tank performance, with firepower comparable to the Soviet ZiS-S-5 85 mm gun of the T-34-85 and many of the armoured fighting vehicles it encountered, particularly the Panzer IV and StuG vehicles.
From 1943, at the instigation of the head of the Armored Force General Jacob Devers, US Ordnance worked on a towed anti-tank gun based on the barrel of the M1, known as 76 mm gun T2 on carriage T3. Later interest in the project declined and in 1945 the program was officially canceled.[1]
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Vehicles used on
With British Commonwealth designations in brackets
- 76 mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 (Hellcat)
- Medium Tank M4A1(76)W (Sherman IIA)
- Medium Tank M4A1(76)W HVSS (Sherman IIAY)
- Medium Tank M4A2(76)W (Sherman IIIA)
- Medium Tank M4A2(76)W HVSS (Sherman IIIAY)
- Medium Tank M4A3(76)W(Sherman IVA)
76 mm gunned Shermans supplied to the British were only used in Italy or by the Polish 1st Armoured Division in NW Europe. The British supported their 75 mm gunned Shermans with 17 pdr equipped "Fireflies"
Comparison of US 76 mm and Soviet 85 mm guns
| Ammunition | US 76 mm | Soviet 85 mm | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 1,000 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | |
| Armour-Piercing Capped (APC), US M62 or Soviet APC | 109 mm,[2] 93 mm[3] | mm,[2] 92 mm[3] | 96 mm[4] | 88 mm[4] |
| Armour-Piercing Capped Ballistic Capped (APCBC)[5] | 98-93 mm[4] | 88 mm[4] | 103 mm | 94 mm |
| Armour-Piercing Composite Rigid (APCR) (BR-365P)[6] | – | – | 128 mm | 100 mm |
| Armour-Piercing High-Explosive (APHE) (BR-365)[6] | – | – | 111 mm | 102 mm[7] |
| High-Velocity Armour-Piercing (HVAP) [4] | 139 mm[5] | 127 mm[5] | 121 mm | 130 mm,[7] 80 mm[4] |
| High-Velocity Armour-Piercing M93[3] | 146 mm | 127 mm | – | – |
| High-Velocity Armour-Piercing T-4[2] | 147 mm | 120 mm | – | – |
See also
- QF 17 pounder - British 76 mm gun of the same period
Notes
- ^ Steven J. Zaloga, Brian Delf - US Anti-tank Artillery 1941-45, Osprey Publishing 2005 (New Vanguard 107), ISBN 1-84176-690-9, page 20.
- ^ a b c Steven J. Zaloga. and Peter Sarson (1993). Sherman Medium Tank.
- ^ a b c R.P. Hunnicutt (1978). Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank.
- ^ a b c d e f Harry Woodman (1991). Tank Armament in World War Two.
- ^ a b c Bovington Tank Museum (1975). Fire and Movement.
- ^ a b Steven J. Zaloga and James Grandsen (1984). Soviet Tanks and Combat Vehicles of World War Two, p 225. London: Arms and Armour Press. ISBN 0-85368-606-8.
- ^ a b Chris Foss (1974). Artillery of the World.
References
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