M75 APC

M75 armored personnel carrier

M75 in the Brussels Army Museum

The M75 was an armored personnel carrier (Engl. Armored personnel carrier, APC) and the first full chain armored personnel carrier of the US Army after World War II .

After the introduction of the new M24 Chaffee / M26 Pershing tank generations towards the end of the war, it turned out that the M3, previously used as an infantry fighting vehicle, was no longer able to cope with the increased demands. Due to the increasingly faster battle tanks, the half-track vehicle was no longer able to follow them on the battlefield due to the undercarriage system, which was overloaded at such speeds. In addition, there was the reduced protection of the crew due to the open combat area.

history

In September 1945 the troops therefore requested a successor in the form of a full-track vehicle for the first time, which should have a transport capacity of twelve men and could also be used as a reconnaissance and command tank. The chassis of the lightly armored M8 Tractor , which was already available in larger quantities , was to be used for this. At the International Harvester Company , development began in 1946 under the name T18; four prototypes were built. Further improvements led to the T18E and T18E2, which were then produced from 1951 and introduced from 1952. Under the designation M75, Harvester and FMC produced a total of 1729 pieces by 1954. Assemblies (e.g. the drive) of the M41 Walker Bulldog reconnaissance tank, which was produced at the same time, were also used . Various armaments were tested during the trial phase; remote-controlled machine guns in single and twin mounts .

description

The M75 has a welded hull with front-wheel drive. The driver sat to the left of the engine and transmission. The crew compartment had two hatches in the roof and a double door in the stern. The vehicle cannot float and deep wading is only possible with additional equipment. The very tall shape is a strong reminder that an artillery tractor was used as the base .

Technical specifications

M75 infantry fighting vehicle
Technical specifications
Introductory year:	1952
Crew:	Commander, driver, 10 infantrymen
Dimensions
Armor:	9.5-25.4 mm
Length:	5190 mm,
Width:	2840 mm
Height:	3040 mm
Combat mass:	18.8 t
drive
Engine power:	217 kW (295 hp) at 2660 rpm
Engine:	Continental AO-895-4; 6 cylinders, air-cooled
Driving range (street) :	approx. 185 km
Speed:	71 km / h
Climbing ability:	approx. 0.46 m
Trench crossing ability:	approx. 1.68 m
Gradeability:	60%
Ground pressure :	0.57 kg / cm²
Chain:	Hinge chain with replaceable rubber pads
Fording:	up to 1.22 m
Deep water capability:	up to 2.03 m
Buoyant:	No
NBC protection:	No
Armament:
Main armament:	1 machine gun Browning M2 12.7 mm
Secondary armament:	no
Ammunition supply:	1800 rounds

evaluation

Although the tank showed significant improvements over the M3, it was not a satisfactory solution. The silhouette was far too high, the vehicle was not buoyant and had no NBC protection. Then there were the enormous costs; the price for the vehicle was already 100,000 US dollars higher in 1952 than for the M113 ten years later. None of the originally requested variants got beyond the planning phase.

In the US Army , the M75 only remained in service for a short time and was then replaced by the M59 APC from 1954 . Only the Belgian army used it until the 1970s.

Uses

•  United States
•  Belgium (771 in 1976)

literature

• Tanks and other combat vehicles from 1916 to the present day , Buch und Zeit Verlagsgesellschaft, Cologne 1977
• Fred W. Crismo: US Tracked Military Vehicles , Motorbooks International Osceola WI 1992

Individual evidence

1. ↑ https://www.cairn.info/revue-courrier-hebdomadaire-du-crisp-1981-10-page-1.htm#no73

Web links

Commons : M75 APC  - collection of images, videos and audio files