The 37 mm Gun Motor Carriage M6 was a modified Dodge Light Truck mounting a light anti-tank gun. It was used by the US Army for infantry support and tank defense. It operated from late 1942 to January 1945 in the Mediterranean, European, and Pacific theaters of war.

Description

The 37 mm GMC M6 was a 3/4-ton 4x4 Dodge WC-55

Dodge WC series

The Dodge WC series was a range of light military trucks produced by Dodge during World War II. The series included weapon carriers, telephone installation trucks, ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, mobile workshops and command cars. They were replaced after the war by the Dodge M-series...

 truck with a rear-facing 37 mm Gun M3 mounted in the bed of the truck (portee

Portee

A portee is a truck that carries a gun on its bed, such that the gun is not affixed permanently to the vehicle, can be quickly unloaded, and can be fired from the truck....

). The gun was normally fired to the rear - it could not be fully depressed when pointed to the front of the vehicle due to blast effects on the crew and vehicle windshield. The gun fired the AP M74 Shot Armor Piercing shell that could penetrate 1.4 inches of armour at 500 yards. Other ammunition carried throughout its service life were; APC M51 Projectile (Armor Piercing Capped Ballistic Cap) (penetrated 2.4 inches of armour at 500 yards), and the HE (High Explosive) M63 Projectile. Eighty rounds of 37 mm ammunition were carried aboard.

The crew were equipped with personal weapons for self defense.

Service

With the design standardized in February 1942, 5,380 GMC 37 mm M6 tank destroyers were built between April and October, 1942, at a cost of $4,265 per unit. American doctrine planned for tank destroyers to engage enemy tanks while tanks were used principally to support infantry. The 37 mm GMC M6 saw limited employment with U.S. forces (the 601st

601st Tank Destroyer Battalion

The 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion was a battalion of the United States Army active during the Second World War. It was the first of the newly formed tank destroyer battalions to see combat, and the only one to fight as a "pure" tank destroyer force...

 and 701st Tank Destroyer Battalions) during the campaign in Tunisia

Tunisia Campaign

The Tunisia Campaign was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African Campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces. The Allies consisted of British Imperial Forces, including Polish and Greek contingents, with American and French corps...

 in late 1942 and early 1943. The vehicle was not well liked because it lacked armour

Vehicle armour

Military vehicles are commonly armoured to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, missiles, or shells, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include tanks, aircraft, and ships....

 and carried an antitank gun that was largely ineffective against German tanks of the period. The 37 mm GMC M6 also saw limited use in the Pacific Theater

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II

The Pacific Ocean theatre was one of four major naval theatres of war of World War II, which pitted the forces of Japan against those of the United States, the British Commonwealth, the Netherlands and France....

 in 1943 and 1944. The 37 mm GMC M6 was soon classified as "limited standard" in September 1943, because of the availability of more powerful tank destroyers mounting 75 mm and 3 inch cannon. In January 1945, the GMC M6 was declared obsolete.

After the Tunisian campaign, many M6 Fargos had their 37 mm gun removed and reverted to a cargo truck role as the (WC-52) Some of these 37 mm guns were mounted onto halftracks to provide the armored infantry a gun halftrack. Other 37 mm GMC M6 vehicles found their way into service with the French Army

French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...

, and were later provided to French Forces of the Interior

French Forces of the Interior

The French Forces of the Interior refers to French resistance fighters in the later stages of World War II. Charles de Gaulle used it as a formal name for the resistance fighters. The change in designation of these groups to FFI occurred as France's status changed from that of an occupied nation...

 units after the liberation of France. Despite the vehicle's obvious limitations on the battlefields of North west Europe 1944–1945

Western Front (World War II)

The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...

, the FFI used practically any vehicle they could obtain because of equipment shortages of all kinds.

See also

• AEC Mk I Gun Carrier "Deacon"
  Deacon (artillery)
  The AEC Mk I Gun Carrier, known as Deacon, was a British armoured fighting vehicle of the Second World War. It was an attempt to make the QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun into a self-propelled artillery piece...
  
   — British 6 pounder (57 mm gun) on armoured truck of 1942.
• G-numbers, (G121)
• M-numbers
• Dodge WC series
  Dodge WC series
  The Dodge WC series was a range of light military trucks produced by Dodge during World War II. The series included weapon carriers, telephone installation trucks, ambulances, reconnaissance vehicles, mobile workshops and command cars. They were replaced after the war by the Dodge M-series...
  
  

External links

• M6 Gun Motor Carriage at Roberts Armory