An upcoming new project for our US generals... the
M55 Machine Gun Trailer Mount.
During WW2, the M45 turret was mounted on two specific systems; the M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage and the M51 Multiple Machine Gun Carriage.
When mounted on the
M20 Trailer, it was known as the
M55 Machine Gun Trailer Mount, but this system had not finished testing before the cessation of hostilities. M51s were withdrawn from service by the end of World War II in favour of the M55.
During the
Korean War, the M55 and M16 saw extensive combat, and lessons learned in Korea led to the conversion of an additional 1,200 M3 half-tracks into the M16A1 variant by adding an M45 turret. These can be identified by the lack of fold-down armour and rear troop door on the crew compartment and were often fitted with the roller front bumper instead of the winch bumper fitted to all M16s. In 1954 an additional modification was made to roughly 700 M16 MGMCs, adding the rear troop door and bolting the fold-down armour in the up position. This modification became known as the M16A2 MGMC.
The M55 received a new, more powerful generator in the 1960s and served through the
Vietnam War, usually mounted in the back of an M35 2.5 ton or M54 5-ton truck.
Enjoy!
