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American heavy ATG?


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Is there any reason the M1A1/M2 90mm gun was never used for towed AT or direct fire support work? The US Army had a seriously huge AAA branch, gobs and gobs of mostly underemployed gun AA battalions, but unlike other combatants never felt the need to use the gun involved?

What gives?

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Wasn't it a modified version of this gun that ended up in the M26 Pershing and M36 Jackson?

Yes.

Greenbook on the bylfe is filled with AAA contribution to the ground combat.

I'm assuming "bylfe" is "Bulge" when you have your finger on the wrong home key :)

Anyway, I certainly noticed all sorts of accounts of 40mm, 37mm/50cal, etc. AA guns being used in improvished roles, but I missed out on any that involved 90mm guns. COuld you give me a steer towards specifics? If its buried under subtext I probably conflated it with artillery or more common ATGs.

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Apocal,

It was used for DF vs armor.

http://www.halsr.(usual)/community/index.php?showtopic=8002645&pid=22525&mode=threaded&start=

"Bastogne, my step father was nearby at St Vith ij December, 1944. They were firing their 90mm AA guns over open sights at Tiger IIs, 2 city blocks away. Hal Sro"

YT of 90mm gun in DF fire position near Malmedy.

143rd AAA Gun Battalion

http://143rdaaagunbnww2.(usual)/scan-18.html et seq

Fair Use

"At 0730, Gun 2 which was emplaced in Stoumont, engaged a Mark VI tiger tank at range of 40 yards, knocking it out and setting it afire with seven rounds. The crew of the tank were completely destroyed. Here a major engagement was developing."

"The last American tank to leave made a temporary road block by pulling a "daisy chain" of mines across the road.

The explosion of these mines did not stop the tiger tank but it did warn us that shortly out of the fog would come the spearhead of the German advance.

At the first appearance of the dim shape of the tiger tank at approximately 400 yards, we opened fire and destroyed this tank with seven rounds.

"A second tank following closely on the heels of the first attempted to pass the disabled Mark VI but as it did so, Gun 1 opened fire again and destroyed this second tank in such a fortunate position as to form a road block for the armored vehicles which followed."

"We had expended a total of 18 rounds and had destroyed 2 tanks; an excellent score and we felt good about it."

NOTE: These are King Tigers.

"At approximate 0830, we received liason parties from the 743rd Tank Battalion and 119th Infantry Division which indicated targets in the La Gleize pocket for our fire.

What a thrill as our first rounds were fired and a camouflaged tiger tank shot up in flames our first tank was destroyed. As fire was delivered on this first tank we noticed two other tanks move in the bushes.

Fire was shifted to these two targets and they were destroyed. Finally fire was directed at various other suspicious looking targets with the result that several small dumps and one enemy-manned Shermann tank was destroyed. During this engagement forty-two rounds of 90mm ammunition was expended."

"With a sigh of relief we were glad to get back once again into our normal job but at the same time our feeling of pride in the box score that we had made since December 18th, which totalled twelve German tanks destroyed, two "cat one" claims and one "cat two" claim as well as incidental scores and numerous enemy dead. Unfortunately, on the debit side, our casualties were four dead, six wounded with three 90 mm guns and one M-4 tractor lost in action."

The above is all news to me. Prior to your question, all I could recall was that two 90mm AAA battalions were part of the Bastogne defenses. Therefore, there's probably a good deal more to the 90mm AAA in the antiarmor role than I show here.

Regards,

John Kettler

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Yes.

I'm assuming "bylfe" is "Bulge" when you have your finger on the wrong home key :)

Anyway, I certainly noticed all sorts of accounts of 40mm, 37mm/50cal, etc. AA guns being used in improvished roles, but I missed out on any that involved 90mm guns. COuld you give me a steer towards specifics? If its buried under subtext I probably conflated it with artillery or more common ATGs.

LOL. Yes, "Bulge". That's what I get with trying to type on my smartphone.

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