T92 240mm Howitzer Motor Carriage (HMC)

History of the 240mm Howitzer Motor Vehicle (HMC) T92

Although the tide of war turned in favor of the Allies in early 1945, the development of weapons continued at a frenetic pace. The war in Europe ended in May-June, though it still left a formidable enemy in Japan in the Pacific Rim half a world away. It was believed that a costly and bloody land war on the island nation was necessary to finally and finally end the war.

Thus, in the final weeks of the August war, before Japan's surrender in early September after the use of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, various capable tracked vehicles were being developed.

Once such a US Army project became the "240mm Howitzer T92 Motor Vehicle" ("240mm HMC-T92"), it used the large 240mm M1 on the modified chassis and the hull of the T-26 Pershing heavy tank Field Howitzer Tank ("T26E3"). The M1 was a powerful indirect firearm introduced in 1943, with production numbers reaching 315 by 1945. She fires a 240mm shell at a muzzle velocity of 2,300 feet per second and has a range of 14 miles.

The weapon is chambered by a standard interrupted bolt breech assembly, and the firing action is aided by a hydropneumatic recoil mechanism. The rate of fire is only one round per minute.

The T26E3 chassis is a development that differs from the origin of the Pershing tank by adding an extra wheel to each side of the hull, increasing the number of wheels to seven per track unit. The drive sprocket remains in the front and the chain idler in the rear, for a total of six chain idlers. The suspension adopts torsion bar type, which has a certain off-road driving ability. A barrel clip/bracket is mounted on the leading edge of the swash plate to secure the mass of the large barrel. Armor protection up to 25mm thick.

Power comes from a 470-horsepower Ford GAF ??8-cylinder gasoline engine. This brings road speeds to 15 miles per hour. The entire crew consisted of eight people, including a driver, a passenger, a commander, the gunman and the ammunition dealer. The total weight is 58 tons.

The T92 was developed specifically for the invasion of Japan - which would be through Operation Downfall planned for October 1945. Construction of the T92 entered service in March 1945, and the first pilot vehicle was ready in July.

However, with the surrender of Japan on August 14, 1945, the invasion was cut short and only five T92 vehicles were completed, none of which were used in combat or shipped to the theater for use.

The T93 Gun Motor Carriage is a related post-war product, although it has an 8-inch M1 howitzer mounted.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Depends on the ammunition carrier.

Changes