M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage

M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage
An American M16 MGMC in the Korean War.
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1943–1953
Wars	World War II, Korean War
Production history
Designer	White Motor Company
Designed	1940–1942
Manufacturer	White Motor Company
Produced	1942–1944
Number built	~5,700 (including ones that were converted from the M13 and T10)
Specifications
Weight	9.4 t (21,000 lb)
Length	6.18 m (20 ft 3 in)
Width	2.23 m (7 ft 4 in)
Height	2.22 m (7 ft 3 in)
Crew	3
Primary armament	4x M2 Browning machine gun
Engine	White 160AX, 386 in3 (6,330 cc) 6 cylinder, petrol, compression ratio 6:3:1, 147 hp (110 kW)
Power/weight	15.8 hp/tonne
Suspension	vertical volute springs; front tread 64.5 in (1,640 mm) to 66.5 in (1,690 mm)
Fuel capacity	60 US gal (230 l)
Operational range	175 mi (282 km)
Speed	45 mph (72 km/h)

The M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, also known as the M16 Half-track, was an American self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon built during World War II. Based on an M3 half-track chassis, it replaced the M14 MGMC half-track after 1943, and went on to serve during the Korean War.

Nicknamed the "Meat Chopper",^{[citation needed]} the M16 was famous for downing low-flying aircraft, making it extremely popular with soldiers. It was used by the United States Army, the British Commonwealth, and South Korea.

Development

A M16 in March 1951, during the Korean War.

Further information: M13 Half-track#Development

The M16 was an improvement on the twin .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun equipped M13 MGMC and M14 MGMC, built on an M3 and M5 half-track chassis respectively. Their Maxson M33 turret the was replaced by the four Browning M45 Quadmount. Further production of the M13 and M14 was stopped in favor of production of the M16 and M17.

Service history

A damaged M16 Half-track at a German museum in 2004.

Nicknamed "The Meat Chopper" for its deadly firepower, the M16 was extremely popular with troops. In addition to its anti-aircraft role, the M16 was used in an infantry support role, frequently accompanied by the M15 Half-track. The M16 was similar to the M5-based M17 MGMC and related models of the German SdKfz 251 half-track.

The M16 saw service with U.S. forces in the Italian Campaign, and Operation Overlord, the Battle of Arracourt, and the Ardennes Offensive in northern Europe. The vehicle was also used widely in the Korean War by the South Korean army, the United States Marine Corps, and the U.S. Army.

Operators

• United States – United States Army, U.S. Marine Corps
• Nazi Germany – Captured from the U.S.
• Japan – Lent by the U.S.
• South Korea – Lent by the U.S.

Variants

• M16 – Four M2HB machinguns in a M45D Quad-mount.
• M16A1 – A conversion directly from the M3A1 Half-track using the M45F Quad-mount.
• M16A2 – M16s converted to the M45F Quad-mount.
• M17 MGMC – M5 Half-tracks with the M45F Quad-mount supplied under Lend Lease to the USSR.

See also

• M14 Half-track
• M3 Half-track
• M-numbers
• G-numbers

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Berndt, Thomas (1993). Standard Catalog of U.S. Military Vehicles. Iola, WI: Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-223-0
• Berndt, Thomas (1994). American Tanks of World War II. Minnesota, MN: MBI Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87938-930-3
• Chamberlain, Peter; Ellis, Chris (1969). British and American Tanks of World War II. New York, NY: Arco Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-668-01867-4
• Green, Michael (2014). American Tanks & AFVs of World War II. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-78200-931-0
• Hunnicutt (2010). Half-Track: A History of American Semi-Tracked Vehicles. Navato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-742-7
• Zaloga, Steven J. (2004). M3 Infantry Half-Track 1940–1973. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-467-9

External links

• M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage
• Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M16