| Original caption: Crew of a 37 millimeter anti-tank gun, in training at Fort Benning, Georgia, clean and adjust their weapon. The crew of an M3 37 millimeter (1.45 inch) antitank gun review its operation at Fort Benning. Note the gaiters worn by some of these men and the raised wheel segments. A 2nd M3 37 millimeter gun is in the background. The Connellsville, Pennsylvania, Daily Courier described the M3 37 millimeter gun on October 6, 1939, just as it began to reach United States Army units. “The thirty-seven millimeter gun, M-3, on a thirty-seven millimeter gun carriage, M-4, has been adopted as the standard antitank gun for the infantry and will be the chief equipment of the Connellsville guardsmen. This weapon gives the infantry regiment an anti-tank weapon that can cope with any foreign light or medium tank known to date, according to the Infantry Journal of the United States Infantry Association. Its great accuracy, simplicity of fire control, and superior penetration, and its splendid mobility with its prime mover make this one of the finest weapons of its type ever developed.” “The gun and carriage complete weigh about eight hundred and fifty pounds. It is trailed behind a half-ton truck. On roads, the gun will train at speeds of 40 to 50 miles an hour without any side-sway or skidding. Across country, the performance of the prime mover. and the trailed gun is unequalled by any similar type of weapon. Gullies, shell holes, mud holes, and slopes of twenty-three degrees are negotiated with ease.” “When shell fire or the near presence of the enemy necessitates movement by hand, the crew can readily move the gun forward into position over varied and difficult terrain. The gun can be manhandled through woods, across deep ditches and shell holes, and across any stream whose bottom affords footing for members of the crew. Streams as deep as fifty inches with sand or other hard bottoms are not obstacles to forward movement by hand.” “The elevating and traversing controls and the trigger and sight are so arranged that the gunners cạn sight, track, and fire their piece simultaneously, without ceasing any of these necessary operations. These operations and the operation of loading are so simple that a crew with limited training can fire twenty-five rounds per minute. Well-trained crews should easily reach thirty to thirty-five rounds per minute.” “The gun will have two kinds of ammunition. The solid-shot, armor-piercing projectile will penetrate the armor of any known light or medium tank at a range of a thousand yards, even though the projectile strikes as much as twenty degrees from normal impact. A powerful high-explosive type of shell is being developed for use against personnel and enemy machine gun nests.” “The gun crew is protected from long-range small arms fire and shell fragments by a shield of armor plate which extends clear across the space occupied by the operating members of the crew. This shield has brackets for attaching camouflage material: Camouflaged with materials that blend with the gun position, the weapon is difficult to detect until it actually fires. Concealment from air observation can be obtained by using a suitable camouflage net.” As the premier training facility for paratroopers during World War II, the M3 37 millimeter antitank gun was initially integrated into Airborne Divisions until it was replaced by the M1 57 millimeter (2.24 inch) antitank gun in time for the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0917.jpg |
| Image Size | 720.06 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2947 x 2349 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | April 1, 1942 |
| Location | |
| City | Fort Benning |
| State or Province | Georgia |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NLR-PHOCO-A-65597(101) |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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