M41 "Gorilla" howitzer motor carriage | |
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Type | Self-propelled artillery |
Place of origin | United States |
Specifications | |
Mass | 42,500 lb (19.3 t) |
Length | 230 in (5.8 m) |
Width | 112 in (2.8 m) |
Height | 94 in (2.4 m) |
Crew | 5 |
Shell | separate loading, bagged charge |
Caliber | 155 mm (6.1 in) |
Elevation | 45 to -5 degrees |
Traverse | 17.5 degrees right, 20 left |
Rate of fire | Sustained: 4 rpm |
Muzzle velocity | 1,847 ft/s (563 m/s) |
Effective firing range | Conventional: |
Maximum firing range | 14,600 m |
Feed system | hand, 22 rounds |
Armor | 13 mm |
Main armament | 155 mm Howitzer M1 |
Engine | two Cadillac 4T24 V8 2x 110 hp (82 kW) |
Suspension | Torsion bar, ground pressure: 10.7 psi (74 kPa) |
Operational range | 100 or 150 mi (160 or 240 km) |
Maximum speed | 35 mph (56 km/h) |
The 155 mm howitzer motor carriage M41 (also known as the M41 Gorilla) was an American self-propelled artillery vehicle built on a lengthened M24 Chaffee tank chassis that was introduced at the end of the Second World War. Out of a planned run of 250, only 85 were produced before cancellation of the order at the end of 1945.[1] The M41 went on to serve extensively in the Korean War, its success influencing the design of later U.S. self-propelled artillery. The type was retired after the conclusion of that conflict but went on to serve in the French Army from 1956 to 1972.[2]