M53 155mm Self-Propelled Gun
Encyclopedia
M55 was an American
fully enclosed and armored self-propelled artillery
based on the M53 155 mm assault gun
. It had a traversable, to a certain degree - 30° left or right, turret armed with a 203.2 mm howitzer, carrying only 10 rounds of ammunition. The gun had a maximum range of 16,916 meters with a rate of fire of one round every two minutes. The M55 armor was light, 25 mm maximum, but sufficient to protect the crew from indirect artillery hits or small arms bullets.
M55 used components of the M47 Patton
tank, but the automotive aspects were reversed. The engine was mounted in the front and drove through a front-drive sprocket. The driver's cupola is visible on the front left of the turret, and spare track blocks were stored on the turret front.
The M55 was used during the Vietnam War
, and subsequently withdrawn from service in the US military.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fully enclosed and armored self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery
Self-propelled artillery vehicles are combat vehicles armed with artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns and rocket artillery...
based on the M53 155 mm assault gun
Assault gun
An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armored chassis, designed for use in the direct fire role in support of infantry when attacking other infantry or fortified positions....
. It had a traversable, to a certain degree - 30° left or right, turret armed with a 203.2 mm howitzer, carrying only 10 rounds of ammunition. The gun had a maximum range of 16,916 meters with a rate of fire of one round every two minutes. The M55 armor was light, 25 mm maximum, but sufficient to protect the crew from indirect artillery hits or small arms bullets.
M55 used components of the M47 Patton
M47 Patton
The M47 Patton is an American medium tank, the second tank to be named after General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates of tanks in battle. It was a further development of the M46 Patton tank.-History:The M47 was the U.S...
tank, but the automotive aspects were reversed. The engine was mounted in the front and drove through a front-drive sprocket. The driver's cupola is visible on the front left of the turret, and spare track blocks were stored on the turret front.
The M55 was used during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and subsequently withdrawn from service in the US military.