M56 Scorpion
Encyclopedia
The M56 Scorpion was an unarmored American
self-propelled
anti-tank gun, which featured a 90mm M54 gun with a simple blast shield, and unprotected crew compartment. It was meant to be transported by helicopter
or by air drop.
Motor Car Division of General Motors
for use by US airborne forces
, though the vehicle was eventually used by the Spanish Navy Marines and Morocco
as well. With a crew of four (commander, gunner, loader and driver), the M56 weighed 6.4 tonnes (14,109.6 lb) empty and 7.7 tonnes (16,975.6 lb) combat-loaded. It had infrared
driving lights but no Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
(NBC) protection system and was not amphibious
.
The M56 was a fully tracked
vehicle with rubber-tired run-flat road wheels and front drive sprocket
wheels. It was powered by a Continental A01-403-5 gasoline
engine
developing 200 bhp at 3,000 rpm, allowing a maximum road speed of 28 miles per hour (12.5 m/s) and a maximum range of 140 miles (225.3 km). Twenty-nine rounds of main gun ammunition were carried, and only the blast shield was armored.
. It was deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which was the only Airborne Brigade deployed with the M56, where it was used mainly in a fire-support role. Its function as an air portable, self-propelled, anti-tank vehicle was eventually replaced in Vietnam by the troublesome but effective M551 Sheridan
which had a fully armored turret. The USMC used the Ontos
which had an armored cabin and recoilless rifles, and was based on the running gear of the M56.
With the retirement of the Sheridan, current US airborne troops do not have a self-propelled gun system that can be delivered by air drop.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
self-propelled
Self-propelled gun
A self-propelled gun is form of self-propelled artillery, and in modern use is usually used to refer to artillery pieces such as howitzers....
anti-tank gun, which featured a 90mm M54 gun with a simple blast shield, and unprotected crew compartment. It was meant to be transported by helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
or by air drop.
History
The M56 was manufactured from 1953 to 1959 by the CadillacCadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
Motor Car Division of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
for use by US airborne forces
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
, though the vehicle was eventually used by the Spanish Navy Marines and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
as well. With a crew of four (commander, gunner, loader and driver), the M56 weighed 6.4 tonnes (14,109.6 lb) empty and 7.7 tonnes (16,975.6 lb) combat-loaded. It had infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
driving lights but no Nuclear, Biological and Chemical
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
(NBC) protection system and was not amphibious
Amphibious vehicle
An amphibious vehicle , is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water – just like an amphibian....
.
The M56 was a fully tracked
Caterpillar track
Continuous tracks or caterpillar tracks are a system of vehicle propulsion in which modular metal plates linked into a continuous band are driven by two or more wheels...
vehicle with rubber-tired run-flat road wheels and front drive sprocket
Sprocket
A sprocket or sprocket-wheel is a profiled wheel with teeth, cogs, or even sprockets that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which are radial projections that engage a chain passing over it...
wheels. It was powered by a Continental A01-403-5 gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
engine
Engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...
developing 200 bhp at 3,000 rpm, allowing a maximum road speed of 28 miles per hour (12.5 m/s) and a maximum range of 140 miles (225.3 km). Twenty-nine rounds of main gun ammunition were carried, and only the blast shield was armored.
In service
The M56 saw combat service with U.S. forces in the Vietnam WarVietnam 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...
. It was deployed with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, which was the only Airborne Brigade deployed with the M56, where it was used mainly in a fire-support role. Its function as an air portable, self-propelled, anti-tank vehicle was eventually replaced in Vietnam by the troublesome but effective M551 Sheridan
M551 Sheridan
The M551 Sheridan was a light tank developed by the United States and named after Civil War General Philip Sheridan. It was designed to be landed by parachute and to swim across rivers. It was armed with the technically advanced but troublesome M81/M81E1 152mm gun/launcher which fired conventional...
which had a fully armored turret. The USMC used the Ontos
Ontos
The Ontos, officially the Rifle, Multiple 106 mm, Self-propelled, M50, was an American light armored tracked anti-tank vehicle developed in the 1950s...
which had an armored cabin and recoilless rifles, and was based on the running gear of the M56.
With the retirement of the Sheridan, current US airborne troops do not have a self-propelled gun system that can be delivered by air drop.
Survivors
- A well preserved M56 can be found in a city park in Auburn, WashingtonAuburn, Washington-Parks:Auburn has an extensive system of parks, open space and urban trails comprising 29 developed parks, 5 undeveloped sites under planning, 2 skate parks, 2 water roatary parks, and over of trails , and almost of open space for passive and active recreation.-Environmental Park:The Auburn...
. - An M56 is on display as a memorial in Tillicum Park. Forks, WashingtonForks, Washington-Government:The City is organized under Washington State law as a Non-charter Code City. Its structure is that of an elected Mayor and a five member elected City Council...
. - An M56 is on display next to a park in Elmwood ParkElmwood Park, New JerseyElmwood Park is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 19,403....
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. - A restored M56 is on display at the American Armored Foundation Tank Museum in DanvilleDanville, VirginiaDanville is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Pittsylvania County, Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina. It was the last capital of the Confederate States of America. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Danville with Pittsylvania county for...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, along with a diorama of a destroyed M56. - An M56 is on display (along with an M60 tank) in front of the Duluth, Georgia American Legion post.
- An M56 (Along with an M41 Walker Bulldog) outside Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
- An M-56 Scorpion is on Outdoor Display at the 82nd Airborne War Memorial Museum at Ft. Bragg, N.C.
- An M56 is on display at the American Legion Post in Gunthersville, AL.
- An M-56 Scorpion is on display at the Boyd County War Memorial in Armco Park in Summit, KY.
See also
- G-numbers (SNL G289)
- M-numbers