The T55E1 3-inch Gun Motor Carriage was a
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
vehicle developed by the Allied Machinery Manufacturing Company in 1943 for the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
. An eight-wheel drive vehicle, the T55E1 was armed with one three-inch gun in a limited traverse mounting and a supporting .50 caliber machine gun.
Development
Cook Brothers
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
had developed an unusual vehicle for desert conditions. This had two four-wheel-drive bogies each with its own engine. Steering was by pivoting the front bogie. They then developed their design into a
tank destroyer
A tank destroyer, tank hunter, tank killer, or self-propelled anti-tank gun is a type of armoured fighting vehicle, armed with a direct fire artillery gun or missile launcher, designed specifically to engage and destroy enemy tanks, often wi ...
with two engines at the rear.
There was sufficient interest from the Army for a contract for development as the T55. Testing led to modifications to the pilot as the T55E1. Further testing confirmed that it was not suitable and the T55E1 was cancelled.
Power was from two
Cadillac
The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...
eight-cylinder water-cooled engines. Production began in 1943, however by this time preference had shifted to tracked anti-tank vehicles, and the T55E1 was cancelled.
References
* WarWheel
''T55E1 3-Inch 8x8 Motor Carriage''retrieved on March 13, 2007
* Duncan Crow and Robert J. Icks ''Encyclopedia of Armoured Cars''
* Haugh, David R. ''Searching for Perfection: An Encyclopaedia of U.S. Army T-Series Vehicle Development (1925-1958)''
World War II armoured cars
World War II armored fighting vehicles of the United States
{{mil-vehicle-stub