Motos Cushman M 53

Maintenant que nous avons trois parachutistes US, je voudrais vous signaler que les obusiers de 75mm de Parachute Field Artillery pouvaient être tractés par des motos de modèle Cushman M53 dont quelques photos sont disponibles sur internet,
là
http://www.cwgcuser.org.uk/personal/lifrance/lifday05.htm
et là
http://motorcyclecity.com/Military-bikes/Cushman-Airborne-2.htm

Il semblerait aussi qu'il y ait une fiche technique dans le magazine Steel Masters n° 21.

Peut-être faudrait-il le signaler à FOW avant la parution du livret sur la Normandie.

Flavio

Bonjour Flavio,

Ces petites motos pouvaient tracter les 600Kg des Howitzers ? Même en pièces détachées, cela semble une prouesse. Je crois plustôt que ce sont des jeeps qui devaient être utilisées (pour les munitions également). On devrait essayer de trouver des photos d'époque.

http://www.milicast.com/british/UK69.shtml

Bien à toi,

Benoit

Je n'ai jamais vu le moindre rapport de combat signalant l'utilisation concrète des motos dans ce rôle.
Pedro

Finally A Brother in arms (Ciao Flavio)...and i cheked but no sign of using those bikes...but i'll go deeper...

Je dois reconnaître que les arguments de Benoît ne manquent pas de...poids, si vous me passez l'expression. Je vous livre les deux indices qui ont déclenché ma recherche. Dans le livret Star and Stripes, il est dit que "they often have tucks attached to carry the pack howitzers (they are too fragile to tow) on long march distances". Dans le hors série Militaria magazine n° 54 sur les Parchutistes en Normandie, il y a un dessin de Jean Restayn sur cette moto. La légende dit "Une moto américaine Cushman M53. L'engin a été livré à plus de de 5000 exemplaires et utilisé notamment par les divisions aéroportées en Normandie. Son rôle est principalement de tracter l'obusier léger de 75 mm". Je vais essayer de me procurer le Steel Masters (hors série, by the way) n° 21 pour y voir plus clair.

F

Hello Soldier,

The M8 75 mm Pack Howitzer is the Airborne design for M1 75 mm Pack How, also named M116...

The "Pack" artillery was first designed to be easily disassembled and carried by pack animals such as horses or mules.

Pack artillery has been used by the U.S. Army since the 1830’s.

In 1927, the U. S. Army adopted the M1 75mm Pack Howitzer. This small lightweight howitzer was used throughout W.W.II and could be disassembled into six major loads to be carried by the pack animals.

During the 1930’s, the wood wheels were replaced with pneumatic tires and the vehicle modified to be carried by airborne units in gliders.

The M1 howitzer was first used in combat in 1942 in the Philippines and proved very successful.

Consequently, it was redesignated as the M8 75mm Pack Howitzer (airborne) as said above, and could be disassembled into nine major loads.

The small howitzer proved efficient and reliable and was used by several non-airborne units using a jeep as the prime mover.

The several types of ammunition used by the pack Howitzer included an anti-tank round.

An airborne crew was expected to be able to ready their gun for firing from scratch inside of four minutes.

The American airborne units parachuted their guns into action in nine separate sections, however the British preferred to deliver them complete and ready for firing as soon as possible, and so transported them in Horsa gliders. Two gliders were required to transport a gun crew and their equipment. Typically, one would carry the weapon itself, a jeep, and an ammunition trailer, together with the sergeant in command of the crew and three subordinates, while the other would carry the remainder of the crew (commonly including one NCO), a jeep, and the remaining two ammunition trailers. In these trailers were one hundred and thirty-seven rounds; one hundred and twenty-five high-explosive, six armour piercing, and six smoke.

Some are always in use as mountain artillery in the Indian Army.

Manufacturer : US Ordnance Dept
Calibre : 75mm
Overall length: 12 ft 0 in (3.7 m)
Width: 3 ft 11 in (1.2 m)
Height: 2 ft 10 in (864 mm)
Weight: 1339 lb (607 kg)
Elevation: -5º to +45º
Maximum range : 9,760 yd (8920 m)
Rate of fire : 3 to 6 round/min

I don't find any obvious evidence of the use of the scooter Cushman M53 to tow the M8 75 mm Pack How! Therefore, in my opinion the best thing to do is to ask the question with the veterans of the 82nd or the 101th AbnD.

I thus will contact Fort Bragg and the museum of the paras in the USA. I already asked them questions for Memoir'44.

So, wait and see !

A+