Semovente M44A1 da 155/23

Il_Signor_Regio · April 2, 2024, 11:59am

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Description: The M44 was an American howitzer of the Cold War. It was developed from the M41 howitzer, and compared to the previous model, which was equipped with the M24 hull, this was equipped with an inverted M41 bulldog hull to increase mobility on the battlefield. It’s development started in 1947 as a possible replacement for the M41. After the Korean War broke out in 1950, the American Army needed a new replacement for the M41 very quickly, and so the development was rushed. But the version produced by this rushed development was affected by many design issues, and even if 250 units were alreadyin production, the design had to be changed radically. But even the second version, designated T194, had an issue regarding discharged poisonous fumes after firing the gun that would have damaged the crew. And the design had to change again. The last version, designated T194E1, removed the upper plate to let the gas out, at the cost of crew protection. This version proved to be functional, and the already-ordered 250 units were converted to this standard. But when the T194E1 was finally available, the Korean War was mostly over, and it was never deployed to the battlefield. It entered into service in 1954 with the USA, and it was later adopted by a lot of nations, such as Italy, the UK, Japan, Germany, etc. A total of 108 M44A1s for the Italian army were delivered in 1956, and they equipped the ranks of the armored division Ariete. They were acquired along with the M55 sph and the M107 to replace the various older spg in service with the Italian army, such as the Semovente M7 priest and the Semovente Sexton. It was equipped with a 155/23 mm cannon with HE rounds and a 12.7 mm browning machinegun. These units were used until 1970, when they were replaced by the more capable M109G. Most of them were scrapped, but a single unit was preserved and put on display near Bracciano’s lake in Northern Italy.