Bronco CB35148 US M19A1 Twin 40 MM Gun Motor Carriage

The M19 GMC (Gun Motor Carriage) is an American self-propelled anti-aircraft gun from the Second World War and the Cold War. Cars of this type were produced in the years 1944-1945, about 280-290 of them were produced in total. They were in service with the US Army in the years 1945-1953. The drive was provided by a double Cadillac Model 42 engine with a total power of 220 HP. The main armament was two 40mm Bofors cannons. Cadillac and Massey-Ferguson plants were responsible for its production.

The M19 GMC was developed based on the chassis and hull of the M24 Chaffee light tank. Interestingly, it was originally planned to mount a new self-propelled anti-aircraft gun on the chassis of the M5 light tank, but with the withdrawal of this production vehicle, the M24 tank was chosen as the basis for the new weapon. Due to minor delays in putting the M19 into production, vehicles of this type did not take part in combat during World War II. However, they were used on a fairly large scale during the Korean War (1950-1953). However, due to the lack of an effective guidance and fire control system, they turned out to be of little use in the fight against jet aircraft. For this reason, it was used primarily to support the activities of its own land forces. After 1953, they were quickly withdrawn from service, and a small number of them were handed over to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.