Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

M-6 Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) with 37mm Anti-tank Gun (G-121)

The M6 Gun Motor Carriage (GMC) was an early World War II mobile tank-destroyer based on the WC-52 Dodge 3/4 ton Weapons Carrier with a mounted M3 37mm anti-tank gun. In this usage, the truck is renamed as a WC-55. The gun and its shield were mounted in the cargo space of the truck, positioned to fire rearward. 80 rounds of 37mm ammunition were carried in the truck with the gun.

The 37mm anti-tank gun was far too weak for use against anything but lightly armored Japanese tanks, early in the war. Some M6 GMC units were sent to North Africa in 1942-1943, but proved completely inadequate against German armored forces. The M-6 had no armor of its own and its crew were completely exposed. These factors limited use of the M6 GMC to hit and run missions. As soon as heavier substitute anti-tank weapons were available, the M6 GMC was withdrawn.

The M6 GMC truck was manufactured by Dodge (the standard WC-52) and the completed vehicle and gun combination were produced by the Fargo Division of Chrysler Motor Corp. (Vehicle sometimes known as the 3/4-ton Fargo) A total of 5,380 M-6 GMC vehicles were built after standardization in February 1942, most of which were later dismantled and returned to service as WC-52 cargo trucks.

M6 Gun Motor Carriage Specifications

Crew	4
Weight	7,350 lbs.
Height	6 ft, 10 in.
Width	6 ft, 4 in.
Length	14 ft, 10 in.
Engine	Dodge T214, 6 cyl, gasoline
Horsepower	94 bhp
Road Speed	55 mph
Range	240 mi.

M-6 Gun Motor Carriage at Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, VA, 3 August 1943.

M-6 Gun Motor Carriage with improvised mount for an M-2 machine gun on the front of the truck. Click for larger version of this photo.