Forces of Valor UNI81003 US M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage with Four M2 Browning .50 caliber Machine Guns - 3rd Armored Division "Spearhead", Normandy, France, 1944 (1:32 Scale)
"In war there is no second prize for the runner-up."
- General Omar Bradley
The M16 multiple gun motor carriage, also known as the M16 half-track, is an American self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon built during World War II. It was equipped with four .50 caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in an M45 Quadmount. 2700 were produced by White Motor Corporation from May 1943 to March 1944, with 568 M13 MGMCs and 109 T10 half-tracks being converted into M16s as well.
The chassis was derived from the T1E2 chassis, an earlier version of the M13. Based on an M3 half-track chassis, it replaced the M13 MGMC half-track after early 1944. As aircraft became more advanced, the usefulness of the M16 was reduced. In the Korean War, it was relegated primarily to the ground-support role, being put out of service in the U.S. Army in 1958.
Nicknamed the "Meat Chopper", the M16 was famous for its effectiveness against low-flying aircraft and infantry, making it extremely popular with soldiers. It was used by the United States Army, the British Commonwealth, and South Korea. A similar version of the M16, the M17, was based on the M5 half-track and exported via Lend-Lease to the Soviet Union.
First deployed during the end of WWII and then again in the Korean War, the Maxom quadruple .50 caliber AA machine gun mount was called "Meat Chopper" because of its impressive firepower when used against human wave attacks. Comes with two figures: a gunner and a spotter.
Sold Out!
Dimensions:
Length: 8-inches
Width: 2-3/4-inches
Release Date: June 2003
Historical Account: "Spearhead" - The 3rd Armored Division landed in Normandy and entered combat on June 29th, 1944, taking part in the hedgerow fighting. The Division broke out at Marigny and, with the 1st Infantry Division, swung south to Mayenne in a general exploitation of the St. Lo breakthrough. In August 1944, the Division participated in the heavy fighting involved in closing the Falaise Gap, pocketing the German Seventh Army. Six days later, the Division had cut across the Seine River, and was streaking through Meaux, Soissons, Laon, Mons, Namur, and Liege. Liege fell on September 8th and Eupen on the 11th. The Division breached the Siegfried Line with the capture of Rotgen on September 12th, and continued a slow advance against heavy resistance, to the vicinity of Langerwehe.
When the Battle of the Bulge broke out, the Division was shifted to Houffalize, Belgium, where it severed a vital highway leading to St. Vith. In January, it participated in the reduction of the German salient west of Houffalize. After a brief rest, the Division returned to the front, crossed the Roer River at Duren, broke out of the Duren bridgehead, and drove on to capture Cologne on March 6th, 1945. The Division swept on to Paderborn, assisted in mopping up the Ruhr pocket, crossed the Saale River, and after overcoming stiff resistance took Dessau on April 23rd, 1945.