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Another Obscure Question - M42 Duster


Chris Werb

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I've just been watching a 1960s US Army educational film about the National Guard presented by Bob Hope. In it he states that the entire Duster weapon system (by which I take it to mean its predecessor the M19 as well) was given the National Guard after WW2. Did regular US divisions not have an SP automatic weapons battalion in their ORBAT?

 

By the way, if you want many hours of enjoyable viewing on arcane US military subjects, entering "US Army educational film" as a youtube search will keep you happy for weeks.

Edited by Chris Werb
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Chris: Post World War II, all divisions were given an AAAW battalion of 32 each M19 or M42 "Dusters" and 32 each M16 half tracks with the quad .50 MG. The battalions provided mostly ground support during the Korean War.

 

When the Pentomic era arrived, the AAAW battalions were stripped out of the divisions and became non-divisional units. The active army ones were deactivated (needed the ADA troops for the Nike and Hawk battalions) and the ARNG battalions were the only AAAW battalions in the force. Around 1960-61, the ARNG battalions gave up their halftracks and were all rearmed with 64 each M42 "Dusters".

 

The active army activated two Duster battalions for service in Vietnam (1st Bn, 41st Arty and 4th Bn, 60th Arty). There were also four batteries of towed quad .50 MG activated for Vietnam. Two Hawk battalions served in Vietnam.

 

In the latter part of the 1960s, the divisions in Europe began to receive Chaparral/Vulcan ADA battalions and these were later extended to units in the US. Some Vulcans went to Vietnam for field trials, but no specific units were activated.

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The M42s were removed from active Army inventory and passed to the Army National Guard. Oddly, after the Viet Nam war there was increased interest in anti-helicopter AAA systems and somebody in the Pentagon remembered that the Guard still had some M42 units. Until the Army could produce a magic new AAA system the Guard had the only ready-to-use AAA bigger than an M163 VADS.

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When were the last Guard M42s retired? Also, when were the last M19s retired and did any of those end up with other countries?

 

According to Wiki the last Guard M42s were retired in 1988.

 

Didn't know about the Venezuelan variant which uses the M42 turret on an AMX-13 hull.

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What about training and elevation.

Was it manual or hydraulic?

 

And what about fire control.

AFAIK, they were originally supposed to be directed by radar in a separate vehicle.

Did they have a gyro-sight?

 

Power travers and elevation. Details of the FCS (M38 computing and M24C reflex sights) can be found here:

 

http://www.inetres.com/gp/military/cv/ada/M42.html

 

Never radar controlled. There was a contingency program that envisioned development of one, but it was abandoned in favor of future advanced technologies.

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I've always thought the Duster would make an excellent support weapon along the lines of the ZSU=57/2, with the same drawbacks as well. Still, I could picture some of these things in a worst case scenario being grabbed out of storage in a remote warehouse, and finding deadly use in that role.

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When were the last Guard M42s retired? Also, when were the last M19s retired and did any of those end up with other countries?

 

According to Wiki the last Guard M42s were retired in 1988.

 

 

There were M42's at Camp Perry OH in NG markings, at least, until the late 1990's. Not sure of their status, but they were physically there. S/F....Ken M

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M18 as in Gun Motor Carriage M18 "Hellcat"? Why should anyone do this? I do not see much gain by putting the turret on a M42 hull.

 

Worn out M18 hulls vs spare M42 hulls?

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M18 as in Gun Motor Carriage M18 "Hellcat"? Why should anyone do this? I do not see much gain by putting the turret on a M42 hull.

 

Worn out M18 hulls vs spare M42 hulls?

 

hmm, makes sense I guess if the open turret and the 76 mm is enough for their purposes. And they probably had not much choice.

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French had same lash-up at least as prototype.

Didn't Taiwan have M18 turrets on M42 hulls?

 

yea

 

As a side note, the AF recently stripped some L/60s off of some M-42s laying out on the Nells range complex to use on their AC-130 gunships...

post-133-0-43434400-1351757991_thumb.jpg

Edited by Calvinb1nav
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A bn's worth of M-42s ended up at Ft. Stewart Ga. around 1964 for NG use. I climbed all over them in the tank park.

 

Never saw any other AA weapons during my enlistment. Would of loved plinking a quad 50 just for the shytts of it.

Korean War vets bragged about its affects on the battlefield. One vet claimed a gunner wrote his name on an opposing ChiCom hillside.

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