page_title: 3-inch gun M5
section_title: Combat service
hierarchical_section_title: 3-inch gun M5 / Combat service
caption_attribution_description: The cannon of the Presidential Salute Gun Platoon roar in succession, a rolling volley honoring a new president. The ceremonial unit is part of the U.S. Army's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, "The Old Guard," based on Fort Myer, Va. More than 5,000 men and women in uniform are providing military ceremonial support to the presidential inauguration, a tradition dating back to George Washington's 1789 inauguration.
context_page_description: The 3 inch gun M5 was an anti-tank gun developed in the United States during World War II. The gun combined a 3-inch barrel of the anti-aircraft gun T9 and elements of the 105 mm howitzer M2. The M5 was issued exclusively to the US Army tank destroyer battalions starting in 1943. It saw combat in the Italian Campaign and in the Northwest Europe campaign.
  While the M5 outperformed earlier anti-tank guns in the US service, its effective employment was hindered by its heavy weight and ammunition-related issues. Losses suffered by towed TD battalions in the Battle of the Bulge and the existence of more mobile, better protected alternatives in the form of self-propelled tank destroyers led to gradual removal of the M5 from front line service in 1945.
context_section_description: In October 1943, the first towed battalion - the 805th, - arrived in Italy. Subsequently, the M5 saw combat in the Italian Campaign and in the Northwest Europe. One of the most notable engagements came during the German counterattack on Mortain in August 1944. The 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, attached to the 30th Infantry Division, played a key role in the successful defence of Saint Barthelemy, destroying fourteen tanks and a number of other vehicles, though at the price of losing eleven of its guns.
  In addition to the anti-tank role, the gun was often used to supplement divisional field artillery or to provide direct fire against enemy fortifications (e.g. a combat report from the 614th TD mentioned a two-gun section firing 143 shells at an enemy post, achieving 139 hits).
  Although the M5 easily outperformed older anti-tank guns in the US service, it was large and heavy - making it hard to manhandle into position - and its anti-armor characteristics were found to be somewhat disappointing. An APDS round was never developed for the M5; an APCR round existed (see ammunition table below), but it is not clear if it was ever issued to towed TD battalions.
  As a result of the aforementioned shortcomings, commanders and troops generally preferred an alternative in form of self-propelled tank destroyers, which offered better mobility and also better protection for their crews.
  The greatest test of the TD battalions and their M5 guns came during the Battle of the Bulge. In this battle, towed tank destroyers fought much less successfully and suffered much higher losses than the self-propelled ones. A report from the aforementioned 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion said that "tank destroyer guns were one by one flanked by enemy tanks and personnel driven from guns by small arms and machine gun fire". Taking the recent combat experience into account, on 11 January 1945, the War Department confirmed a request to convert the towed TD battalions to the self-propelled form. This decision meant the gradual removal of the M5 from frontline service, a process that continued until the end of the war in Europe.
  Today, the M5 is utilized by the US Army for ceremonial purposes. The Presidential Salute Guns Platoon of The Old Guard currently maintains a battery of ten M5's at Fort Myer for service mainly in the National Capital Region.
caption: The Presidential Salute Guns Battery fires its modified M5 guns outside of the U.S. Capitol, during the 2009 Presidential Inauguration
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