The M1 57mm Anti-Tank Gun was adapted by the US Army during World War II, after it became clear that the 37mm Anti-Tank was no longer effective against the increasingly well-armored German tanks. The M1 was issued to US Army anti-tank regiments and airborne units in Europe as well as the Pacific. While it still could not penetrate the frontal armor of Germany’s Tiger and Panther tanks, it’s small size made it easy to conceal and an effective ambush and flanking weapon.
Its design was based on the British Ordnance QF 6 pounder 7 cwt anti-tank gun(or “6 pounder” for short), but was given a longer barrel, which allowed for optimal armor penetration. The 57mm replaced the M3 37mm AT gun in the European theater, starting in Tunisia. Due to a lack of production planning, only antitank rounds were produced until near the end of the war, limiting the gun’s usefulness without armor penetration rounds. Though better than it’s predecessor, the 57mm gun was still too light to be uniformly effective against German armor. It had a muzzle velocity of 2700 feet/sec, the ability to penetrate 2 inches of armor plate at 100 yards, and a higher rate of fire, but it was still a stopgap until more effective Panzer killers were produced.
The M1 57mm kit features:
- Towable by any vehicle with a hook type hitch
- Split tails that can be spread for emplacement of the gun
- Armored shield for the gun crew that folds up for transport
- 1/35 scale matches other Brickmania models
- The over-all color scheme of this model is dark gray
- Advanced skill level (6-8 years of experience recommended)
- Includes 69 LEGO® and BrickArms® elements.
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