M44 Self-Propelled Howitzer
In service 1953 - 1970s
An open-topped 155 mm howitzer on M41 light tank running gear, the standard NATO medium self-propelled gun of the 1950s.
Built byMassey-Harris
Development history
Built on the M41 Walker Bulldog chassis with the engine moved forward, the M44 carried a 155 mm howitzer in an open-topped rear compartment with a crew of five and their ready rounds. It replaced the wartime M41 Gorilla and served through the 1950s and 1960s with the US Army and with Britain, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Japan, in several cases into the 1980s. The related M52 mounted a 105 mm howitzer in a fully enclosed turret on the same chassis. It is a self-propelled gun rather than a tank and is recorded as such here.
Variants
One canonical record, 2 recorded variants.
M44
1953155 mm howitzer in an open-topped rear compartment.
M52
1954105 mm howitzer in a fully enclosed turret on the same chassis.
Notable actions
- NATO service; Turkish and Japanese service