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John Sherrer The M-84 Mortar Carrier |
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John Sherrer The M-84 Mortar Carrier |
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The M-84 Mortar Carrier: A Brief History |
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| Following
World War II, the United States Army began searching for an improvement
to its M-3 Halftrack Personnel Carrier that had been the basis for many
variants including the M-4 and M-21 Mortar Carriers. The main
drawbacks to the M-3 halftrack series had been its lack of overhead
protection and its thin-skinned armor.
Prototype development and testing occurred during the late 1940s culminating in the T-18E1, manufactured by International Harvester and Food, Machinery, and Chemical Corporation (FMC). Standardized Personnel Carrier M-75, these vehicles proved overwhelmingly expensive at $100,000 per unit. Additionally, the M-75 had no amphibious capabilities, thus reducing its battlefield utility. Despite these drawbacks, the Army placed an order for 1,729 M-75s, with the initial models fielded in time to serve during the latter stages of the Korean War at Pork Chop Hill. |
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From the M-75 came a mortar carrier variant, known as “Carrier, 4.2 Inch Mortar, Tracked T-64. This vehicle served as the platform for the M-30 4.2” mortar (later designated 107mm for compliance with NATO criteria) that had been developed in 1951. Strangely, it seems that the Army never standardized the T-64; however, both the M-75 and the T-64 are known to have been fielded by the Belgian Army. |
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| Even as the M-75 and the T-64 were being introduced into active service, the Army began searching for their future replacements. Requirements for the next generation personnel carrier were relatively straightforward: It had to be less expensive than its predecessor while offering amphibious capabilities. The vehicle also needed to possess a lower profile, a trait that greatly detracted from the M-75 and T-64’s character. | ||
| In 1951, the Army began trials for the M-75’s anticipated replacement, the T-59. Standardized M-59 in 1955, this new vehicle was produced exclusively by FMC out of San Jose, California. Powered by two Model 302 GMC in-line six-cylinder truck engines, one mounted over each sponson to the rear of the vehicle, the M-59 offered what others before it had not – a fully enclosed, amphibious armored personnel carrier with amphibious capabilities. The price was right, too, as the M-59 cost only $25,000 per unit. Much of the savings came from the vehicle sharing components with the M-41 Walker Bulldog and related vehicles, which simplified production. | |
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| A mortar carrier variant of the M-59, the T-84, debuted in 1956. Standardized “Mortar, Infantry, Self-Propelled: Full-Tracked, 107mm M-84,” this vehicle remained in production until 1958. Like the M-59, the M-84 offered the unique twin engine configuration, which, according to the manufacturer, allowed the vehicle to limp home on one engine in the event of mechanical failure or battle damage to the other. |
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| In reality, the twin engine concept allowed for the vehicle’s lower price tag, meanwhile plaguing both the personnel carrier and its mortar carrier variant with mechanical headaches. It seems that synchronizing the two engines and their respective Hydramatic transmissions proved extremely difficult to manage. | |
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Like its predecessor, the M-84 sported a 4.2” mortar that could fire a variety of rounds including illuminating, chemical, white phosphorus, high explosive, and smoke. Unlike the T-64 which stored its mortar’s base plate on its roof, the M-84 carried its mortar’s base plate on its rear ramp, thus affording its crew added protection from enemy ground fire. Like later versions of the M-59, the M-84 featured an M-13 commander’s cupola that housed a Browning .50 caliber machine gun for self defense from thin-skinned ground vehicles, personnel, and, presumably, relatively low-flying aircraft. |
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Within
a fairly short amount of time, about five years, the M-59 and the M-84 no longer
proved suitable to the Army’s standards.
As such, FMC again went to the drawing board to produce the next
generation of personnel carrier, the M-113.
Its mortar carrier variant, the M-106, was first produced in September
1964. Built of aluminum and
featuring a single engine and a lower silhouette, this new vehicle again offered
amphibious capabilities. However,
it could also be airlifted unlike those that had come before it.
Building a Model of the M-84 |
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As is the case with several vehicles that played a significant role in military history, there is no model available of the M-84 on the market. Perhaps it has been deemed too obscure to merit the effort. Regardless, a respectable model can be produced by a lot of scratch building and by pirating parts from available kits. Patience and good reference materials are the two most important ingredients, however. The major kits that you will need are the M-41 Walker Bulldog, the 107 mm mortar (or M106 Mortar Carrier), and the M-48 Patton, all from Tamiya, and Modelkasten’s M2 Bradley/LVTP7A1 tracks (though Armor Track Models, available through VLS, now offers accurate renditions of the M-41/M-42 track). Other important kits are Verlinden’s .50 caliber machine gun set and its GMC engine set. Photo-etched tread plate from Techstar proved invaluable to the finished product, as is Kendall Model Company’s tie-down set. Go ahead and invest in plenty of sheet stock from Evergreen or Squadron, as well as Grandt Line or Verlinden nuts and bolts! ReferencesBefore beginning any scratch building project make sure that you have done enough research including, if possible, tracking down the actual vehicle and taking measurements and photographs. I was fortunate enough to find my vehicle at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina. I found others in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and at The Patton Museum in Kentucky. You even may find one at your local Army Reserve or National Guard Unit. If this is not possible, you may find enough material through technical manuals (TMs) that essentially severed personnel as “owner’s manuals.” These typically have wonderfully detailed images and descriptions as to the vehicle’s various components. Many TMs can be purchased through Portrayal Press, a company specializing in hard-to-find publications. Also, check out your local university or city library. They may yield a respectable selection of books that cover your subject in a general fashion. (I have found that universities that offer ROTC programs typically have decent amounts of information in both their “stacks” and in their government documents sections.) More specific books on your subject often are available through hobby distributors such as VLS, R&J Hobbies (one of my favorites), and Squadron Mail Order. Old bookstores such as The Book Barn in Niantic, Connecticut, that stock large amounts of hard-to-find books may worth looking into, as well as your contemporary mega stores such as Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble. Don’t forget to look at Amazon Books on the Net, too. Thanks to the growth of the Internet in the past decade greater information is available not only from on-line bookstores but also from people with like interests. For instance, websites such as the one that you are on now are geared towards the dissemination of not only historical information but also how to put that information to good use in your model building projects. Don’t be afraid to surf awhile, you will be surprised at what you may find. go
to next page (constructing the model) |
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