Twin 40mm Self-propelled Gun, M42A1 Duster

Twin 40mm Self-propelled Gun, M42A1 Duster (HMII3)

Location: Boalsburg, PA 16827 Centre County
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Country: United States of America
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N 40° 46.891', W 77° 47.81'

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Inscription

Pennsylvania Military Museum

By the time the M42 "Duster" anti-aircraft weapon system was deployed in 1953, the Soviet Union had developed high-speed aircraft that were too fast for the Duster to track. The Duster, however, found its role in the dense jungles of Vietnam. Its awesome firepower proved effective in suppressing enemy ground fire on convoy duty and in fixed defensive positions. ACF industries of Berwick, Pennsylvania, built M42 Dusters in the 1950s.

About the M42A1 Duster
First accepted: 1951
Manufacturers: Cadillac Motor Car Division of General Motors and ACF Industries, Inc.
Total Built: 3,700
Crew: 6 men (Commander and Driver in vehicle; Gunner, Sight Setter, and two Loaders in turret)
Armament: 40mm Dual Automatic Gun M2A1 "Bofors" in turret, and .30 caliber M1919A4 machine gun mounted at front or rear of turret
Armor: Between .3" and 1" all around vehicle
Engine: Continental AOS-895-3; 6 cylinder, 4 cycle, opposed supercharged gasoline
Horsepower: 446@2400 rpm
Maximum road speed: 45 mph

The name "Duster" came from the huge clouds of dust raised by the vehicles as they moved at 45 mph over crude dirt roads in the Mekong Delta. The gun turret could rotate 360? and elevate to 85? when deployed against aircraft. However, it was its ability to depress the guns as low as -5? that made it invaluable in close jungle warfare.

Twin Swedish Bofors 40mm cannons fired a blistering 240 rounds per minute. Crewmen loaded the guns by hand with four-round clips. Storage boxes on the vehicle's hull kept 100 clips within close reach.
Details
HM NumberHMII3
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Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, September 7th, 2014 at 2:58pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18T E 263993 N 4518267
Decimal Degrees40.78151667, -77.79683333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 40° 46.891', W 77° 47.81'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds40° 46' 53.46" N, 77° 47' 48.60" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)814
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 205 Old Boalsburg Rd, Boalsburg PA 16827, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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