Weight: 27-tons (24,539-kg)

Length: 20' 0” (5.79-m)

Width: 10' 3” (3.12-m)

Height: 10' 10” (3.30-m)

Crew: 5

Armor:

Hull front: .5” (13-mm)

Cab front: .5” (13-mm)

Weapons:

-Primary

1x 105-mm Howitzer M49

-Secondary

1x .50-cal M2HB machine gun

-Ammunition

102x 105-mm

900x .50-cal

Engine: Continental AOS-895-3, 6-cylinder gasoline, 446-hp

Power/weight: 16.3-hp/ton

Fuel Capacity: 174-USG (658-l)

Range: 90-miles (144-km)

Speed: 35-mph (56-km/h)

The vehicle for offer here, 105-mm Self-propelled Howitzer M52, serial number unknown, is in a condition that will need a complete restoration, inside and out. This vehicle is currently inoperable. All gunners seats are present. The interior appears to be complete. The turret basket is in good shape with intercoms and radios also present. The commander's and driver's cupolas also look good. All doors and hatches work normally. It is missing the engine and transmission.

At the end of World War II, the U.S. Army was well-equipped with self-propelled artillery pieces based on the M4 medium and M24 light tanks. In 1946, the Stillwell Board specified new requirements for future self-propelled artillery which included overhead protection from air bursts, something the wartime designs lacked.

In February 1948, the development of a self-propelled 105-mm howitzer based on the T41 light tank started. The new self-propelled howitzer was designated T98 and it featured a 105-mm howitzer in a fully-enclosed turret. The engine and transmission were mounted at the front of the hull with the turret located at the rear. The driver was positioned at the left front of the turret.

Testing at Aberdeen revealed issues which had to be corrected. These included the personnel heater emitting dangerous amounts of carbon monoxide into the fighting compartment, increasing the turret ring from 69-inches to 73-inches in diameter to create more space and other fixes. With these corrections, the T98 was redesignated as the T98E1 and put into production in January 1951. A total of 684 were built during the production run. In November 1955, the vehicle was finally type standardized as the 105-mm self-propelled howitzer M52.

The M52 was used by U.S. Army units throughout the mid and late 1950s. It was replaced by the 105-mm self-propelled M108 and 155-mm self-propelled howitzer M109. It was also provided to a few NATO armies and to the Jordanian Army. The Jordanians used them against the Israelis in the 1967 Six Day War.

Please note, this lot is a registered Destructive Device. Bidders for this lot must meet certain qualifications; please review the BATFE guidelines posted at Aucitonsamerica.com/littlefieldDD.

Transport Cost to Storage: $3,300