Armored Utility Vehicle M44.

The commander, driver, and bow gunner of the M44 were each provided with a vision cupola, and they all can be seen here. The driver is at the left front, the bow gunner on the opposite side, and the commander between and behind them. Although not mounted here, the bow machine gun would protrude from just inboard of the right-hand headlight group. Just inboard of the bow machine gun mount is an air horn under a brush guard. A rectangular pioneer tool stowage rack is attached to the front of the vehicle, and above this is the engine compartment air inlet grille. A towing pintle is mounted low on the hull front and is flanked by air brake connections for a towed vehicle, which are under brush guards. A side escape door can be seen above the third return roller, and pistol ports line the side of the vehicle. The same arrangement of pistol ports and escape door was repeated on the vehicle's opposite side. The engine exhaust stack is angled back behind the driver's cupola. Stowage baskets are provided along the vehicle's roof, and a mount for a .30cal machine gun can be seen towards the front of the rear basket. The .50cal MG mount is placed by the roof hatch towards the rear of the vehicle, and can be seen here. (Picture from Development of Armored Vehicles, volume II: Armored Cars, Scout Cars, and Personnel Carriers.)

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Armored Utility Vehicle M44.

The rear .50cal machine gun is mounted on this vehicle, along with a .30cal machine gun on the opposite side. Pioneer tools are stowed on the front rack, and a towing cable is looped around them. The large size of the machine can be seen here with some of the 24 dismounts beside the vehicle for reference. (Picture from Development of Armored Vehicles, volume II: Armored Cars, Scout Cars, and Personnel Carriers.)

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Armored Utility Vehicle M44.

Features of the left side of the vehicle are labeled here. The T107 .50cal machine gun mount was behind a crossbar that served as an interrupter to prevent the gunner from hitting the front of the hull. A barrel clip was found on this crossbar to act as a travel lock. (Picture from Weapon Mounts for Secondary Armament.)

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Armored Utility Vehicle M44.

The vehicle is seen from above in this picture. The .30cal machine gun sockets on each side of the side escape doors are more easily seen from this angle. The T107 concentric ring mount was 36" (91cm) in diameter and used 80 rollers, with every fifth roller countering upward thrust and the rest countering downward thrust. (Picture from Weapon Mounts for Secondary Armament.)

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Armored Utility Vehicle M44.

The .30cal ball machine gun mount is seen here. The cradle was connected by a linkage to a Polaroid reticle sight to assist with aiming. An ammunition box M1 was attached to the mount's holder, and an expended case collection bag was directly behind the holder. (Picture from Weapon Mounts for Secondary Armament.)

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Last updated 27 May 2023.
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