M15 & M16 AAA Platoon
The M15 and M16 were both anti-aircraft variants of the M3 Half Tracks used by the US and USSR armies during the war. The high rate of fire on the weapons made them highly useful against infantry and light vehicles.
Flames of War[edit | edit source]
IRL[edit | edit source]
The M2 Half Track was the basis on which the M3 Half-Track was built, and was first entered into production in 1941. The Army used it as an ammo carrier, a tow vehicle, and part of armored recon forces prior to the introduction of the M8.
The T28 is a variant of the M2 that was planned but canceled after the M3 was found a better platform for the weapon. The M15, in contrast to the M16, had a twin .50 BMG and a single 37mm autocannon. It also tended to be better armored. The M16 had an M45 Maxson quad .50 caliber BMG mount that was nicknamed "The Meat Grinder" by American troops for its ability to turn anything it was pointed at into ground-up paste.
Of the two variants, only one was sent under lend-lease to the Soviet Union: the M16, which was classified as the M17.
It should be noted that while the vast majority of armies used cannons for AA work, the Americans were just swimming in .50 cal machineguns by the start of the war, being the only country to field them in numbers large enough to strap them to literally everything that could take one. So while it wasn’t the best gun for taking down aircraft, by the late war the Americans had already achieved air supremacy, allowing for vehicles like the M15 and M16 to be repurposed as absolutely devastating infantry support.
| US Forces in Flames of War | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | M4 Sherman - M3 Lee - M5/M3 Stuart - M24 Chaffee - M26 Pershing - M27 Tank - M6 Heavy Tank - T14 Heavy Tank |
| Transports: | M3 Halftrack - Jeep - DUKW |
| Infantry: | US Armored Rifle Platoon - Parachute Rifle Platoon - Rifle Platoon - American Rifle Company - Glider Platoon - Machine Gun Platoon |
| Artillery: | US 155mm - US 105mm Artillery - US 75mm Artillery - US 81mm Mortars - T27 Xylophone - 57mm Anti Tank Platoon - M12 155mm Artillery Battery - M7 Priest - M8 Scott |
| Tank Destroyer: | M10 - M18 Hellcat - T55 Gun Motor Carriage - M36 Slugger |
| Recon: | M3 Scout Car - M20 Security Section - M8 Greyhound Cavalry Recon Patrol |
| Aircraft: | P40 Warhawk - P47 Thunderbolt - P38 Lightning - F4U Corsair |
| Anti-Aircraft: | M15 & M16 AAA Platoon |
| Soviet Forces in Flames of War | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-70 - Valentine - M5/M3 Stuart - M3 Lee - T-34 - KV - Churchill - IS-2 - Captured Tank Platoon - T-28 - BT-7 - KV-2 - T-26 |
| Transports: | M3 Scout Car - Universal Carrier - SdKfz 251 |
| Infantry: | Rifles - Motor Rifles - Penal Company - Storm Group - SMG Company - Engineer Sapper Company |
| Artillery: | Katyusha - 152mm Artillery - 122mm Artillery - 76mm Artillery - 120mm Mortars - 82mm mortars |
| Tank Destroyers and Assault Guns: | 45mm Anti Tank - 57mm Anti Tank - 76mm Anti Tank - 100mm Anti Tank - SU-76 - SU-85 - SU-100 - SU-122 - SU-152 - ISU-122/ISU-152 |
| Recon: | Scout Platoon - BA-64 Platoon - Armored Reconnaissance Platoon - Reconnaissance Platoon |
| Aircraft: | Il-2 Sturmovik |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU M17 - DShK AA MG Platoon |
| Midwar Monsters: | KV-3 - KV-5 - T-43 |