Vegemite/jordan wrote:Yes so there was indeed a small cannon on them! How common was the 20mm polsten gun? Did the Americans use them or was it a british addition?
I've been kind of dreading this moment. There were quite a few models of the LVT, with variations on armor, armament, load carried, and so forth. Keep in mind though that most of these would have been used in the Pacific but not in Europe.
My source for this information is
Allied Landing Craft of World War Two. This was originally a two-part ONI document that was reprinted by the Naval Institute Press, ©1985. This is a very handy little book and I can't recommend it too strongly for anyone with an interest in this sort of thing.
Just giving very brief descriptions (get the book!):
LVT(1): Capacity: 4,500 lbs. or 20 fully equipped men. Armor: None. Armament: Track rails for one .30 cal. MG.
LVT(2): Capacity: 6,500 lbs. or 24 fully equipped men. Armor: Portable plating (this is given as 10 lb. plating except for the front and sides of the cab, which is 20 lb.). Armament: Track rails for one .30 and one .50 cal. MG.
LVT(3): Capacity: 8,000 lbs. or 24 fully equipped men. Armor: Portable. Armament: One .30 and one .50 Cal. MG.
LVT(4): Everything the same as LVT(2) except this one has a stern ramp.
LVT(A)(1): Capacity: 1,000 lbs. Armor: 0.5" cab sides, turret, and under bow; 0.25" everywhere else. Armament: One 37mm gun with one .30 cal. coax MG in a Stuart turret. Two .30 cal. MGs in ring mounts.
LVT(A)(2): Same as LVT(2) except armored.
LVT(A)(4): Same as LVT(A)(1) except the 37mm Stuart turret has been replaced with an M8 75mm howitzer turret and it only carries a single .50 cal. MG as additional armament. Capacity: 2,000 lbs. ammunition and gear.
It must be kept in mind that field modifications not described in these notes were also undertaken, which is how your Polsen 20mm may have come into the picture. There is reason to believe that changes were also introduced on the production line before the run of any particular model was completed.
Michael