What is Towing this 57mm AT Gun in Maastrict?

Well as i already told in my introduction, I am from the Netherlands. I live in Maastricht. I was looking for pictures about the liberation of Maastricht. Looking for a subject for a model diorama. And i found this picture were its all about:
http://www.oldhickory30th.com/Maastricht 117th Co. C.jpg



I know its Maastricht, i know is taken on 13th september 1944,i know there are GI's patrolling, i know the speed limit is 45km/h, the grass is still green, its a towed 57mm antitank gun but what i cant find out what it is towed by because of the #$%$%@name plate of the city....
So can someone tell me what vehicle is towing it? Is it a Dodge WC 62 of 63 or another vehicle (maybe an M8) Cold it be a GMC ? Any help is very much apreciated

 

The unit they are with may help a little.

A 57mm anti-tank gun and a patrol of American GI's from the 30th Infantry Division peer eastward toward Maastricht, Holland from the outskirts of Cadier-en-Keer in mid-September of 1944. The men belong to Company C, 1st Battalion, 117th Infantry Regiment.

A similar image possibly the same type of vehicle
View attachment 15807

 

There is simply too little of the vehicle shown to really make a good I.D., but since the M8 is a six-wheeler with full coverage rear fenders, not a four wheeler and it is too difficult to see if that is a set of rear drivers, or just a "trick" of the photo since the right side isn't clear and the left is blocked by the soldier's leg, and really only four show here for certain, so my guess (and I do mean guess) would be on of the Dodge WC series. Most likely in the 3/4 ton size.

 

that is a better shot there, and it might well be this series of Dodge with the top off and the windshield down.

Goto:

Oldtimer gallery. Trucks (Cars). Dodge T223 (WC62, WC63).

 

Definitely no M8 as otherwise the turret should show, it seems to small to be an M20 so my bet would be a WC62/63.

 

I think it is an M8. It does have 6 wheels (there is a wheel partially hidden by the soldiers leg and another partially hidden by the sign post) and that could be the turret showing above the soldiers elbow.

 

Valkenburg
Slipdigit, you said your friend was in Valkenburg, this link is to pictures taken by local Photographer (still has a shop there)

 

I beg to difer, in that case both soldiers would have to be giants, the deck of an M8 is about shoulder height of a tall man. never could a man standing next to an M8 be taller then the overall vehicle. Why not simply accept the easy and logical solution, it's a Dodge WC 62/63 the vehicle that was generally employed for towing the 57mm M1 AT gun.

 

JW,
Old Hickory has a mind like a steel trap to remember his position on 12SEP44. All the Best to you both.

 

Slipdigit,

Would you be so kind to tell Old Hickory that i still am very thankfull to him and all of his comrades who risk our gave their lives to liberate us. Thank you !

 

Hell on Wheels komt terug naar België en Nederland

Pics of re-enactment and pics of veterans returning to Maastricht (sroll down)

 

You are mistaken on the height, closer to mid-chest below the arm pit, not shoulder height (of course heights of people do vary). The soldiers are closer to the camera than the tow vehicle not right next to it. The height of the camera in relation to the subject(s) makers a differance. A low camera relative to the subjects, which appears to be the case, makes the more the distance subjects look shorter and the closer subjects look taller. A high camera would make the distant subject look taller and closer subject shorter. I confirmed this by observing two identical pens mounted vertically, one approximately 6" from my eyes and the other approxinately 12" beyond it.

Twin Cities Assembly Plant | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

http://www.wwiivehicles.com/usa/armored-cars/m-8.asp

 

The soldier inbetween the traffic sign and the road sign "Maastricht" is standing right next to the Dodge, the distance inbetwen the camera and the soldier is much bigger, so the optical illusion can't play. Let's agree to disagree. It's definitely no M8. I stand by the Dodge

 

People, i more and more tend to assume it is a dodge WC62 pr WC63. I thank you all for thinking and posting. It is a great experience for me that you all welcom a new member like this ! Thank you very Much !!!

 

The soldier is several feet to the right and also probably slightly behind the vehicle (thus closer to the camera).

Look between the sign and the soldier, the top of the vehicle appears to be above his shoulder. It blocks the view of the tree in this area. (the top of the turret). There is a dark area on the vehicle just above soldier's elbow. (the demarcation between the top of the hull and the bottom of the turret).

Look at the rear wheels. The rear most wheel looks to be slightly inset (closer to the center of the vehicle) than the wheel in front of it. I don't know the reason for this appearance, but have seen this in other photos of M8's and M20's. (edit, after some thought I have decided that this is an illusion caused by the angle of the vehicle to the camera. The appearance would be similar for any 6x6 vehicle.)

While the closer the subjects are together the less effect the height of the camera on the relative appearance of their heights, the effect I describd is true even if the subjects (pens in my experment) are touching.

 

Am I the only one to notice the Dodge WC-62/63's taillight/reflector that is visible just above the AT-gun's left tire and the Maastricht sign? It is way to low and out of place for the M-8/M-20.

Also, note that the edge of the truck(visible by the tailight, is straight, if it was an M-8/M-20 it should be slightly angled.

What Highway70 is calling a "turret", is likely the two wooden slats that were usually mounted on the sides of the truck. Especially since you can see 2 separations, the first is just above the soldier's elbow, and the second is about the middle of the upper-arm.

Edit-

Hogwash! The soldier is standing right where the paved road meets the dirt, the Dodge is about one or two feet in on the paved road. This, in my book, does not equal "several feet", but only a "couple" of feet.