Higgins LCM (3) 1:144

Higgins Landing Craft LCM(3)

Item # EM34901

The LCM (Landing Craft Mechanized) saw more than 8,500 were built in American yards between 1942 and 1945. As Britian had no tank-carring craft lighter than the LCT (Landing Craft Tank), LCMs were also readily adopted by the Royal Navy. LCMs could be either carried on ship davits, or towed across the English Channel. Due to the danger of swamping in rough seas, most LCMs were towed across the Channel and not loaded with troops until the morning of D-Day, June 6th 1944. LCMs could be readily identified by their unique perforated bow ramp. As tanks grew larger and heavier, the LCM(3) was developed with a longer hull and greater buoyancy, which allowed a 30-ton tank to be carried. They could also handle up to thirty tons of cargo or sixty troops. The LCM(3) had a crew of four men and was armed with two, 50-caliber machine guns. The LCM(3) was not designed for the crew to live aboard, and it remained dependent upon a parentship over long periods of time. As well as taking part in the D-Day, June 6th 1944 landings, LCM(3)s were also used in large numbers in the Pacific Island campaigns, and the crossing of the Rhine in Germany.