Despite the complete lack of crew protection, the system proved itself to be a formidable piece of mobile artillery particularly for those lightly armed paratrooper forces. The vehicle was fielded with the storied 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and went on to see combat service during the Vietnam War (1955-1975). Paratroopers were designed with speed and surprise in mind and thusly carried whatever tools of their deadly trade they required, jumping out of aircraft into the fray below ready for action. The M56 allowed such units a fighting chance against armor when on the ground. M56s functioned in the Vietnam theater from 1957 until 1970 to which they were then withdrawn during the American drawdown in Southeast Asia.
Apart from its open-air crew compartment, the M56 was not without other drawbacks. Its main gun held a maximum allowable range of 1,500 meters and the recoil of the tank gun proved the light chassis unsound. During firing, the front of the vehicle would kick up violently, sending the rear portion towards the ground. Not only did this wear on the crew and chassis, it promoted the vehicle's location by kicking up smoke and dust, giving up a once-concealed location.
The M56 was finally replaced by the M551 Sheridan air-droppable reconnaissance light tank which fitted a more potent 152mm main gun in a more suitable turret-and-hull arrangement. Even with the arrival of the M551, the M56 Scorpion was still being fielded in limited numbers by before the end of the Vietnam War though by now relegated to the fire support role as opposed to direct contact with enemy armor. The chassis of the base M56 was also be featured in several other U.S. Army tracked developments of the period including the M50 "Ontos" recoilless rifle carrier.
After the official retirement of both the M56 Scorpion vehicle and M551 Sheridan tank, U.S. airborne divisions were essentially left without a dedicated self-propelled piece in their inventory, a status which remains consistent today (2014). Any remaining M56 pieces went on to be scrapped or enjoy life as museum mainstays.
The M56 was also exported to Morocco, Spain, and South Korea.
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