Wheels & Tracks #6

The Commander in Chief, General Auchinleck, inspecting Bren gun carrier crews of the Indian Tenth Army in Iraq, 18 April 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo E 10780)

Two Sikh members of an Indian camouflage unit in Baghdad, with a dummy Stuart tank mounted on a car chassis, 25 March 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo E 9697)

Aboard a transport bringing Army troops from New Guinea to the Philippines. The early model 2½-ton truck has the insignia of the Chemical Corps on its hood and a personal insignia on the door.

DUKW loading onto LST 543.

 
Operation Tiger, the training exercise on Slapton Sands in Devon, England, spring 1944. In the foreground on the sand are rolls of mesh ‘Sommerfeld Tracking’ (named after German expatriate engineer, Kurt Joachim Sommerfeld), used to strengthen weak and viscous surfaces. In the center is an American M10 tank destroyer named “Bessie” equipped wading equipment that protected the engine from the ingress of water, and a Caterpillar D-8 bulldozer, used by the Allies in landings for clearing the beaches. LCT-27, LCT-[?]53, LST-325 in the background.

A Valentine tank making its way up the beach after being unloaded from a landing craft, 9 February 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo E 8174)

A Matilda tank coming ashore from a tank landing craft, 9 February 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo E 8173)

Infantry advance in the distance, past the wreck of a German PzKpfw III tank, North Africa, October 1942. (Imperial War Museum photo E 18787)

17 pdr firing APCBC at 2900 F/S against Tiger and Panther tanks.

75mm firing APCBC (M.61`) at 2030 F/S against Tiger and Panther tanks.

Rheinmetall-Borsig Panzer III turret design.

Panzer III interior section view.

Lt. Gen. Erwin Rommel and his staff confer during Africa Korps operations in North Africa.

German bunker Type S414.

German bunker Type S414 painted to look like a house.

Albert Kesselring (center) and Erwin Rommel (left), both senior German field commanders, confer during a meeting at El Alamein in North Africa in August 1942.

The PzKpfw III Ausf G turret direction indicator was later copied on the Soviet T-50 light tank.

The PzKpfw III Ausf G machine gun mount itself was not very interesting, but the idea of a dual machine gun was used on the Soviet T-50 light tank.

A captured German soldier from the Hermann Göring Division fills out paperwork in a temporary Moroccan prison camp before being shipped to the United States or Britain.

General George S. Patton, Jr.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf B Tiger II “11”, France.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II, France.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II, France, 1944.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II, Germany, 1945.

Polish TK3 tankette that has had its armor cut out and a windshield installed by the Germans.

A US soldier advances cautiously at left with a submachine gun to cover any attempt of the German tank crew from escaping their fiery prison inside their tank following a duel with U.S. and British anti-tank units in Medjez al Bab area, Tunisia, on January 12, 1943.

Captured American M4A3 medium tank, Ardennes, January 1945. It was used by 5th Paratroop Jäger Division, along with five more.

The same M4A3 as in the above photo, knocked out during the Ardennes Offensive, Esch-sur-Sûre, Luxembourg, seen later in 1945.

Captured British Sherman VC “Firefly” (armed with 17-pounder gun), Normandy, 1944.

Captured British Sherman VC “Firefly” (armed with 17-pounder gun), Normandy, 1944.

M4 medium tank, 10th Armored Division, captured and used by the Germans during the breakthrough in Luxembourg. It is shown here after it was hit by American armor and retaken by the division. 6 February 1945.

M4 medium tank captured and used by the Germans.

Aboard a transport bringing Army troops from New Guinea to the Philippines. The early model 2½-ton truck has the insignia of the Chemical Corps on its hood and a personal insignia on the door.

American jeeps and a captured Kübelwagen in a North African city.

American M4 medium tanks with a GMC CCKW truck and soldiers sitting in a poppy field in Italy, August 1944.

Pz.Kpfw. V Panther medium tanks from the 11th Panzer Division destroyed in battle against tanks from the U.S. 761st Tank Battalion on the road between the villages of Guebling and Bourgaltrof on 19 November 1944. Two M4 medium tanks were destroyed by the Panthers.

The Battle of Kursk was the largest tank battle ever fought — with each side employing nearly 3,000 tanks.

Daimler-Benz Z.W.40 tank (left foreground) was developed in order to replace the PzKpfw III as a 20-ton tank. Daimler-Benz came up with a couple of designs, the most basic, Z.W.40, was simply a re-working of a Pz III.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank.

German Z.W.40 tank.

Major David V. Currie (left with hand gun) of the 29th Canadian Armoured Reconnaissance Regt. (The South Alberta Regiment), is in conversation with R. Lowe of 'C' Company, at the time that members of 2.Pz.Div., commanded by Hauptmann Siegfried Rauch are surrendering to Sgt.Major G. Mitchell in Saint-Lambert-sur-Dives, Calvados.

Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II ‘Königstiger’ (Turret Nº 2-11) from the 2.Kompanie, schwere Panzer Abteilung 506, was captured by American troops and restored to running condition by Company B of the 129th Ordnance Battalion, 7th Armored Division, in Gereonsweiler, Germany, on 15 December 1944. The ‘Tiger’ took a hit to the base of the turret that jammed it at the 3 o’clock position. A heavy wrecking truck was used to ‘twist’ the turret to the forward position and the American soldiers, seen here, are probably engaged in a battlefield clearance operation.

Early production PzKpfw VI Ausf E “Tiger I” moving past a French farmyard, 1944.

Tiger I being towed by three SdKfz 9 half-tracks.

Tiger I moving past a burning Russian farmhouse.

Tiger I tank crew cleaning the barrel.

Refueling a Tiger I.

Much more modern though still of riveted construction was the Czech-built PzKpfw 38(t). An excellent, robust and fast vehicle, it formed a good part of German tank strength during the 1940 campaigns and did not disappear as a battle tank until the end of 1941. The very good chassis was used for self-propelled gun conversions right up to the war’s end. Unlike German tanks, it had a right hand drive, the hull machine gun in a gimbal mounting being placed just left of center.

PzKpfw 38(t).

Tiger I tanks from 501 sPzAbt.

Leichte Traktor VK.31 light tank, built secretly in Germany and tested at Kazan, USSR. The Leichttraktor (VK-31) was a German experimental tank. After the First World War, Germany was restricted in military development by the Treaty of Versailles but a secret program under the name cover "Traktor" was developing armored military vehicles and artillery. Its engine was in the front, and the turret was rear-mounted. Both Rheinmetall and Krupp produced prototypes, and in 1928, Rheinmetall was awarded the order of 289 tanks; however, the order was cancelled. Krupp models had coil spring suspensions, while Rheinmetall had leaf spring suspensions. The Germans tested the tank in the Soviet Union under the Treaty of Rapallo – agreed between the USSR and Germany in 1922 under high secrecy and security. The testing facility used from 1926 to 1933 was Panzertruppenschule Kama, located near Kazan in the Soviet Union. The location was a joint testing ground and tank training ground for the Red Army and Reichswehr. It was codenamed "Kama" from the words Kazan and Malbrandt because the testing grounds were near Kazan and Oberstleutnant Malbrandt was assigned to select the location for testing. Leichter Traktor ("Light tractor") was a cover name for all three light tank designs produced there. In the early years of World War II, it was used as a training tank.

Marder near Stalingrad.

Alkett schwere Minenräumer (Vs.Kfz. 617) “Alkett-Raümgerät.”

Alkett schwere Minenräumer (Vs.Kfz. 617) “Alkett-Raümgerät.”

Alkett schwere Minenräumer (Vs.Kfz. 617) “Alkett-Raümgerät.”

Minenraumpanzer III, a.k.a. Minenraumgerat mit PzKpfw Antrieb.

Gepanzerte Munitionsschlepper (VK 3.02) (Borgward).

T-60 light tank armed with a 37 mm ZiS-19 cannon. This brief project was initiated in 1942 to help the T-60 (armed only with a 20 mm cannon) better fight the new/upgraded German tanks of the time. However, shortages of 37 mm ammunition rendered mass production of the modified vehicle impossible. Instead, developers selected the 45 mm cannon (also mounted on the T-26 light tank) and created a different, albeit related, tank, the T-70.

Object 239 (KV-85) heavy tank. Object 239, more commonly known as the KV-85, was a stopgap variant of the famous Soviet KV-1 heavy tank. The vehicle was developed as the Soviet military was still working out what would eventually become the IS-series. Object 239 mounted an early IS-series (at the time, still known as IS-85/Object 237) turret on a KV-1S hull. The main gun was an 85 mm D-5T cannon--an upgrade from the 76.2 mm gun mounted on the KV-1. A total of 148 KV-85s were produced between late-1943 and early-1944. The vehicle was first deployed in September 1943. The KV-85 performed well on the battlefield and was a solid match for the German Tiger I heavy tank.

T-30A prototype light tank. Pictured here is a Soviet T-30 prototype light tank (at the Kubinka Tank Museum). Two versions of the T-30 were built by Moscow Factory No. 37 (under the supervision of Nicholas Astrov), the T-30A and the T-30B. The former led to the T-40 amphibious light tank and the latter led to the T-60 light tank. Both prototypes were constructed during the late-1930s with the T-40 entering production in 1940 and the T-60 in 1941.

Object 234 prototype heavy tank. The prototype was based on the KV-13 prototype medium tank, itself a variant of the famous KV-1 heavy tank. The prototype, with its plans being laid out in early 1943, retained most of the KV-13's features. However, it was armed with a 122 mm U-11 howitzer mounted in a KV turret (same as the experimental KV-9), whereas the KV-13 mounted a 76 mm cannon in a KV-1S / IS - style turret. Object 234 was a precursor to the IS series of heavy tank, but it lost to another precursor vehicle, the "IS Model 1" (likely Object 237).

KV-1S heavy tank. The KV-1S was an attempt to temporarily upgrade the KV-1 heavy tank in mid-1943. The tank was lighter than the original KV-1 and mounted a revised turret. The KV-1S ended up remaining in production and service until 1944—longer than anticipated.

Hungarian troops standing on and next to a knocked out Soviet KV-1 Model 1942 heavy tank.

Matilda II infantry tank armed with a 76 mm F-96 cannon. The Soviet Union received quite a number of British Matilda II infantry tanks through the Allied Lend-Lease Program during World War II, however they were not well liked. One of the issues the Red Army had was the tank's weak QF 2-pounder armament, which was also incapable of firing High Explosive (HE) rounds. To remedy the situation, Soviet developers attempted to install the powerful 76 mm ZiS-5 cannon—this had been the main armament of both the early T-34 medium and KV-1 heavy tanks. In December 1941, one Matilda was modified with a ZiS-5 (re-designated the F-96) cannon. It began testing in January of 1942. To fit the gun into the Matilda's turret, developers had to vastly modify the gun mantlet. The already cramped turret space became even smaller. It was decided in March 1943 that the 76 mm guns were best used on domestic Soviet tanks and the up-gunned Matilda project was scrapped. It is assumed that the single prototype was scrapped.

T-34-T armored recovery vehicle. The T-34-T was a World War II conversion of T-34 medium tanks into armored recovery vehicles. The turret was removed and the mobile hull was used to tow vehicles.

T-34-100 prototype medium tank. The T-34-100 was a single T-34-85 medium tank armed with a 100 mm ZiS-100 cannon. Testing revealed the cannon to be too heavy with too strong a recoil—this caused damage to the turret ring. A lighter 100 mm cannon was tested, but by that time developers had moved on in favor of the T-44 medium tank.

ZIS-42M half-track (an improved version of the ZIS-42).

T-34-85 Model 1945 medium tank. The Model 1945 introduced an electric turret motor (not sure if the previous models had turret motors in general), a larger commander's cupola (now a one-piece hatch instead of a split two-piece), and a TDP smoke system.

T-34-85 Model 1944 with 85mm ZiS-S-53 cannon and cast and smoother barrel housing on the gun mantlet.

T-34-85 Model 1943 and 1944 tanks of the 51st Brigade, 9th Guards Tank Corps, August 1944.

ZiS-42 half-track (introduced in 1942; a variant of the famous ZiS-5 truck).

T-34-57 medium tank. The T-34-57 was produced in a small number towards the beginning of World War II. The tank was armed with a long-barreled 57 mm ZiS-4 gun, a tank variant of the ZiS-2 anti-tank gun. Ten vehicles were converted but they were all destroyed in late-1941. The 57 mm was effective against armored targets but used a weak high explosive (HE) round, and this was deemed unsatisfactory. All the production T-34-57s mounted the early turret. The -57 concept was considered in 1943 (using the newer hexagonal turret), but the project was dropped for the T-34-85.

BT-7A artillery tank armed with a 76 mm F-32 cannon. This particular vehicle was a rare variant of the BT-7 and I think only a couple were built. Developers experimented with the new 76 mm F-32 cannon, designed by Vasily Grabin. The cannon would later be mounted on early variants of the famous KV heavy tank. The normal BT-7A artillery tank was produced in a small number. The total number of BT-7As was 155. Minus the F-32 armed vehicles, I assume "normal" BT-7A production was perhaps between 135 and 150? (this is a complete guess!). "Normal" BT-7As were armed with a shorter-barreled KT-28 howitzer.

A flurry of Chevrolets G7107 ceded to the USSR under the Lend-Lease program. These trucks played a decisive role in improving the Red Army's logistics, from 1942.

T-34/85 of the Third Guards Tank Army, Germany, 1945.

Knocked out M3 light tank in Soviet service towing artillery, near Kharkov, Soviet Union, May 1942.

The only known photograph of a SU-76i on the front lines show it in German hands, where it was a trophy of the 23rd Tank Division.

One of the biggest issues with the SU-76i was lack of a user's manual. One was only published in 1944, when the vehicle's career was coming to an end.

The first SU-76i prototype on a Panzerkampfwagen III chassis. Sofrino proving grounds, March 1943.

A German Panzerkampfwagen III Ausf. J medium tank was used as a chassis.

View from behind, rear hatch is closed.

The escape hatch could also be used for ventilation.

Inside the fighting compartment. The commander's station is in the upper right corner.

The driver, gunner, and loader were located in a line on the left side of the fighting compartment, just like in the StuG III.

Mobility trials in snow.

The right track slipped off and the right drive sprocket crown was bent while driving on a dirt road. The first production SU-76i were nearly identical to the prototype.

A mass production SU-76i, September 1943. This vehicle had the serial number 3155.

One of the most distinctive features of the production SU-76i was the extra plate on the gun shield.

Extra fuel tanks on the rear plate and the firing port for the PPSh in the left hatch flap can be seen.

SU-76 self-propelled gun in Berlin on April 30, 1945.

Soviet armored train captured by German forces in the summer of 1941.

U.S. M3 light tank driver at Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 1942.

American infantryman with a M1 Garand rifle alongside a halftrack, Fort Knox, Kentucky, June 1942.

M7 self-propelled howitzer moves up the Appian Way during the drive towards Rome.

American soldiers marching up the Appian Way during the drive towards Rome. On the road at the left is an amphibious jeep. Note what appears to be unexploded shells in the foreground.

Italians watching American armor, including this M8 armored car, pass during the drive towards Rome along the Appian Way.

U.S. 10th Mountain Division medical unit, Italy, 1944.

American soldiers and their vehicles rest in a courtyard during the drive towards Rome.

American troops with a variety of vehicles, including M8 armored cars and command cars, camping by the roadside during the drive towards Rome, 1944.

American troops landing at Anzio. The two vehicles in the foreground are gasoline tankers (note the "GASOLINE" signs on the front of the vehicles) each pulling two gasoline tank trailers.

American servicemen drive in jeeps through an unidentified and nearly completely destroyed town, Italy, May 1944.

American Army trucks parked next to the St. Lucia fountain in 1943.

An American soldier from 7th Armored Division mans the machine gun of his M4 medium tank while on maneuvers, circa 1943.

An American soldier with M1 rifle next to a halftrack trains at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in June 1942.

M4 medium tank crew at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in June 1942.

A driver operates a M3 medium tank at Fort Knox in Kentucky in June 1942.

The driver of a Marine truck, New River, North Carolina, in May 1942.

A soldier operates a light tank at Fort Knox in Kentucky in June 1942.

The M3A1 Stuart (official name: Light Tank, M3A1), a U.S. Army light tank introduced in 1942. This was the successor to the original M3 Stuart and was known as the "Stuart III" in British service. It lacks the turret cupola and sponson machine guns of the original M3. Circa 1942. The M3A1 Stuart, introduced in 1942, was the successor to the M3. The British called the gasoline-engined version the Stuart III and the diesel one the Stuart IV. The M3A1 had a new turret without a cupola; unlike the M3's turret, which was traversed by hand, that of the M3A1 had power traverse. The sponson machine guns were eliminated from the M3A1.

Sergeant Carl Hardy, 20, of Shelby, North Carolina, stalking an M3A1 Stuart tank on maneuvers with the Second Army in middle Tennessee. The simulated 29-pound TNT satchel charge laid on the bogie of the light tank will "wreck" it, and possibly "kill" the four operators within. Circa 1942.

Two African American recruits in a M3 light tank during training in mechanized warfare at Montford Point Camp, North Carolina, April 1943.

The M3A3 Stuart (official name: Light Tank, M3A3), a U.S. Army light tank introduced in 1942. This was the final version of the M3 Stuart and was known as the "Stuart V" in British service. It had a redesigned hull, like that of the M5 Stuart but with a flat rear deck and angled sides, and its turret had a rear extension. Circa 1942. The M3A3 Stuart, introduced later in 1942, was the last model of the M3 line. The British called it the Stuart V. The M3A3 had a greatly modified hull, much like that of the M5 Stuart which had been introduced slightly earlier. Previous M3 versions had a hull with a low front, the superstructure beginning just underneath the turret. The new hull for the M5 and M3A3 rose more steeply in front, providing more internal space. On the M3A3 the hull had inward sloping sides and a flat rear deck. The M3A3 also had a lengthened turret with a rear extension for a radio compartment. This M3 version was not used by U.S. forces, instead being supplied to U.S. allies.

Turret assembly on M3A3 light tank, showing turret basket.

The M5 Stuart (official name: Light Tank, M5), a U.S. Army light tank introduced in 1942 and known as the "Stuart VI" in British service. The M5 replaced the M3 Stuart's radial aircraft engine with twin automobile engines, and its hull was redesigned with a sloping front for more internal space and an elevated rear deck to make room for the engines. This is the original M5 version, which had a shorter turret than the M5A1 which succeeded it. Circa 1942. The M5 Stuart, introduced in early 1942 and dubbed Stuart VI by the British, was a new Stuart version powered by twin V8 automobile engines. M3 series Stuarts had used radial airplane engines, and war demands made these engines hard to obtain. The M5's hull was also redesigned, with a uniformly sloping front, flat sides, and an elevated rear deck to make room for the new engines. (This also formed the basis for the M3A3's hull.) The original M5 had a relative short turret, which would be extended in the later M5A1.

M5 light tanks pass through the wrecked streets of Coutances, circa July 1944.

M5 light tanks move through Avranches (Manche), France.

African American crew of M5 light tanks from Company D, 761st Tank Battalion, stand by awaiting call to clean out scattered German machine gun nests in Coburg, Germany, 25 April 1945.

M2A3 light tank in Annual Army Day Parade, Washington, D.C., 6 April 1939.

M2 Half-track (W-4011894).

M16 Gun Motor Carriage being used for direct fire, 209th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion, supporting the 32nd Infantry Division, Villa Verde Trail, Philippines, August 1945.

M4 medium tanks with a M26 heavy tank (second from left) of 2nd Armored Division, Germany, 1945.

76mm Gun Motor Carriage T70 pilot number 3 was photographed on June 11, 1943 at Aberdeen Proving Ground where it was undergoing testing. Early examples of the T70 used the 76 mm Gun M1A1, which lacked threads on the muzzle for installing a muzzle brake. The T70 had the Continental R-975-C1 radial engines mounted in the rear of the hull and the 900T Torqmatic transmission and the final drives in the front of the hull.

M18 Gun Motor Carriage "Hellcat".

A soldier mans the M2 .50 caliber machine gun on an M18 GMC (40145323) during a training maneuver.

During a lull in the fighting in Brest, France, on 12 September 1944, crewmen of an M18 GMC (40145153) nicknamed “Big Gee” inspect their vehicle.

M18 GMC crewmen from the 603rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, 6th Armored Division,  relax around their vehicle in Marnach, Luxembourg, 21 February 1945.

A group of M18 GMCs attached to the 6th Armored Division halt before a disabled German PzKpfw VI King Tiger tank somewhere in Germany, 28 February 1945.

An M18 GMC from the 603rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, Combat Command B, 6th Armored Division, guards an intersection in Luneville, France, 22 September 1944.

M18 GMC featuring an unusual placement of sandbags along the upper hull sides.

M4A1 76(W) medium tank, left, and M26 heavy tank, right, of the 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, Cologne, Germany, March 1945. A German family returns from collecting water.

The same family carrying buckets of water as they continue past the two tanks.

The same family continues their excursion to get water, passing by another M4 medium tank.

M4 medium tank (3084932) of the 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division on a street in Cologne, Germany, March 1945. An M26 heavy tank is in the left background. Note the white flag wrapped around a pole above the M4 tank.

Pushing through New Guinea jungles in a jeep, General Douglas MacArthur inspects the positions and movements of Allied Forces, who would push the Japanese away from Port Moresby and back over the Owen Stanley Mountain range, November 3, 1942.

These Axis prisoners were taken during the Allied assault on German positions near Sened, Tunisia, 1943. Note US M3 Medium tank in background.

M25 Tank Transporter moving a PzKpfw. V “Panther” tank, Germany, post-war.

M31 tank recovery vehicle with German pre-built bunker.

T6 Gun Motor Carriage. The T6 was the pilot prototype to the American M12 Gun Motor Carriage. The vehicle was completed and ran trials in 1942. The T6 was actually initially rejected by Army Ground Forces, but the artillery branch liked it. This led to an order put in for 100 vehicles which was completed between September 1942 and March 1943. The production vehicles were designated "M12".

T9 Light Tank. The T9 was the prototype to the American M22 Locust airborne light tank. American manufacturer Marmon-Herrington drew up the design in 1941. It was primarily the British who wanted a new airborne tank to replace their aging Tetrarch design. However, the British industry was limited at the time and so American companies were selected for the task. Marmon-Herrington created a ~7.4 ton (6.7 tonne) vehicle operated by a crew of three. The main armament was a stabilized 37 mm M6 gun accompanied by a coaxial .30-caliber Browning M1919 machine gun plus two more machine guns installed in a twin mount in the hull. The T9 was powered by a 162 hp Lycoming six-cylinder engine, providing a top speed of 40 mph (64 km/h). Armor was up to 12.5 mm thick. Unlike the British Tetrarch, the T9 was designed to be deployed by a powered aircraft--not a glider. The Douglas C-54 transport aircraft (a military variant of the civilian DC-4 airliner) was chosen as the delivery vehicle. The tank's hull would be attached to the belly of the C-54 while the turret was stored inside the aircraft's cabin. The turret would then be reattached at the respective destination. Through 1942, the original T9 design underwent a number of changes. For instance, steel beams were added to the suspension for increased strength, the front hull was redesigned with the twin machine guns removed, and the vehicle's turret was modified. After some delay, the tank entered production in April 1943 and was first delivered to British and American units in mid-1943 into early-1944. During this time, the T9 was renamed as the M22.

T5 Tank Recovery Vehicle prototype. The T5 was the first in a series of ARV prototypes that would eventually lead to the M32 Tank Recovery Vehicle—of which around 1,562 were built. The prototypes and the production models were built on various M4 Sherman hulls and chassis, covering all the major templates: M4A1, M4A2, M4A3, M4A4 (with both HVSS and VVSS variants). The T5 specifically was completed in August 1943 and underwent trials at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. The vehicle was built on M4 Sherman (base model?) hull serial 3010995. I believe Baldwin Locomotive Works oversaw the conversion. Note, in the photo below, the plethora of engineering equipment mounted on the turretless hull (winches, cranes, jacks, etc.). In another photo, the T5 is seen with a mortar positioned on the front glacis. Later in its career, the T5 prototype ran trials with the detachable T1E2 Mine Exploder—the large mounting points clearly shown. You can see the module in full in the inset (top left). The U.S. military kept the T5 prototype around, at least until 1947, for research photographs. I assume the vehicle was scrapped soon after.

Dodge VF-404 1.5-ton truck. The VF-404 was built during 1940 with a total of 1,956 trucks built. The vehicle was part of the U.S. Army G-621 series.

T29 Heavy Tank. Only eight T29s were produced, beginning in April 1945. This particular vehicle is owned by the U.S. Army Armor & Cavalry Collection at Fort Benning in Georgia.

T23 Medium Tank prototype. The T23 was a further evolution of the T20 Medium Tank series. The vehicle was equipped with a Ford GAN V8 engine, combined with an electric transmission. The base T23 was armed with a 76 mm gun. Testing revealed the prototype to be quite agile and 250 vehicles were ordered in May of 1943. Soon after, however, the project was cancelled as further upgrades were made to related prototypes. The whole T20 series would eventually culminate in the M26 Pershing medium/heavy tank.

T20E3 Medium Tank prototype. The T20E3 was the fourth evolution in the American T20 Medium Tank prototype series. The vehicle originally was the T20E2, but was modified and completed as the E3. The tank rode on torsion bar suspension and was armed with a 76 mm gun. Earlier T20 designs were given HVSS suspension as on the M4 Sherman medium tank. The T20 series would eventually lead to the M26 Pershing medium/heavy tank.

76mm Gun Motor Carriage T70, August 23, 1943.

T49 Gun Motor Carriage prototype (a distant predecessor to the famous M18 Hellcat tank destroyer).


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