An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked.
There are two main types of artillery tractors, depending on the type of traction: wheeled and tracked.
Wheeled tractors are usually variations of lorries adapted for military service.
Tracked tractors run on continuous track; in some cases are built on a modified tankchassis with the superstructure replaced with a compartment for the gun crew or ammunition.
The first artillery tractors were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I, often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor. Such vehicles allowed the tactical use of heavier guns to supplement the light horse drawn field guns. "Horseless artillery" available prior to World War I weighed 8 tons, had 70 horsepower and could go 8 mph.[1] For example, in the British Army it allowed the heavy guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery to be used flexibly on the battlefield.
In World War II the draft horse was still the most common source of motive power in many armies. [citation needed] Most nations were economically and industrially unable to fully motorise their forces. One compromise was to produce general purpose vehicles which could be used in the troop transport, logistics and prime mover roles, with heavy artillery tractors to move the heaviest guns.
The British Army had fully mechanized prior to war. During the 1920s and 30s it had used the Vickers Medium Dragon and Light Dragon fully-tracked artillery tractors, but they had been mostly replaced with wheeled vehicles, starting with the Morris CDSW. The Royal Artillery persisted with specialist artillery tractors – known as "Field Artillery Tractors" (FAT) – such as the Morris "Quad", Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) "Quad" and AEC Matador throughout World War II, rather than adopt a general purpose vehicle. Artillery tractors were different from "General Service" (GS) vehicles by having a compartment for the gun detachment immediately behind the cab and separated from the cargo space containing ammunition and gun stores.
German forces used half-tracks as artillery tractors, such as the Sd.Kfz. 7. Half-tracked tractors were not commonly used in this role in other nations. Compared to wheeled vehicles they had better off-road capabilities, but were slower on roads and were more prone to breakdowns. However, for Germany horses remained the most common way of towing artillery throughout the war.[citation needed]
Traditional towed artillery can still be found in units where complexity and weight are liabilities: e.g. airmobile, amphibious and other light units. In such units, where organic transport is usually limited, any available transport can double as artillery tractors in order to reposition guns when needed. For example, engineer vehicles of a different primary purpose such as the U.S. Marines' Light Capacity Rough Terrain Forklift (LCRTF), a versatile telehandlerforklift capable of towing gear from either end.
List of artillery tractorsedit
The following are a few examples of artillery tractors, classified by its traction system and era.
Wheelededit
Fiat artillery tractor in the journal Horseless Age, 1918AEC Matador towing a 3.7 inch gun, Caen, 1944
M34 Prime Mover – converted by removing recovery gear from M32B1 TRV (M4A1 Sherman tank chassis built as an Armoured recovery vehicle) and adding air brakes to tow heavy artillery. 24 converted by Chester Tank Depot in 1944.
M35 Prime Mover – converted by removing turret from M10A1 tank destroyer (M4A3 Sherman tank chassis) and adding air brakes to tow 155 mm and 240 mm artillery.
Sherman Gun Tower – British field conversion in Italy by removing turrets from old M4A2 Sherman tanks to tow 17 pdr AT gun and carry crew with ammunition
Wolverine Gun Tower – British M10 (M4A2 chassis) or M10A1 (M4A3 chassis) converted by removing turret, 1944–45
^"Horseless Artillery". The Independent. Jul 13, 1914. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
^Vauvillier, François (2018). Tous les Renault militaires (1914–1940) : Volume 1, les camions [All military Renaults (1914–1940): Volume 1, the trucks] (in French). Histoire et Collections. p. 23. ISBN978-2-35250-498-6.
^Sumner, Ian (2012). "Opposing Forces". The First Battle of the Marne 1914: The French "miracle" halts the Germans. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 17. ISBN978-1-84603-502-9.
^Ministry of Defence (22 April 2009). . Archived from the original on 13 May 2009.
^"Coyote / Jackal 2 Tactical Support Vehicles, United Kingdom". Army Technology. 2009.
Freathy, Les (2012). British Military Trucks of World War Two. Erlangen: Tankograd Publishing. ISBN978-3-936519-29-7.
Georgano, Nick (1997). "4: Cross Country, Military and Export, The Pioneer and its Descendants". Scammell: The Load Movers From Watford. Roundoak Publishing. pp. 36–51. ISBN1 871565 26 X.
Thackray, Brian (2012). "8 The FWD R6T and AEC Type 850". The AEC Story – From the Regent to the Monarch. Amberley Publishing. ISBN9781445603902.
Ware, Pat (2010). The Illustrated Guide to Military Vehicles. London: Hermes House. ISBN978-1846815850.
Further readingedit
TM 9-2800 military vehicles
External linksedit
Olive-Drab website, US Army tractors
January 01, 1970
artillery, tractor, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, februar. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Artillery tractor news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2010 Learn how and when to remove this message An artillery tractor also referred to as a gun tractor is a specialized heavy duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres It may be wheeled tracked or half tracked Wheeled British WWII Scammell Pioneer towing an 8 inch howitzer Tracked Finnish WWII Komsomolets captured from USSR Half tracked German Sd Kfz 7 towing an 8 8cm Flak Contents 1 Traction 2 History 2 1 World War I 2 2 World War II 2 3 Modern warfare 3 List of artillery tractors 3 1 Wheeled 3 1 1 Pre and First World War 3 1 2 Interwar and Second World War 3 1 3 Postwar 3 2 Half tracked 3 3 Tracked tank chassis 3 4 Tracked other chassis 3 4 1 Pre and First World War 3 4 2 Interwar and Second World War 3 4 3 Postwar 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Bibliography 6 Further reading 7 External linksTraction editThere are two main types of artillery tractors depending on the type of traction wheeled and tracked Wheeled tractors are usually variations of lorries adapted for military service Tracked tractors run on continuous track in some cases are built on a modified tank chassis with the superstructure replaced with a compartment for the gun crew or ammunition In addition half track tractors were used in the interwar period and in World War II especially by the Wehrmacht This type of tractor was mostly discontinued postwar History editWorld War I edit The first artillery tractors were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor Such vehicles allowed the tactical use of heavier guns to supplement the light horse drawn field guns Horseless artillery available prior to World War I weighed 8 tons had 70 horsepower and could go 8 mph 1 For example in the British Army it allowed the heavy guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery to be used flexibly on the battlefield World War II edit nbsp German RSO artillery tractor towing 105 mm howitzer Albania 1943 In World War II the draft horse was still the most common source of motive power in many armies citation needed Most nations were economically and industrially unable to fully motorise their forces One compromise was to produce general purpose vehicles which could be used in the troop transport logistics and prime mover roles with heavy artillery tractors to move the heaviest guns The British Army had fully mechanized prior to war During the 1920s and 30s it had used the Vickers Medium Dragon and Light Dragon fully tracked artillery tractors but they had been mostly replaced with wheeled vehicles starting with the Morris CDSW The Royal Artillery persisted with specialist artillery tractors known as Field Artillery Tractors FAT such as the Morris Quad Canadian Military Pattern CMP Quad and AEC Matador throughout World War II rather than adopt a general purpose vehicle Artillery tractors were different from General Service GS vehicles by having a compartment for the gun detachment immediately behind the cab and separated from the cargo space containing ammunition and gun stores German forces used half tracks as artillery tractors such as the Sd Kfz 7 Half tracked tractors were not commonly used in this role in other nations Compared to wheeled vehicles they had better off road capabilities but were slower on roads and were more prone to breakdowns However for Germany horses remained the most common way of towing artillery throughout the war citation needed Modern warfare edit In modern warfare towed artillery has given way in part to self propelled artillery It is also common to find auxiliary power units built into the gun carriage to provide power while the propulsion engine is offline Traditional towed artillery can still be found in units where complexity and weight are liabilities e g airmobile amphibious and other light units In such units where organic transport is usually limited any available transport can double as artillery tractors in order to reposition guns when needed For example engineer vehicles of a different primary purpose such as the U S Marines Light Capacity Rough Terrain Forklift LCRTF a versatile telehandler forklift capable of towing gear from either end List of artillery tractors editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Artillery tractor news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2020 Learn how and when to remove this message The following are a few examples of artillery tractors classified by its traction system and era Wheeled edit nbsp Fiat artillery tractor in the journal Horseless Age 1918 nbsp AEC Matador towing a 3 7 inch gun Caen 1944 Pre and First World War edit Thornycroft steamer UK Second Boer War Thornycroft Gun Tractor UK World War I Latil TAR France World War I Renault EG France World War I also used in World War II as a heavy artillery tractor 2 Tracteur Panhard Chatillon France World War I 3 Interwar and Second World War edit Thornycroft Hathi UK 1924 early 4x4 Krupp Protze Germany 1933 towed the 3 7 cm PaK Scammell Pioneer British 1937 lorry used for heavy artillery Morris C8 UK 1938 the Quad British tractor towed the 25 pdr gun 6 pdr AT gun and 40 mm Bofors AA gun Karrier KT4 UK for the British Indian Army AEC Matador UK World War II lorry used for pulling medium artillery such as the 5 5 inch gun and 3 7 inch AA Gun Fiat SPA T L 37 Italy World War II four wheel steering tractor for 75 27 Mod 06 and 100 17 mod 14 field guns Breda 51 Italy 1936 6x4 truck used for moving equipment units pulling artillery Breda 52 Italy 1938 6x4 truck with stronger chassis that could also be mounted with Cannone da 90 53 Laffly V15T France World War II towed 25 mm AT guns Laffly S15T France World War II towed the French 75 and short 105 mm field guns Mack NO USA World War II 6x6 truck used to tow the 155mm Long Tom field gun and similar medium artillery pieces Dodge WC4 amp WC22 USA World War II 4x4 truck designed to tow the M3 anti tank cannon its crew and ammunition White Scout Car USA 1941 4x4 utility armored car CMP FAT Canada World War II Radschlepper Ost Germany 1942 C2P Poland 1939 and captured Germany 1940 1945 C7P Poland 1939 and captured Germany 1940 1941 Postwar edit Bedford 4x4 Gun Tractor UK introduced in the late 1950s to tow the 25 pdr Leyland Martian FV1103 UK Medium Artillery Tractor 10 ton 6x6 replaced the Matador in the late 1950s Pinzgauer High Mobility All Terrain Vehicle UK 1971 Land Rover 101 Forward Control UK 1972 Coyote 6x6 TSV UK 2009 citation needed 4 5 unreliable source Half tracked edit nbsp Sd Kfz 10 towing 5cm AT gun Russia 1942 Unic P107 France 1934 towed the French 75 and short 105 mm field guns SOMUA MCG France towed the French long 105 and short 155 mm field guns Sd Kfz 7 Germany 1938 8 ton half track often towed the Flak 36 88 mm Sd Kfz 9 Germany 1938 used for heavy towed guns such as the 24 cm Kanone 3 Sd Kfz 10 Germany 1938 also basis for the Sd Kfz 250 armored light half track Sd Kfz 11 Germany 1938 3 ton tractor for medium towed guns including the 3 7 cm FlaK 43 anti aircraft gun and the 10 5 cm leFH 18 field howitzer M2 Half Track Car USA 1940 M3 Half track USA 1940 Tracked tank chassis edit nbsp Voroshilovets artillery tractor Soviet Union Dragon Medium Mark IV British army 1928 developed from the Vickers 6 Ton mark E T 24 chassis Komintern Voroshilovets M2 light tank chassis M4 High Speed Tractor USA 1943 M3 Stuart chassis M5 High Speed Tractor USA 1942 M3 Lee chassis M33 Prime Mover converted by removing turret and recovery gear from M31 TRV 109 converted in 1943 44 M4 Sherman chassis M34 Prime Mover converted by removing recovery gear from M32B1 TRV M4A1 Sherman tank chassis built as an Armoured recovery vehicle and adding air brakes to tow heavy artillery 24 converted by Chester Tank Depot in 1944 M35 Prime Mover converted by removing turret from M10A1 tank destroyer M4A3 Sherman tank chassis and adding air brakes to tow 155 mm and 240 mm artillery Sherman Gun Tower British field conversion in Italy by removing turrets from old M4A2 Sherman tanks to tow 17 pdr AT gun and carry crew with ammunition Wolverine Gun Tower British M10 M4A2 chassis or M10A1 M4A3 chassis converted by removing turret 1944 45 Crusader II Gun Tractor Mk I British army variant of the Crusader tank M41 Walker Bulldog chassis M8 High Speed Tractor USA 1950 Tracked other chassis edit nbsp A Holt tractor used by the French Army in the Vosges Spring 1915 nbsp An American M6 Tractor on display nbsp Soviet AT S in Finland Pre and First World War edit Hornsby tractor British Army 1910 Holt Tractor Best Interwar and Second World War edit Renault UE Chenillette France 1932 C7P Poland 1934 STZ 5 Soviet Union Universal Carrier British 1936 Bren Gun Carrier armoured utility tractor Loyd Carrier UK 1940 M6 High Speed Tractor USA 1944 Raupenschlepper Ost RSO Germany 1942 Postwar edit Snow Trac 1957 UK Royal Marines Light WOMBAT gun carrier AT L Soviet Union ATS 59 Soviet Union AT S Soviet Union AT T Soviet Union MT LBT Soviet Union mid 1970s variant of the MT LB armoured personnel carrier Hitachi Type 73 Japan 1974See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Artillery tractors Self propelled artillery Ballast tractor G numbers Tractor Tractor unitReferences editNotes edit Horseless Artillery The Independent Jul 13 1914 Retrieved August 14 2012 Vauvillier Francois 2018 Tous les Renault militaires 1914 1940 Volume 1 les camions All military Renaults 1914 1940 Volume 1 the trucks in French Histoire et Collections p 23 ISBN 978 2 35250 498 6 Sumner Ian 2012 Opposing Forces The First Battle of the Marne 1914 The French miracle halts the Germans Bloomsbury Publishing p 17 ISBN 978 1 84603 502 9 Ministry of Defence 22 April 2009 200 new armoured vehicles for front line operations Archived from the original on 13 May 2009 Coyote Jackal 2 Tactical Support Vehicles United Kingdom Army Technology 2009 Bibliography edit Fletcher David 1998 British Military Transport HMSO for The Tank Museum ISBN 0 11 290570 6 Freathy Les 2012 British Military Trucks of World War Two Erlangen Tankograd Publishing ISBN 978 3 936519 29 7 Georgano Nick 1997 4 Cross Country Military and Export The Pioneer and its Descendants Scammell The Load Movers From Watford Roundoak Publishing pp 36 51 ISBN 1 871565 26 X Thackray Brian 2012 8 The FWD R6T and AEC Type 850 The AEC Story From the Regent to the Monarch Amberley Publishing ISBN 9781445603902 Ventham Philip Fletcher David 1990 Moving the Guns HMSO ISBN 0 11 290477 7 Ware Pat 2010 The Illustrated Guide to Military Vehicles London Hermes House ISBN 978 1846815850 Further reading editTM 9 2800 military vehiclesExternal links editOlive Drab website US Army tractors Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Artillery tractor amp oldid 1213256008, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
