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Out of curiosity, did you or WILL you be doing an article video on the WW1 Tac Rail ? The tiny little trains that dotted the countryside of nearly every zoo and amusement park after the war?
Germany had a half track as well....very well regarded. Still the reason for being was just pulling parts out of the parts bin/ease of manufacture. Basically was the first armoured personnel carrier before there was an armoured personnel carrier. US half tracks had rubber tracks so upon entering modern 1945 German could move along the abandoned Autobahn at incredible speed....all unmolested. This first meant linking up with the Red Army much more quickly than thought possible but then also could have allowed for a spoiling attack against Berlin which would certainly have helped the Red Army in a huge way! Red Army didn't want any help tho of course taking Berlin sooooooo...
Simon, I would just like to thank you. I never thought in my 45 years of life that I would hear the town of Waterville Maine mentioned anywhere really. I think the only people that know about it are Colby college alumni
@Simon Would you be interested in doing a series on the technology and role of military communications and transceivers? Good transceivers to cover would be Wireless Set No. 1, Carrier Pigeons, Landlines, No. 10, CR100, PRC-77, PRC-320… a literal rabbit hole of developments. There are many, many technological leaps with communications during these times that went from simple to computerized. Perhaps your team could make a series in the future about this.
My neighbor was a American pow in the pacific during ww2, he said the most beautiful thing he saw was “old glory busting through the camp gates on top of a half track”, that story stuck with me.
Baloney. Half tracks were discontinued partly because they handled poorly. In case you didn't notice, they were quickly discarded after WWII. Four wheel drive trucks and tracked tanks worked far, far better than half tracks.
@@lurking0death They are worse off road than fully tracked crafts but better than all drive trucks. However they are worse on roads than trucks and still has most of the maintenance requirements of tracks as they have them. Benefit they was cheap and easy, back in the day you could buy a kit to convert an standard tractor into an half track for forest work.
My dad has two M3 half tracks, one served in Italy, mostly original and has 17 indentations on the driver door from taking fire. The other had most of the armor removed and was used as a workhorse at a concrete company before he owned it. He keeps them both in running/driving condition.
Logistics, logistics, logistics. The "half track" story is all about serving logistics. Gen Robert Barrow, USMC: "Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics. Professionals talk about logistics and sustainability."
@@ganndeber1621 Gen Barrow was the 27th Commandant of the US Marine Corps (1979-1983). Hard to miss when you're a War College fan. But hey, maybe Sun Tzu? "The line between disorder and order lies in coordination." - I hope that helps.
Joe beat me to it. Living in Maine, where not coincidentally the half track was invented, “snow machines” aka “sleds” immediately came to mind when the presenter more or less said “the half track is dead.” Nope. You also have side-by-sides with track units replacing wheels in the winter, but those are wicked expensive and rare.
@@chipsterb4946 As I have been led to believe, the origin of the modern snowmobile was the Bombardier half-track system being installed on a 4 seat passenger sedan. At least, that was the start of mass-produced versions. It featured a centerline single rubber track and steerable skids on the front, so your basic configuration right there, plus they coined the term snowmobile as a portmanteau of snow and automobile. The marketing concept was for every rural family in Ontario and Quebec to own one as a winter vehicle to complement their wheeled summer car, but that never panned out thanks to the financial realities of the great depression at first and the later, in the initial post-war years improved cold weather innovations for the passenger car. Wonder if it was an innovative bunch of Mainers who got their hands on the Bombardier drive system and converted it into the motorcycle-style seating of the standard snow machine. I have seen articles about a two seat side-by-side enclosed cab version being marketed as a high performance snowmobile, basically a toy for rich [unprintable biologically based plural adjective] but that was a few years ago.
@@chipsterb4946I didn’t know Maine and Alaska had so much in common! We call them snow machines and sleds too … calling it a snowmobile is a dead giveaway that someone ain’t from around here
The halftrack died out post-WWII when it's last major advantage was taken away with the proliferation of regenerative steering mechanisms in smaller tracked vehicles. Freed up from needing to clutch or brake a track to turn, efficiency and ease of use was WAY up. Maneuverability at speed actually exceeded a half-track's at that point.
Excellent video. US General Patton was quoted by Whiting as saying something like, “The two deadliest weapons the enemy have are the M3 half-track, because the boys on them get all heroic thinking they’re in a tank, and the Jeep because we we have so many God-awful drivers.”
I read somewhere that the number of US serviceman who became casualties in accidents with Jeeps was very significant, it compared to those lost in one of the US's significant combat operations but I can't remember the statistics or the source. Very dangerous vehicle in the hands of poorly skilled drivers.
The problem still exists today, give young men a vehicle and off they go. In Iraq, there were observations that the youngsters had to be told to stop racing APCs in the encampment. Any father would be surprised that boys actually survive to adulthood, they do seem to have a lemming tendency.
@@phann860 It's a natural tendency to competitiveness. Why are men so much more into competitive sport than women, at all ages? But young men in particular feel a need to prove themselves. I think almost every parent his a story to tell about the lucky escapes of their sons. But I also did some crazy things when I was that age, and was lucky to survive to tell the tale - although it could have gone the other way, but for happenstance. The art of armed forces training is to tame and direct that bravado and feeling of invincibility, and instil judgement to produce a warrior who is fearless, but wise enough not to throw his life away needlessly when faced with a situation. The best soldiers know how to use their heads, as well as their bravado.
@@mikebradley4096 Especially during late war in Germany US Infantry would get likkered up an have Reverse Jeep races. That is when they weren't playing bumper cars in the Rhine with schwiffenwagons. My Dad said Eisenhower himself wrote an order promising hell for any GI caught Jeep racing.
The jeep accidents got much worse when they phased out the willys and transitioned to thw ford with the ibdependent front suspension. Gi's would get airborne and the front wheels would tuck and roll the jeep.
When I was in High School, a friend of mine had neighbor with a shed. Inside the shed was a half-track. No weapons, most of the paint had rusted away. But it was the same vehicle in your thumbnail. We'd play around on the thing, pretending to be tough Soldiers. There were crates of gun parts...receivers, barrels, springs and such. But every bit was rusted solid...the shed had no roof and Seattle gets lots of rain. The Police showed up after the old guy died...it took them weeks to clear out all the war-junk.
When I was growing up (60's) my father played fast pitch softball at a local memorial park. They had a Sherman tank mounted on a concrete slab and a plaque and everything. It was painted and clean and YOU COULD GO IN THE HATCHES AND MOVE THE GUN UP AND DOWN and some other movements with cranks. With the gun all the way down we'd hang onto the end of the gun and lifted you up in the air cranking it up. Open and close the port holes, all the boxes and things mounted the the outside opened and had ammo holders and the whole thing. Spent many many hours playing in and around that tank. Now you couldn't climb on one without someone fearing for your life if you slipped and fell. LOL
@@mikeb1039that's freaking awesome! In my hometown they have an old howitzer that we'd play with. None of the parts moved but it was still fun to pretend we were lobing shells at enemy tanks lol
Great video documentary on halftracks. There is another US variant halftrack. For our allies through Lend, Lease the International Harvester company also built halftracks, the M5 and M9 variants. Similar looking to the M2 and M3 the IH halftracks used different drive train components and had thicker armor overall. The rear section was also welded instead of screwed together. I personally own a 1942 White M2A1 that is a blast to drive around. Yes, they are street legal.
The armour corners weren't just welded. They were curved to improve penetration and impact resistance. It wasn't just thicker armour, it was better made to a higher standard, and suffered far less spalling and fragmentation from impacts. The drivetrain was a Red Diamond 450 inline six and an early precursor to the Borg Warner T98 4-speed transmission. Both drive axles were IH corporate licensed rockwell banjo housing units with drop out third member centre sections, some of the strongest axles of the war years. While most of them did go to the Lend/Lease program, some did find their way into service on the frontlines with US troops, and they were the halftrack of choice for training units back home. Before I saw your comment here, I added my own about these halftracks. Arguably the best halftracks of the war, on either side. There are a few halftracks in the ranks of our fellow FMV owners groups (I don't have a halftrack, but I do have an M923), sadly only a very small handful are IH. Which is too bad, they're really neat trucks. Halftracks, possibly the most expensive FMV (or armoured vehicle of any kind) to own and restore. I salute you, sir, for having the stones to own and drive one.
When I was a kid, My Dad was an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Officer posted up in Fort Chipewyan Alberta. We had one of those Bombardier Half-Tracks! I remember going out into the woods in that monster of a thing to chop down a Christmas tree... long long ago!
ahhhhh yes Bombardier, the progenitor of tracked civilian vehicles. the inventor had to get his son or daughter i forget, to hospital in a snow storm but his prototype wasnt ready yet and couldnt get his child to the hospital during the blizzard.
I did the same thing in Colorado except in a ww2 half-track. A Company organized trips to the woods for that purpose. Froze to death but it was amazing.
It's kinda interesting how many humble, subtle innovations were made in early 1900s rural America and Canada that would, despite being initially ignored by the world at large, go on to be massively important geopolitical tools later. Alvin Lombard with his Half Track Log Hauler, and Robert Goddard with his Liquid Fuel rockets...
I think the tractor and other earth moving equipment were perfected in America. There were so many competing companies with different ideas back in the day. A lot of different machines were tried until they got to the right balance of functionality reliability and affordability. Same with the car as well. Until Ford worked out how to make cars affordable for almost everyone.
Rocketeer Robert Goddard had a laboratory located several miles to the east of Roswell, New Mexico so for some of us. Finding wreckage of mylar weather balloons scattered around the barren desert does not suggest ExtraTerrestrial Activity but simply some wayward liquid fuel rocket experimental wreckage. LSD is one helluva Fun Ride!
@@ewanrollo5562 Huh. Actually, I think you are right but for the wrong reason. The right reason is that America had the combination of high industrialisation, lots of populated rural land with the associated industries, a lack of restrictions on innovation and wealth and having just straight up massive amounts of land which is separated by distance from the rest of the nation whilst having easy trade routes linking them up to allow imports. There were I want to say six other 'potential break out' nations which *could* have filled the same role in my opinion. Those being Mexico, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Russia and China. Possibly also Argentina but I think they don't quite make it into this list. I'm also more or less removing Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa because there was a *lot* going on there making it impossible in our timeline to achieve. But of that list of six? Russia lacked the industrialisation, had restrictions on wealth and innovation through various methods (the legacy of Serfdom would have been a major one, and then along came the Soviets), and whilst they had the massive amounts of rural territory, it lacked the population and trade connections linking it to the industry that existed (hello Siberia). Ukraine and the rest of the western Russian Empire/USSR might have been enough for the latter point however. China was a similar story to Russia, as was Brazil. You can probably also group Mexico into this group of 'Lacking Industry, Lacking Thinkers, and Wealth has problems moving through the economy (Aristocracies, Internal Conflicts and Corruption) Preventing Innovation'. Meanwhile Canada and Australia both fail the Industry and Population benchmarks. Or in other words, Canada and Australia just needed the factors which allowed the development of tractors and other rural economy assisting vehicles to kick off two or three centuries later than it did so they'd have had more time to see their scarce populations boom, and said population gradually assemble the comparable native industry needed to kickstart the booming industrialisation that came with the Industrial Revolution. Though the USA likely would have still come out on top due to being a much more habitable land as Canada's got all their arctic and subarctic regions whilst Australia's land suffers severe water stress leading to a lot of desert, arid and semi-arid regions. At least when we compare proportion of land area between the three, due to America having a lot of those regions as well (and some severe mountainous terrain).
The estate that my parents worked on in the 60s/70s had a Citroen P17 half track that was used to take deer carcasses off the hills, it was built in the 1930s and as I know it was returned to France in the 90s refurbished and put in a museum 👍🏻🏴
@@richardtalbott6215 They didn’t actually hunt out of it, it was used to tow a wooden sled for the deer carcasses. It was a group of hills called the Monillias (spelling is not my strong point when translating from Gaelic)
Thanx for the reply. Ya, we don't necessarily hunt out of our vehicles here in Western Colorado, either. We do, however, get our trucks stuck in the mud and snow up here in the Rockies, hence the idea of hunting "out of" a half-track.
With only two major variants, American half-tracks were simple and shared components with other armored vehicles, a fact that greatly impressed (and worried) Rommel in North Africa. Rommel understood that this interchangeability would allow America to gain a decided material advantage on the battlefield, both in terms of initial production numbers and the ability to make rapid battlefield repairs.
The Germans were the opposite, with every single weapon and vehicle practically an entirely novel and original device with no parts compatibility, except the MkIV tank and some tank destroyers. Germans are fine engineers but should have standard parts and equipment for practical purposes.
I seem to recall the M3 fitted with a 105mm howitzer was named the T19 and used in North Africa. They were also fitted with an 81mm mortar and were used in the AA role with the quad .50 cal browning machine guns
6:43 AHH The Quebec built Bombardier!! They are still used to this day on Lakes in Ontario and Quebec for Ice Fishing Charterer Companies!. Often seen sporting the traditional TRACKS, and one wheel on the left side ... and one ski on the right side. Specifically for operating on the shoulder of snow covered roadways, and lake ice alike! .
Yes there are some places where they are still used and even in good working order. A construction company who is specialised in laying/replacing pipes and kabels uses them to guide the pipe / kabel over the trench into a jig of a modern machine. Its a very strange thing indeed to see a yellow ex WW2 US military M3 halftrack guiding modern glassfiber kabels or a new sewer lining into a modern machine.
A local gas station has a few tanks parked in it. They had an M3 with quad .50s in back. And they also had a Kettenkrad at one point. Currently, they have a Sherman, a Walker Bulldog, a Stuart, and an M3 without accessories.
i was about to post this, but checked the comments first! yes snow mobiles, thousands of them, the half track is alive and well, though more niche than ever.
Ah! memories. I spent many action-hours in the IDF in M3s left over from WW2. Even converted to diesel. We liked them, easy to maintain and especially easy to exit in a hurry- in all directions! For us they were not just transport to, but fighting platforms. Scout vehicles; could mount 5 medium MGs and a M2, plus a floor full of Bazooka, RPG, bangalore,etc.. and 52mm trench mortar. Exhaust hot water heater and other grunt inventions.
You may have used one of the California Nat'l. Guard M3s that was shipped to you in the early 50s. They were just starting to equip the guard with twin 40mm turrets on the Chaffee hulls. My dad was crewman on the AA variant at that time.
@@sullyway51 They were well used and liked, some even used as 120mm mortar or vulcan AA platforms, (was sgt on both). Were replaced slowly by M113 and by now by much better home-made ones. Like old soldiers. But still, it's the guys inside that count.
American halftracks had rubber tracks. They were easier to replace and if they throw the track, it was easier to put them back on. It also provided a better grip on paved roads and in icy conditions.
Keep in mind y'all the White Motor Company is now Freightliner. Ya know, the builders of school bus, fire truck, utility truck & semi-truck chassis...I guess we can also throw Western Star in there too...
At the Owls Head Transportation in Owls Head, Maine, there is a half-tracked Model T with skis in the front that was used by a doctor in the 1920's for house calls in winter. In warm weather months, the skis would be swapped out for regular wheels.
keep in mind the SDKFZ..... number to follow. Said what weight it was designed to tow or move. The bigger number was desinged to haul more weight. It does make good enginiering labeling.
I have a background that makes me kind of a subject matter expert on where these things were used and the like - but you did a really good job of covering the topic in a really brief presentation. Good work, sir.
@@mottthehoople693 Grease and wrenches. It's not that hard if you remember to check track tension regularly, and replace your rubber pads when they wear down.
the El Camino of war. There were Ford Model T conversions in snowbelt states, using skis strapped to front wheels for steering and some second "dead" axles used to run a tracked drive system, which builds its own road for the wheels to drive on over snow and spring mud.
They're not "completely" dead, as vestiges of the half-track can still be seen with commercial over-the-tire track bands today - often made of rubber. My favorite pseudo half-track would be the Soviets' BA-11, which is regularly portrayed with optional metal tracks that could be fastened onto the rear wheels. In the dark portal fantasy novel I've spent the past half year on, I've implemented a commercial truck fleet with optional track bands to serve as militarized half-tracks (and even IFV's) or regular trucks when later pressed into military service for the protagonist's faction. Wonderful video.
I believe the military compared those two halftracks a the US was determined better of the two. Cheaper to build, less complicated track system that didn’t require a lot of work to maintain, better mobility do to the driven front axel of the US half track. The German had a rear door as the US didn’t un till the international was introduced that had a rear door added. The US halftrack was cheaper to build an work on.
@@michaelmaddy278 Nah, the German HT's had better *mobility* (Cross-country) the U.S HT did have better speed (on a road). ''do- *due* to the driven front axel of the US half track..." - this is actually the opposite (if i/you understand what you're trying to say). The German HT had track brake steering, it didn't need the front wheels to steer, mud/clay could render them useless, yes more complicated/expensive.
The German "half track' was really a 3/4 track according to US terminology. It was based around a 2WD truck transmission which made it easier to produce than the US half track which used a 4WD truck transmission. The front wheels steered the half track for the first 15 degrees of the turn. A simple modification to the braking circuit added a small and progressive amount of braking force using cams as the steering wheel was turned beyond 15 degrees. The force was adjustable. The differential was lockable in case of severe slippage or the front wheels losing contact with the ground and because it was a 3/4 track it could cross a ditch wide without nosing into it. -The US 1/2 track used a a 4WD system based on that of a 4WD truck widely used in the timber industry which meant the short track and the front wheel drive gave good steering. -For the Germans this system was not a serious possibility since they lacked the gear cutting machinery to make the 3 differentials and transfer case required for the large numbers of half tracks they needed. It takes years to make a gear cutting machine. In addition the US half track used all rubber band tracks. The Germans had developed synthetic rubbers (BUNA-S and BUNA-N) but to make good quality rubber suitable for a band track you eg natural latex which they didn't have access to so the German half track used metal links. This meant the 72 links total had to be lubricated every 110km or so. Probably not too bad a job with two hands. They did have hard rubber tyres on the wheels and could have rubber pads. - -The US Wileys Jeep had a 4WD system which required 2 differentials plus a transfer case differential. . It lacked locking differentials so the Jeep could get stuck if diagonally opposite wheels lost tracction or ground contact. -The VW Kubeleaggon was usually a 2WD system but it performed very well in off road in 2WD form. The independent suspension ensured all 4 wheels maintained good ground contact. The weight was over the rear wheels with the engine and transmission and this gave good traction like a dune buggy. The rear differential was a self locking differential so it always gave some traction. It had a smooth bottom and would skid over obstacles and good ground clearance. It was about 2/3rds the weight and used only 2/3rds the fuel of the jeep and carried 4 soldiers instead of 2 plus it had storgage compartment. -The Jeep was the better of thr two with its much greater speed and power, Germans used Jeeps captured from the Russians and it had the performance to get you out of trouble but the VW Kublewaggon performed well and US troops seemed to like using captured versions. -The Germans did have a 4WD transmission for the Kubelwaggon. They were used on all amphibious schwimmwagons, some kubelwagons and some VW beetles (520 or so) but they were considered too expensive.for general production.
Another big advantage of the half-track was training. A fully tracked vehicle required extra training to learn how to steer via the tracks. A half-track steers like a truck or car. In a car-obsessed country like the USA when most kids had access to car or tractors, that meant they were already trained to operate the half-track when drafted. It also meant that a truck crew could swap out their truck for one with little fuss and no additional training.
The P-38 and P-51 don't nearly get enough credit for their war contributions. It's more difficult feeding soldiers canned rations in the field without can openers, than with millions of extremely cheap ones.
@@kirkstinson7316 - No, it’s about another of the hundred or more items that by themselves “won World War Two”. Soldiers that ate food did all of the work, they won using can openers. Honestly quite literally true!
That Lombard Log Hauler...wow. Been a fan of WWII for 20+yrs, but never really thought about the half-track too much, much less its Origin Story. Amazing!
One not mentioned was the Model T half track. It was an option to make use of the typical Model T in areas where snow was heavy and examples still run today. I understand it was used by NE owners to navigate winter conditions, for mail, farm and doctors. (That was apparently when doctors still needed to visit patrons.)
way i see it, the halftracks disappeared because everybody realised a 6x6 or 8x8 truck with big tyres(14.00x20 or bigger) is almost as good off-road as a halftrack, but is a lot cheaper, less maintenance and they can go twice as fast. note that the 2 nations that used a lot of half tracks, germany and the US, used tactical trucks with double(twin) rear wheels,not a good idea for off-road use. the russians and the brits used single tyred trucks, and no half tracks. (Field Marshal Rommel told his recce troops to use british trucks, "cause ours get stuck all the time...")
@@kirkstinson7316 true, in part; but lots of wheeled APC are used nowadays, including by the US army. but halftracks were also used (especially by the germans) as truck or towing vehicle. and there the wheeled vehicles took over.
Half-tracks saw combat in the French colonial empire in the First Indochina War and the Algerian War; in the Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts; and the early wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In the late 80's we had one at the motor pool at fort bliss that I had the opportunity to drive in a few parades. It had an anti aircraft gun (non working) in the back if I remember correctly. We had several vintage machines in the shop.
My grandfather was a mean old tough man when I was little ( like 5-6 years old ). I was about 8 years old and I asked him about his time in WW2. He started laughing , he said " I got drunk and worked on halftracks " .
the fire dept. in the town of Newbury Mass has had one ever since I can remember, probably purchased it right after the war, there are a lot of marsh fields in Newbury and it's main use is for putting out fires in the marsh, it's red and an awesome machine !
I rode a dieselized M3 (ZaHLa"D) during the IDF Reserve medics course back in 1987, for a couple of hundreds meters or so. For the occasion, I was also outfitted with an M1 steel helmet and British webbing! We loved this fun, impromptu reenactement, in which everybody was cracking WWII jokes and making old movies references! I also remember following French Army M3 halftracks in the Seventies, on a road going West into the Vosges Mountains from the mid-Alsatian Plain. We were quite comfortable with this, as taking the risk to overtake them on that two-lanes road was unnecessary: we clocked them going 80 km/H on a moderately uphill slope!
Patton is quoted as saying to reporters' question about the half-track. "It is imposing enough to provide its occupants with a false sense of security". Windshield armor is 1/2 inch, and the rest of the body is 1/4 inch face hardened steel plate. A truck chassis with a steel box bolted to its frame. Debold Safe Corp. made the armor and the screw design to hold it all together. The front roller assembly was copied from the French design as a device to go through ditches, but usually resulted in the vehicle embedding into the other side. It was discontinued in favor of a winch mounted front bumper, which increased the length by about 3 feet. It offered very little protection from anything larger than 8mm rifle or machine gun fire. Overhead protection was nonexistent. Anti-grenade screens were never officially provided. It was in every sense a battle taxi for armored infantry units.
My father was in a British armoured regiment in Paderborn W Germany in the sixties.At the time they had a White Half track on vehicle strength.I remember inspecting it in a Tank Hanger sitting alongside M.B.T
@9:10 I would love to know more about that half track driving by. It appears to have the grille and hood of a Ford 9N or 2N farm tractor. I have studied everything I can find about the N-series tractor and the various military vehicles based on them but have never seen this one before.
Good one, I always loved the looks of half-tracks, the german armored ones were especially good-looking with the interlocking wheels and angular armor Is the beat of constructive criticism, I bet the video would have been even better with a more thorough explanation of why the half-track was finally replaced by full track for good, or just by giving the cons of that design alongside the pros.
It's a shame (in many ways), but both my uncles were in penal platoons (disobeying orders repeatedly or something) in WWII and I never heard much in the way of their experiences (I'm 53 now), other than the horror of following-up behind Soviet troops when they were moving towards Berlin. They both talked about dealing with the aftermath of the incredible amount of sexual violence perpetrated by the Russians as well as the German saying from the civilians they learned: "Better to have a Russian on your belly than an American over your head." That simple phrase really tells you how brutal the war was. P.S. As always, thank for your Mr. Whistler for your excellent narration and information I didn't get from watching the series "World at War". "
At 13:20 there is a shot of an Me 323 Gigant. This is another fascinating story. As for Lichtenstein: Being where they are, they have to make something. Nobody wants a new Curta calculator (handheld AND mechanical) anymore, so they have to find something else.
I saw a well rusted M3 off a main highway into Keosha Wisconsin not sure what happened to it as there were several Museums in the area one was busted for dealing with full auto firearms without a license. That one had many armored vehicles. Never visited as I was warned in advance about the possibility of a raid on that place.
So happy someone covered these. I love them but I find only tank folks really know much about in the U.S. it was really awkward at high school parties whenever dream cars/trucks were being discussed.
My father was in a Tank Destroyer group in WWII and the "Tank Destroyers" consisted of a half track towing a big cannon. The Army swapped them out for the self-propelled cannon (think "open topped light tank") in late 1944/early 1945.
I got to ride in the back of a White half-track being used as a taxi to a party at Goodwood. I was steaming on free champagne surrounded by people in evening dress.
Really neat to watch the teardown. Anxious to see what this thing ends up developing after the refresh. Glad Lake Speed was game to do it. Very cool. Thx!!
battles may be won with blades, bullets, or bombs. but wars are won with logistics like the half-track “Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars.” - U.S. Army General John J. Pershing, commander of American Expeditionary Forces, WW1
The half tracks were not logistics. They were battle taxi's. Logistics would have been the various wheeled trucks. Trying to stretch a phrase into a half track is incorrect use of the point of logistics. Half track was at the tip of the spear, the broad spear blade and the haft are the logistics. Gas, bullets, etc to the front.
The half track largely came about because it was a mechanically simpler way to steer a tracked vehicle. Fully tracked vehicles needed brakes and clutches on each track. While a simple differential would allow a half track to follow where the wheels lead. A brake could be added to low speed sharp turns but mostly didn't need to be used, while a fully tracked vehicle needed to rely solely on the tracks. As others have pointed out, after WWII cheaper, more effective steering mechanisms for tracked vehicles removed the need for a leading tire.
For whoever is wondering: ST.KFZ stands for Sonder-kraftfarzeug, or "Special powered vehicle". I will not even try to guess at the numbering system; that is just OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres, or Army Execute Command) doing their thing :)
This video got me thinking about trucking and logistics. Would you be able to do a video on the Red Ball Express that the Allies used to supply their troops in Europe?
Yeah, but funnily enough, after the Vietnam war the US stopped using helicopters as extensively. The Huey did really really well, but it was becoming clear that being in the air, at that speed and without being a dedicated gunship, was becoming increasingly dangerous. By the time the Soviets were pumping out Strela-2 (and -2M) shoulder launchers like candy bars it was clear that "the flying truck" days were over. So now we're back to wheeled trucks for road supply and tracked vehicles for terrain supply.
The Bombardier configuration you showed at 6:48 was used well into the 1970s by the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I clearly remember riding in one during a winter visit to the park. The vehicle broke down and the driver knew nothing about mechanical repair. Fortunately my father was skilled in that trade and he we was able to effect a temporary repair so the journey could be completed in the wind, snow and freezing temperatures. Those half tracks did not have a particularly effective cabin heater. LOL
Not a Halftrack, but E Bay has a Willys Jeep for sale at £17,999, fully customised - presumably with `Phone, CD Player, DAB Radio, Air Con and Furry Dice!
The M3 half track had a base cost of $10,300. It had 43 different variants that were production, prototype, and experimental. It was one of the work horses of the war for the US army. Also served in many countries, and conflicts for decades after the war.
As a young child in the 1970's I remember M3 halftracks driving down our street. I think it was the mechanics delivering them back to their units after fixing them. I fell in Love with them On the spot
Tracked Truck. Serving WW2. It is really surprising all-wheeled trucks were used at all in U.S. service during WW2, such as the duece-and-a-half (2.5 ton dually truck), since the half-track truck could haul more than 3.5 tons, could handle any kind of terrain and through and over mud, towed better, and could self-propel all kinds of heavy weapons. And it still had a road speed of 50 mph. As a truck, if the track length was increased, it could haul over 5 tons.
@@ewanstewart8011Holt and Best (combined to make Caterpillar) both had wheels on the front of their first few models of tractors the British didn't add anything to them. By the way, the model used for WWI was the Holt 120, built in the US, with two front wheels as standard
I don’t believe that you “hate to point out” anything, having pride in something that was created/built in your country is not a bad thing that you feel apologetic about, but unfortunately you live in a country where people believe that if it was made in the USA it automatically means it is/was the best thing in the world, and that only Americans can invent and build things that the world needs, so it is not something to be ashamed of but it is a crying shame that a minority of people in the USA 🇺🇸 have made it so that the average person outside of the USA just think 💭 it’s just another big headed yank bragging, but personally speaking it doesn’t mean you have to start a comment with “I hate to point out” because you are only correcting the facts and being proud of your country.
dunno if this is included in the video but the time and place of the war makes the half-track a really really good and viable idea. For one thing, especially for ze Germans, is that it preserves the stock of rubber tires since you only need half the amount for your trucks and special weapon trucks. The other thing I want to mention is the road quality which was still pretty poor or non-existent in most parts of the world so tracks would be extremely beneficial in those areas. After the war they didn't need to exist because there were roads being built all over and the supply of rubber for the tires was no longer in jeopardy. Wheel+track doesn't really provide any advantage over fully tracked or off-road tired vehicles when combined.
Those things would be an absolute nightmare for an Army mechanic to work on, they have two completely different schools you have to go to, heavy wheel and tracked.
Not so much; the US halftracks were essentially just trucks with track assemblies replacing the rear wheels - the commonality of parts reduced the complexity of the logistics tail; remember that all spare parts had to be shipped across the Atlantic, so having many parts in common between trucks and halftracks meant less work keeping spares in stock.
@@mottthehoople693 That's not the point. US halftracks were mechanically 4x4 all wheel drive trucks and could generally be maintained by anyone qualified to maintain such trucks (like the scout car). German halftracks had a progressive steering system that used only the front wheels to steer in shallow curves but also used the tracks to steer in sharp curves. This likely created headaches for maintenance and for training mechanics. German halftracks also used actual tracks (requiring lots of maintenance and greasing) instead of the US halftracks' band tracks. I'm not sure whether german halftracks had powered front wheels though.
I'm a retired tank officer and would like nothing better than to believe that some form of armour won WW 2. As an officer I learned that an Army runs on supplies and that more than half the fight of an Army Officer is against time and space. I believe that the deuce-and-a-half won WW 2 in Europe. Even those that were sent to Russia as a part of lend-lease played a vital role in helping the Red Army survive and then win.
Came here to say this. An old friend of mine, passed on, was the main driver of Death Merchant, sister half-track to the only remaining convoy guard (at least that I know of, "Eve of Destruction" on Ft Eustis.
@@rw8147 Thought that Eve Of Destruction was an M35 Duece and a Half? Granddad was a Quad .50 gunner once in '73. The truck in front of him took a hit, and convoy lead called for a full halt. All trucks, fire on the treeline. They became a mobile deforestation unit VERY quicl
@@DeliveryDemon It was my dad's last duty station before retiring. Eve of Destruction, and the Transpo Museum, is really the only reason to go there. Though I heard they moved EoD out of the Transpo Museum and out in front of group HQ.
Whats neat is that theres a device out that can turn practically any vehicle into a half track. Its just an attachable track mechanism that affixes to your car tires
Half-track won WWII ? I thought it was the Jeep, unless it was the Sherman, or the Lightning, or the Mustang, or the Dodge WC, etc ... you guys should sort it once for all ...
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Out of curiosity, did you or WILL you be doing an article video on the WW1 Tac Rail ? The tiny little trains that dotted the countryside of nearly every zoo and amusement park after the war?
Damnit, now do a video sponsored by Brilliant. I can't find any current discount codes...lol.
Germany had a half track as well....very well regarded. Still the reason for being was just pulling parts out of the parts bin/ease of manufacture. Basically was the first armoured personnel carrier before there was an armoured personnel carrier. US half tracks had rubber tracks so upon entering modern 1945 German could move along the abandoned Autobahn at incredible speed....all unmolested. This first meant linking up with the Red Army much more quickly than thought possible but then also could have allowed for a spoiling attack against Berlin which would certainly have helped the Red Army in a huge way! Red Army didn't want any help tho of course taking Berlin sooooooo...
Simon, I would just like to thank you. I never thought in my 45 years of life that I would hear the town of Waterville Maine mentioned anywhere really. I think the only people that know about it are Colby college alumni
@Simon Would you be interested in doing a series on the technology and role of military communications and transceivers? Good transceivers to cover would be Wireless Set No. 1, Carrier Pigeons, Landlines, No. 10, CR100, PRC-77, PRC-320… a literal rabbit hole of developments. There are many, many technological leaps with communications during these times that went from simple to computerized. Perhaps your team could make a series in the future about this.
My neighbor was a American pow in the pacific during ww2, he said the most beautiful thing he saw was “old glory busting through the camp gates on top of a half track”, that story stuck with me.
Hell yea I can Picture it Cant You ???
Did he know his neighbor was *an* idiot?
@@joshh535only a punk never man enough to serve would say something so wrong.
What's an old glory, is it a type of infantry?
Old Glory is the US flag .
something you left out of the pros is that if you can drive a truck you can drive a half track so its easier to train troops on it.
Yep. Adding that far fewer young men drove back then, but tons did, and they could apparently get competent pretty quickly on the half tracks.
Having operated some old tracked vehicles. If you can drive an old Deere tractor you were good to go
Baloney. Half tracks were discontinued partly because they handled poorly. In case you didn't notice, they were quickly discarded after WWII. Four wheel drive trucks and tracked tanks worked far, far better than half tracks.
@@lurking0death They are worse off road than fully tracked crafts but better than all drive trucks.
However they are worse on roads than trucks and still has most of the maintenance requirements of tracks as they have them.
Benefit they was cheap and easy, back in the day you could buy a kit to convert an standard tractor into an half track for forest work.
“If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball” - Patches O Houlihane
My dad has two M3 half tracks, one served in Italy, mostly original and has 17 indentations on the driver door from taking fire. The other had most of the armor removed and was used as a workhorse at a concrete company before he owned it. He keeps them both in running/driving condition.
That's incredible. I would love to see pictures if you guys have any!
Omg that’s freaking awesome. Are u anywhere by KY ??? I’m coming for a visit ?!?
@@skeeterbodeen8326 upstate NY. My dad loves to show off his collection, he also has a '53 M37 truck (Korean War era) and a few Willy's Jeeps.
@@amazingkief Absolutely!
@@nater86zx Lol. How cool. I grew up in Astoria Queens, used to go skiing at Hunter Mtn and camping at New Paltz. Thx. Take care buddy.
Logistics, logistics, logistics. The "half track" story is all about serving logistics. Gen Robert Barrow, USMC: "Amateurs talk about strategy and tactics. Professionals talk about logistics and sustainability."
People who know very little about military history but like to pretend they do use that quote.
@@ganndeber1621 People that want to feel superior say that without explaining why.
@@Brian2 Its self evident
@@ganndeber1621 Gen Barrow was the 27th Commandant of the US Marine Corps (1979-1983). Hard to miss when you're a War College fan. But hey, maybe Sun Tzu? "The line between disorder and order lies in coordination." - I hope that helps.
... Eisenhower wasn't made Supreme Allied Commander because of his combat record, which he had none...
The snowmobile still follows the basic half-track idea. Tracks in the back for power. Skis in the front to steer.
Good point.
Don't some modern vehicles in regions with heavy snow fall still use something like the Half track but with skis instead of wheels at the front?
Joe beat me to it. Living in Maine, where not coincidentally the half track was invented, “snow machines” aka “sleds” immediately came to mind when the presenter more or less said “the half track is dead.” Nope. You also have side-by-sides with track units replacing wheels in the winter, but those are wicked expensive and rare.
@@chipsterb4946 As I have been led to believe, the origin of the modern snowmobile was the Bombardier half-track system being installed on a 4 seat passenger sedan. At least, that was the start of mass-produced versions. It featured a centerline single rubber track and steerable skids on the front, so your basic configuration right there, plus they coined the term snowmobile as a portmanteau of snow and automobile.
The marketing concept was for every rural family in Ontario and Quebec to own one as a winter vehicle to complement their wheeled summer car, but that never panned out thanks to the financial realities of the great depression at first and the later, in the initial post-war years improved cold weather innovations for the passenger car.
Wonder if it was an innovative bunch of Mainers who got their hands on the Bombardier drive system and converted it into the motorcycle-style seating of the standard snow machine. I have seen articles about a two seat side-by-side enclosed cab version being marketed as a high performance snowmobile, basically a toy for rich [unprintable biologically based plural adjective] but that was a few years ago.
@@chipsterb4946I didn’t know Maine and Alaska had so much in common! We call them snow machines and sleds too … calling it a snowmobile is a dead giveaway that someone ain’t from around here
If the roads in the UK get any worse with the bleeding potholes, it won't be long before half tracks make a reappearance
The halftrack died out post-WWII when it's last major advantage was taken away with the proliferation of regenerative steering mechanisms in smaller tracked vehicles. Freed up from needing to clutch or brake a track to turn, efficiency and ease of use was WAY up. Maneuverability at speed actually exceeded a half-track's at that point.
That moment when one succinct comment tells you everything you actually wanted to know from the video. 👍🙂
Well there you have it.
I believe the helicopter replaced the half track after WW II / Korea.
@@Marconius-SPQR Replace isn't really the right word. Lots of vehicles do some of the tasks half-tracks used to do.
Also the improvement of the capability of wheeled vehicles meant that a lot of the lighter tasks could be achieved by a 4x4 or 6x6 truck
Excellent video. US General Patton was quoted by Whiting as saying something like, “The two deadliest weapons the enemy have are the M3 half-track, because the boys on them get all heroic thinking they’re in a tank, and the Jeep because we we have so many God-awful drivers.”
I read somewhere that the number of US serviceman who became casualties in accidents with Jeeps was very significant, it compared to those lost in one of the US's significant combat operations but I can't remember the statistics or the source. Very dangerous vehicle in the hands of poorly skilled drivers.
The problem still exists today, give young men a vehicle and off they go. In Iraq, there were observations that the youngsters had to be told to stop racing APCs in the encampment. Any father would be surprised that boys actually survive to adulthood, they do seem to have a lemming tendency.
@@phann860 It's a natural tendency to competitiveness. Why are men so much more into competitive sport than women, at all ages? But young men in particular feel a need to prove themselves. I think almost every parent his a story to tell about the lucky escapes of their sons. But I also did some crazy things when I was that age, and was lucky to survive to tell the tale - although it could have gone the other way, but for happenstance. The art of armed forces training is to tame and direct that bravado and feeling of invincibility, and instil judgement to produce a warrior who is fearless, but wise enough not to throw his life away needlessly when faced with a situation. The best soldiers know how to use their heads, as well as their bravado.
@@mikebradley4096 Especially during late war in Germany US Infantry would get likkered up an have Reverse Jeep races. That is when they weren't playing bumper cars in the Rhine with schwiffenwagons. My Dad said Eisenhower himself wrote an order promising hell for any GI caught Jeep racing.
The jeep accidents got much worse when they phased out the willys and transitioned to thw ford with the ibdependent front suspension. Gi's would get airborne and the front wheels would tuck and roll the jeep.
When I was in High School, a friend of mine had neighbor with a shed.
Inside the shed was a half-track.
No weapons, most of the paint had rusted away.
But it was the same vehicle in your thumbnail.
We'd play around on the thing, pretending to be tough Soldiers.
There were crates of gun parts...receivers, barrels, springs and such.
But every bit was rusted solid...the shed had no roof and Seattle gets lots of rain.
The Police showed up after the old guy died...it took them weeks to clear out all the war-junk.
What a sad story that none of it was preserved properly.
Awesome! the WW2 surplus used to be all over the place. I saw a cool halftrack in a museum in Silverton, Colorado last summer.
When I was growing up (60's) my father played fast pitch softball at a local memorial park. They had a Sherman tank mounted on a concrete slab and a plaque and everything. It was painted and clean and YOU COULD GO IN THE HATCHES AND MOVE THE GUN UP AND DOWN and some other movements with cranks. With the gun all the way down we'd hang onto the end of the gun and lifted you up in the air cranking it up. Open and close the port holes, all the boxes and things mounted the the outside opened and had ammo holders and the whole thing. Spent many many hours playing in and around that tank. Now you couldn't climb on one without someone fearing for your life if you slipped and fell. LOL
@@mikeb1039that's freaking awesome! In my hometown they have an old howitzer that we'd play with. None of the parts moved but it was still fun to pretend we were lobing shells at enemy tanks lol
Kicking yourself now that you realize y'all were sitting on a gold mine?
Great video documentary on halftracks. There is another US variant halftrack. For our allies through Lend, Lease the International Harvester company also built halftracks, the M5 and M9 variants. Similar looking to the M2 and M3 the IH halftracks used different drive train components and had thicker armor overall. The rear section was also welded instead of screwed together. I personally own a 1942 White M2A1 that is a blast to drive around. Yes, they are street legal.
The armour corners weren't just welded. They were curved to improve penetration and impact resistance. It wasn't just thicker armour, it was better made to a higher standard, and suffered far less spalling and fragmentation from impacts. The drivetrain was a Red Diamond 450 inline six and an early precursor to the Borg Warner T98 4-speed transmission. Both drive axles were IH corporate licensed rockwell banjo housing units with drop out third member centre sections, some of the strongest axles of the war years.
While most of them did go to the Lend/Lease program, some did find their way into service on the frontlines with US troops, and they were the halftrack of choice for training units back home.
Before I saw your comment here, I added my own about these halftracks. Arguably the best halftracks of the war, on either side. There are a few halftracks in the ranks of our fellow FMV owners groups (I don't have a halftrack, but I do have an M923), sadly only a very small handful are IH. Which is too bad, they're really neat trucks.
Halftracks, possibly the most expensive FMV (or armoured vehicle of any kind) to own and restore. I salute you, sir, for having the stones to own and drive one.
When I was a kid, My Dad was an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Officer posted up in Fort Chipewyan Alberta. We had one of those Bombardier Half-Tracks! I remember going out into the woods in that monster of a thing to chop down a Christmas tree... long long ago!
ahhhhh yes Bombardier, the progenitor of tracked civilian vehicles. the inventor had to get his son or daughter i forget, to hospital in a snow storm but his prototype wasnt ready yet and couldnt get his child to the hospital during the blizzard.
I did the same thing in Colorado except in a ww2 half-track. A Company organized trips to the woods for that purpose. Froze to death but it was amazing.
they had them up in Barrie and around the lake to take you out to the rental fish huts in the winter
so your story is you killed a tree for no reason but just to stick stuff on it and under it and you and you drove over wild plants in canada?
@@joeydepalmer4457 omg shut up. Friggin crybaby.
It's kinda interesting how many humble, subtle innovations were made in early 1900s rural America and Canada that would, despite being initially ignored by the world at large, go on to be massively important geopolitical tools later. Alvin Lombard with his Half Track Log Hauler, and Robert Goddard with his Liquid Fuel rockets...
It must have been a impressive time
I think the tractor and other earth moving equipment were perfected in America. There were so many competing companies with different ideas back in the day. A lot of different machines were tried until they got to the right balance of functionality reliability and affordability. Same with the car as well. Until Ford worked out how to make cars affordable for almost everyone.
Rocketeer Robert Goddard had a laboratory located several miles to the east of Roswell, New Mexico so for some of us. Finding wreckage of mylar weather balloons scattered around the barren desert does not suggest ExtraTerrestrial Activity but simply some wayward liquid fuel rocket experimental wreckage.
LSD is one helluva Fun Ride!
It makes sense. The terrain vehicles, especially their prototypes will likely be tinkered with in open lands than an urban setting.
@@ewanrollo5562 Huh. Actually, I think you are right but for the wrong reason. The right reason is that America had the combination of high industrialisation, lots of populated rural land with the associated industries, a lack of restrictions on innovation and wealth and having just straight up massive amounts of land which is separated by distance from the rest of the nation whilst having easy trade routes linking them up to allow imports.
There were I want to say six other 'potential break out' nations which *could* have filled the same role in my opinion. Those being Mexico, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Russia and China. Possibly also Argentina but I think they don't quite make it into this list. I'm also more or less removing Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa because there was a *lot* going on there making it impossible in our timeline to achieve.
But of that list of six? Russia lacked the industrialisation, had restrictions on wealth and innovation through various methods (the legacy of Serfdom would have been a major one, and then along came the Soviets), and whilst they had the massive amounts of rural territory, it lacked the population and trade connections linking it to the industry that existed (hello Siberia). Ukraine and the rest of the western Russian Empire/USSR might have been enough for the latter point however.
China was a similar story to Russia, as was Brazil. You can probably also group Mexico into this group of 'Lacking Industry, Lacking Thinkers, and Wealth has problems moving through the economy (Aristocracies, Internal Conflicts and Corruption) Preventing Innovation'.
Meanwhile Canada and Australia both fail the Industry and Population benchmarks. Or in other words, Canada and Australia just needed the factors which allowed the development of tractors and other rural economy assisting vehicles to kick off two or three centuries later than it did so they'd have had more time to see their scarce populations boom, and said population gradually assemble the comparable native industry needed to kickstart the booming industrialisation that came with the Industrial Revolution.
Though the USA likely would have still come out on top due to being a much more habitable land as Canada's got all their arctic and subarctic regions whilst Australia's land suffers severe water stress leading to a lot of desert, arid and semi-arid regions. At least when we compare proportion of land area between the three, due to America having a lot of those regions as well (and some severe mountainous terrain).
The estate that my parents worked on in the 60s/70s had a Citroen P17 half track that was used to take deer carcasses off the hills, it was built in the 1930s and as I know it was returned to France in the 90s refurbished and put in a museum 👍🏻🏴
im glad it still exists
Which hill, exactly. I am a redneck deer hunter, and hunting out of a half-track sounds interesting.
@@richardtalbott6215 They didn’t actually hunt out of it, it was used to tow a wooden sled for the deer carcasses. It was a group of hills called the Monillias (spelling is not my strong point when translating from Gaelic)
Thanx for the reply. Ya, we don't necessarily hunt out of our vehicles here in Western Colorado, either.
We do, however, get our trucks stuck in the mud and snow up here in the Rockies, hence the idea of hunting "out of" a half-track.
With only two major variants, American half-tracks were simple and shared components with other armored vehicles, a fact that greatly impressed (and worried) Rommel in North Africa. Rommel understood that this interchangeability would allow America to gain a decided material advantage on the battlefield, both in terms of initial production numbers and the ability to make rapid battlefield repairs.
The Germans were the opposite, with every single weapon and vehicle practically an entirely novel and original device with no parts compatibility, except the MkIV tank and some tank destroyers. Germans are fine engineers but should have standard parts and equipment for practical purposes.
Drove an M-3 last Saturday. Fun ride. Handles about the same as an M-123 I used to drive decades ago, but a bit lower to the ground.
My father was in field artillery in WW2, they mounted BIG howitzers in half-tracks.
I seem to recall the M3 fitted with a 105mm howitzer was named the T19 and used in North Africa. They were also fitted with an 81mm mortar and were used in the AA role with the quad .50 cal browning machine guns
@@MichaelCampin They were also in Belgium in winter, Dad had home movie of halftracks sliding across icy cobblestones.
105mm howitzers were also on the M7 "Priests"
6:43 AHH The Quebec built Bombardier!!
They are still used to this day on Lakes in Ontario and Quebec for Ice Fishing Charterer Companies!. Often seen sporting the traditional TRACKS, and one wheel on the left side ... and one ski on the right side.
Specifically for operating on the shoulder of snow covered roadways, and lake ice alike! .
Yes there are some places where they are still used and even in good working order.
A construction company who is specialised in laying/replacing pipes and kabels uses them to guide the pipe / kabel over the trench into a jig of a modern machine.
Its a very strange thing indeed to see a yellow ex WW2 US military M3 halftrack guiding modern glassfiber kabels or a new sewer lining into a modern machine.
Ah. Good 'ol Bombardier, being carried on the shoulders of all Canadians when Quebec wants to be a separate entity. Lol.
I had to do a double-take when he mentioned the Bombardier as I've never heard it called bomb-ba-deer before lol
A local gas station has a few tanks parked in it. They had an M3 with quad .50s in back. And they also had a Kettenkrad at one point.
Currently, they have a Sherman, a Walker Bulldog, a Stuart, and an M3 without accessories.
I wish
Missed opportunity to mention the modern half-track... snowmobiles!!!
i was about to post this, but checked the comments first! yes snow mobiles, thousands of them, the half track is alive and well, though more niche than ever.
A quick blitz of some of the French half-tracks. That was good writing, George.
Why doesn't Simon write his own stuff?
@@alexander1485 because he's a presenter. He's got a whole team of writers.
@@alexander1485 Why does it matter?
Ah! memories. I spent many action-hours in the IDF in M3s left over from WW2. Even converted to diesel. We liked them, easy to maintain and especially easy to exit in a hurry- in all directions! For us they were not just transport to, but fighting platforms. Scout vehicles; could mount 5 medium MGs and a M2, plus a floor full of Bazooka, RPG, bangalore,etc.. and 52mm trench mortar. Exhaust hot water heater and other grunt inventions.
Exhaust hot water heater, handy for making tea and coffee, this small things make a hell of a difference.
You may have used one of the California Nat'l. Guard M3s that was shipped to you in the early 50s. They were just starting to equip the guard with twin 40mm turrets on the Chaffee hulls. My dad was crewman on the AA variant at that time.
@@sullyway51 They were well used and liked, some even used as 120mm mortar or vulcan AA platforms, (was sgt on both). Were replaced slowly by M113 and by now by much better home-made ones. Like old soldiers. But still, it's the guys inside that count.
The Halftrack is basically the Mullet haircut of military vehicles: business in the front, party in the back
but halftracks look nice!
Man, you're a bit excentric but you are the BEST host/narrator I've ever heard.. The way you convey information is amazing!
Cornholed by the Great Cornholio.
American halftracks had rubber tracks. They were easier to replace and if they throw the track, it was easier to put them back on. It also provided a better grip on paved roads and in icy conditions.
Keep in mind y'all the White Motor Company is now Freightliner. Ya know, the builders of school bus, fire truck, utility truck & semi-truck chassis...I guess we can also throw Western Star in there too...
Grammar is a thing.
@@newman977 no its not
@newman977 can you show quantitative, scientifically repeatable evidence of your claim? I do not believe in this “grammar” of which you speak.
Actually White Motor Company was acquired by Volvo.
And Freightliner, Thomas Bus, Western Star are all owned by Daimler, from Germany.
ahhh the might halftrack, was really excited to see this, thanks fact boi and team!
At the Owls Head Transportation in Owls Head, Maine, there is a half-tracked Model T with skis in the front that was used by a doctor in the 1920's for house calls in winter. In warm weather months, the skis would be swapped out for regular wheels.
The Holt tractor was made in Stockton USA who then joined with Best to form the Caterpillar Tractor Company.
keep in mind the SDKFZ..... number to follow. Said what weight it was designed to tow or move. The bigger number was desinged to haul more weight. It does make good enginiering labeling.
My uncle was in the U.S. Army during WWII and drove a Half-Track. Did so during the Battle of the Bulge.
I have a background that makes me kind of a subject matter expert on where these things were used and the like - but you did a really good job of covering the topic in a really brief presentation. Good work, sir.
My dad told me he and some other kids would gather at the fence and watch half tracks being test driven in Flint, MI during WWII
I still drive my half track for everyday driving. It's great for both off road and scaring other drivers.
your average nebraskan family car
@@DW25-YT or either Dakota's
how do you maintain tracks?
@@mottthehoople693 Grease and wrenches. It's not that hard if you remember to check track tension regularly, and replace your rubber pads when they wear down.
@@yabutmaybenot.6433 you can still get track pads??
There was nothing half about this episode, keepin' things on track!
..........................
the El Camino of war. There were Ford Model T conversions in snowbelt states, using skis strapped to front wheels for steering and some second "dead" axles used to run a tracked drive system, which builds its own road for the wheels to drive on over snow and spring mud.
My Dad had the opportunity to drive the M3 during WWII and told me that they were very smooth riding. He liked them a lot.
They're not "completely" dead, as vestiges of the half-track can still be seen with commercial over-the-tire track bands today - often made of rubber. My favorite pseudo half-track would be the Soviets' BA-11, which is regularly portrayed with optional metal tracks that could be fastened onto the rear wheels.
In the dark portal fantasy novel I've spent the past half year on, I've implemented a commercial truck fleet with optional track bands to serve as militarized half-tracks (and even IFV's) or regular trucks when later pressed into military service for the protagonist's faction. Wonderful video.
Like Jeep vs VW, US M3 half track vs Sdkfz250/251 comparison will be interesting.
The german's made half track motorcycles and convertible cars
@@alexander1485 the motorcycle looks amazing
I believe the military compared those two halftracks a the US was determined better of the two. Cheaper to build, less complicated track system that didn’t require a lot of work to maintain, better mobility do to the driven front axel of the US half track. The German had a rear door as the US didn’t un till the international was introduced that had a rear door added. The US halftrack was cheaper to build an work on.
@@michaelmaddy278 Nah, the German HT's had better *mobility* (Cross-country) the U.S HT did have better speed (on a road).
''do- *due* to the driven front axel of the US half track..." - this is actually the opposite (if i/you understand what you're trying to say).
The German HT had track brake steering, it didn't need the front wheels to steer, mud/clay could render them useless, yes more complicated/expensive.
The German "half track' was really a 3/4 track according to US terminology. It was based around a 2WD truck transmission which made it easier to produce than the US half track which used a 4WD truck transmission. The front wheels steered the half track for the first 15 degrees of the turn. A simple modification to the braking circuit added a small and progressive amount of braking force using cams as the steering wheel was turned beyond 15 degrees. The force was adjustable. The differential was lockable in case of severe slippage or the front wheels losing contact with the ground and because it was a 3/4 track it could cross a ditch wide without nosing into it.
-The US 1/2 track used a a 4WD system based on that of a 4WD truck widely used in the timber industry which meant the short track and the front wheel drive gave good steering.
-For the Germans this system was not a serious possibility since they lacked the gear cutting machinery to make the 3 differentials and transfer case required for the large numbers of half tracks they needed. It takes years to make a gear cutting machine. In addition the US half track used all rubber band tracks. The Germans had developed synthetic rubbers (BUNA-S and BUNA-N) but to make good quality rubber suitable for a band track you eg natural latex which they didn't have access to so the German half track used metal links. This meant the 72 links total had to be lubricated every 110km or so. Probably not too bad a job with two hands. They did have hard rubber tyres on the wheels and could have rubber pads.
-
-The US Wileys Jeep had a 4WD system which required 2 differentials plus a transfer case differential. . It lacked locking differentials so the Jeep could get stuck if diagonally opposite wheels lost tracction or ground contact.
-The VW Kubeleaggon was usually a 2WD system but it performed very well in off road in 2WD form. The independent suspension ensured all 4 wheels maintained good ground contact. The weight was over the rear wheels with the engine and transmission and this gave good traction like a dune buggy. The rear differential was a self locking differential so it always gave some traction. It had a smooth bottom and would skid over obstacles and good ground clearance. It was about 2/3rds the weight and used only 2/3rds the fuel of the jeep and carried 4 soldiers instead of 2 plus it had storgage compartment.
-The Jeep was the better of thr two with its much greater speed and power, Germans used Jeeps captured from the Russians and it had the performance to get you out of trouble but the VW Kublewaggon performed well and US troops seemed to like using captured versions.
-The Germans did have a 4WD transmission for the Kubelwaggon. They were used on all amphibious schwimmwagons, some kubelwagons and some VW beetles (520 or so) but they were considered too expensive.for general production.
Another big advantage of the half-track was training. A fully tracked vehicle required extra training to learn how to steer via the tracks. A half-track steers like a truck or car. In a car-obsessed country like the USA when most kids had access to car or tractors, that meant they were already trained to operate the half-track when drafted. It also meant that a truck crew could swap out their truck for one with little fuss and no additional training.
The P-38 and P-51 don't nearly get enough credit for their war contributions. It's more difficult feeding soldiers canned rations in the field without can openers, than with millions of extremely cheap ones.
He is not talking about the fighter planes folks.........
And this video isn't about aircraft or can openers is it??
@@kirkstinson7316 - No, it’s about another of the hundred or more items that by themselves “won World War Two”. Soldiers that ate food did all of the work, they won using can openers. Honestly quite literally true!
That Lombard Log Hauler...wow. Been a fan of WWII for 20+yrs, but never really thought about the half-track too much, much less its Origin Story. Amazing!
Simon forgot the model Ts that were converted to half tracks and the canadians had a number of buses converted
One not mentioned was the Model T half track. It was an option to make use of the typical Model T in areas where snow was heavy and examples still run today. I understand it was used by NE owners to navigate winter conditions, for mail, farm and doctors. (That was apparently when doctors still needed to visit patrons.)
way i see it, the halftracks disappeared because everybody realised a 6x6 or 8x8 truck with big tyres(14.00x20 or bigger) is almost as good off-road as a halftrack, but is a lot cheaper, less maintenance and they can go twice as fast. note that the 2 nations that used a lot of half tracks, germany and the US, used tactical trucks with double(twin) rear wheels,not a good idea for off-road use. the russians and the brits used single tyred trucks, and no half tracks. (Field Marshal Rommel told his recce troops to use british trucks, "cause ours get stuck all the time...")
Sorry but trucks aren't armored. Half-tracks were replaced by fully tracked enclosed vehicles, think M113
@@kirkstinson7316 true, in part; but lots of wheeled APC are used nowadays, including by the US army. but halftracks were also used (especially by the germans) as truck or towing vehicle. and there the wheeled vehicles took over.
Half-tracks saw combat in the French colonial empire in the First Indochina War and the Algerian War; in the Indo-Pakistani wars and conflicts; and the early wars of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
In the late 80's we had one at the motor pool at fort bliss that I had the opportunity to drive in a few parades. It had an anti aircraft gun (non working) in the back if I remember correctly. We had several vintage machines in the shop.
My grandfather was a mean old tough man when I was little ( like 5-6 years old ). I was about 8 years old and I asked him about his time in WW2. He started laughing , he said " I got drunk and worked on halftracks " .
the fire dept. in the town of Newbury Mass has had one ever since I can remember, probably purchased it right after the war, there are a lot of marsh fields in Newbury and it's main use is for putting out fires in the marsh, it's red and an awesome machine !
@15:23- The SD.KFZ. 251/1 ll was known by the German troops it supported as the "Foot Stuka"
I rode a dieselized M3 (ZaHLa"D) during the IDF Reserve medics course back in 1987, for a couple of hundreds meters or so. For the occasion, I was also outfitted with an M1 steel helmet and British webbing! We loved this fun, impromptu reenactement, in which everybody was cracking WWII jokes and making old movies references!
I also remember following French Army M3 halftracks in the Seventies, on a road going West into the Vosges Mountains from the mid-Alsatian Plain. We were quite comfortable with this, as taking the risk to overtake them on that two-lanes road was unnecessary: we clocked them going 80 km/H on a moderately uphill slope!
I love the Kettenkrad, it would be great for tough terrain rallies
In the early sixties. I was a trouper in the 5th Royal Tank Regiment, our White Half Track was known as the 'Prairie Schooner'.
Necessity is the mother of invention the not bad idea
Patton is quoted as saying to reporters' question about the half-track. "It is imposing enough to provide its occupants with a false sense of security". Windshield armor is 1/2 inch, and the rest of the body is 1/4 inch face hardened steel plate. A truck chassis with a steel box bolted to its frame. Debold Safe Corp. made the armor and the screw design to hold it all together. The front roller assembly was copied from the French design as a device to go through ditches, but usually resulted in the vehicle embedding into the other side. It was discontinued in favor of a winch mounted front bumper, which increased the length by about 3 feet. It offered very little protection from anything larger than 8mm rifle or machine gun fire. Overhead protection was nonexistent. Anti-grenade screens were never officially provided. It was in every sense a battle taxi for armored infantry units.
The US MAIL used model T and A Fords conversions quite a bit in the 20s and 30s
My father was in a British armoured regiment in Paderborn W Germany in the sixties.At the time they had a White Half track on vehicle strength.I remember inspecting it in a Tank Hanger sitting alongside M.B.T
Have a great day everybody!
You too buddy. 👊🏻🤙🏻
Don't tell me what to do😤
No u
Thank you! And to you as well!
@9:10 I would love to know more about that half track driving by. It appears to have the grille and hood of a Ford 9N or 2N farm tractor. I have studied everything I can find about the N-series tractor and the various military vehicles based on them but have never seen this one before.
The kettenkrad also served the most important role of ferrying two teenage girls in a post apocalyptic world.
That is my favorite use of the vehicle
Girl's last tour fan eh
GLT, can I have a smidge of feels?
GLT: Best I can do is absolute despair.
The Kettenkrad ( Kettenkraftrad) literally Trackmotorcyle, was after wwll often used for farmwork.
Good one, I always loved the looks of half-tracks, the german armored ones were especially good-looking with the interlocking wheels and angular armor
Is the beat of constructive criticism, I bet the video would have been even better with a more thorough explanation of why the half-track was finally replaced by full track for good, or just by giving the cons of that design alongside the pros.
It's a shame (in many ways), but both my uncles were in penal platoons (disobeying orders repeatedly or something) in WWII and I never heard much in the way of their experiences (I'm 53 now), other than the horror of following-up behind Soviet troops when they were moving towards Berlin. They both talked about dealing with the aftermath of the incredible amount of sexual violence perpetrated by the Russians as well as the German saying from the civilians they learned: "Better to have a Russian on your belly than an American over your head." That simple phrase really tells you how brutal the war was. P.S. As always, thank for your Mr. Whistler for your excellent narration and information I didn't get from watching the series "World at War".
"
At 13:20 there is a shot of an Me 323 Gigant. This is another fascinating story.
As for Lichtenstein: Being where they are, they have to make something. Nobody wants a new Curta calculator (handheld AND mechanical) anymore, so they have to find something else.
I was wondering if you could actually make a video on all of the different German halftrack variations please
We'd be here all day.
@@lyndoncmp5751 and that's a bad thing 😁
@@stevelenox152You'd have to concentrate very hard 😊
@@lyndoncmp5751 true that lol
I saw a well rusted M3 off a main highway into Keosha Wisconsin not sure what happened to it as there were several Museums in the area one was busted for dealing with full auto firearms without a license. That one had many armored vehicles. Never visited as I was warned in advance about the possibility of a raid on that place.
My Grandfather was in charge of a squad of the M3 halftrack m16 version with the quad 50cals. Such cool stories. Wish I would have recorded them 😑
So happy someone covered these. I love them but I find only tank folks really know much about in the U.S. it was really awkward at high school parties whenever dream cars/trucks were being discussed.
Tracked vehicles are still widely used in the form of snowmobiles.
Tanks are still used too . . .
@@EllieMaes-Grandad Absolutely, but for the public snowmobiles are more ubiquitous.
At least in my part of the world.
My father was in a Tank Destroyer group in WWII and the "Tank Destroyers" consisted of a half track towing a big cannon. The Army swapped them out for the self-propelled cannon (think "open topped light tank") in late 1944/early 1945.
I got to ride in the back of a White half-track being used as a taxi to a party at Goodwood.
I was steaming on free champagne surrounded by people in evening dress.
Really neat to watch the teardown. Anxious to see what this thing ends up developing after the refresh. Glad Lake Speed was game to do it. Very cool. Thx!!
battles may be won with blades, bullets, or bombs. but wars are won with logistics like the half-track
“Infantry wins battles, logistics wins wars.” - U.S. Army General John J. Pershing, commander of American Expeditionary Forces, WW1
Slava Ukraini !
The half tracks were not logistics. They were battle taxi's. Logistics would have been the various wheeled trucks. Trying to stretch a phrase into a half track is incorrect use of the point of logistics. Half track was at the tip of the spear, the broad spear blade and the haft are the logistics. Gas, bullets, etc to the front.
Which is why Montgomery was a superior strategist than Rommel.
@@lyndoncmp5751 is that why it took him 3 years to beat the germans in north africa?
@@wulfthofengaming457 Took 3 months when Monty stepped in
Solid mix between ease of steering ability and low ground pressure for soft terrrain
As a kid playing with my army men, the halftrack was my favorite vehicle.
The half track largely came about because it was a mechanically simpler way to steer a tracked vehicle. Fully tracked vehicles needed brakes and clutches on each track. While a simple differential would allow a half track to follow where the wheels lead. A brake could be added to low speed sharp turns but mostly didn't need to be used, while a fully tracked vehicle needed to rely solely on the tracks. As others have pointed out, after WWII cheaper, more effective steering mechanisms for tracked vehicles removed the need for a leading tire.
1:10 - Mid roll ads
2:35 - Chapter 1 - Background
8:20 - Chapter 2 - Why a half track ?
10:20 - Chapter 3 - Golden age of the half track
For whoever is wondering: ST.KFZ stands for Sonder-kraftfarzeug, or "Special powered vehicle". I will not even try to guess at the numbering system; that is just OKH (Oberkommando des Heeres, or Army Execute Command) doing their thing :)
Half tracks with skis, are still used in ski resorts everywhere
This video got me thinking about trucking and logistics.
Would you be able to do a video on the Red Ball Express that the Allies used to supply their troops in Europe?
And 24 infantry division used half tracks with 105 mm artillery mounted on back during desert storm. 1991
You might want to double check that.
The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.
The helicopter also had a role in killing the half track- expensive, but far better at bad terrain.
Yeah, but funnily enough, after the Vietnam war the US stopped using helicopters as extensively. The Huey did really really well, but it was becoming clear that being in the air, at that speed and without being a dedicated gunship, was becoming increasingly dangerous. By the time the Soviets were pumping out Strela-2 (and -2M) shoulder launchers like candy bars it was clear that "the flying truck" days were over. So now we're back to wheeled trucks for road supply and tracked vehicles for terrain supply.
The Bombardier configuration you showed at 6:48 was used well into the 1970s by the National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. I clearly remember riding in one during a winter visit to the park. The vehicle broke down and the driver knew nothing about mechanical repair. Fortunately my father was skilled in that trade and he we was able to effect a temporary repair so the journey could be completed in the wind, snow and freezing temperatures. Those half tracks did not have a particularly effective cabin heater. LOL
Not a Halftrack, but E Bay has a Willys Jeep for sale at £17,999, fully customised - presumably with `Phone, CD Player, DAB Radio, Air Con and Furry Dice!
The M3 half track had a base cost of $10,300. It had 43 different variants that were production, prototype, and experimental. It was one of the work horses of the war for the US army. Also served in many countries, and conflicts for decades after the war.
As a young child in the 1970's I remember M3 halftracks driving down our street.
I think it was the mechanics delivering them back to their units after fixing them.
I fell in Love with them
On the spot
M3s (and indeed ALL half-tracks) ceased to be used very soon after WW2. The only place you would have seen one in the 1970s was in a museum.
@@AtheistOrphan In Israel they were used until the late 1980's
@@tombergins8215 - I thought you meant in the USA.
Tracked Truck. Serving WW2.
It is really surprising all-wheeled trucks were used at all in U.S. service during WW2, such as the duece-and-a-half (2.5 ton dually truck), since the half-track truck could haul more than 3.5 tons, could handle any kind of terrain and through and over mud, towed better, and could self-propel all kinds of heavy weapons.
And it still had a road speed of 50 mph.
As a truck, if the track length was increased, it could haul over 5 tons.
I hate to point out but the Holt tractors were mostly built in America 🇺🇸 as that company was based in California.
The Holt tractors mentioned in the video had a front wheel added by the British but not built by us and this is what was said in this video 👍🏻🏴
@@ewanstewart8011Holt and Best (combined to make Caterpillar) both had wheels on the front of their first few models of tractors the British didn't add anything to them. By the way, the model used for WWI was the Holt 120, built in the US, with two front wheels as standard
I don’t believe that you “hate to point out” anything, having pride in something that was created/built in your country is not a bad thing that you feel apologetic about, but unfortunately you live in a country where people believe that if it was made in the USA it automatically means it is/was the best thing in the world, and that only Americans can invent and build things that the world needs, so it is not something to be ashamed of but it is a crying shame that a minority of people in the USA 🇺🇸 have made it so that the average person outside of the USA
just think 💭 it’s just another big headed yank bragging, but personally speaking it doesn’t mean you have to start a comment with “I hate to point out” because you are only correcting the facts and being proud of your country.
dunno if this is included in the video but the time and place of the war makes the half-track a really really good and viable idea. For one thing, especially for ze Germans, is that it preserves the stock of rubber tires since you only need half the amount for your trucks and special weapon trucks. The other thing I want to mention is the road quality which was still pretty poor or non-existent in most parts of the world so tracks would be extremely beneficial in those areas.
After the war they didn't need to exist because there were roads being built all over and the supply of rubber for the tires was no longer in jeopardy. Wheel+track doesn't really provide any advantage over fully tracked or off-road tired vehicles when combined.
Those things would be an absolute nightmare for an Army mechanic to work on, they have two completely different schools you have to go to, heavy wheel and tracked.
Not so much; the US halftracks were essentially just trucks with track assemblies replacing the rear wheels - the commonality of parts reduced the complexity of the logistics tail; remember that all spare parts had to be shipped across the Atlantic, so having many parts in common between trucks and halftracks meant less work keeping spares in stock.
You are essentially describing german halftracks.
@@echomande4395 yet they were reliable and powerful
@@mottthehoople693 so reliable that Germany still used horses for the entire war
@@mottthehoople693 That's not the point. US halftracks were mechanically 4x4 all wheel drive trucks and could generally be maintained by anyone qualified to maintain such trucks (like the scout car).
German halftracks had a progressive steering system that used only the front wheels to steer in shallow curves but also used the tracks to steer in sharp curves. This likely created headaches for maintenance and for training mechanics. German halftracks also used actual tracks (requiring lots of maintenance and greasing) instead of the US halftracks' band tracks. I'm not sure whether german halftracks had powered front wheels though.
I'm a retired tank officer and would like nothing better than to believe that some form of armour won WW 2. As an officer I learned that an Army runs on supplies and that more than half the fight of an Army Officer is against time and space.
I believe that the deuce-and-a-half won WW 2 in Europe.
Even those that were sent to Russia as a part of lend-lease played a vital role in helping the Red Army survive and then win.
Loved that you could include Lichtenstein.
The US Army used them for convoy duties in Vietnam. Especially the M16 MGMC with the .50 Cal quad mount for anti-personell use.
Came here to say this. An old friend of mine, passed on, was the main driver of Death Merchant, sister half-track to the only remaining convoy guard (at least that I know of, "Eve of Destruction" on Ft Eustis.
@@rw8147 Thought that Eve Of Destruction was an M35 Duece and a Half? Granddad was a Quad .50 gunner once in '73. The truck in front of him took a hit, and convoy lead called for a full halt. All trucks, fire on the treeline. They became a mobile deforestation unit VERY quicl
@@DeliveryDemon You are correct. In my defense, it's been, sheesh, probably thirty years since I've seen it.
@@rw8147 Ah
I've never seen it hehe. Never been there
@@DeliveryDemon It was my dad's last duty station before retiring. Eve of Destruction, and the Transpo Museum, is really the only reason to go there. Though I heard they moved EoD out of the Transpo Museum and out in front of group HQ.
Whats neat is that theres a device out that can turn practically any vehicle into a half track. Its just an attachable track mechanism that affixes to your car tires
Skip to 2:31 to avoid a bit of advertising.
Lichtenstein @21:20? That's quite a shocker. Thanks for the military hardware video, cool vehicles!
anyone not notice simons gasps for breath until you think about it
No
Brilliant topic but yes all I can hear is a load of gasps taking away from the content slow down fella
The Case Magnum Rowtrac is a half track. Still in production, they seem popular here in Indiana.
It is a half-track! From what I've heard from farmers on TH-cam, you want tires for traction and tracks for reduced compaction
Half-track won WWII ? I thought it was the Jeep, unless it was the Sherman, or the Lightning, or the Mustang, or the Dodge WC, etc ... you guys should sort it once for all ...
Spitfire.
My father was antiaircraft and drove one with a turret mounted quad .50 bmg and pulling a 40mm automatic AA gun
So basically the Armored WW2 version of the Toyota technical