Samiksha Jaiswal (Editor)

M5 Tractor

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Type
  
Artillery tractor

Designed
  
1942

Place of origin
  
United States

M5 Tractor

Used by
  
US Army Belgian Army Japan Self-Defense Forces Austrian Armed Forces Yugoslav People's Army Lebanese Army Pakistan Army

Wars
  
World War II Korean War Lebanese Civil War

Manufacturer
  
International Harvester

The M5 High-Speed Tractor is an artillery tractor that was used by the US Army from 1942.

Contents

Construction

The M5 is a fully track vehicle designed to tow the 105 mm Howitzer M2, and the 155 mm Long Tom field artillery, and carry the gun crew and ammunition. A winch and roller system allows the M5 to pull vehicles to the front or rear. Armament is a single anti-aircraft M2 Browning machine gun.

History

The M5 was standardized in October 1942 from the T21, a vehicle based on the tracks and suspension of the Stuart tank. International Harvester started production in 1942. Use of the M5 in the US Army ended shortly after World War II, but continued in Japan, Austria, Yugoslavia, Lebanon and Pakistan continued to use it.

Variants

  • M5 soft top, center driver, Vertical Volute Spring
  • M5A1 hard top, left driver, Vertical Volute Spring
  • M5A2 soft top, center driver, Horizontal Volute Spring
  • M5A3 hard top, left driver, Horizontal Volute Spring
  • M5A4 Half top, center driver, side ammo boxes, Horizontal Volute Spring

    • Surviving artifacts

  • Marshall Museum [1]
  • 1 at 45th ID Museum [2]
  • Museum of the American G.I., College Station, TX (unit is fully functional) [3]
  • 1 M5A2 at Armourgeddon Tank Driving, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, UK Armourgeddon
  • 1 M5 at the Kansas Museum of Military History in Augusta, Kansas, USA unit is fully functional [4]
  • 1 M5 at the Arkansas National Guard Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA [5]

    • Many M5 Tractors were used in British Columbia, Canada, as carriers for rock drills. The Chapman "Drilmobile", manufactured by Chapman Motor & Machine Shop of Delta, BC was designed specifically for logging road construction, and was quite popular.

    References

    M5 Tractor Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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