A battle sled (battle sledge, tank sledge or armoured sledge) is a device used to get infantry closer to the

front line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

s of a battle zone safely. They were used by multiple combatants during World War II.

United States

The United States Army trialed battle sleds during the World War II

Battle of Anzio The Battle of Anzio was a battle of the Italian Campaign of World War II that took place from January 22, 1944 (beginning with the Allied amphibious landing known as Operation Shingle) to June 5, 1944 (ending with the capture of Rome). The op ...

. General John W. O'Daniel, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, ordered torpedoes to be cut in half for the purpose. Six torpedo halves, each carrying one prone infantryman, were then chained together into a unit, with one tank pulling two such chains. A total of 360 such sleds were manufactured and used during the Battle of Anzio. The sleds were disliked by the infantrymen, who "felt like 'dead ducks'" in them. Their use was also impeded by rough ground and the loss of the tanks pulling the chains of sleds. O'Daniel himself viewed the combat trials as "inconclusive". Salvaged sleds were used later in the invasion of Southern France.

German battle sled

In World War II, Nazi Germany built large battle sleds that were towed behind an

assault gun Assault gun (from german: Sturmgeschütz - "storm gun", as in "storming/assaulting") is a type of self-propelled artillery which uses an infantry support gun mounted on a motorized chassis, normally an armored fighting vehicle, which are designed ...

. These large sleds were less likely to tip over on hills. They were tested in the winter in snow and ice in Tirol, Austria. Like the US sleds, few saw combat. The sleds were towed often by the Stug III, an assault gun or A Panzer III tank. The goal was the infantry could quickly unload from the sleds and help the assault gun when needed.

Russian battle sled

In World War II, the Soviet Union used armored battle sleds in Winter War in winter battles in the Karelian Isthmus against Finland. The sleds were smaller with one line of infantry behind an armored plate towed by a tank. The armored sleds carrying infantrymen helped to resolve the problem of deep snow slowing down the foot soldiers.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom tested armoured sledges, but did not use them in battle for troops. A Churchill tank was used to tow an experimental armored sled in the test. The AVRE trailers test was done by the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers. United Kingdom battle sleds were used to move battle stores &

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

. Centaur tanks and M7 Priest were used to tow the ammunition ''porpoise'' sledge at the Normandy landings on

Juno Beach Juno or Juno Beach was one of five beaches of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 during the Second World War. The beach spanned from Courseulles, a village just east of the British beach Gold ...

. The ''porpoise'' sledge had a low profile and was stored under the tanks on the

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. Pr ...

s. The ''porpoise'' sledge has water tight storage bays for the ammunition.''The Funnies: The 79th Armoured Division and Its Specialised Equipment'' by Geoffrey W. Futter, page 64-65

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