The M5 Bomb Trailer is a 2½ ton capacity vehicle used during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for transporting bombs from munitions storage areas to the

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

for loading. Up to six M5s can be towed in a train. The trailer weighs 7,200 pounds when fully loaded. The front pair of wheels are mounted on a caster assembly like a shopping cart. They are free to rotate 360 degrees about their vertical axis. There is a damper assembly that resembles 1/2 of a disk brake rotor that has friction pucks pressing against it to dampen oscillations of the caster assembly. These trailers would be towed out to the flightline all hitched together like a train and the train would stop at the first bomber and the last trailer in the train would be disconnected. The train would then continue on to the next bomber. After the train left, the crew would manhandle the trailer to a position under the bomber to enable the loading of the bombs. The front caster wheel assembly made this relatively easy. And so each trailer would be detached and when the towing vehicle had left the last trailer, it would circle around and go back and pick up the now empty first trailer detached. Then it would proceed to pick the rest of the trailers, one at a time.

History

These trailers were used extensively in World War II on air bases for the transport of bombs and other ordnance. Many were also used in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

as well. versions include the M1 and M2 Chemical trailer. these were usually towed by the M1 Bomb service truck, 1½-Ton, 4×4, (Ford) and M6 Bomb service truck, 1½-Ton, 4×4, (Chevy)

Specifications

Net Weight: 2,200 lb
Payload: 5,000 lb
Length: 17’6”
Width: 7’4”
Height: 3’ 11.5”
Wheelbase: 102”
Ground Clearance 9.5” Speed: 45 mph (road) 20 mph (country side) Tires: Front: 6-ply 6.5 × 10 Back: 8-ply 7.5 × 18

Survivors

There are five known examples in museums, two of which have been restored (one at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, UK and one at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

). Two more are undergoing restoration, one at the Carolinas Aviation Museum in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, and one at the

Yankee Air Museum The Yankee Air Museum is an aviation museum located at Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan. The museum has a small fleet of flying aircraft and a collection of static display aircraft outdoors. History The Yankee Air Force Inc. w ...

. Both are in need of a complete overhaul. The Collings Foundation (Stow MA USA) also has three unrestored M5's. Others are in private Historic Military Vehicle (HMV) collectors hands around the USA and the world. * Carolinas Aviation Museum *Imperial War Museum Duxford *National Museum of the United States Air Force *Yankee Air Museum *

Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola (Sola Aviation Museum) is an aviation museum located in Stavanger Airport, Sola, near Stavanger, Norway. The museum was founded in 1984 and is run by local volunteers. Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola went into cooperation ...

, Norway. Restored in USN Glossy Sea Blue color. Temporary stored.

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * SNL G-74

External links

* http://www.footnote.com/image/55724004/#48492938 * https://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=gasoline++source:life&imgurl=be63dff04d68237e {{WWII US Soft Vehicles Military trailers of the United States World War II vehicles of the United States Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944