The M6 High-Speed Tractor was an

artillery tractor An artillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be 6x6, wheeled, continuous track, tracked, or half-tracked. Trac ...

used by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

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 ...

. Manufactured by

Allis-Chalmers Allis-Chalmers was a U.S. manufacturer of machinery for various industries. Its business lines included agricultural equipment, construction equipment, power generation and power transmission equipment, and machinery for use in industrial setti ...

, it was used to tow heavy artillery pieces, such as the 8-inch Gun M1 and

240 mm howitzer M1 The 240 mm howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon",
''T-Patch 36th Infantry Division News, A ...

. Its G-number was (G-184).

Development

Although in the late 1930s the

lacked a clear mechanization policy, the success of the "

blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg ( , ; from 'lightning' + 'war') is a word used to describe a surprise attack using a rapid, overwhelming force concentration that may consist of armored and motorized or mechanized infantry formations, together with close air su ...

" in 1939-40 highlighted the need of motorized vehicles for both tactical and strategic

maneuver Maneuver (American English), manoeuvre (British English), manoeuver, manœuver (also spelled, directly from the French, as manœuvre) denotes one's tactical move, or series of moves, that improves or maintains one's strategic situation in a compet ...

, which meant that

towed artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the early 20 ...

would need to move at a speed comparable to that of the

armored fighting vehicles An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured car ...

. To achieve this, a series of “high speed tractors” was planned, which would tow the different artillery pieces existing (or planned) in the US Army inventory. The “high” speed was considered in comparison with horse-drawn artillery rather than that obtainable with wheeled prime movers or

ballast tractor A ballast tractor is a specially weighted tractor unit of a heavy hauler combination. It is designed to utilize a drawbar to pull or push heavy or exceptionally large trailer loads which are loaded in a hydraulic modular trailer. When feasible ...

s. The models considered in the series included: 7 ton, 13 ton, 18 ton, and 38 ton. Intended to tow heavy artillery pieces as the

240 mm howitzer M1 The 240 mm howitzer M1, popularly nicknamed the "Black Dragon",
''T-Patch 36th Infantry Division News, A ...

and the 8-inch Gun M1, the M6 artillery tractor was larger and heavier than the M4 Artillery Tractor, although they had a similar layout. The main differences between both were in the following areas: * Running Gear (6 running wheels in the M6, instead of 4 wheels in the M4) * Dimensions * Weight * Towing capacity * Engine It was powered by two six-cylinder, in-line, Waukesha 145GZ

gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

engines with an

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

of , each of which gave at 2,100 rev/min. The running gear consisted on six rubber-rimmed wheels per side, with the drive wheel located at the front and a large tensioning wheel at the rear; a layout similar to the one used in the M3 Light Tank and later in the M4 Tractor.

Service history

The M6 tractor was chiefly used in the

European theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

only in the last months of World War II. Until then large caliber artillery was moved by the

M1 Heavy Tractor M1 Heavy Tractor was a term used by the United States Army during World War II for several different models of "off the shelf" civilian tracked tractors adopted for military use. Under the Ordnance Department, these tractors were meant to tow ar ...

, heavy trucks, or vehicles such as the M33 Prime Mover, M34 Prime Mover or M35 Prime Mover derived from the M3 Medium Tank, M4 Medium Tank, and

M10 GMC The M10 tank destroyer was an American tank destroyer of World War II. After US entry into World War II and the formation of the Tank Destroyer Force, a suitable vehicle was needed to equip the new battalions. By November 1941, the Army request ...

hulls respectively Use of this tractor in the

Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

seems to have been limited to training at

Oahu Oahu () (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering place#Island of Oʻahu as The Gathering Place, Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over t ...

, (

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

). Some vehicles were sold to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

after being replaced by

self-propelled artillery Self-propelled artillery (also called locomotive artillery) is artillery equipped with its own propulsion system to move toward its firing position. Within the terminology are the self-propelled gun, self-propelled howitzer, self-propelled mo ...

Users

Surviving vehicles

Overloon War Museum The Overloon War Museum (''Dutch: Oorlogsmuseum Overloon'') is located in Overloon, Netherlands. The museum was opened on May 25, 1946, making it one of the oldest museums in Europe dedicated to the Second World War. The museum is located on ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

National Military Vehicle Museum, Edinburgh, South Australia

Gallery

File:M6_High_Speed_Tractor_pic3.JPG, M6 tractor, Overloon File: M6 High Speed Tractor pic1.JPG, Side view, M6 tractor, Overloon File:M6 High-Speed Tractor Front.JPG, Front view, M6 Tractor, Overloon File:M6 High Speed Tractor Rear.JPG, Rear view, towing an 8-inch howitzer M1, Overloon

References

Notes

Bibliography

* *

External links

Olive-Drab website, Highspeed M4
''(accessed 2014-03-02)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:M6 High-speed Tractor Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company Artillery tractors Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944 World War II military vehicles World War II vehicles of the United States Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States