Attn. Ken & Moon Pup ....................

[Cheyenne]

All right you guys are our resident half track dudes , ........ I know they're half tracks , ...... everyone else here knows they're half tracks , .......... but what type etc. , anything special we should know about them ?

Come on everybody post up your half track pics. you've got questions on and Ken and Moon Pup can edumakate us on the ins and outs of half tracks .

I would certainly like to get more insight on them , ......... I have the kits , but I mostly build German .

 

[moon puppy]

I don't know where to start. Best I can do is M2, M2A1, M3, M16 and a M2 with a mortar. Note the Skate ring on and what I would presume as kill marks on that skate ring.

Great pictures but I defer to my teacher for the correct answers.

Also note the M2A1 with the tire blow off, looks like it hit a mine. The fender is blown off and see how the boogie is traversing the hole where the mine was. Looks like a pretty good survival chance for the crew. H/T didn't fair well.

There's a M3?A1 with the gunmount, notice the "nose art".

Great pictures.

 

[moon puppy]

now this one is really throwing me off. Looks like they got the Ammo bin on the rear end of the fighting compartment. IS that another mortar carrier?

 

[jknaus]

As far as I understand there were 2 mortar carriers. The M4 based on the M2 and the M21 based on the M-15 (M-3), but I haven't got my resources right handy. The M-4 had the tube pointed back and the M-21 forward although some units re situated the M-4 mortar in a field mod to point forward. I think the ammo storage was different also.

Course I don't really know much about half tracks so use a pinch of salt.
James

 

[moon puppy]

If someone had not used photobucket to host these pictures, I could be goofin' off at work looking at halftracks.

 

[Cheyenne]

Hey man , I love ya and all , ........... but my life is finally on a straight track , :laugh: , .......... so aiding and abetting a fellow modeler is against my naughty corner parole , ........... you know that whole cooler king thing , ............. :laugh: , .......... besides I done ran out of gallery space ........

 

[Ken Abrams]

In the order you posted:

1. M3A1 - those .30's are on pintel mounts and that passenger is leaning on the pulpit armor

2. M3- can't tell if it has the A1 pulpit.

3. I see lots of em B)

4. M4A1 (mortar carrier) - 2nd AD conversion facing the mortar forward. Those marks on the skate rail are traversing marks for positioning the vehicle.

5. M2

6. M3A1

7. M3A1

8. M4A1 (mortar carrier) - 3rd AD conversion facing the mortar forward. the 3rd AD moved the boxes to the rear and switched the side armor left to right, right to left.


I built one:

9. M3A1

10. M2

11. M3

12. M5A1/M9A1 (International Harvester)- notice the notched door corners at the bottom and the flat fenders. Contrary to earlier beliefs, these weren't all sent via lend lease. The 12th AD used many I.H. half tracks in the ETO

13. M2A1

14. M3A1

15. M16

16. M3 - captured

17. M2A1

18. M2A1 from a series of signal corps photos

19. same from same ^^^

20. M3A1


:gogo

As for the mortar carriers, the M4 mortar carrier was the first variant, designed to carry the mortar into battle but fire outside. That was then followed by the M4A1 mortar carrier which had a raised, traverse-able mortar, more stowage interior and exterior and a beefed framed and rubber shock mount to fire the mortar in the vehicle. Both were based on the M2 half track

The M21 was the last version, based on the M3 half track and wasn't produced or used in great numbers. (the M15 was an anti-aircraft half track variant)

 

[moon puppy]

1. ah, so the tale tell is the guns mounted on pintel as oppose to a skate ring?


8. yeah that really threw me off, had not see anything like that before.

16. oh wow, didn't catch that. I was wondering what those things were on the side. Looks like those rocket launcher thingys i've seen on the German spkwhatchmacallemkamps 8s.

18,19. "what happens when you don't properly clear the roads"?

 

[Jenny Croft]

Yeah number 16 is a stuka zu fuss , I will issue Ken with a challenge , you build the vehicle and I will supply the rockets and crates in a awesome aftermarket set for you to review .

The rest are at best guess , american half tracks . Geez does this lil blonde know her halftracks ? :pp

Jenny :kiss:

 

[Ken Abrams]

moon puppy wrote:

1. ah, so the tale tell is the guns mounted on pintel as oppose to a skate ring?

That's my rational, I suppose it is entirely possible that those two thirty cals are on the skate rail in the exact position of where they placed the pintle sockets but that looks like the pulpit armour under a canvas just peaking out the top passenger side.


moon puppy wrote:

16. oh wow, didn't catch that. I was wondering what those things were on the side. Looks like those rocket launcher thingys i've seen on the German spkwhatchmacallemkamps 8s.

That's exactly what those are, the rocket frames. There are two or three photos of this captured half track in front of that building, one is a bit closer and another is a different angle even.

jenny croft wrote:

Yeah number 16 is a stuka zu fuss , I will issue Ken with a challenge , you build the vehicle and I will supply the rockets and crates in a awesome aftermarket set for you to review .

You're on. I've always wanted to do a captured one, just needed the push.

 

[shawngehling]

Impressive,
But what the heck is going on with picture 10???
Looks like there is a camera man filming this but if those
are prisoners in that half track, who the heck let them
ride back there with the 30 cal MG available???
Shawn

 

[Tim A.]

These are great photo's Cheyenne.

And Ken that is an awesome looking build!