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Continuing our look at World War II-era vehicles at Camp Forrest and William Northern Field, as well as on the streets and roads of Coffee County, we look at tracked vehicles. As the U.S. Army transformed from a horse-drawn to a mechanized artillery after World War I, armored tracked vehicles played a huge part in its and the Allies’ strength. Able to traverse difficult terrain and to go over and through obstacles, the tracked vehicles were formidable. Camp Forrest had its share as Army troops trained for their coming battles in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific.

Tanks came in several varieties – designated heavy, medium, and light by the U.S. military standards. Their various deployments depended on the terrain, the expected enemy resistance, and the method of delivery to the battlefields. For instance, some light tanks were delivered to the field by gliders or by low-altitude parachute withdrawal from the tails of cargo planes.

One of the light tanks used at Camp Forrest was the M5 Stuart. This tank was developed from the M3 and featured two Cadillac V8 engines on a single crankshaft backed by a Hydramatic transmission and an M3 transfer case, giving the unit six speeds forward. These tanks were built by Cadillac in Detroit beginning in 1942 and turned out to be the most dependable tank produced up to that point.

The M4 Sherman medium tank and its later evolutions are without a doubt the most famous tanks ever built, and there were 50,000 of them! Powered by an air-cooled Continental radial engine, they had Spicer manual transmissions with five forward speeds. The M4 was the first American tank with a 360-degree rotating turret. It carried a 75mm main gun and a 30mm machine gun.

The M7 Priest was basically a self-propelled 105mm howitzer artillery unit. It proved useful in North Africa as well as Europe during WWII. Previously, howitzers were towed behind trucks, so the M7 Priest gave the Allies better flexibility in placing these big guns. The Priest nickname came from its round pulpit-like machine gun firing location on the upper right front.

Half tank and half truck, the M2 half-track, was developed from White Motor Company’s M3 Scout Car, seen in last week’s article. It was produced by White Motor Company and Autocar Co., and its light armor was installed by Diebold Lock and Safe Company. The M2 half-track appeared in eleven different versions but usually carried a 50mm main gun and up to three 30mm machine guns. In addition to its driving tracks, the front wheels could be engaged for extra traction. It was versatile, but too lightly armored for frontline duty.

Vehicle details courtesy of Wikipedia and The Online Tank Museum. All images are U.S. Army photographs, courtesy of Williamson Aviation.

Do you have sharp pictures and interesting stories from Tullahoma’s or Coffee County’s past? If so, reach out to me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.