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 wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked. Traction There are two ...

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, c ...

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. 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 set ...

, 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 armoured warfare, armored and motorised infantry, motorized or mechanised infantry, ...

" in 1939-40 highlighted the need of motorized vehicles for both tactical and strategic maneuver, which meant that towed artillery would need to move at a speed comparable to that of the armored fighting vehicles. 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 tractors. 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 ...

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 t ...

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 The M3 Stuart/Light Tank M3, was an American light tank of World War II. An improved version of the tank entered service as the M5 in 1942 to be supplied to British and other Commonwealth forces under lend-lease prior to the entry of the U.S. in ...

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 ...

, heavy trucks, or vehicles such as the M33 Prime Mover, M34 Prime Mover or M35 Prime Mover derived from the

M3 Medium Tank The M3 Lee, officially Medium Tank, M3, was an American medium tank used during World War II. The turret was produced in two forms, one for US needs and one modified to British requirements to place the radio next to the commander. In British C ...

M4 Medium Tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

, and M10 GMC hulls respectively Use of this tractor in the Pacific theater seems to have been limited to training at

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

, (

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 ...

). 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 o ...

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