The Terrapin (officially 4-ton amphibian) was a British-manufactured amphibious transport vehicle of the Second World War. It was first used in 1944 at

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

during the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations to open up the Scheldt river between Antwerp and the North Sea for shipping, so that Antwerp's port could be used to supply the Allies in north-west Europe. The oper ...

. Terrapins served with the

Royal Engineer The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

assault teams of the

79th Armoured Division The 79th Armoured Division was a specialist armoured division of the British Army created during the Second World War. The division was created as part of the preparations for the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944, D-Day. Major-General Percy ...

and were used to carry infantry units (Canadian and British) over rivers.

Development

Due to a shortage of US-manufactured

DUKW The DUKW (GMC type nomenclature, colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the GMC CCKW "deuce-and-a-half" 2½-ton trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a part ...

s, the British

Ministry of Supply The Ministry of Supply (MoS) was a department of the UK government formed on 1 August 1939 by the Ministry of Supply Act 1939 ( 2 & 3 Geo. 6. c. 38) to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Ministe ...

commissioned

Thornycroft Thornycroft was an English vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977. History In 1896, naval engineer John Isaac Thornycroft formed the Thornycroft Steam Carriage and Van Company which built its f ...

to design an

amphibious vehicle An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian) is a vehicle that works both on land and on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious Amphibious cycle, bicycles, Amphibious ATV, ATVs, Amphibious automobile, cars, Duckboats, buses, truc ...

capable of ferrying supplies and troops from ship to shore for the D-Day landings.Brissette, Richard and Bannerman, Mark: "The Terrapin", ''Military Modelling Magazine'', 29 Feb 2008, page 60. Some 500 Terrapin Mark 1 were built by

Morris Commercial Morris Commercial Cars Limited is a British manufacturer of commercial vehicles formed by William Morris, founder of Morris Motors Limited, to continue the business of E G Wrigley and Company which he purchased as of 1 January 1924. History ...

, the vehicle side of

Morris Motors Limited Morris Motors Limited was a British privately owned motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over the assets of William Morris's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same vehicles. By 1926 its production represen ...

. A Mark 2 Terrapin with a number of improvements reached the prototype stage, but the war ended before it entered production.

Mark I

The Terrapin was powered by two

Ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

V8 engines mounted side by side, with each motor driving the wheels on one side. Wheel braking was used to steer, the brakes being operated by levers. On a level surface, the vehicle was supported on the four middle wheels, the front and rear wheels remaining clear of the surface (the front pair being raised significantly, the rear pair only slightly). The front and rear wheels provided support and traction on soft surfaces and when climbing slopes, such as riverbanks. When driven in the water, it was propelled by two rear-mounted propellers. The two centrally located engines split the cargo compartment in two and, though rated as a 4-ton vehicle, this prevented large loads, such as heavy artillery or vehicles, from being carried. In addition, the driver had poor visibility as he was centrally located inside the middle of the vehicle. This was compounded by the installation of a canvas cover over the forward hold. As a result, another crew member typically had to stand behind the driver and provide directions. In use, the vehicle was found to be rather slow, and was easily swamped in rough seas. The specification had limited the length to and this made its seagoing characteristics inferior to the American

Mark II

The Mark II was similar to the Mark 1, but had a forward driving position. It was a much longer vehicle, being long compared with the length of the Mark I, and had a 5-ton rating. Only five of these vehicles were built.Ware, P ''World War II Military Vehicles – Transport & Halftracks'' p. 155

Use

During the operations against Walcheren, Terrapins and

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

transports carried the 9th Canadian Infantry Brigade in what was intended to be a diversionary attack across a mile wide inlet on 9 October 1944. A sufficiently large bridgehead was made that the attack became the main attempt and the German defences were turned. Terrapins were used in Operation Vitality II on 26 October 1944 to carry units from the

British 52nd (Lowland) Division The 52nd (Lowland) Infantry Division was an infantry division of the British Army that was originally formed as the Lowland Division, in 1908 as part of the Territorial Force. It later became the 52nd (Lowland) Division in 1915. The 52nd (Lowlan ...

across the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

; Amphibious Sherman

DD tank DD or duplex drive tanks, nicknamed "Donald Duck tanks", were a type of amphibious vehicle, amphibious swimming tank developed by the British during the Second World War. The phrase is mostly used for the Duplex Drive variant of the M4 Sherman ...

s led the attack. After the war, Terrapins, together with DUKWs, were used as a form of public transport on the inundated island of Walcheren until circa 1946.

Notes

References

External links

The Clearing of the Scheldt Estuary and the Liberation of Walcheren, UK Veterans Agency

Imperial War Museum: THE AMPHIBIOUS JEEP, AQUACHEETAH, DUKW, TERRAPIN (PART 1) 1943 movie showing various amphibious vehicles (including the Terrapin) under test; Imperial War Museum Collections

World War II 60th Anniversary: The Clearing of the Scheldt Estuary and the Liberation of Walcheren 2 October – 7 November 1944
*

{{WWIIBritishAFVs Military trucks of the United Kingdom Wheeled amphibious vehicles Thornycroft military vehicles Amphibious vehicles of World War II Amphibious military vehicles Military vehicles introduced from 1940 to 1944