Durban Gamer | 30 May 2016 5:14 a.m. PST |
I ended up with about 20 extra 1/300 scale US WW II 1/2 Tracks. Excess to the needs of my big US collection. I play only North Africa. To what extent did the British 8th Army (in later stages) in North Africa/Tunisia, and the British 1st Army in Tunisia, get issued with US 1/2 tracks? And what did they use them for? Any help in how I can allocate these extra 1/2 tracks hopefully to my British collection appreciated! PS I also play Sicily, but not Italy. |
dBerczerk | 30 May 2016 5:30 a.m. PST |
Issue several to the Africa Korps?
|
GarrisonMiniatures | 30 May 2016 5:38 a.m. PST |
Previous posts: TMP link Of course, according to Hollywood you could probably use then to transport Hannibal across the Alps… |
JD Lee | 30 May 2016 6:53 a.m. PST |
|
Vigilant | 30 May 2016 7:17 a.m. PST |
Yes Hollywood use is a joke, but not totally inaccurate. The Germans did use captured half tracks in Africa and Northern Europe, so including a few with your Africa Kops would not be out of order, just not complete units of them. |
Starfury Rider | 30 May 2016 8:08 a.m. PST |
Back in the non-Hollywood world, there are a few mentions of "trucks, 15-cwt, 4x4, armoured" in early 1943 WEs for British units and HQs in the Middle East, which covered 8th Army. Examples of where they crop up are HQ of an Armd Bde Armd Car Regt Armd Regt Fd Regt, SP (Priest) Atk Btys (6-pr and 3-inch) Problem there of course is that 4x4 suggests a truck rather than a halftrack, likewise this is way too early for the Canadian 15-cwt armoured truck. So, any ideas on what vehicles could be termed trucks, 15-cwt, 4x4, armoured, in early 1943, such as White scout cars perhaps, or were there other types of armoured 15-cwts in service in early 1943? Gary |
Durban Gamer | 30 May 2016 8:41 a.m. PST |
Berczerk thanks I had thought of popping a couple of US half tracks into my German collection – what is great about your pic is that it seems the Germans sometimes had time to paint over the olive colour when they captured them. ON British use, I got a little info on the net that the brits used M5's to tow 6 pdrs and 17 pdrs so maybe David Manley was right on the prev. thread. That thread is not conclusive tho. There is a colour plate out on the net of an M5 in Brit colours – described as 8th Army, but sports a Brit 1st army marker. So it seems that at least some can be put with the British, and I'm guessing maybe more by the time of Sicily. However, I hope we will see more contributions to this thread by the experts? |
Durban Gamer | 30 May 2016 8:44 a.m. PST |
Har – looking again I see Berczerk your example is from a movie. But photo evidence -definitely the Germans captured them in Tunisia – so safe to use with Germans! |
Mike Target | 30 May 2016 9:09 a.m. PST |
Didnt the British units in 1st Army help themselves to various bits of abandoned American kit after Kessarine? Also there was the m3 GMC used in Tunisia by British forces to provide some slightly beefier firepower in armoured car units. |
olicana | 30 May 2016 9:37 a.m. PST |
tanks-encyclopedia.com link The above site has one marked up as VIII army Tunisia 1943. It belongs to a field regiment of the Royal Artillery. |
Greg G1 | 30 May 2016 9:46 a.m. PST |
American Half Track with new owners.
link |
Jemima Fawr | 30 May 2016 2:11 p.m. PST |
M3A1 Scout Cars were definitely used by HQs, FOOs and the like. I don't have anything specific re halftracks, though some had been delivered under Lend-Lease by then. However, as SR says above, the WEs only list the 'official designation', which was '15cwt 4x4', regardless of actual weight or type of the vehicle filling that role! I love the British Army… ;) |
Martin Rapier | 31 May 2016 1:26 a.m. PST |
I honestly don't think 8th Army had any in North Africa. 1st Army may have had a few. Photos of such things in theatre are always useful of course. |
bsrlee | 31 May 2016 4:47 a.m. PST |
15 cwt 4x4 could possibly be the Carrier, India Pattern which was a 4x4 light truck chassis with an open top armoured troop compartment. It was used as a substitute for the various tracked carriers in Indian Units and apparently also supplied to other Commonwealth (not British) units. |
Durban Gamer | 01 Jun 2016 6:28 a.m. PST |
Thanks for the discussion, everyone. The pic of a half track in British service linked by Olicana is the same one I had found. Based on that pic, a few of my "excess" will be going to my British forces. And a few others to my Germans! Hopefully, this discussion helps any other North Africa/Sicily WW 2 gamer who gets an excess of US half tracks! |
number4 | 01 Jun 2016 7:54 p.m. PST |
According to Zaloga, the M3 was not provided in any great numbers under lend lease to Britain. He cites a figure of "about" 170 vehicles, used mainly by the heavy troops of armored car regiments, first seeing action with the Royal Dragoons in Tunisia, 1943. The M5 export version was not even produced until December 1943, so none in Africa. link |