"Here's The Fascinating Way The U.S. Military ..." Topic

…Waterproofed Its Jeeps During World War II

"To allow U.S. military vehicles to drive through deep water during World War II beach landings, the armed forces devised a fascinating method of waterproofing involving a goopy putty called "Asbestos Waterproofing Compound." Here's a video showing all the steps needed to keep that Jeep moving through the deep stuff.
Water and internal combustion engines just don't go together, we've shown that time and time and time again. But during World War II, particularly in Europe, allied forces needed to conduct beach landings, wherein soldiers and vehicles were dropped from landing crafts, often far from the shore…"
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Amicalement
Armand

This was a fascinating video. I wonder if any such waterproofed jeeps were actually landed on D-Day and how well they worked.

Glad you like it my friend!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

Not sure about the method used, but practically every Allied vehicle taken to Normandy in a landing craft or LST was waterproofed. Each and every type of vehicle was issued with a manual on how to waterproof it. Waterproofing was a colossal pre-invasion job and there was then a heck of a job in de-waterproofing vehicles upon arrival.

In the case of AFVs, some essential de-waterproofing was actually done at the press of a button, through the magic of det cord! You wouldn't want to be the infantry support of a tank that decided to suddenly de-waterproof…

A recurring feature of British tank crew's memoirs is that to this day, they can't stand the smell of 'Bostik' (a well-known brand of clear, general-purpose glue), as that was the main substance used for waterproofing (along with lots of rubberised canvas and the like). They were trapped for weeks inside their tanks, with the overpowering stink of Bostik fumes!