American military vehicles of World War II
This is a list of the major military vehicles used or developed by the United States Armed Forces during World War II . Many of these vehicle types were also given in large numbers to allies under the Lending and Lease Act .
Naming of the military vehicles
The United States named their military vehicles with a simple abbreviation of the models and designs. The following letters were used:
- T = (test) test construction in the troop test; Designation sometimes retained for production vehicles
- E = (experimental) variant of experimental designs
- M = (Model) standard type; In individual cases, types were also standardized that were then not built in series
- A = (Alteration) variant of a standard type, for example due to a different engine
- B = (Base) chassis variant of a standard type
There is a number after each letter. Originally, the sequence of numbers within a vehicle class was continuous, but later it was continuous for all classes in order to make it easier to distinguish between vehicle types.
Military vehicles were not named by the US armed forces during the Second World War, but by the British army, which added many American tank types to its arsenal and mostly named them after generals of the Civil War . In addition, some vehicles were nicknamed by the soldiers of the Allied armies. Today these names are often more widely known and used than the official abbreviations.
For the sake of clarity, the following tables only differentiate between the basic types and not the individual vehicle variants. The commonly known names, although not officially, are used for their conciseness.
Main battle tank
Light tanks
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
Marmon-Herrington Combat Tank Light (CTL) | ? | 400 |
Combat Car M1 | 1937– ?? | 113 |
Combat Car M2 | 1940 | 34 |
Light tank M2 | 1935-42 | 704 |
Light tank M3 Stuart | 1941-43 | 13,859 |
Light Tank M5 Stuart | 1942-44 | 8,884 |
Light Tank (Airborne) M22 Locust | 1942-45 | 830 |
Light Tank M24 Chaffee | 1944-45 | 4,371 |
Medium tanks
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
Medium tank M2 | 1939-41 | 112 |
Medium tank M3 Lee / Grant | 1941-42 | 6,258 |
Medium tank M4 Sherman | 1942-45 | 49.054 |
Medium tank M7 | 1942 | 7 (prototypes) |
Medium tank T23 | 1943 | 248 |
Heavy tanks
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
Heavy tank M6 | 1942-43 | 40 |
Heavy tank M26 Pershing | 1944-45 | 2,202 |
Heavy tank M45 | 1945 | 185 (no longer in service) |
Super heavy tank T28 | 1945 | 2 (prototypes) |
Armored personnel carrier
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
Half-track car M2 | 1941-44 | 13,058 |
Half-track Personnel Carrier M3 | 1941-44 | 15,253 + 1,839 from the conversion of various weapon carrier variants |
Half-track Personnel Carrier M5 | 1942-44 | 7,584 (mostly as lend-lease vehicles to allies) |
Half-track car M9 | 1943 | 3,433 (mostly as lend-lease vehicles to allies) |
Armored Utility Vehicle M39 | 1944-45 | 640 |
Armored Utility Vehicle M44 | 1945 | 6 (prototypes) |
Armored car
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
Scout Car M3 | 1937-44 | more than 20,900 |
Scout Car M4 (T13) | 1937 | 38 |
Armored Car T17 Deerhound | 1942 | 250 |
Armored Car T17E1 Staghound I. | 1942-43 | 2,844 (completely as lend-lease vehicles to allies) |
Armored Car T18E2 Boarhound | 1942 | 30 (completely as lend-lease vehicles to UK) |
Light Armored Car M8 Greyhound | 1943-45 | 8,523 |
Armored Utility Car M20 | 1943-44 | 3,791 |
Light Armored Car M38 Wolfhound | 1944 | 1 (prototype) |
Tank destroyers and tank destroyers
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle |
---|---|---|---|
75 mm Gun Motor Carriage M3 (T12) | 1941-43 | 2,202 (of which 1,360 dismantled to a base vehicle before use) |
Half-track M3 |
37 mm Gun Motor Carriage M6 Fargo | 1942 | 5,380 | Dodge WC55 |
3-inch Gun Motor Carriage M10 Wolverine | 1942-43 | 6,706 (of which 300 delivered without a tower) |
M4 Sherman |
57 mm Gun Motor Carriage T48 | 1942-43 | 962 (of which 680 as lend-lease vehicles to allies, 281 dismantled to a base vehicle before use) |
Half-track M3 |
76mm Gun Motor Carriage M18 Hellcat | 1943-44 | 2,507 | |
90mm Gun Motor Carriage M36 Jackson | 1944-45 | 2,324 from conversion M10 Wolverine and M4 Sherman |
M4 Sherman |
Anti-tank mortar
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle | Main armament |
---|---|---|---|---|
4.2-inch Mortar Motor Carriage M2 | ? | ? | Scout Car M3A1 | 4.2-inch Mortar M2 |
81 mm Mortar Carrier M4 | 1941-1943 | 1,172 | Half-track M4 | 81 mm Mortar M1 |
81 mm Mortar Carrier M21 | 1944 | 110 | Half-track M3 | 81 mm Mortar M1 |
Self-propelled howitzers and self-propelled guns
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle |
---|---|---|---|
105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T19 | 1942 | 324 | Half-track M3 |
75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T30 | 1942 | 500 | Half-track M3 |
105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M7 Priest | 1942-45 | 4,316 | M3 Lee, M4 Sherman |
75mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 Scott | 1942-44 | 1,778 | M5 Stuart |
155mm Gun Motor Carriage M12 | 1942-43 | 100 | M3 Lee |
105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M37 | 1945 | 316 (no longer in service) |
M24 chaffee |
155mm Gun Motor Carriage M40 Cardinal | 1945 | 418 | M4 Sherman |
155 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M41 | 1945 | 85 (no longer in service) |
M24 chaffee |
8-inch Howitzer Motor Carriage M43 | 1945 | 48 + 24 from the conversion of the M40 (no longer used in the war) |
M4 Sherman |
240 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage T92 | 1945 | 4 (prototypes) |
M26 Pershing |
8-inch Gun Motor Carriage T93 | 1945 | 2 (prototypes) |
M26 Pershing |
Anti-aircraft tank
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle | Armament |
---|---|---|---|---|
Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M13 | 1943 | 1,103 (of which 628 converted to M16) |
Half-track M3 | 2 × .50cal Browning M2 |
Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M14 | 1942-43 | 1,605 (completely as lend-lease vehicles to UK and Canada) |
Half-track M5 | 2 × .50cal Browning M2 |
Combination Gun Motor Carriage M15 (T28E1) | 1942-44 | 2,332 | Half-track M3 | 2 × .50cal Browning M2 + 1 × 37 mm Gun M1 |
Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M16 | 1943-44 | 2,877 + 737 from conversion M13 and T10E1 |
Half-track M3 | 4 × .50cal Browning M2 |
Multiple Gun Motor Carriage M17 | 1943-44 | 1,000 (completely as lend-lease vehicles to the USSR) |
Half-track M5 | 4 × .50cal Browning M2 |
Twin 20mm Gun Motor Carriage T10E1 | 1944 | 110 (of which 109 converted to M16) |
Half-track M3 | 2 × 20 mm Gun Oerlikon |
Twin 40mm Gun Motor Carriage M19 | 1945 | 285 | M24 chaffee | 2 × 40 mm Gun Bofors |
Armored recovery vehicles
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle |
---|---|---|---|
Tank Recovery Vehicle M31 | 1942-43 | 805 from conversion M3 Lee |
M3 Lee |
Tank Recovery Vehicle M32 | 1943-45 | 1,562 from conversion M4 Sherman |
M4 Sherman |
Chain tractors
Unarmored tractors
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle | use |
---|---|---|---|---|
High-speed tractor M2 Cletrac | 1941-45 | 8,510 | Aircraft tractor | |
High-speed tractor M4 | 1943-45 | 5,811 | M3 Stuart | Tractor for |
High-speed tractor M5 | 1942-45 | 5,879 | M3 Stuart | Tractor for
|
High-speed tractor M6 | 1944-45 | 1,130 | M3 Stuart (extended) | Tractor for
|
Snow Tractor M7 | 1943-45 | 291 | Truck for 1-ton Snow Trailer M19 |
Armored tractors
designation | Years of construction | Number built | Base vehicle | use |
---|---|---|---|---|
Full-track Prime Mover M33 | 1943-44 | 109 from conversion of Tank Recovery Vehicle M31 |
M3 Lee | Tractor for
as a replacement for high-speed tractor M6 |
Full-track Prime Mover M34 | 1944 | 24 from conversion of Tank Recovery Vehicle M32 |
M4 Sherman | |
Full-track Prime Mover M35 | 1944 | 209 from conversion M10 Wolverine |
M4 Sherman |
Trucks
Light truck
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
1/4 ton 4 × 4 Truck Bantam BRC-40 | 1941 | 2,605 |
¼-ton 4 × 4 truck Ford GP | 1941 | 4,456 |
¼-ton 4 × 4 truck Willys MA | 1941 | 1,553 |
¼-ton 4 × 4 Truck Willys MB / Ford GPW «Jeep» | 1942-45 | 639.235 |
½ ton 4 × 4 Truck Dodge WC1 to WC50 | 1940-42 | 79,771 |
¾-ton 4 × 4 Truck Dodge WC51 to WC61, WC64 | 1942-45 | 255.173 |
1-ton 4 × 4 Truck IHC M-2 | 1942-45 | 9,100 |
1½ ton 4 × 4 truck Chevrolet G4100 and G7100 | 1940-45 | 168,603 (mostly as lend-lease vehicles to the USSR) |
1½ ton 4 × 4 truck IHC M-3 | 1941-44 | 6,432 |
1½ ton 4 × 4 truck Ford GTB "Burma Jeep" | 1942-44 | 6,000 |
1½ ton 6 × 6 Truck Dodge WC62 and WC63 | 1942-45 | 23.092 |
Medium truck
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
2½ ton 6 × 6 truck GMC CCKW | 1941-45 | 527.104 |
2½ ton 6 × 4/6 × 6 Truck IHC M-5 | 1941-45 | 46,572 |
2½-ton 6 × 4/6 × 6 Truck Studebaker US6 | 1941-45 | 215.853 |
4-ton 6 × 6 Truck Diamond T 967 to 970, 972 | 1941-45 | approx. 29,000 (US Army only, excluding allies) |
Heavy trucks
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
7½-ton 6 × 6 Prime Mover Truck Mack NO | 1942-45 | 2,053 |
10-ton 6 × 6 Wrecker Truck Kenworth / Ward La France M1 | 1941-45 | 5,910 |
12-ton 6 × 4 tractor truck M20 Diamond T 980 and 981 | 1941-45 | 5,871 |
12-ton 6 × 6 tractor truck M26 Pacific Car & Foundry TR-1 "Dragon Wagon" | 1943-45 | 1,372 |
Amphibious vehicles
Wheeled vehicles
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
¼-ton 4 × 4 Amphibian Truck Ford GPA "Seep" | 1942-43 | 12,778 |
2½-to 6 × 6 Amphibian Truck GMC DUKW "Duck" | 1942-45 | 21,147 |
Tracked vehicles
designation | Years of construction | Number built |
---|---|---|
M29 weasel | 15,124 | |
Landing Vehicle Tracked | 18,621 (all versions) | |
DD tank | (Conversions of other tanks) |
See also
literature
- Franz, Michael: US WW II Half Track Cars M2, M2A1, M9A1 & Personnel Carriers M3, M3A1, M5, M5A1 . Jochen Vollert - Tankograd Publishing, Erlangen 2007.
- Franz, Michael: US WW II Half Track Mortar Carriers, Howitzer Motor Carriages & Gun Motor Carriages . Jochen Vollert - Tankograd Publishing, Erlangen 2007.
- Hunnicutt, RP: Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank . Echo Point Books & Media, Brattleboro 2015, ISBN 978-1-62654-861-9 .
- Lüdeke, Alexander: Allied tanks . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2014, ISBN 978-3-613-03704-5 .
- v. Senger et al. Etterlin, F .: Taschenbuch der Panzer 1943–1957 . JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1957.
- White, BT: Tanks and other Armored Fighting Vehicles of the World . New Orchard Editions, Poole 1988, ISBN 1-85079-039-6 .