M4 Tractor

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M4 High-Speed Tractor
M4 high-speed artillery tractor in Batey ha-Osef Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel. 2005
Type	Artillery tractor
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	US Army
Wars	World War II
Production history
Designed	1942
Manufacturer	Allis-Chalmers
Variants	Anti-aircraft and howitzer towing variants
Specifications
Weight	14.288 t
Length	5.232 m
Width	2.464 m
Height	2.515 m
Crew	1 + 11
Armor	none
Primary armament	1 x 12.7mm anti-aircraft machine gun
Engine	Waukesha 145GZ six-cylinder inline petrol engine 210 hp (156 kW)
Power/weight	14.70 hp/tonne
Operational range	290 km
Speed	53 km/h

The M4 High-Speed Tractor was an artillery tractor used by the US Army from 1943.

[edit] Construction

The M4 was based on the automotive components of the M2 Light Tank, with one variant designed to tow anti-aircraft guns and another for howitzers. The rear compartment carried the gun crew and other equipment and some later variants included a crane to assist with heavier projectiles.

[edit] History

The M4 was manufactured by Allis-Chalmers of Milwaukee, starting in 1942 and was in U.S. military service until approximately 1960.

Under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program, the M4 was supplied to Japan, Brazil, Yugoslavia and Pakistan after World War II ended.

[edit] References

• Trewhitt, Philip (1999). Armoured Fighting Vehicles. p 307: Dempsey-Parr. ISBN 1-84084-328-4. 
• US Army M-4 High Speed Tractor. olive-drab.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.