Anartillery tractor, also referred to as a gun tractor, is a specialized heavy-duty form of tractor unit used to tow artillery pieces of varying weights and calibres. It may be wheeled, tracked, or half-tracked.
There are two main types of artillery tractors, depending on the type of traction: wheeled and tracked.
Wheeled tractors are usually variations of lorries adapted for military service.
Tracked tractors run on continuous track; in some cases are built on a modified tankchassis with the superstructure replaced with a compartment for the gun crew or ammunition.
The first artillery tractors were designed prior to the outbreak of World War I, often based on agricultural machines such as the Holt tractor. Such vehicles allowed the tactical use of heavier guns to supplement the light horse drawn field guns. "Horseless artillery" available prior to World War I weighed 8 tons, had 70 horsepower and could go 8 mph.[1] For example, in the British Army it allowed the heavy guns of the Royal Garrison Artillery to be used flexibly on the battlefield.
In World War II the draft horse was still the most common source of motive power in many armies. [citation needed] Most nations were economically and industrially unable to fully motorise their forces. One compromise was to produce general purpose vehicles which could be used in the troop transport, logistics and prime mover roles, with heavy artillery tractors to move the heaviest guns.
The British Army had fully mechanized prior to war. During the 1920s and 30s it had used the Vickers Medium Dragon and Light Dragon fully-tracked artillery tractors, but they had been mostly replaced with wheeled vehicles, starting with the Morris CDSW. The Royal Artillery persisted with specialist artillery tractors – known as "Field Artillery Tractors" (FAT) – such as the Morris "Quad", Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) "Quad" and AEC Matador throughout World War II, rather than adopt a general purpose vehicle. Artillery tractors were different from "General Service" (GS) vehicles by having a compartment for the gun detachment immediately behind the cab and separated from the cargo space containing ammunition and gun stores.
German forces used half-tracks as artillery tractors, such as the Sd.Kfz. 7. Half-tracked tractors were not commonly used in this role in other nations. Compared to wheeled vehicles they had better off-road capabilities, but were slower on roads and were more prone to breakdowns. However, for Germany horses remained the most common way of towing artillery throughout the war.[citation needed]
Traditional towed artillery can still be found in units where complexity and weight are liabilities: e.g. airmobile, amphibious and other light units. In such units, where organic transport is usually limited, any available transport can double as artillery tractors in order to reposition guns when needed. For example, engineer vehicles of a different primary purpose such as the U.S. Marines' Light Capacity Rough Terrain Forklift (LCRTF), a versatile telehandlerforklift capable of towing gear from either end.
M34 Prime Mover – converted by removing recovery gear from M32B1 TRV (M4A1 Sherman tank chassis built as an Armoured recovery vehicle) and adding air brakes to tow heavy artillery. 24 converted by Chester Tank Depot in 1944.
M35 Prime Mover – converted by removing turret from M10A1 tank destroyer (M4A3 Sherman tank chassis) and adding air brakes to tow 155 mm and 240 mm artillery.
Sherman Gun Tower – British field conversion in Italy by removing turrets from old M4A2 Sherman tanks to tow 17 pdr AT gun and carry crew with ammunition
Wolverine Gun Tower – British M10 (M4A2 chassis) or M10A1 (M4A3 chassis) converted by removing turret, 1944–45
^Vauvillier, François (2018). Tous les Renault militaires (1914–1940) : Volume 1, les camions [All military Renaults (1914–1940): Volume 1, the trucks] (in French). Histoire et Collections. p. 23. ISBN978-2-35250-498-6.
^Sumner, Ian (2012). "Opposing Forces". The First Battle of the Marne 1914: The French "miracle" halts the Germans. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 17. ISBN978-1-84603-502-9.
Freathy, Les (2012). British Military Trucks of World War Two. Erlangen: Tankograd Publishing. ISBN978-3-936519-29-7.
Georgano, Nick (1997). "4: Cross Country, Military and Export, The Pioneer and its Descendants". Scammell: The Load Movers From Watford. Roundoak Publishing. pp. 36–51. ISBN1 871565 26 X.
Thackray, Brian (2012). "8 The FWD R6T and AEC Type 850". The AEC Story – From the Regent to the Monarch. Amberley Publishing. ISBN9781445603902.
