Mercedes/M3 half track conversion.

OK folks.

This little gem resides in a museum in Italy. Anyone know what it is and who made it?

More pictures here

http://www.com-central.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=96723#96723

Apart from the standard half-tracks, the Germans had quite a few so-called Maulier (Mule) conversions, involving standard trucks and, usually, old tank chassis (ie PzKw 1). They also played with other track units. This could have been a local conversion job , using what was to hand.

I've seen a Mercedes 4 x 2 box van of this cab type which was made for / used by the US Army Corps of Engineers immediately post-WW2.

Since that back bogie is from a US half track I'd guess this unit was German, Austrian, or Swiss built maybe in the late 1940s using a variety of components. The Swiss, in particular, had a use for this sort of vehicle in the Alps.

Gordon

Reading the website that the photo was taken from and seeing the pump engine unit, I would say it was built in Italy ( where it resides in the museum), as the engine is a Folkmotor, which in turn was a copy of the Condor engine, made in Milano. Folkmotor company started up after WW2.

Shouldn't be too difficult to make yourself if you'd had acces to the parts.