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1944 ford half track


mh6x6

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it's brilliant really. At first I thought this was something unique but it appears,( and I had no idea) the Germans actually used captured Bren/Universal carrier parts like this in 1942 to make the first few conversions and then started manufacturing them

 

Seems like it would be expensive today unless you had 2 wrecked Bren chassis's (since you need 2 to get 4 of the double -bogey's)

 

 

 

Conditions on the Eastern Front, where already poor roads turned to seas of mud during rainy seasons and slush in the spring thaw, created almost impossible transportation situations for the wheeled truck units of the German army. The Maultier (Mule) reportedly originated from a field modification carried-out by the 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” during the winter of 1941-1942. A standard Ford 3-ton V3000S 4x2 truck was used as the basis of the conversion along with sets of Carden-Loyd tracks and bogey-wheel assemblies from captured British Universal type carriers. The conversion comprised of moving the rear axle forward and shortening the driveshaft, reinforcing the chassis and mounting double sets of the Carden-Loyd two-wheel bogie assemblies, along with tracks, to each side of the chassis. The conversion reduced the payload capacity from 3-tons to 2-tons. The Ford plants in Cologne, Amsterdam and Asnieres, France started mass-producing the conversions in 1942 totaling nearly 15,000 units by 1944
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