What are the differances between the variants of half track vehicles M2,M3,M5.::army:
The companies that manufactured them.
The three companies were: White, Diamond, and International. Autocar was subcontracted as a producer I think, but tends to come under either Whites or Diamond depending on the production block you’re discussing.
The British were mainly supplied with International halftracks. These had a different motor, and had rounded rear corners on the rear bodywork. They were IIRC known as an M5s. They were also some 3 to 5 miles per hour slower than M2s and M3s.
Most fitted weapons could be carried by any variant, with the exception of the Maxson twin fifty or Maxson quad fifty mounts, which were IIRC specialised vehicles.
Hope the information helps.
Regards, Uyraell.
M5’s were, IIRC, (entirely or almost so) built for export as Lend-lease vehicles supplied to the USSR, UK, etc. For what it’s worth, I believe M5s were built by International Harvester. This probably isn’t what you’re asking, but just in case: there were also different designations for the halftracks depending on their weapon systems: for instance, an M3 Halftrack had a .30 cal MG, while M3A1 had a .30 cal AND a .50 cal.
I suspect there were minor differences in the construction of the vehicles themselves, as well. For example, Shermans - which were also built by numerous different firms/plants - had modest differences depending on which plant they came from.
You’re correct.
I omitted discussion of the fitted weapons determining the designation of the vehicle because even though it is usually logically consistant there is a bewildering variety.
Regards, Uyraell.
There were two families of halftracks built for the army during World War II, the M2 and M3 were built by White and Autocar and Diamond T. The M2 was an artillery prime mover with a shorter hull, the M3 was a personnel carrier. The M5 and M9 were built by International Harvester and powered by their engine. In addition they were built from regular armor instead of face hardened steel so had to have thicker armor for the same level of protection. The M9 was the prime mover and the M5 the personnel carrier. The initial version had a skate rail around the sides to allow all round fire, this proved unsatisfactory in practice. The A1 sub type had a pulpit for the assistant driver that generally mounted a .50cal MG. Lastly there was an A2 subtype that was to be a unified prime mover or personnel carrier depending on how it was fitted out but it was not pursued since the Army wanted fully traced personnel carriers late in the war.