The legendary Hercules flying boat was designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended to defeat the German U-boat threat, the plane was intended to be a super transport that could ferry 750 troops from the USA to Europe, and serve as an aerial ambulance on the return flight. Owing to wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum, the prototype Hercules was built using laminated birch wood. Although company CEO Howard Hughes hated it, the name "Spruce Goose" was coined for the plane and it stuck. The HK-1 (later designated H-4) would be the largest flying boat ever built, and one of...
The legendary Hercules flying boat was designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended to defeat the German U-boat threat, the plane was i...
The Light Tank M3 and M5, known as the General Stuart, was the first tank used by American forces in armored combat during WWII. Like its predecessor the M2A4, the Stuart was armed with a 37mm M5 main gun. It also carried up to five Browning machine guns and 7500 rounds of ammunition. The M3 version sported radial aero-engines, replaced in the M5 with smoother, cooler twin Cadillac automobile engines. The M5 also featured improved sloped armor and had the driver's hatches moved up top. In the European Theater, where enemy armored vehicles were plentiful, the Stuart's weak main gun meant that...
The Light Tank M3 and M5, known as the General Stuart, was the first tank used by American forces in armored combat during WWII. Like its predecessor ...
Developed as a replacement for the M3 Lee and Grant medium tanks, the M4 Sherman was the first American tank to carry a 75mm main gun mounted on a fully traversing turret. Equipped with a gyro-stabilizer that enabled it to fire with reasonable accuracy while on the move, the Sherman proved a fair match against the Nazi Panzer III and IV and far superior than its Japanese adversaries. While the German Tiger and Panther tanks proved to be superior weapons, the mobility and reliability of the Sherman and the sheer number of them placed in the field -- over 50,000 were built during the war --...
Developed as a replacement for the M3 Lee and Grant medium tanks, the M4 Sherman was the first American tank to carry a 75mm main gun mounted on a ful...
The M4 Sherman medium tank was the first American tank to carry a 75mm main gun mounted on a fully traversing turret. Powered by a 500 horsepower, liquid-cooled, "V"-type Ford engine, the tank could achieve 26 miles per hour on a paved road, and had a highway range of over 150 miles on a single, 174-gallon tank of fuel. Over 50,000 Shermans of various types were built during WWII. Intended as a manual for those charged with operation and maintenance of the M4A3 Sherman, this manual shows the basics of how to drive the tank and take care of its 8-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine. The book also...
The M4 Sherman medium tank was the first American tank to carry a 75mm main gun mounted on a fully traversing turret. Powered by a 500 horsepower, liq...
The M6 was an outgrowth of a 1940 U.S. Army Ordnance Corps program to develop a 50-ton heavy tank. After the initial, multi-turreted design proved too excessive, a single three-man turret bearing 76.2mm and 37mm guns was adopted. The tank also carried four Browning machineguns, three fixed and one flexible. In addition to the commander, gunner and loader in the turret, the tank had a driver, assistant driver, and an ammunition passer. The tank was equipped with a Wright radial gasoline engine and a torque converter or electric transmission and designated M6 (cast hull) and M6A1 (welded hull)....
The M6 was an outgrowth of a 1940 U.S. Army Ordnance Corps program to develop a 50-ton heavy tank. After the initial, multi-turreted design proved too...
Based on the civilian WL model, Harley-Davidson's WLA ("A" for "Army") motorcycle was first produced in 1940. It would remain in production through 1945, and eventually over 90,000 were delivered for use in all theaters of WWII. Like the WL, the WLA was equipped with a 45 cubic inch (740 cc) flathead high compression engine and a rugged frame. Military modifications included blackout lights, fenders without traditional sides (to reduce mud clogging), an air cleaner to facilitate off-road use and easy maintenance, and a crankcase breather that enabled the fording of water obstacles. The...
Based on the civilian WL model, Harley-Davidson's WLA ("A" for "Army") motorcycle was first produced in 1940. It would remain in production through 19...
Designed by Allis Chalmers on the chassis and drive train of the M2 Light Tank, the 18-ton M4 High Speed Tractor was a prime mover for the U.S. Army during World War II. It was tasked with moving artillery, in particular 3-inch and 90mm anti-aircraft guns, 155mm guns, and 8-inch and 240mm howitzers. Built as a "crawler" and equipped with a 6-cylinder, water-cooled engine, the M4 could travel cross-country through swamps and sand, or on the highway at speeds up to 33 mph. Over 5,500 M4s were built between 1942 and 1945, with many remaining in service into the 1960s. Created in 1943, this...
Designed by Allis Chalmers on the chassis and drive train of the M2 Light Tank, the 18-ton M4 High Speed Tractor was a prime mover for the U.S. Army d...
Prior to the outbreak of WWII, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department began testing prototype half-track vehicles, including a White Motor Co. design that combined an M3 Scout Car with a White chassis. With armored bodies, an armored radiator shutter and bulletproof glass windscreen, the half-track offered crew protection and endurance under fire, while its speed - up to 45 mph - added a new dimension to infantry mobility. After testing and acceptance, the White design was standardized and during the war built by White, Autocar and Diamond T as the M3 half-track. Nearly 41,000 would be produced...
Prior to the outbreak of WWII, the U.S. Army Ordnance Department began testing prototype half-track vehicles, including a White Motor Co. design that ...
Designed by Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin, the M-209 Converter was a portable, mechanical cipher machine. Used extensively during WWII and the Korean conflict by both the Army Signal Corps and the U.S. Navy (which designated it the CSP-1500), Hagelin's device allowed a rapid and secure means of communication. The lunchbox-sized machine was so simple that little training was required to use it, yet its cipher scheme proved very difficult - but not impossible - for the Germans to crack. The M-209's elegant design uses six adjustable key wheels or rotors to produce a reciprocal...
Designed by Swedish cryptographer Boris Hagelin, the M-209 Converter was a portable, mechanical cipher machine. Used extensively during WWII and the K...
Designed and built by the White Motor Company, the M3 Scout Car saw service as a command vehicle, ambulance, gun tractor and patrol and scout vehicle during WWII. Over 21,000 were built between 1937 and 1944 - the vast majority of them the M3A1 variant, which had a longer and wider hull than the original production vehicles. Both the M3 and M3A1 had a six cylinder gas engine (a diesel variant M3A1E1 was produced for a short time), and could carry up to seven men at a top speed of 55-65 mph depending on configuration. Both had a radiator protected by an armored shutter, and a shatter-proof...
Designed and built by the White Motor Company, the M3 Scout Car saw service as a command vehicle, ambulance, gun tractor and patrol and scout vehicle ...
