The History of Half-tracks, by the Chieftain - WW2 Documentary Special 

Thanks to The Chieftain for writing and presenting this video! Check out his channel here for everything on tanks and other military vehicles: ru-vid.com/show-UCp4j9Y9L6jie44iZroCb99A

I can’t imagine anything more German than individually unscrewing and lubricating every link in a vehicle track

The Man, The Myth, The Legend! The Chieftain!

White Motor Company, Cleveland, Ohio. My mom's dad was an engineer (specializing in engines) at White. He didn't mention the T14. This is the story he did tell about the halftracks. The US Army put out a bid for halftracks. The specs required an engine that was larger than the engines White produced. But the owner wanted in on the contract. My grandfather took the largest engine White made and tweaked every single thing about the engine to improve its performance (including the shape of the combustion chamber). He said he did this entirely by himself, including drafting the blueprints, to which he added "those recent college grads were useless: they didn't even know how to do drafting." [I still have some of his darting tools.] White made the required number of vehicles for the Army's testing with that engine in it. He said that two other companies (apparently Diamond T and Autocar) also bid on the contract and did have large enough engines already. After testing, the Army granted 1/3 of the contract to each company BUT all halftracks had to use White's engine. The other two complained saying the engine couldn't possibly satisfy the requirements. The Army showed them their data. The engine was better at everything including oil consumption. When the army put howitzers in the halftrack, White's engine was replaced with a much larger engine from someone else (there is wikipedia page about the halftracks that has that info). When they were building the halftracks, White's plant manager called my grandfather asking permission to replace the steel exhaust pipes with a cheaper and softer (easier to bend/machine) material. He told the plant manager that the Army intended to put anti-aircraft guns in the bed. The Army anticipated that the German aircraft -- once under fire -- would radio the locations of the halftracks to their tanks. The tanks would then speed toward the halftracks. The halftracks would hold position -- firing as long as they could -- until the tanks were "close enough" and then floor the gas pedal, revving the engine "all out" to get away from (stay out of range of) the tanks. The pipes, if made from softer material, would get hot enough for the vibrations/movements (during the dash to get away) to tear/break the pipes and the engine exhaust would vent directly into the engine compartment -- and that would set everything on fire. The pipes had to be made from steel. Wallace Murray Kennedy, University of Toronto 1923 "A puck chaser for "School"". As a teenager, he joined the Royal Air Force (my mom referred to it as "running away from home.") and trained as a pilot. WW1 ended before he shipped out. His father owned a machine shop in Toronto and was spooked by him joining up. He and his dad did the Grand Tour after WW1 (not sure when). He took cars out to the farmland so he could take up the floor boards and watch how the mechanics/transmission worked while not running into anything. He moved to Detroit and started at Chevrolet in the drafting department. Finished up at GMAC (originally GM Truck and Coach in Pontiac MI).

A special on half tracks? Let’s go!

Good idea to make a show about halftracks. That topic is rarely talked about.

There was an old half-track slowly rusting away at our local surplus yard when I was growing up in north Florida in the 1960s. I heard it previously had belonged to a logging company. I would occasionally play on it and dream of one day owning it myself, but then it disappeared. I never found out what became of it. Hopefully, someone with similar plans bought it and restored it to its former glory.

My Dad served on a halftrack in WWII. He told me that the machine guns were mounted on a rail which allowed them to track targets and concentrate fire on one side if attacked from only one direction. He also said his sergeant had them modify the ammo belts such that there were twice as many tracer rounds as normal. He said when they were attacked by a Bf 109, the amount of tracer rising up cause the pilot to veer off and leave. He also said that his battalion (1st Engineer Combat) retrieved a damaged and abandoned halftrack after a battle that had a 37mm anti-aircraft gun flanked by two 50 cal machineguns, all mounted on a turntable (possibly a T28E1 CGMC?). They fixed it up and put their unit markings on it but someone from an armored division noticed it as being one of theirs and demanded it be returned.

They always looked good on TV...

My grandfather drove a halftrack during the war as part of the US Supply Corps and he HATED the things, said they "drove like a brick." It probably didn't help that the IJA kept mortaring him every time he drove up to the front to deliver supplies - he earned 3 purple hearts this way.

This is a refreshing detour from the apocalyptic conclusion to the war in Europe.

The half track, a truck for serious off-road use, brilliant. Much better idea than monster trucks on battlefield which have too high a profile and loud but can easily jump a panzer.

Even today's snowmobiles use roughly the same technology just amazing how long some things hang around!

This episode is full of tension, track tension!

@8:51 That picture is the first time I have seen American half-tracks with their canvas tops in place. Thank you for including it.

Yes! A full video dedicated to my favorite part of Armored history? And it's by the chieftain himself?!? You guys know how to make my day!

The Chieftain has reached the age where he already walks into random youtube channels...

Finally another Timeghosts WW2 x Chieftain special! Grown to love these ;)

When I was a kid(I'm 82 now), my father had a friend who turned a Model A Ford into a half track. The thing had 6 wheels. The front 2 were standard Ford steering wheels. The tandem wheels in the back were the driving wheels. When the going got really tough, he fitted them with extra long heavy truck chains, creating a half track. It was powered by a standard Ford flat head V8. He finally gave up on the half track chains because they kept breaking. But until then, that outfit could go anywhere in the mountains of Wyoming.

I think part of the reason they disappeared so rapidly after the war was because during WW2 Armor Doctrines were in their infancy and all the equipment being produced was designed mainly from 1918-1938. Countries were just using and fleshing out designs and doctrines they already had on the books so to speak. Combat gave them an idea of what worked well together and where improvements in tactics, equipment, and production could be made to improve combat effectiveness. By the time VE Day arrived, I’m sure with production capacities and sizes, it was determined that it was simpler -and as a result- cheaper to just design a fully tracked vehicle to carry troops and equipment. That over designing a front end for steering and also a tracked drive train in the same vehicle. You can accomplish all of the requirements in a Half-Track in a fully tracked vehicle for cheaper and more combat capable if needed.

Up until a few years ago the British National Grid Electricity infrastructure provider ran one or more White M3 half tracks, painted white in colour and retro converted to take large width cable drums for overhead electricity cable repair…

The Germans produced an armored Maultier, and a number of the armored ones had variations of the Nebelwerfer multiple launch rocket systems mounted on the armor roofs over the truck bed. The advantage of half-tracks was that back in the 1930s and 1940s, anyone who knew how to drive a truck could drive a half-track with minimal training, which meant that a soldier assigned to one could be put into action quickly. Half-tracks fell out of favor because they weren't as mobile off road as a fully tracked vehicle and they weren't as fast on road as a fully wheeled truck. That was one of the reasons why Britain created their universal carrier. When fully-tracked or wheeled infantry carriers began to be built, the days of half-tracks were numbered.

A colleague of my father owned a German half rack he used to take out to meetings and re-enactments. I had the opportunity to drive the thing and honestly it was great fun to drive. Those tracks pushing the thing forward no matter what the front is doing makes for some interesting steering.

I will miss this series. WW2 material is astounding. Great work as always.

Half-tracks have to be one of my favorite WW2 vehicles.

Not half bad!

speaking of the Linn Halftracks there is a fully restored example in the pioneer village museum in my town here in Australia. It runs and is a rather interesting machine to watch

The British Army's Scammell Pioneer Lorries, used as artillery tractors, recovery vehicles and tank transporters from 1936 carried tracks that could be fitted on the four rear driving wheels for extra traction. It worked reasonably well with the walking beam rear suspension.

Thank you, Colonel!

the chieftain is business in the front while mr neidell is party in the back. you can never see both of them at once, but it's always refreshing to see either of them. i dont even care if they are the same person with a split personality, i'm all here for it eitherway. thanks for the informative episode, i once again got a whole lot of context to the quite basic info i already knew about the topic. who wouldve thought that the a modest little halftrack had the complexity of a dysfunctional panther behind it?

First time ive seen you out of costume. I had no idea lol!

Half tracks make awesome farm vehicles.

Very interesting video, I had the opportunity to go for a spin on a Sd.Kfz.2 (Kettenkrad), of course only on the back seat. We went through mud and steep hill climbs. Even though it weighs about 1,2 tons and only has 36 hp from a 4 Zyl. Opel engine, the gear ratio in offroad gear makes it go through anywhere. An interesting fact I also didn't know about it is, that the Radiator, which sits underneath the rear seats, functions as a heater for the rear passenger's legs, as the wind goes through it and heats up, it comes out through vents near your feet. But, as the Chieftain said, the maintenance is a big deal. Every few months or kilometers all of the needle bearings need to be lubricated, which is a hell of an effort. But the ride is definitely a unique experience I won't forget.

Awesome breakdown! More of these need to be made!

Thanks TG and Nick

Every time I see a chieftain video I have a significant emotional event

I need myself a 'Krad. I love the idea of that little thing.

Love the level of detail. Enough detail to make it interesting but not so much to bog down the video. Thank you for another great video.

Thank you. Another WW2 topic I knew little about and well presented too.

Nick, you are a fount of knowledge and great images. Thank you.

Excellent job, Chieftain. And a tip of the cap to WWII gang for being smart enough to use him. Thoroughness that can't be beat. Can't wait for the reports on puttees, tents and dog tags.

it's good to see some our favorite people getting together sharing ideas an whatnot...👍

OKW: "OK but need more variants." "We can do you an AMG and a Brabus." "Can we also have a Kompressor version?" "So long as it is only serviced by main dealer, otherwise warranty will be voided." (Didn't Guderian get immensely annoyed by the fact that damaged vehicles often had to be returned all the way to Germany while T34s and US tanks were being fixed in rear echelons?)

As a subscriber for both The Chieftain and World War Two, seeng both channels united in same purpose makes my heart glow with joy :D

always a treat when we get a Chieftain AFV special episode.

After the M4 Sherman tank, I think of the White M3 half track as he armor of WWII. It’s just so iconic.

I wheely think that this episode won’t get much traction.

Great overview of halftracks - iconic AFV of WW2.

Yay another Chieftain episode! I honestly had no idea there were so many varieties, halftracks are cool yet don't really tend to get the spotlight that other things do. I've always wanted a Kettenkrad, they're adorable. :D

Awesome collaboration!

Thanks, every thing I didnt want to know, but was intrested in learning any how, my very best to you and yours. Leona

Thanks Chieftain. It is always great to watch and hear from you.

Always interesting, always informative

0:16 Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Half-Track'd Joe?

great info great video... but timing feels odd for this point in the WWII timeline...

Sir, once again... Outstanding! Thank you. o7

It's the collab I didn't know I wanted but am happy to see!

Thanks that was very informative and interesting.

Outstanding video and presentation.

Thank you. That was most informative.

Very interesting. Thanks for the great video.

Loved your video. I always found half tracks of the particularly interesting subject Also, like your model collection.

Always love seeing The Chieftain!

Amazing and informative as always, I salute You, Chieftain!!! Btw being a Belgian, Great work on digging out all that info I never got when visiting the War- , Bastogne- museums in my own homeland.. Great Great Work

Mattrax in Northern MN started their company making a track conversion that bolted onto the rear drive wheels for use in heavy winter snow conditions on the big lakes for fisherman and resorts.

Honourable mention to the Laird / Land rover Centaur. Close, but no cigar.

Interesting and informative. As always :)

TANK you for sharing! Its amazing to see film reels of German equipment survived the post war and denazification.

Good video!! Keep up the good work!!

Thanks a lot. Nice comparison. As a plastikmodeler find it very interresting.

Land rover half track. Still used at Bovington.😊

Nice one, thanks guys.

welcome back chieftain

I was talking to some guys who had an American halftrack at an air show. They told me the ride was rough and the seats were Not comfortable. Very cool looking vehicles.

Great research.

Not mentioned in this piece was my favorite halftrack of WWII. While granted, it was never given an Army T Number, it was still produced during World War Two. To be exact, it was a soft-skin version of the M-2/M-3 Halftrack built by Autocar for lend lease to Russia as a 2 1/2 ton truck. Also not mentioned were the Halftrack Jeeps! The were developed for use by the USAAF in snowy conditions such as up in Alaska, and they DID receive T numbers, and a variant (built by Allis-Chalmers) was actually standardized as the M-7.

Half tracks are my fave. Good show lads.

Thank you, sir. I knew very little of this. Schooled!

Wow wow wow! What a special guest!

Very well done

The American halftrack is my favorite vehicle. It just captures something about America that regular trucks just don't

After WWII my father got a 1944 IH half track, lengthened the frame and mounted a backhoe on it. Which we used as an excavating contractor. I drove the half track between construction sites. The engine was an RD 450. I should have kept the vehicle for driving in city traffic.

Hurrah, I have been waiting for a video on half-tracks.

Great stuff!

Great episode.

I always wondered about these things. And now I know.

Awesome thanks 🙏

There is a working locomotive half track built around 1908 at a museum, called the Lombard tractor.

Thanks! Very interesting!

It's been 5 years. But you are back

Czech infantry called Skoda's postwar Sdfkz.251 (the OT-810) "Hitler's Revenge". The roof over the passenger compartment made it uncomfortably cramped and claustrophobic. There were some still in war-reserve storage at late as the end of theCold War. They're popular with reenactors as ersatz 251's.

Interesting and informative.

very interesting. thank you.

I remember when I was a kid, my dad got me a 1/35 scale model kit for a German half-track. One of those with a cage antennae over the top. Had a handful of DAK panzer grenadiers, complete with shorts and everything.

now i want to build a 1/35 half track model of something, thanks to you!

I hired some guys to come out & clear dead oaks from my lady's place. They brought a large Catapillar dozer & a skidloader equipped with tracks over the tires. I was impressed with how much work the skidloader could do. The big dozer would push trees over & break them up. Then the skidder would push the pieces into piles. Beautiful job with less damage to the hillsides.

Nice introduction and informative ...

I always find the Chieftain interesting and informative. As well as amusing.

Love half tracks great video

I was with C/326th EN (AASLT) in 1988. We were conducting backwoods training in January & February at Ft Campbell. Command had us take one of our M342A1 2-1/2T Dump Trucks and put on the rubberized band around the dual set of rear tires to be run as an experiment in better traction. A good part of our weather was rainy, 34 deg F, day and night and the Kentucky mud was good at plugging up the lugs of our military tires and the hopes were that the bends might fair better (they were ribbed to provide traction). They did not perform as expected. I never saw them again in military useage. Several years later, after i was out, I noticed that industry started applying the rubber track bands to the Bobcat skid stear loaders. I thought to myself "Oh, that's where the tracks went". Later they just made plain old track drive skid stear loaders instead.