This week was like a second Christmas here at Armourgeddon with an excited bunch eagerly awaiting a bubble-wrapped package…. Be it that the bubble-wrap was not something you would find around a vase in December!

This week, the M16 Half-Track uncovered from a collector in Canada arrived at Southfields Farm. Even with Skype, Facetime and digital photography, it is impossible to tell just what state of repair a tank or military vehicle will arrive at Armourgeddon in. For the fervently anticipated Half-Track, it was a pleasant surprise to arrive in as good a state as was hoped for. Already sitting pretty in the sunshine at the museum military vehicle exhibition, the Half-Track is a very welcome addition to the vast array of military vehicles to look around and explore.

What about our newest arrival? A half-track is a vehicle that utilises both tracks and wheels as running gear. This style of vehicle was conceived by Russian armed forces in about 1941, successfully developed for production by the Citroen Motor Company in France. After purchasing the rights for production, the US Army experimented with half-track adapters initially re-fitting the M3 Scout Car with tracks. As with many of the military vehicle production of the era, The White Motor Company, Diamond-T Motor Company and International Harvester Company picked up much of the production, joined also by The Autocar Company.

To simplify the mechanics of a half-track, it is a truck chassis mounted with a drive train. An armoured box was added to the back of the truck to provide some level of protection for the crew and armament as well as ditch rolls offering support when traversing obstacles. Our M16 however is adorned with a winch in place of the more traditional ditch roll. The radiator louvers attached above this winch was in place to protect the radiator from small arms fire during battle situations.

The engine housed a 4-speed transmission and a 2-speed transfer case offering a total of 8 forward speeds and two additional speeds in reverse. The levers to the right of the shift lever allows the driver to select either high or low range and an additional option of front wheel drive to manage all condition thrown at the vehicle. The vehicle carries a driver and passenger with an optional jump seat for a gunner positioned between the front two seats and bench seating in the back for troops.

The track itself is created using two steel cables with a rubber track molded around them, the rubber allowing flexibility to the track with the cables for reinforcement. An original White Motor Company 160 AX 6-cylinder engine powers the vehicle.

After initial usage during WWII in the Philippines and after modifications for increased reliability, the half-track continued service in Bataan and then into North Africa, during the battle of the Kasserine Pass when several were captured by German troops. By the time of the Invasion of Sicily, the half-track was ensconced as the preferred armoured infantry transport vehicle able to deliver infantry closer to battle positions as the vehicles were less vulnerable to rifle fire.

Our new M16 quadmount version of the half-track proved very successful and became the standard light anti-aircraft armoured vehicle. Over 30,000 vehicles were produced during the years of WWII. The M16 sits 6.5 meters in length, 2.3 meters in width and height and a weight of 8 tonnes.

Our museum of military vehicles, tank, WWI and WWII displays is open 7 days a week from April to October from 9am to 5pm. From November to March, please call in advance to visit. 01858 880239.

See more in our Military Vehicle Museum