The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) was a class of amphibious vehicles introduced by the United States Navy, Marine Corps and Army during World War II. Originally intended solely as cargo carriers for ship to shore operations, they rapidly evolved into assault troop and fire support vehicles as well. The types were all widely known as amphtrack, amtrak, amtrac etc., a portmanteau of amphibious tractor.

This article focuses on the first generation of designs produced in the World War II era.

Development

The LVT had its origins in a civilian rescue vehicle called the Alligator. Developed by Donald Roebling in 1935, the Alligator was intended to operate in swampy areas, inaccessible to both traditional cars and boats. Two years later, Roebling built a redesigned vehicle with greatly improved water speed. The United States Marine Corps, which had been developing amphibious warfare doctrine based on the ideas of Lt. Col. Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis and others, became interested in the machine after learning about it through an article in Life magazine and convinced Roebling to design a more seaworthy model for military use. After more improvements to meet requirements of the Navy, the vehicle was adopted as Landing Vehicle Tracked, or LVT. The order to build the first 200 LVTs was awarded to the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC), a manufacturer of insecticide spray pumps and other farm equipment which built some parts for the Alligators. Eventually the company became a prominent defense contractor, United Defense (now part of BAE Systems Land and Armaments).

The LVT 1 could carry 18 fully equipped men or 4,500 pounds (2,041 kg) of cargo. Originally intended to carry replenishments from ships ashore, they lacked armor protection and their tracks and suspension were unreliable when used on hard terrain. However, the Marines soon recognized the potential of the LVT as an assault vehicle. Armored versions were introduced as well as fire support versions, dubbed amtanks, which were fitted with turrets from Stuart series light tanks (LVT(A)-1) and M8 HMCs (LVT(A)-4). Among other upgrades were a new powerpack, also borrowed from the Stuarts, and a torsilastic suspension which significantly improved performance on land.

Production continued throughout the war, resulting in 18,621 LVTs delivered. In late 1940s a series of prototypes were built and tested, but none reached production stage due to lack of funding. Realizing that acquisition of new vehicles was unlikely, the Marines modernized some of the LVT-3s and LVT(A)-5s and kept them in service until late 1950s.

Variants

• LVT-1 (1941)
  • The first military model. Traveling at a respectable six knots in the water and twelve mph on land, it could deliver 24 fully-equipped assault troops to the beach, and supply supporting fire from two .30 cal. machine guns. The vehicle was not armored and its thin steel hull offered virtually no protection, although prior to the Tarawa landing some vehicles received 9 mm armor to the cab. Tracks performed well on sand, but not on tough surfaces. Proper maintenance of the new machine was often an issue, as few Marines were trained to work on it, and early models suffered frequent breakdowns. 1,225 units produced.

• LVT-2 Water Buffalo, British designation Buffalo II (1942)
  • Featured new powertrain (taken from the M3A1 light tank) and torsilastic suspension. Hard terrain performance was much better compared to the LVT-1. 2,962 units produced.

• LVT(A)-1 (1942, A stands for armored)
  • Based on the LVT-2, this fire support version had an armored (6 to 12 mm) hull. It was fitted with a turret nearly identical to that of the Light Tank M3, with a 37 mm Gun M6 in an M44 mount, and also carried two rear-mounted machine guns. 510 units produced.

• LVT(A)-2 Water Buffalo (1943)
  • Armored version of the LVT-2. Capacity 18 troops. 450 units produced.

• LVT-4 Water Buffalo, British designation Buffalo IV (1943)
  • The engine was moved forward and a large ramp door was added to the rear, allowing troops to exit from the rear of the vehicle. This innovation also greatly facilitated the loading and unloading of cargo. Some vehicles received armor kits. It was by far the most numerous version of the LVT, with 8,351 units delivered. Many of the British LVT versions were armed with a Polsten 20 mm cannon and 2 x .30 cal Browning MGs.
  • LVT-4(F) Sea Serpent - British version armed with flamethrowers.

• LVT(A)-3
  • Armored version of the LVT-4, never approved for production.

• LVT-3 Bushmaster (1944)
  • Developed by the Borg Warner Corporation, this vehicle had engines moved to sponsons and a ramp installed in the rear similarly to the LVT-4. Some received armor kits. First used in Okinawa in April 1945. 2,964 units produced.

• LVT(A)-4 (1944)
  • Another fire support version, with 75 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage M8 turret armed with a 75 mm howitzer, in some cases replaced with the Canadian Ronson flamethrower. A single .50 cal machine gun was installed on the ring mount above the turret rear. In the late production vehicles the heavy machine gun was replaced with two M1919A4 .30 MGs on pintle mounts and one more in the bow mount. 1,890 units produced.

• LVT(A)-5 (1945)
  • LVT(A)-4 with powered turret and a gyrostabilizer for the howitzer. Some were upgraded in late 1940s by changing armor configuration. 269 units produced.

• LVT-3C (1949)
  • Modified LVT-3. Armored roof was fitted and the bow was extended to improve buoyancy. Armament included .30 MG in a turret and .30 bow MG in ball mount. 1200 LVT3s were converted.

• Amphibian, tracked, 4-ton GS (1944/45)
  • A British vehicle based on the LVT-4 and known as the Neptune. Only a handful of the 2000 ordered were completed.
  • Sealion - recovery version.
  • Turtle - workshop version.

Combat history

The LVT were mainly used for logistical support at Guadalcanal, up until the development of the LVT-4 version which allowed for embarkation and disembarkation from a rear ramp, greatly improving combat utility by allowing the passengers to dismount from the vehicle much more quickly. Previous versions had no such means of entry or exit,

The first usage of the LVT in combat was during the amphibious assault on Tarawa. Of 125 vehicles used, only 35 remained operational by the end of the day. Still, a number managed to successfully ferry men across the coral reef and through the shallows to the beach. Marines who arrived in LCVP Higgins boats, on the other hand, could not cross the reef and had to wade through chest-deep or higher water while under enemy fire; casualties were horrific and many who did make it to the beach alive had lost their rifles and other essential gear. Despite their apparent utility however, the LVT-4 was too lightly armoured for combat, and the open crew and passenger compartment resulted in serious injuries from both machine gun fire and shrapnel. The operation also revealed the need for close-in fire support, which the Amtracs lacked.

As a result of Tarawa experience, standardized armor kits were provided for the LVTs employed in contested landings, and gun-armed "amtanks" LVT(A)-1 and LVT(A)-4 were developed to provide fire support. Armed with a 75 mm howitzer, the latter was especially effective in this role as it was capable of destroying Japanese fortifications as it came ashore. However the LVT(A)-4 had an open-topped turret which left the crew vulnerable to artillery and infantry attack, especially to the latter as it lacked any sort of machine gun armament. The lack of machine gun armament was eventually rectified, though the open-topped turret remained. Although usually used during landings only, in the Marianas "amtanks" were employed inland, much like regular tanks.

The largest use of the LVTs was in the Leyte landing, with nine amtrac and two amtank battalions deployed. As there was no fighting on the beaches, this is also one of the least famous LVTs' operations. Over 1000 LVTs took part in the Battle of Okinawa.

Although usually associated with the Pacific theatre, toward the end of the war LVTs were employed in Europe as well. The US, British and Canadian Army used the Buffalo in the Battle of the Scheldt, during Operation Plunder, along the Po River in Italy, across the river Elbe and in a number of other river crossing operations.

Some LVT-3Cs and modified LVT(A)-5s saw action in the Korean War. The French Army used the US-supplied LVT-4s and LVT(A)-4s in the Indochina War and in the Suez Crisis.

Modern descendents

In 1950s LVTs still in service were replaced by the LVTP-5 family vehicles, which in turn were followed by the LVT-7 family, eventually redesignated AAV. Incidentally, the AAV is manufactured by BAE Systems Land and Armaments, which was the first company to produce the LVT (as FMC).

Currently, many of the world's militaries employ more modern versions of the amphtrack. One of the latest is the United States Marine Corps EFV, slated to begin replacing the AAV in 2015.

See also

• WWII/Korea LVT Museum
• G-numbers
• DUKW
• Terrapin

Notes

1. The complete guide to tanks and armoured fighting vehicles, pg 314, ISBN 978-1-84681-110-4 ISBN 1-84681-110-4

References

• TM 9-784
• TM 9-1784

• Steven Zaloga, Terry Hadler, Michael Badrocke - Amtracs: US Amphibious Assault Vehicles, 1999, Osprey Publishing (New Vanguard 30), ISBN 1-85532-850-X.
• Steven Zaloga - Armour of the Pacific War, 1983, Osprey Publishing (Vanguard 35), ISBN 0-85045-523-5.

External links

• Origins of the Amphtrack at Globalsecurity.org
• WW2 Vehicles
• AmTracs of World War II and the Korean War at Amtrac.org
• WWII and Korea LVT Museum
• Photographs of Amtracs at Tarawa