KING & COUNTRY - DD104(SL) - M26 Armoured Recovery Vehicle - MINT IN BOX - DD104

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

KING & COUNTRY - DD104(SL) - M26 Armoured Recovery Vehicle - MINT IN BOX - DD104:
$299.00

KING AND COUNTRY - DD104(SL) - M26 Armoured Recovery Vehicle - DD104-SL - MINT IN BOX - NEVER OPENED - REMOVED FROM BOX OR DISPLAYED - Insured UPS delivery in the continental US is FREE. Will ship worldwide at cost.

Description

The M26 entered service in 1943 and was used extensively and virtually exclusively by US Armoured Forces in the latter part of the war. This same armoured tractor vehicle was also utilized (with a massive trailer attached) as a tank transporter. Our K&C Recovery version is meant to be used on battlefield displays to haul out both German and American war-damaged armour and even heavy artillery and other larger vehicles. Four full-bodied crewmen service the vehicle and it comes with rolling wheels, a weathered paint finish and the legend \"You break\'em... We take \'em!\" painted on the side. Measuring in at 4 1/4\" x 11\" and weighing a hefty 4.7 lbs this M26 is a \"must\" for any serious collector of K&C WW2 fighting vehicles and figures.

The M25 Tank Transporter was a heavy tank transporter and tank recovery vehicle used in World War II and beyond by the US Army.

Nicknamed the Dragon Wagon, the M25 was composed of a 6x6 armored tractor (M26) and 40-ton trailer (M15).

Contents [hide]

1 Development
2 Service
3 U.S. Nomenclature
4 Specifications
5 Users
6 References
- 6.1 Further reading
7 External links
8 See also

[edit] Development

In 1942 a new 40 ton semi-trailer tank transporter was required. This was to offer better off-road performance than the M9 24-small-wheel trailer, and greater capacity than the 30 ton 8-large-wheel Shelvoke and Drewry semi-trailers, then in use with the Diamond T tractor unit. This new trailer was designed by the Fruehauf Trailer Company (based in Detroit, MI).[1] A new tractor unit was required, as this heavier trailer was more than the Diamond T could cope with.

The M26 tractor was designed by the San Francisco-based Knuckey Truck Company. When Knuckey\'s production capacity proved insufficient the army awarded production to the Pacific Car & Foundry Co. of Seattle, Washington.

Designated TR-1 by Pacific Car, the 12-ton 6x6 M26 tractor was powered by a Type 440 240 bhp 6-cylinder gasoline engine developed exclusively for it by Hall-Scott (although also used to uprate the Diamond T). Some 2,100 Type 440s were built.[clarification needed] Baxter[1] notes \"over 1,300\" M26 and M26A1 being built.

Unusually, the tractor unit was fitted with both an armoured cab and two winches with a combined pull of 60 tons.[1] The intention was that as well as hauling the tank transporter semi-trailer, the tractor unit could itself be used for battlefield light recovery work.

A later unarmoured version of the M26 tractor was designated the M26A1. An experimental ballast tractor conversion was experimented with by the British FVPE[1]

Early combat experience of the US Army in land campaigns in Africa and Italy showed a need for an off-road tank retriever capable of coping with the new heavy tank designs. The M26 6x6 Armoured Tank Recovery Vehicle (also known as the \"Dragon Wagon\") was devised to provide this capability.

The design of the vehicle was comissioned to the Knuckey Truck Company of San Francisco. This company had been specializing in mining and quarry truck designs, and the resulting tractor was of gragantuan proportions, boasting a loading capacity of 40 tons. The first tractors were turned over to the Army in late 1943. 1,270 were completed during a 5-year production run. Operational vehicles were often used also for other tasks than tank transport, such as ferrying boats for river crossing operations.

Because Knuckey could not meet production demands, the production was also commenced by Pacific Car and Foundry Company, which eventually ended up manufacturing most of the tractors.

The first production M26 model was armored for battlefield recoveries. By 1944, a second unarmored model M26A1 with a canvas cab roof took the place on the production lines.