LVTA1 | |
|---|---|
| Land | Usa |
| Type | Landingsvoertuig getraceerd |
De eerste infanteriesteun Lvt. Met de eerste ervaring met amfibische operaties in de Stille Oceaan was het duidelijk dat er zwaardere vuurkracht nodig was dan de gebruikelijke .50 cal kanonnen. Gebaseerd op de LVT-2, A staat voor gepantserd, deze vuursteunversie had een gepantserde (6 tot 12 mm) romp. Het was uitgerust met een koepel die bijna identiek was aan die van de Light Tank M3, met een 37 mm Kanon M6 in een M44-houder, en droeg ook twee achterop gemonteerde machinegeweren. 509 eenheden geproduceerd. De romp van het voertuig was bedekt met 6-12 mm pantserplaat en het voertuig werd aangedreven door een luchtgekoelde benzinemotor van 262 pk. Ondanks de beperkingen opgelegd door het torentje kon het nog steeds een beperkte lading van 1.000 lbs vracht vervoeren en had het een vrij respectabele snelheid van 25 mph of land en 6,5 mph in water, en een operationeel bereik van 125 mijl op het land of 75 mijl in het water.
Bron: LVTA1 op Wikipedia
| LVTA1 – BUFFALO | |
|---|---|
| Fotograaf | Onbewust |
| Lokalisatie | Onbewust |
| Foto 's | 38 |
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Wacht, zoeken LVTA1 – BUFFALO voor u ...
| LVT-4 Water Buffalo Walk Around | |
|---|---|
| Fotograaf | Onbewust |
| Lokalisatie | Onbewust |
| Foto 's | 29 |
LVT-4 Water Buffalo 00001
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Zie ook:
The Amphibious Fire Hammer of the Pacific Atolls
De LVT(A)-1 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Armored, Mark 1), widely known as the “Amtank” or by its lineage name “Buffalo,” was a revolutionary amphibious fire-support vehicle deployed by the US Marine Corps and US Army during World War II.
| Attribute | Technical Specification (LVT(A)-1 Amtank Standard) |
|---|---|
| Role | Amphibious Fire Support Vehicle / Amphibious Tank (Amtank) |
| Bemanning | 6 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Driver, Assistant Driver, and 2 Rear Machine Gunners) |
| Krachtbron | 1 × Continental W-670-9A 7-cylinder air-cooled radial gasoline engine (250 hp) |
| Maximum Speed (Land) | 40 km/h (25 mph) on hard roads |
| Maximum Speed (Water) | 12 km/h (7.5 mph / 6.5 knots) propelled by track grousers |
| Combat Weight | ~14.9 metric tons (16.4 short tons) |
| Operational Range | ~200 km (125 miles) on land | ~120 km (75 miles) in water |
| Primary Armament | 1 × 37mm M6 gun in an M3 Stuart light tank turret (104 rounds carried) |
| Secondary Armament | 1 × .30-caliber M1919A4 coaxial machine gun | 2 × .30-caliber M1919A4 machine guns in rear open tubs |
| Armor Thickness | Hull Front & Sides: 12.7mm (0.50 in) | Turret: Up to 51mm (2.0 in) front |
| Production Total | 509 units manufactured by the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) in 1943-1944 |
Design Engineering: Frankenstein Armor and Paddle-Track Propulsion
- The Frankenstein Tank Turret: To rapidly field an armored fire-support vehicle, US engineers pulled the complete, fully formed turret straight off the production lines of the M3 Stuart light tank. Bolting this rotating steel turret directly onto the roof of the LVT(A)-1 chassis instantly gave the amphibious vehicle a high-velocity 37mm cannon. This created a highly effective direct-fire platform capable of cracking open log bunkers and shredding infantry formations right from the water’s edge.
- Propulsion Without a Propeller: Unlike traditional amphibious vehicles that rely on a separate folding propeller screw to navigate water, the LVT series used its tracks for both land and water travel. The track links were bolted with large, curved, shovel-like metal cleats called “grousers.” In the ocean, these acted exactly like the paddle-wheels of an old-fashioned steamboat, scooping water to propel the massive boxy hull forward at over 6 knots without requiring complex marine drivetrain linkages.
- The Radial Engine in the Stern: Driving the LVT(A)-1 was a 7-cylinder Continental aircraft engine mounted all the way in the rear. Because the engine was an air-cooled radial design, it required massive, prominent air intake scoops on the rear deck to prevent overheating. This layout meant a massive driveshaft had to run directly through the middle of the interior cabin floor to spin the drive sprockets at the front, creating a loud, vibrating, and heavily cramped workspace for the crew.
- Buoyancy Pontoon Flaps: The entire hull of the vehicle was essentially a massive, hollow steel boat. To ensure it wouldn’t immediately sink if its steel skin was punctured by shrapnel, the sides of the LVT(A)-1 were partitioned into distinct, hollow buoyancy chambers or “pontoons.” Even if an artillery shell blasted open one section of the outer flank, the remaining watertight compartments provided enough displaced water volume to keep the 15-ton armored vehicle floating upright in heavy surf.
Operational History: Crashing the Reefs of Kwajalein to the Volcano of Iwo Jima
- The Invaluable Lesson of Tarawa (1943): At the bloody battle of Tarawa, standard landing boats slammed into hidden coral reefs hundreds of yards out, forcing Marines to wade through waist-deep machine gun fire. The few early unarmored cargo LVTs successfully crawled right over the coral, highlighting their tactical value. This disaster accelerated the deployment of the heavily armed and armored LVT(A)-1, ensuring that by the next major landings, the Marines had armored shields leading the waves.
- The Fire Debut at Kwajalein (1944): The LVT(A)-1 saw its first massive combat deployment during the invasion of Kwajalein Atoll. Formed into specialized Armored Amphibian Battalions, the Amtanks formed the absolute vanguard of the first landing wave. Firing their 37mm guns and coaxial machine guns while still swimming through the rolling surf, they successfully suppressed Japanese shoreline trenches and prevented beach defenders from pinning down the trailing troop-carrying tractors.
- The Deadly Evolution to the LVT(A)-4: While the 37mm gun was great for targeting light structures and infantry, it lacked the explosive punch needed to obliterate deeply buried, reinforced concrete blockhouses. Recognizing this limitation, the US military quickly introduced the *LVT(A)-4*. This variant swapped out the tiny Stuart turret for the larger, open-topped turret of the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage, upgrading the main weapon to a devastating 75mm short-barrel howitzer that fired massive high-explosive demolition shells.
- The Final Volcanic Clashes: During the brutal campaigns on Saipan, Peleliu, and Iwo Jima, the LVT(A)-1 and its 75mm siblings faced hellish conditions. On Iwo Jima’s beaches, the heavy vehicles ground to a halt as their tracks spun uselessly in the deep, loose black volcanic ash, making them stationary targets for pre-sighted Japanese artillery hidden on Mount Suribachi. Despite heavy casualties, these armored amphibious tractors remained the irreplaceable lifelines of the Pacific theater until the final surrender.
Bekeken : 3697
This LVT(A) 1is located on the Edge of Lake Evans at Fairmount Park
in Riverside, CA. FMC produced the LVTs in Riverside and tested them in Lake Evans