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Bulge Nagging Question: Rubber Or Steel Tracks?

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  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: North Pole, Alaska
Bulge Nagging Question: Rubber Or Steel Tracks?
Posted by richs26 on Sunday, June 26, 2016 5:59 PM

I was doing research on the 740th TB, the unit which was thrown into the Bulge without tanks and equipment, and told to pickup new tanks at a depot.  What they found was that they had to salvage Shermans including 5 DD's, Stuarts, TD's, Priests, and a lone M-12 155mm SPG.  I found an after-action report for January 1945 that stated that on January 1 they were directed by HQ to fit steel tracks to their vehicles instead of the rubber block tracks due to the snow and ice.  What I want to know was if this was directed for the entire Bulge AOR, or just certain commands?  If this was for the entire Bulge, this could be a way to date photos of the time period.

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  • Member since
    November 2005
Posted by T26E4 on Sunday, June 26, 2016 10:21 PM

Well there are plenty of pics of Sherman chassis vehicles in the Ardennes area photographed w/o metal tracks in the January time period.   While prefereable, it's likely that many vehicles simply didn't have the abilty to swap them out.  I'm sure they, at a minimum, would have added the grousers that were part of the typical load out.

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  • Member since
    July 2014
  • From: Rifle, CO. USA
Posted by M1GarandFan on Monday, June 27, 2016 10:51 AM

Gotta agree with T26E4. Considering all the different ways that tactical markings were applied to vehicles depending on division/corps/army and all the different ways that extra armor was authorized and applied, I could see the type of tracks utilized would also vary between units. Just my two cents.

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Orlando, Florida
Posted by ikar01 on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 10:37 AM

That's assuming that they had the parts on hand to change the tracks, or the time to do it

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