M35 / G742 (Deuce and a Half)

History of M35/G742 (two and a half years)

"Duce and a Half" has a valuable logistical history of doing what it can - moving people and supplies from point A to point B in Germany, and running supply lines between the front lines and the beachhead in Normandy. historic progress. To supply the front lines, the "Red Ball Express" was created to deal with the looming logistical nightmare.

Troops picked up various trucks from all headquarters to store their inventory. At its peak, some 5,958 trucks were in circulation, transporting 12,342 tons of fuel, oil, lubricants, ammunition, food and other essentials from northern France to Allied troops across Europe every 24 hourssome of which even crossed still The hostile land where the Axis armies are located.

The trucks were ordered to never stop, and when knocked down by maintenance problems or other outside violence, they were simply pushed aside to wait for the truck to be repaired. The Red Ball Express ran for 81 days, helping to provide the fabled Third Army with needed war supplies. To this end, General Patton quipped: "The 2 1/2-ton truck is our most valuable weapon."

The M35 appeared in 1951 to replace the wartime GMC CCKW and M135 utility vehicles while in service with the U.S. Army. Taking the torch from a 2-1/2 ton truck, the M35 forged its own amazing legacy and further developed into a number of specialty variants including dedicated "chariots", personnel carriers, cargo vehicles, dump trucks, wreckers , medical vehicles and missile launchers, to name a few.

The truck's size and availability allow it to be converted into a variety of combat vehicles to perform required duties in the U.S. Army and elsewhere. The M35 served with the U.S. military until the late 1990s, and some of them are still in active and reserve service with many foreign militaries today.

The production of the M35 (local and overseas) is handled by AM General, REO, Kaiser and Kia. All in all, the M35 truck has been the driving force behind the U.S. military for over 50 years.

The M35 is 2.8 meters high, 2.4 meters wide and 7 meters long, with the engine at the front, the crew compartment directly at the rear, and the cargo compartment at the rear. Its dimensions allow it to be transported by air with relative ease by medium to large aircraft transport types and unloaded by amphibious landing craft if necessary.

The overall lines of the crew compartment are straight, with flat glass panels at the front and hinged automotive-style side doors. Compared to the simplest seats, creature comforts are minimal. The gearbox is activated by a simple stick-like extension under the dash between the two cabin seats. The steering wheel is a three-spoke system with a purposeful post.

Basic engine function indicator on flat instrument panel. The headlights are simple and rounded in design and function, spanning either side of the front engine grille. The chassis consists of a total of ten wheels distributed over three pairs of axles, with four wheels each on the last two axles.

The truck weighs 13,000 pounds when empty. Throughout her life, she has been powered by a variety of engine units, including gasoline, diesel and multi-fuel types from various manufacturers. The multi-fuel version is uniquely designed to run on gasoline, diesel or jet fuel as needed. The engine was drained by a vertical chimney on the right side of the front of the cab, allowing the truck to travel through water to some extent. The vehicle has a 50-gallon fuel tank on the right side (under the bottom of the passenger seat), and its cruising speed is listed as 48 mph, with a top speed of 56 mph on paved roads.

The M35 is rated at 11 miles per gallon highway, 8 mpg city, and 5 mpg off-road. However, the truck is primarily a road vehicle, with a body that measures 8 feet wide and 12 feet long and has a load capacity of 10,000 pounds. For off-road traversing, the maximum load has been reduced to 5,000 pounds.

Their 5-speed gearbox is complemented by a 2-speed transfer case that controls a 10-wheel drive system connected to a 3-axle arrangement. Trucks have a range of 400 to 500 miles before needing refueling, depending on road conditions and cargo.

When the Korean War began in June 1950, WWII-era "two" trucks were brought in from Europe and the Pacific to support the new war effort, with thousands still remaining due to wartime production. The M35 didn't appear in large numbers until the Vietnam War, when U.S. troops began deploying to the Republic of Vietnam in 1965, making the M35 the U.S. Army's logistics truck of choice.

During the war, the M35 was initially used as a cargo and personnel carrier, but over time a number of mission-specific variants were developed to meet the demands of the new war.

Mines and "Charlie" ambush deal heavy blows to unguarded troops as the convoy advances. Thus, machine gun defense trucks and special "chariots" became the American response. Early on, sandbags were used against the communist weapon of choice, the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), a Soviet-designed, easy-to-use shoulder-fired anti-vehicle weapon system that fires rocket-propelled grenades with exploding warheads. When the U.S. military's sandbag defenses began to fail, quarter-inch armor was added, and the sandbags were relocated to the floor to protect against mines -- a practice that also proved to be a common practice in theater tanks. Transport companies within the Army also manufacture their own field improvised artillery frames, which are equipped with belt-driven general purpose machine guns from 2 x 7.62mm M60, one or two 40mm M79 single-shot grenade launchers, and any one set by the crew.

Personnel operated personal M16 assault rifles, shotguns and pistols. If anything, the Browning M2. 50 caliber heavy machine gun or XM134 micro machine gun Gatling system can be installed.

The tried and true M2 Browning 0.50 card was one of the most feared American weapons by North Vietnamese regular soldiers and Southern VC fighters due to its ability to cut a man in half. The M2 is typically mounted on a turret ring on top of the truck's cab to provide a full 360-degree firing arc capable of protecting the vehicle from any direction.

Teams typically have one M35 mount for every 15 or 20 vehicles.

These M35s were of course improved over time and subsequently used in Allied operations and Iraqi Freedom throughout Bosnia. However, other variants are still required to handle these "traditional duties" of transporting supplies and troops from point A to point B. The M35 dump truck variant continues to help with road construction and works with the M275 tractor. , while the M108 truck series is equipped with a crane to help lift heavy loads.

When mechanical problems arise, M109 "repair shop" trucks arrive to assess the situation and perform much-needed on-site repairs.

Ultimately, the M35 family of trucks has proven to be one of the most versatile and operationally successful vehicles the U.S. Army has fielded throughout the history of the industry.

Under the Afghan Freedom Support Act, M35 transport trucks were shipped in large numbers (400 units) to the Afghan National Army. The M35 system is currently being replaced in US inventory by the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV).

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

for everyone else in our database)

Armor

Usually unarmed, but may vary by character.

Changes