Today in WW II: 9 Feb 1941 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeals for arms shipments from the US: "Give us the tools, and we will finish the job". More↓
The Athey Track Laying trailers were used for general cargo on sand, soft soils, or mud, often with a tracked tractor as prime mover. The Athey Truss Wheel Company made three models for the U.S. military during World War II:
BT898-1
BT898-4
ET1076-1
Nomenclature:
Trailer, Athey, Track Laying, 6-Ton, BT898-1
Trailer, Athey, Track Laying, 6-Ton, BT898-4
Trailer, Athey, Track Laying, 20-Ton
Body:
Platform, stake, with or w/o canopy
Steel platform and stakes
Stake with canopy
Weight, net:
6,300 lbs
8,540 lbs
14,700 lbs
Weight, payload:
12,000 lbs
12,000 lbs
40,000 lbs
Weight, gross:
18,300 lbs
20,540 lbs
54,700 lbs
Loading height:
47 in
52 in
53 in
Track width:
14 1/2 in
20 in
20 in
Manuals:*
TM 9-790A, TM 9-1790A
TM 9-790A, TM 9-1790A
TM 9-790B, TM 9-1790A
* Parts list for all models is SNL G-123.
The trailers had no brakes, intended for low speed travel.
Troops transported over the mud on an Athey Track Laying Trailer, BT898-4, Attu, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, during WW II.
Omaha Beach in mid-June of 1944, after the D-Day beachhead has been secured. Two Athey Track Laying Trailers can be seen, the nearer one appears to be a BT898-1 stake body. This photo is a detail from a larger view of Omaha Beach.
Athey Track Laying Trailer, BT898-1, on Omaha Beach, near D-Day, 6 June 1944. Two M-3A4 Hand Carts are on the sand in foreground.
Athey Track Laying Trailer, BT898-1, reference photo from TM 9-8000, Principles of Automotive Vehicles, Jan 1956.
Athey Track Laying Trailer, BT898-4, reference photo from TM 9-2800-1.
Athey Track Laying Trailer, ET1076-1, reference photo from TM 9-2800-1.
