M-2 Halftrack

The M-2 Halftrack is similar to the slightly larger and more common M-3 Halftrack, produced at the same time during WW II. To distinguish the M2 from the M3 halftrack, the longer M3 body extends further beyond the tracks while the M2 body stops close to the end of the tracks and has a step at the rear. The M2 had no rear access door, which would be blocked by its machine-gun skate rail. The driver area of the M2 halftrack is separated from the rear compartment by storage bins, accessed by doors on the sides of the vehicle. Note: halftrack is sometimes spelled "halftrac".

The M2A1 halftrack, fielded in 1943, had a ring mount machine gun that replaced the machine-gun skate rail. During the production life of the M2 many small changes were made, in parallel with the M3, including spring-loaded idlers, demountable headlights moved from the fenders to the side of the hood, mine racks, and a winch.

The M-4 Mortar Carrier Halftrack is based on the M2 Halftrack.

Armored unit M-2 Halftrack during training at Fort Benning, GA, April-June 1942.

Today in WW II: 19 May 1944 British troops capture Aquino airfield in the Liri valley SE of Rome, Italy. More ↓

19 May 1945 272 USAAF B-29 Superfortress bombers attack Hamamatsu, 120 miles (192 km) from Tokyo, as a secondary target after raid on Tachikawa aborted by weather.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

M-2 Halftrack (G-102)

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-2 Halftrack at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

Armored vehicles of the 46th Tank Bn, 13th Armored Div, 1943. From left to right: Ford GPA amphibian, MB/GPW jeep, M2/M3 halftrack, M5A1 Stuart light tank, M4 Sherman medium tank, M8 75mm HMC, M3A1 Scout Car, M6 GMC.

Battery A, 27th Field Artillary 7Smm guns, M2 halftracks, and other vehicles during maneuvers near Montrose, LA, September 1941.

M-2 Halftrack with machine gun and rifles with fixed bayonets, circa 1941. With the M-2 Halftrack, the machine gun is mounted on a skate rail that circles the rear compartment.

M-2 Halftracks, ready for final testing at the factory of White Motor Company, Cleveland, OH, December 1941.

M3 37mm antitank gun crew ready for action, Second Army maneuvers in Louisiana, 11 September 1941. M2 halftrack in background. Members of the crew (left to right): CPL Roy Greer of Pocahontas, VA, PFC Albert Heinsohn of La Grange, TX, PVT Walter Gering of Chicago, IL, PVT John Miller of Ritzville, WA, and PFC Taft H. Boggs of Cumberland, KY.

World War II vintage M2A1 Halftrack is loaded on a truck, at the former 1st Armored Division Museum, Baumholder, Germany, 21 Aug 2009. The Halftrack will transported to a port in the Netherlands, from where it will be shipped to Fort Bliss, TX, the new home of 1AD Museum.

M-2 Halftrack Photo Gallery

M2 halftrack, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. Photo: Popular Science Magazine, August 1941.

Assembly line for production of M-2 Halftracks at the Diebold Safe and Lock Company, Canton, OH, December 1941. The bodies were made in this plant and mounted on chassis produced in a converted automobile plant.

Philippine Scouts M2 Halftrack, December 1941. Photo: Life Magazine, 22 December 1941, P28.

M-2 Halftrack at Fort Benning, GA, April-June 1942
An M-2 half-track during training at Fort Benning, GA, April-June 1942. The other halftracks in the photo are M-3 halftracks with the longer body.

M2 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) followed by column of M3 Gun Motor Carriage halftracks.
Thanks to Steve Allen and Bukvoed for correct identification.

M-2 Halftrack at the Musée des Blindés (Armor Museum), Saumur, France in 2003. Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Hollerman.