Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST)

The M2 tractor was known as the "Cletrac" for its manufacturer, the Cleveland Tractor Company or as the "bomber nurse" for its function. The M2 as often used at Army Air Corps bases during WWII for moving aircraft and heavy trailers, especially useful if they were bogged down in mud. The M2 has a gross weight of 13,800 lbs. ans a maximum drawbar pull of 7,000 lbs. It also features an electric generator and an air compressor.

Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST), Mitchell Field, Long Island, NY, April 1942.

Today in WW II: 8 Feb 1940 Germans establish the first large Jewish ghetto in Poland in the city of Lodz. More ↓

8 Feb 1941 US House of Representatives passes the Lend-Lease Act [265 to 165].
8 Feb 1942 Battle of Sarimbun Beach begins, the first stage of the Japanese assault on Singapore.
8 Feb 1942 Japanese Offensive in Burma begins [8 Feb-2 May].
8 Feb 1945 Battle of the Reichswald: British and Canadian forces under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery begin Operation Veritable [8 Feb-11 Mar].
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST)

Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST). Photo: Courtesy of John Buckley.

Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST). Photo: Courtesy WW2Xprt.

Cletrac M-2 High Speed Tractor (HST) at the USAF Museum, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. This Cletrac was delivered to the Army Ordnance Department in November 1942. The Museum acquired it in 1990. Photo: Courtesy Bob Pettit.

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