Today in WW II: 16 May 1940 US Pres. Roosevelt asks Congress for funding to build 50,000 airplanes per year, a startling undertaking at the time. More ↓

16 May 1943 Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron [The Dambusters] destroyed the MÃ¶hne and Eder dams on the Ruhr, causing catastrophic flooding [Operation Chastise, 16â€“17 May].
16 May 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising ends with liquidation of the poorly equipped Jewish resistance by German Troop.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

M870A2E1 MEDIUM HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTER (MHET)

M870A2E1 MEDIUM HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTER (MHET).

The M870A2E1, fielded in April 2004, is a 50-ton payload, three axle Medium Heavy Equipment Transporter (MHET) based on the M870A2 MEDIUM HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTER (MHET) but with changes to increase its capacity:

Modified to transport wider/heavier loads (50-ton capacity)
Removable, hydraulically operated gooseneck for the front loading of equipment
"D" ring tie downs and folding outriggers for wide loads.

The M870A2E1 changes enable it to carry wider loads such as the M621B Scraper and Assault Amphibious Vehicles (AAV). At the time the M870A2E1 entered the Marine Corps fleet in 2004, the LVS MK48/16 prime mover with the M870A2E1 trailer was the largest motor vehicle in the Marine Corps.

M870A2E1 Semitrailer Characteristics

Length	507 in.
Height	48 in.
Width	120 in.
Vehicle Curb Weight (includes BII)	23,360 lbs.
Payload	100,000 lbs.
Maximum Speed	35 mph

Refer to the M870A2 MEDIUM HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTER (MHET) page for other characteristics.

The full nomenclature for this trailer is MEDIUM HEAVY EQUIPMENT TRANSPORTER (MHET), M870A2E1. The M870A2E1 was assigned NSN 2330-01-483-8000.

The Operator's, maintenance and parts manuals for the M870A2E1 include:

TM-10770A-13&P System Operation and Maintenance First Through Third Echelon with Components List, Equipment Transporter MDL M870A2E1

The M870A2E1 was manufactured by Kalyn Siebert, Inc. (acquired by Heil).