Today in WW II: 18 Jun 1940 General Charles de Gaulle broadcasts from London, calling on all French people to continue the fight against Nazi Germany.  More ↓
18 Jun 1940 Winston Churchill speaks to Parliament, concluding, "...if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, 'This was their finest hour'".
18 Jun 1941 Nazi Germany and Turkey sign treaty of friendship.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

High Mobility Entrencher (HME)

High Mobility Entrencher (HME). Photo: Freightliner
High Mobility Entrencher (HME). Photo: Freightliner.

The High Mobility Entrencher (HME) is a variant of the Unimog Model 406/419 Engineering Vehicles. Except for its entrenching/earthmoving equipment, it is the same vehicle as the Small Emplacement Excavator (SEE).

The HME variant consists of the same basic Unimog Model 419 tractor as the SEE, but with a dozer blade (85 inches wide by 32 inches high) on the front end and an entrencher on the rear. The HME is called Model 419.102 by Unimog.

Most sources say only twe;ve of the HME variant were built, under the US Army Freightliner contract in 1987.

The HME featured an entrenching bar that could cut a narrow trench up to 7 feet deep, operating while the HME moved slowly forward. A front mounted, seven foot wide blade was used to backfill the trench.

The High Mobility Entrencher (HME) is identified by NSN 2420-01-228-8610 (Tractor, Wheeled, Industrial). See TM 55-2420-224-14 for drawing.