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

Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo.  More ↓
9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
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 of John Buckley.

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