M-4 High Speed Tractor

The M4 18-ton High Speed Tractor was designed as a prime mover for towing large field artillery guns such as the 90mm Anti-Aircraft gun, the 155mm Long Tom, the 8in. Howitzer, or other heavy weapons (See the Towed Artillery Chart). In addition to moving the gun, the M-4 High Speed Tractor carried ammunition in cargo space racks. Ten men plus the driver could be carried. The M-4 HST was manufactured by Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. of Milwaukee, WI starting in 1942 and was in U.S. military service until approximately 1960.

The M-4 High Speed Tractor was equipped with air and electric brakes that would match any types of brakes on the towed load.

An anti-aircraft .50 cal. machine gun on a ring mount was accessed through a hatch above the crew compartment.

M-4 High Speed Tractor
M-4 High Speed Tractor

Today in WW II: 8 Jul 1940 Tea rationing begins in Britain.  More ↓
8 Jul 1941 Jews living under German occupation in Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania ordered to wear a Jewish Star.
8 Jul 1942 US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Chester Nimitz orders invasion of Guadalcanal, Solomon islands, to seize a strategic Japanese airfield.
8 Jul 1944 US forces on Saipan mop up after surviving a 15-hour banzai charge, one of the largest ever, defesting over 3000 Japanese soldiers plus wounded and civilians who participated.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Specifications of the M-4 High Speed Tractor

Crew Driver
Weight 31,500 lbs.
Height 7 ft, 10 in.
Width 8 ft, 1 in.
Length 17 ft, 2 in.
Engine Waukesha 145GZ 6 cyl. gasoline
Horsepower 210hp
Road Speed 35 mph
Range 180 mi.

M-4 High Speed Tractor Photos

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-4 High Speed Tractor at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

M-4 High Speed Tractor Photo Gallery

>M-4 High Speed Tractor at Hampton Roads, VA, 16 August 1943
M-4 High Speed Tractor at Hampton Roads, VA, 16 August 1943.

An M-4 High Speed Tractor of the Seventeenth Field Artillery, supporting the First Marine Division, stopped by a river near Chunchon, Korea, 1950
An M-4 High Speed Tractor of the Seventeenth Field Artillery, supporting the First Marine Division, stopped by a river near Chunchon, Korea, 1950.