These
photos will come in handy for modelers looking to create one of these
mobile shops with the
Calibre 35 maintenance truck conversion kit for Tamiya's GMC 2 1/2
Ton 6x6 "Deuce and a Half" (and which would likely work
on Italeri's open and hard-topped kits as well).
Michael
Powell has kindly provided the color photos. The black and white
images are from "The American Arsenal: The World War II Official
Standard Ordnance Catalogue" and the technical manual for the
M12 welding truck, the latter provided by Steve Malikoff.
There
were several types of trucks beyond those pictured below, including
the automotive repair truck, for general vehicle maintenance; the
electrical repair truck, for various types of automotive electrical
equipment; the instrument bench truck, to maintain and repair special
fire-control equipment; and the tire repair truck.
Of
the vehicles shown, only the machine shop welding trucks had their
own electrical generator; the others got their electricity from
other generators in the maintenance unit.
Artillery
Repair Truck M9A1
This
vehicle was used for maintenance of various artillery items by the
Heavy Maintenance Companies. Equipment included tackle blocks, rope,
chain hoists, a 1-ton collapsible tripod, electrical cords, portable
electric drill, vise, and various hand tools.
Instrument
Repair Truck M10A1
Used for repair and maintenance of optical instruments and equipment
(perhaps AFV sighting devices?), this truck's equipment included
a 10 inch bench lathe, drill press, 1/2 ton arbor press, electrical
bench grinder, surface plates with leveling screws, mandrel sets,
drill sets, clamps, gauges, assorted hand tools. Outrigger jacks
were provided to stabilize the truck for delicate repair work.
Welding
Truck M12
The M12 has a hardtop
cab. The generator is the same as the machine shop variant and powered
the arc welder. The images come from
TM 9-2852 on Welding Theory and Application, 3rd June 1943. According
to Steve Malikoff, it's a great TM and still very relevant on technique
and equipment, including a detailed chapter on how to repair shell
holes and cracks in armor plate using a variety of methods. This
lightproof welding screen and snap-on window curtains were provided
to shield the work being welded and prevent detection when welding
at night.
Machine
Shop Truck M16A1, M16A2
These trucks were used for general machine shop work. While M16A1
was basically a heavy lathe truck, M16A2 had a 10 inch bench lathe,
a 7 inch bench shaper, an electric bench grinder, a 10-ton hydraulic
press, and a special 1/2 inch drill press that was "very much
like a radial drill." It had a full complement of hand tools,
gauges, calipers, extractors, etc.
Signal
Repair Truck M30
The
Signal Corps used this truck to repair radio, wire, and radar equipment.
The M30 had a shock-proof shell for carrying delicate testing equipment,
a small air compressor for cleaning purposes, a 12-volt battery,
battery charger, and additional electrical outlets for simultaneous
repair and testing of several pieces of equipment.
Small
Arms Repair Truck M7A2
This was for weapons maintenance service. It features storage for
spare weapons parts and tools such as cartridge extractors and oil
stones, a portable weapons rack for storing rifles, and a portable
table to provide additional workspace outside of the truck. Tools
included a 3/8 inch portable electric drill and stand, bench grinder,
vises, hack saws, reamers, cleaning rods, gasoline torches, and
trigger weights, along with the common hand tools. While usually
getting electricity from another mobile shop truck, it could provide
its own juice with a portable, gasoline generator of 2-k.w. capacity.
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