The M-26 Heavy Transporter Truck & M-15 Trailer were standardized together in June 1943 as a retriever for the M-4 Sherman medium tank. The tractor-trailer combination was originally designated as the M-25 but the nomenclature was changed in late 1944 to separately designate the tractor as the M-26 and the trailer as the M-15. The combination was called the "Dragon Wagon" by the troops, a designation that was also used for other vehicles at other times.

The M-26 6x6 Tractor had a fully armored cab that included hinged steel plates that could be fastened to cover the windows, allowing only slits for vision. The M-26A1 and M-26A2 had a soft top, not intended for use under fire. The tractors had a fifth wheel designed to connect to the M-15 trailer and had three winches. Two of the winches were 60,000 lb. units mounted behind the cab, for use in pulling a load onto the trailer. The third winch, with 35,000 lb. capacity, was front mounted, for use in self-recovery if the tractor became stuck. The M-26 Tractor was armed with an M2 .50 cal. machine gun on a ring mount.

The M-15 semi-trailer was an eight wheel flat bed that attached to the M26 fifth wheel and had rear loading ramps for loading tanks or other cargo. The rear wheels and ramps had adjustable width for loading vehicles of different sizes. The payload of the trailer was:

M-15 Semi-trailer: 80,000 lb. (36,287kg)
M-15A1 Semi-trailer: 90,000 lb. (40,823kg)
M-15A2 Semi-trailer: 100,000 lb. (45,359kg)

The M-26 Tractor units and the M-15/M-15A1 trailers were manufactured by Pacific Car & Foundry Co. of Renton, WA. The M-15A2 trailers were built by Freuhauf Trailer Co.

The M-26 Heavy Transporter & M-15 Semi-Trailer remained in U.S. Army inventory through the 1950s and 1960s. It was eventually replaced by the M-911 Commercial Heavy Equipment Transporter (C-HET), starting in 1977. (Courtesy: Olive-drab.com)

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US M26 Dragon Wagon heavy transporter Truck & M-15 trailer. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 9-1/2-inches
Width: 2-inches

Release Date: August 2007

Historical Account: "Hedgerows" - The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between Nazi Germany in Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II. Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in then German-occupied France. It is most commonly known by the name D-Day.

The primary Allied formations that saw combat in Normandy came from the United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada. Substantial Free French and Polish forces also participated in the battle after the assault phase, and there were also contingents from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, and Norway.

The Normandy invasion began with overnight parachute and glider landings, massive air attacks, naval bombardments, and an early morning amphibious phase began on June 6th. The 'D-Day' forces deployed from bases along the south coast of England, the most important of these being Portsmouth. The battle for Normandy continued for more than two months, with campaigns to establish, expand, and eventually break out of the Allied beachheads, and concluded with the liberation of Paris and the fall of the Falaise pocket in late August 1944.