Corgi CC60418 US M3A1 Half-Track - "Daring", 41st Armored Infantry, 2nd Armored Division, Normandy, 1944 (1:50 Scale)
"In war there is no second prize for the runner-up."
- General Omar Bradley
The best known American halftracks were the M series made as a standardized design by Autocar, Diamond T, International and White. The M series had a similar front end to the White M3A1 Scout Car but used more powerful engines: a 147bhp 6.3-liter White AX in the Autocar, Diamond T, and White, and a 143bhp 1HC in the International. Each version had four-speed gearboxes with two-speed transfer boxes and drive to the front axle as well as the tracked bogie. The M series halftracks were widely used by US forces in most theatres of the war, and were also supplied under the Lend-Lease Program to Great Britain, Canada and the Soviet Union. A total of 41,170 were made.
This particular 1:50 scale halftrack was used during the D-Day invasion and comes equipped with an anti-aircraft machine gun mounted atop the driver's compartment and was attached to the 41st Armored Infantry, 2nd Armored Division, then deployed to Normandy, France, during 1944.
Sold Out!
Dimensions:
Length: 5-inches
Width: 2-inches
Release Date: January 2020
Historical Account: "Hell on Wheels" - As the 2nd Armored Division prepared for its breakout from Normandy, they camouflaged most of their combat vehicles in a spray-painted pattern of earth brown over the normal olive drab. Most of the white stars were also painted over, with the circle-star retained on the hood and the star on the radiator grill. The company letter and vehicle number is painted yellow on the side of the hull and rear to make battlefield recognition easier. "Daring" takes its name from the company letter.
The 2nd Armored Division was formed at Fort Benning, Georgia on July 15th, 1940, by reorganizing and redesignating the Provisional Tank Brigade (the 66th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks), 67th Infantry Regiment (Medium Tanks), and 68th Infantry Regiment (Light Tanks)). It was originally commanded by Major General Charles L. Scott, with Colonel George S. Patton, Jr. in charge of training. Scott was promoted to command the I Armored Corps in November of that year, which put Patton, now a brigadier general, in command of the division. The division, which in February 1942 passed over to the command of Major General Willis D. Crittenberger, served with the First, Seventh, and Ninth Armies throughout the war.
The 2nd Armored was organized as a "heavy" armored division, having two armored regiments of four medium tank battalions and two light tank battalions of three companies each. Along with the 3rd Armored Division, it retained its organization throughout World War II - the 14 other U.S. armored divisions were reorganized as "light" armored divisions, having three tank battalions, each consisting of three medium tank companies and one light tank company. Both types had an infantry component of three mechanized battalions, although the heavy divisions maintained an "armored infantry regiment" organization.
The core units of the division were the 41st Armored Infantry Regiment, the 66th Armored Regiment, the 67th Armor Regiment, the 17th Armored Engineer Battalion, the 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 142nd Armored Signal Company. The 82nd Armored Reconnaissance Battalion was known as the "eyes and ears" of the 2nd Armored Division.
The 2nd Armored Division had three artillery battalions: (the 14th, 78th, and 92nd). The division also had support units, including the 2nd Ordnance Maintenance Battalion, 2nd Supply Battalion, the 48th Armored Medical Battalion, and a band and military police platoon. The military police and band were tasked with headquarters defense of base operations under the banner of the 502d Adjutant General Company (502d AG).