The FReeper Foxhole's TreadHead Tuesday - M-29 Cargo Carrier Weasel & Ford GPA Seep - Oct 12th, 2004

Northern Indiana Center for History ^ | Travis Childs

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

...................................................................................... ...........................................

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M-29 /M-29CWeasel

One of the least known Studebaker wartime products is the M-29 Cargo Carrier (nicknamed Weasel). Studebaker sources say that company engineers designed the Weasel in cooperation with the War Department, but a more exciting Saturday Evening Post story traced its origin to a Winston Churchill request for a vehicle suitable for use in a planned invasion of Norway. It is clear that Studebaker accepted the assignment in May of 1942 and built the first working model in 34 days of feverish activity.


A camouflaged weasel pulls a treaded trailer loaded with Tenth Mountain Division troops over a snow-packed road at Camp Hale, Colorado. (1943)
Note: that this is a T15/M28 Weasel"

The Weasel was then loaded in complete secrecy and taken to the icy conditions in British Columbia to be tested. Churchill had requested that the new vehicle had to travel 25 m.p.h., over snow, climb at an angle of 30 degrees, have a turning radius of 12 feet or less and have a range of 225 miles. On top of these specifications, the vehicle had to be light enough to be carried on a cargo plane and be able to be dropped by parachute into enemy territory.



When the Weasel reached British Columbia it was thoroughly tested, and after several design and product problems, it performed well. The final corrected version was unveiled before military officials in 1942. The Weasel was put up against every known military snow vehicle available and it met or exceeded in every task. Final approval was granted and the Weasel was put into production.



The Weasel was equipped with a Studebaker Champion six cylinder engine, clutch and transmission. Changes were made in the engine’s generator, starter, manifold and distributor, but it was basically the same as the automobile’s engine. The Weasel was low and oblong and ran on tank-type tracks. There were 3 passenger seats in the rear of the vehicle and the engine was placed to the right of the driver. The accelerator was foot operated as was the clutch with the same placement as it would be in a standard automobile. Steering and braking was accomplished by two levers situated between the driver’s legs. Each lever was linked to a brake on one side of the rear steering differential. The right hand lever would brake the right hand driving sprocket and turn the Weasel right. The direct opposite happened when you used the left hand lever.



After getting the Weasel into production, the military once again changed their minds. An invasion of Norway was cancelled, however North Africa would be the next area of attention. With North Africa now being considered for invasion, there was some concern as to whether the Weasel was also good in heat and sand. Tests on the Weasel began again, this time at the Indiana dunes along Lake Michigan. Surprisingly, the Weasel performed just as well in sand as it had in the snow of Canada. Another challenge given to the Studebaker engineers was that now the Weasel had to be able to float and navigate through water. After some difficult design problems, a bow was designed and added to the front of the Weasel, as well as two rudders placed at the rear so that the craft could be steered.



The new and redesigned Weasel now completed testing in the waters of the St. Joseph River in South Bend and the muddy bogs on Long Island, New York. Once again, the Weasel proved very worthy and production was restarted.


Side shot of M29c Weasel #40186744. Good details, especially of the rudder controls, stowed boat hook, and folded back surf guard.

The Weasel saw action in nearly all of the theaters of World War II. It carried supplies and men through almost all types of terrain and weather. It went ashore on Normandy, it was with the U.S. Army during the breakthrough at St. Lo., the Battle of the Bulge and in the mud of the Roer and the Rhine. One of the best uses for the Weasel came in the Pacific where it proved invaluable in the volcanic earth of Iwo Jima.



The Weasel was Studebaker’s last wartime product when the last one came off the line (number 15,124) on August 31, 1945. How did the Weasel get its name?



The Army calls it the M-29, but GI Joe knows the newest military personnel and supply carrier as the “Weasel.”


Weasels used by the french in Vietnam

Although nature’s weasel has little social standing, reasoned GI Joe in selecting the nickname, he is considerable of a fighter. The weasel will tackle an enemy many times his weight. He strikes stealthily and swiftly. He is a crafty stalker of prey, taking full advantage of terrain. Snow, swamp, sand, mountains—nothing bothers him once he makes up his mind to get going.


A weasel is tipped over onto its side on a snowbank along the side of a road. A Tenth Mountain Division soldier surveys the situation. Two ski by on the road while others ski past on an elevated path above the snowbank. (1943-1944)
Note: later model M29 with 20" tracks and mudguard

The M-29, in the hands of the same GI Joe, fits snugly into the animal’s character. It is compact and low-slung. It is fast and sure-footed. Dressed in combat camouflage for either Summer or Winter backgrounds, the vehicle can escape detection at short distances.



Thanks to FReeper Don W for suggesting this thread

[SAMWolf]

Ford GPA Seep



Having commissioned Willys, Ford and Bantam to build the 4500 jeeps (1500 each) in March 1941, the Motor Transport Board set up a project under the direction of the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) to be designated ‘QMC-4 1/4 ton amphibian’. The Marmon-Herrington Co. (military vehicle specialists) in conjunction with boat builders Sparkman & Stephens and the Ford Motor Company undertook this work for the NDRC involving designing a conversion based on the 1/4 ton road vehicle. The aim was to have the vehicle in service in time for the first landing operations planed for September / October 1942.



Design and development work on a suitable prototype hull by Sparkman & Stephens was completed by the end of August by which time the standard design for jeeps had been introduced. However, conversion proved to be a difficult and time consuming task and the first amphibian QMC-4 vehicles were not available for river trials until February 1942.



Jeeps were now in full scale production by both Willys and Ford. Eager to have an amphibious version for the landings later that year, Generals responsible for the decision to proceed with an order were guided more by the concept rather than the need for the same extensive trials that the jeep had been through. By April the QMC-4 had been tried off a beach for the first time and an order for the first 5000 vehicles was placed with Ford based on their large scale production facilities. The Ford GPA Amphibian or Seep (Sea Jeep) based on the GPW chassis was born.



The first production run was delivered very quickly and there was little opportunity for experience in the field to be fed back to improve the design (as had been the case with the jeep). There were a number of design faults which, although not serious, meant that it required a lot of maintenance and lacked real effectiveness. It was not until November 1942 that the first of a whole string of necessary modifications filtered through to the production line. Modifications were still being made when production was finally ended in June 1943 by which time only 12,778 had been built.



It had basically proved to be too slow, heavy and clumsy on land and too small to be a good boat in open water. The GPA did see important use with the US for the Sicily Landing on September 9th 1943 but most of the vehicles ended up being passed to the Russian Army under the Lend-Lease Scheme. Ironically, its river crossing capabilities were found to be so useful by the Russians that the design was developed further in producing their own post-war version.

[SAMWolf]

Camp 10, Juneau Icefield 1951, "FLYING WEASELS"
By Maynard M. Miller

A "weasel," to most of us a small furry animal and it does not fly. A "weasel,"to any JIRP*, is the affectionate name for the Army's over-snow vehicle, M29-C, and in Alaska in 1951 it did fly. This is how it happened.



Two years ago a pair of over-snow vehicles was provided to the Juneau Icefield Research Project by the Army for test on sub-arctic ice surfaces. We hoped that their use would greatly facilitate our program by aiding us to reach outlaying camps, for the transport of heavy equipment, etc. In planning remote-area expeditions, one of the most serious problems always is the delivery of food and equipment for the scientific work anticipated and for reducing the many time-consuming house-keeping details of live on an "Icecap." We were extremely fortunate in that the U.S. Air Force's Tenth Rescue Squadron in Alaska was interested in extending its training and experimental program at the time that we started our scientific program on the Juneau Icefield. Thus we have been provided with the best of aerial support and upon this air lift the scope of our Project has been planned.

The first attempt to fly the Weasels into the Icefield was made in the summer of 1950. One of the vehicles (each one weighted 5,000 pounds) was completely dismantled in an effort to fit it into the fuselage of our supporting ski-wheeled C-47. It was a heartbreaking discover, at the end of all this specialized labor, to find that it was impossible to get the largest piece into the plane. It was TWO INCHES too long, and could not be broken down into smaller components.


'Weasel' and supply plane. Those weasels were built around 1935 for the US Army and were used at the French station of Dumont d'Urville until 1993 ! I saw the last ones being retired and sent to museums. They where dependable as hell with their 6 cyl Studabaker Engines.

And so in 1950 there were no Weasels flying to the "Icecap."

The next winter much consideration was given to the possibility of barging them to the head of the Taku Fiord and then driving them to the Icefield via the Norris or the Taku glaciers from tide water. But a veritable moat of crevasses around the edge of the area made all routes unsafe even after the heaviest snow falls. Thus this plan too had to be abandoned.



In the summer of 1951, we again attempted to fly the Weasels. Through the interest of General William Olds, Commanding General of the Alaskan Air Command, hope was revived. From the 54th Troop Carrier Squadron at Elmendorf Field came a C-82 flying boxcar. With the aid of a crew from the 925th Engineer detachment, also from Elmendorf Air Force Base, we were going to attempt to parachute these two and one-half ton vehicles to the main central camp near the center of the field. Only once before, to my knowledge, had such a drop been attempted. This was in February 1951, as an experiment at the Army Test Center at Big Delta, Alaska.

Two G-11 parachutes were attached to each Weasel. Each chute was 100 feet in diameter and the two capable of carrying 6,000 pounds, The first Weasel was shoved on rollers out of the plane, the chutes opened beautifully and glided the vehicle successfully to the ground. Immediately some of the members of the Project unleashed it, put in the battery and drove it off.



Any hour later the plane returned with the second Weasel. Again each parachute billowed out, and the huge load drifted gracefully through 1,500 feet of space to land right side up on the snow and in perfect condition. But a strong down-glacier wind had developed at the 3,700 foot level and suddenly the metal-lined pallet board with its attached mattresses all tied to the base of the Weasel to cushion its fall, became a sled. In the strong wind, neither of the chutes would collapse. The vehicle, pallet board and all, was dragged rapidly down slope toward a maze of crevasses.

It began to look as if one of our Weasels was not going to be successfully flier after all. Members of the Expedition, who were on skis, raced after the wayward vehicle. But they were unable to catch up with it. Closer it rushed toward the crevassed area, one and one-half feet every second.



Fortunately the first Weasel had been put in operation within half an hour of delivery. It was therefore quickly brought into use. Going at thirty miles and hour, it finally overtook the "sled," but not before it had been dragged more than a mile.

In the meantime, the pilots, seeing the dangerous situation, had flown low over the machine, buzzing it, and succeeding in partially collapsing the chutes with the propeller-wash of the C-82. The first Weasel was then jammed in front and thus brought it to a halt.



In the succeeding few weeks, these machines greatly aided the efficiency of our field party. Where before it had taken a party on skis a full day to reach an outlying camp, the same distance could now be covered in two to three hours by the flying Weasels.

*A member of the Juneau Icefield Research Project, sponsored by the American Geographical Society and the Office of Navel Research, which in late summer of 1951 completed its fifth season of scientific investigations on the Juneau (Alaska) Icefield.

APPALACHIA Vol. 29, No. 1 pp.120-123

Additional Sources:

207.150.192.12/temp/robert71
studebaker100.com
mccullyweb.com/icefield
ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Jeep_Man/
www.csse.monash.edu.au/~lloyd/4/Ford/GPA/ modelscale.free.fr
members.lycos.co.uk/Indochine/cefeo
www.softcom.net
www.m29cweasel.org
www.roberts.ezpublishing.com
www.studebakermuseum.org
www.gdargaud.net/Antarctica
www.freehomepages.com
history.sandiego.edu
www.eese.bee.qut.edu.au

[SAMWolf]

In 1942, the fear of German development of the atomic bomb gripped Allied strategists. Norwegian hydroelectric power plants were being used to produce heavy water for the German atomic bomb development. It was proposed that a raid be conducted against the power plants using a highly mobile, snow tractor-like vehicle. A top secret project (project "Weasel") was initiated, resulting in the highly mobile series of cargo carriers. As World War II progressed, the Norwegian power plant raid became a lesser priority and Weasel development was declassified. The potential of the light carrier was recognized and was utilized in many theaters such as Europe, Pacific and Alaska. The 10th Mountain Division used Weasels for training in Colorado as well as in Italy. The vehicle was manufactured by Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana. The early models were designated M28 while the later versions were M29 and M29C (convertible to amphibious usage).



The Weasel was originally conceived as a snow vehicle and when Studebaker received the contract in May of 1942 they immediately went to work. Utilizing a Champion 6 cylinder engine and other automotive components, the first version carried the Army designation M28. The initial reactions to the Weasel were luke warm as it had questionable handling characteristics in snow and frequently threw it’s tracks. When it was discovered however, the little vehicle could go almost anywhere, Army officials were encouraged. Studebaker set about redesigning it moving the engine from back to front and improving other design flaws. The new version, designated the M29 worked beautifully on all terrains. Used in Europe and the Pacific, the military relied heavily on the Weasel and contiued their use after the war. The last version, the M29C, was amphibious and found extensive use in the Pacific. By VJ day, over 15,000 Weasels had been built.

---

The amphibious Jeep or Seep was inspired by the much larger DUKW. More properly it is a Ford GPA (G: Government, P: 80" wheelbase, A: Amphibian), based on the standard world war II Jeep. A simple hull was wrapped around the Jeep chassis. A propeller is driven from the transfer-case power take off unit. The other "propeller" shafts to the front and rear axles are enclosed in water proof tubes, sealed by flexible gaiters to the hull and to the differentials to allow normal suspension movement. These and other modification pushed the weight up to 1600kg (3600lbs). The cockpit has more control levers than you can poke a stick at: 2WD/4WD, hi-range/ lo-range, capstan winch (on the bows), rudder and propeller.



The Seep's intended use was to ferry soldiers to and from ships off-shore, to trundle up the beach and continue inland. They were not very successful. It had been planned to build 12,000 of them (Clayton '82) but only 5,000 were produced (Carlin '89), all by Ford. It is reported that many of the Jeeps that were used in battle sank if there were any significant waves at all. Nevertheless, a highly modified amphibious Jeep called `Half-Safe' crossed the Atlantic ocean in 1950 and continued on to circle the world.

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

---

Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

---

UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



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[snippy_about_it]

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It's TreadHead Tuesday!


Good Morning Everyone

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[snippy_about_it]

Free Republic Treadhead Ping





mostly cajun ;archy; Gringo1; Matthew James; Fred Mertz; Squantos; colorado tanker; The Shrew; SLB; Darksheare; BCR #226;IDontLikeToPayTaxes; Imacatfish; Tailback; DCBryan1; Eaker; Archangelsk; gatorbait; river rat; Lee'sGhost; Dionysius; BlueLancer; Frohickey;GregB; leadpenny; skepsel; Proud Legions; King Prout; Professional Engineer; alfa6; bluelancer; Cannoneer No.4; An Old Man; hookman; DMZFrank; in the Arena; Bethbg79; neverdem; NWU Army ROTC; ma bell; MoJo2001; The Sailor; dcwusmc; dts32041; spectr17; Rockpile;Theophilus;


************Snippy, I bequeath to you the FR TH PL.

148 posted on 08/24/2004 11:39:45 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4 (I've lost turret power; I have my nods and my .50. Hooah. I will stay until relieved. White 2 out.)

Cannoneer, we miss you. :-)

[SAMWolf]

PE gives a few prospective BicycleSpankenTruppen a Foxhole tour.

[SAMWolf]

Snippy gives a whole bunch of prospective BicycleSpankenTruppen a Foxhole tour.

Good Night Snippy.

[SAMWolf]

Sam puts away Snippy and PE's toy. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

PE gives a few prospective BicycleSpankenTruppen a Foxhole tour.

Go figure. :-)

[snippy_about_it]

Snippy gives a whole bunch of prospective BicycleSpankenTruppen a Foxhole tour.

LOL. You betcha!

[snippy_about_it]

Sam puts away Snippy and PE's toy.

Party pooper!

[snippy_about_it]

Good night Sam.

[Neil E. Wright]

Send me one of EACH to use here in the desert of Arizona!!! :)

And since I live right on the Colorado River, either will be great fun on the lake also.

Since I was a sailor, I don't normally respond to "Treadhead" threads, but I WANT ONE OF EACH!!!!!! GIMMIE, GIMMIE!!! :)

Thanks for all your work on these, Sam and Snippy!

±
"The Era of Osama lasted about an hour, from the time the first plane hit the tower to the moment the General Militia of Flight 93 reported for duty."
Toward FREEDOM

[A Jovial Cad]

Good morning, SAM, snippy.

Ironically, Hitler's fears of an allied invasion of Norway--which this platform was initially developed for--kept thousands of crack Wermacht troops tied down there on garrison duty, right up to the end of the war. They weren't even recalled to Germany after D-Day, or as the Red Army closed in on Berlin.
What never ceases to amaze me is the short lead times so many of the weapons systems developed during WW II went through; from concept to drawing board to prototype to mass production was often times realized in not just weeks, but DAYS.
Amazed and proud--very proud--of this wonderful country we're all so privileged to call home, and it's noble history in the fight for freedom around the world.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[The Mayor]

October 12, 2004

Help Wanted!

Read: 2 Timothy 2:1-13

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. —Matthew 16:24

Bible In One Year: Isaiah 39-40; Colossians 4

---

Perhaps the most effective advertisement ever written appeared in a London newspaper early in the 20th century: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger. Safe return doubtful." Those were the words written by Sir Ernest Shackleton, the famous South Pole explorer.

Commenting on the overwhelming response he received, Shackleton said, "It seemed as though all the men in Great Britain were determined to accompany us."

Shackleton's words remind me of Jesus' words in Matthew 16:24, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me." The Lord was calling people to go with Him on a hazardous journey—the way of the cross. He issued that call after telling His disciples that He was going to Jerusalem to suffer and be killed.

Through the centuries, thousands have responded to Jesus' words by forsaking all to follow Him. But unlike Shackleton's expedition that came to an end, the Lord's work goes on and volunteers are still needed. He continues to call for those who will serve Him regardless of the cost.

Have you answered His call? —Richard De Haan

Never came the call more clear,
Midst the storms of hate and fear,
Jesus' love to show in this world of woe;
For His grace is ever near. —Loes

A faith that costs nothing and demands nothing is worth nothing.

[E.G.C.]

Today is Windows Update Day. Be sure to download them when they arrive.

For those planning to install XP SP 2, here is a way to create a "restore point" for your computer in case you experience problems after the install. I got this from my ISP's newsletter.

Click "Start". Then, go to "All Programs" on the pop-up. Then, "Accessories" on the sub-menu. Then to the "System Tools" sub-menu. Select "System Restore."

The "Welcome to System Restoe" windows pops up. Click "Create a Restore Point.. Then "Next".

A dialog box opens, give your restore point a name by typing it in the "Restore point description field. Click "Create".

Restore Point Created" window opens. Gives you the name of the restore point along with the date and time it was created. Click "Close".

[manna]

Present!