LVT (Family)

Description

LVT stands for Landing Vehicle, Tracked, which were used to land infantry on amphibious assaults further than regular landing craft.

In-game most LVTs have an (A) in their name, which stands for "armoured".

Vehicles

Rank I

• LVT(A)(1) - LVT-2 with a Light tank M3 turret & two .33 cal MG's in the back
• LVT(A)(4) - LVT-2 with a Motor Howitzer Carriage M8 turret

Rank II

• LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) - Captured, refitted with a ZiS-2 (57 mm)
• LVT(A)(4) (ZiS-2) (China) - Captured, refitted with a ZiS-2 (57 mm)

Variants

LVT-2 Water Buffalo

The LVT-2 was an improved version of the LVT-1, designed to have better mobility - both on land and on water. It received the powertrain from the M3A1 Stuart light tank which was moved to the rear of the vehicle, and it also received bolted-on aluminum track grousers, which would allow for easier maintenance; the earlier track grousers were easily worn out by sea water corrosion and rough terrain. It retained the 24 passenger capacity, and it had a cargo capacity of 5,950 pounds. The driver's compartment was revised. The armament consisted of two .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2HB machine guns mounted over the rear of the driver's compartment, and two .30 cal (7.62 mm) M1919A4 machine guns at the rear of the vehicle. The M1919A4 machine guns were later replaced with M2 .50 cal machine guns. British LVT-2 vehicles were often armed with Polsten cannons and sometimes with "Wasp" flamethrowers.

LVT(A)-1 (1942)

Early on it became clear that the LVTs that were in production - which were usually armed with only machine guns - did not have the firepower necessary to support the infantry, especially when facing enemy pillboxes, bunkers, and other entrenched positions used by the Japanese Army. In order to solve this problem, a fire support vehicle based on the LVT-2 was designed. It had a turret that was very similar to the turret of the M3 Stuart light tank. Before the introduction of the better armed LVT(A)-4 in 1944, 510 LVT(A)-1 were built by the Food Machinery Corporation.

LVT(A)-2 Buffalo II (1943)

This was an up-armored version of the LVT-2. It featured 0.4 in (10.16 mm) armor plates added to the inside of the main compartment, sideskirts, and front, and there were .5 in (12.7 mm) armor plates fitted to the cab. The fuel tanks were replaced with self-sealing fuel tanks. The additional armor increased the weight of the vehicle significantly, and it had an empty weight of 2400 pounds, and so the cargo capacity was reduced by 1400 pounds; the passenger capacity was also reduced to 18. By 1944, shields were added to the gunners' positions at the front of the vehicle, which were usually equipped with .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns. 450 LVT-2(A) vehicles were built. Note: Unlike other LVT variants with an (A) in the designation, the LVT-2(A) was not equipped with a tank turret.

LVT-4 Water Buffalo (1943)

LVT-4(F) Sea Serpent

This was a version of the LVT-4 that was equipped with "Wasp" flamethrowers in British service; it saw service with the 72nd Armoured Division. They would have been used in the invasion of the Japanese mainland with the  "flame battery" of the 34th Amphibian Support Regiment, Royal Marines, but the war ended before the invasion took place.

LVT(A)-3

The LVT(A)-3 would have been the armored version of the LVT-4, but it was never produced.

Amphibian, Tracked, 4-Ton General Service (1944-1945)

This was a British vehicle based on the LVT-4, and it was called the Neptune. 2,000 were ordered and all were delivered. There were two variants of the Amphibian, Tracked, 4-Ton General Service; the Sealion was a recovery version and the Turtle was a workshop version.

LVT-3 Bushmaster (1944)

Developed by Borg Warner Corporation as the Model B in April 1943, the LVT-3 was a significant departure from the earlier LVT types. It had a hydraulically operated rear-loading ramp, which would allow materiel and personnel to be unloaded while protected from enemy fire. Two Cadillac engines (from the M5 Stuart light tank) were used, and they were located in the sponsons; they were connected by a hydramatic transmission to a final drive in the front of the vehicle. The transmission had four forward gears and one reverse gear, but on the water the transmission was limited to the first two gears.

The cargo bay could carry a jeep and an infantry company, or four tons of cargo. The crew cabin was located closer to the front of the vehicle than on other LVTs, and the armament was mounted between the cargo bay and crew compartment. The armament consisted of two .50 cal (12.7 mm) machine guns, and the gunners had to step up to operate them. The driver sat in the middle of the crew compartment, and the co-driver sat to his right. They had five bulletproof glass windows, giving a great field of view for the driver. The track links used were rubber bush types, while other LVTs had a dry pin type. Applique armor was able to be mounted on the vehicle, which limited the cargo capacity to 1.3 tons in order to compensate for the increased weight. Ingersoll and Graham-Paige built a total of 2,962 LVT-3 between 1943 and 1945.

LVT-3C (1949)

The LVT-3C was an improved version of the LVT-3. It featured an armored roof over the cargo compartment, which consisted of two hinged "doors" which could be folded open on top of the sponsons. Additional side armor was fitted, and escape hatches were added to the design. The standard armament consisted of two .30 cal (7.62 mm) machine guns fitted in turrets, and another .30 cal machine gun in a ball mount in the bow of the vehicle. The weight of the LVT-3C was 6000 pounds heavier than that of the LVT-3. 1,200 LVT-3 were converted to the LVT-3C standard at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard.