US M29 ''Weasel'' Tracked Vehicle

By Crusader1307

The Studebaker Company built M-29 ‘’Weasel’’, was a World War II Armed Tracked Vehicle, designed to operations in cold weather (snow) conditions. First envisioned in 1942, The ‘’Weasel’’ was to be used for Specialized Commando Units to be assigned to operations behind Enemy Lines in Norway. Very successful in those operations, a version was adapted for use by The US Marine Corps for operations on Okinawa (South Pacific) and a tropical munitions transport. Weighing 3,800-pounds, The M-29 was 10-feet long and 5-feet in width. The “Weasel” was 4-feet high. Powered by a Model 6-170 6-cylinder Engine, the tracked vehicle could achieve 36-miles per hour. The Vehicle could transport (8) Soldiers, Munitions and related supplies. They supported a wide variety of tracked mounted Machine Gun packages. The US Army used The ‘’Weasel” until 1958, with France maintaining their versions as Mountain Rescue Units until 1970.