I have recently purchased an M-5 HST to restore and am looking for the TM for it. It is TM9-786 Anyone know of where I can get one printed or pdf. Thank you. Bill
Looks like an interesting project. Does it run? Have you contacted the Patton Museum at FT Knox or the museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground? How about the MVPA?
Holy smokes!A forum member that really owns a vintage vehicle.I believe that's a first.Lucky dog!Welcome to the forum.
Isn't there a guy in California that has an extensive collection?The guy restoring a Panther.I think Littlefield is the name.Contacting him might help.
Might try this website: ropkeyarmormuseum.com They are located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. (317)295-9295 They have a very extensive collection of armor, and most is restored to running condition by staff on-site. The currator is Skip Warvel. Tim
Thanks for all the info and comments guys. I will follow all leads. The M-5 currently does not run...It does roll nicely and the band brakes work well which is a great sign. The track pads look very good. It has 322 miles on it since a 1956 rebuild by Damiler-Benz (which indicates that it may have been a combat vet). The engine in it is toast but it came with an NOS engine in cosmoline on a pallet. Complete carbs, starter, all hoses, ignition, etc. A bolt in application. Restoration will require a complete sandblasting and replacement of some rusted through panels. They are straight panels for the most part so it should not be very difficult. It will need new guages (vandalized), and all cloth seating, muffler, glass, and canvas. Not pictured is the hard top with .50 cal gun ring. I have restored many softside wheeled WWII vehicles but this is my biggest to date. It snowed yesterday at my place so any hope of restoration starting is now put off to April. Problem is...how am I going to tow this 10 ton vehicle around my yard. Stay well, Bill
I sure hope you keep us posted on your progress.Also,I'm sure we'd love to see pics of your past restorations.
While the primary focus of the forum is WW2 armor, any military vehicles are discussed and welcomed. The Daimler-Benz rebuild would indicate it was loaned to a European country through military aid. Not sure if it was a combat vet but very well could have been. I think these were mostly used for towing artillery pieces and heavy field trailers though.
Thank you for your permission to post up pictures. I will start them in another thread. The original Dataplate was removed when the Daimler plate was put on but from comparing specs this is an early M-5 (I believe 1943). The M-5A2 and M-5A4 are similar in appearance but used wider tracks. The M5-A1 and M-5A3 entered from the side instead of from the front. Supposedly the serial number of the unit was also stamped on the frame so there is hope of finding what this vehicle is. The "USA" number is clearly visible on the paint. It is 964850. It is identified as a USA Army unit and has no other nationallity ID. As I understand depot rebuilds of vehicles kept the same original USA number. You can tell that it has been repainted as the font used in applying the number is post war. It is also been sprayed in post war Semi Gloss however the original OD lusterless WWII paint is showing through in spots. Bumper markings for the tractor are 3 41F 2B 17 which, if the same as WWII, indicates assignment to 3rd Armored - 41st Field Artillery Battalion - Battery B - Vehicle 17 The M-5 series was used to tow 75mm through 155mm howitzers, some ammo, and their gun crew. David Doyles book about high speed tractors has some excellent pictures of this unit, including an M-5 in the PTO used to tow 2 M-10 Ammo trailers. It so happens that I have 2 M-10 trailers so that will be my cargo until I can find a "Long Tom" available. :lol: Thank you for your interest. Regards, Bill Wolf
Very interesting. Can you tell if there is a triangle after the 3 on the bumber numbers? The triangle denotes Armored units, in this case 3d Armored Division. If there is no triangle it could be for the 3d Infantry Division. You could look up the regiment, battalion, and battery unit numbers to see who they were assigned to. Many artillery, armored and tank destroyer units changed division assignments through out the war so you may be surprised where all this unit could have went.
You are right...my mistake. The 41st Field Artillery was attached to the 3rd Infantry Division from WWII (off and on) through the early 60's. It appears as this HST was used by them in the late 50's. It coincides with the rebuild in 1956 and the German stationing of the 41st at that time. Whether they brought it back with them when the moved back to the US or not is unknown. I will not know until next spring if there is any different lettering under the more recent identification on the HST. The lettering currently being used is not the proper font for WWII paint schemes. Bill
