Studebaker Produces the "Weasel"
Page 31
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
An Interesting Type of Carrier First Developed for Arctic Reconnaissance or Commando Raids DETAILS. of an interesting type of track-laying war vehicle have been announced by the Studebaker Corporation of America and the U.S. War Department; actually it has been in production for nearly two years.
It was designed by the -Ordnance Department, Army Service Forces, in collaboration with Studebaker engineers, and is claimed to be suitable for use equally for Arctic reconnaissance or Commando raids. It can be operated over a great variety of terrain under conditions which would prove a barrier to the majority of •other types of vehicle.
As will be seen from the illustration of the new machine, for which we are indebted to '' Automobile Topics," the " Weasel " is a type of vehicle which is known as a carrier. It is low-slung and square-faced. In some respects it resembles our Bren-gun carrier, but the track equipment appears to be more like that utilized on the Churchill Tank, for whereas the British type of carrier has large idler wheels within the tracks, the " Weasel " has seven small ones at each side, in addition to the driving and idler sprockets.
The tracks themselves are, incidentally, wide, much more so than in the Bran carrier, and they extend the full length of the body. They are padded with rubber and it is claimed that the pressure exerted on the ground per corresponding unit area, is equal to a quarter of that of a fully equipped soldier.
Powered by a standard six-cyllndered Studebaker Champion engine, it can travel at high speeds, whilst its rubber pads greatly reduce noise from the tracks, Thus, in this respect particularly, it seems to be an improvement upon the British-built model.