AC Ready for D-Day...
Printed From: Unofficial Allis
Category: Allis Chalmers
Forum Name: Construction and other equipment
Forum Description: everything else with orange (or yellow) paint
URL: https://www.allischalmers.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30787
Printed Date: 05 Aug 2025 at 5:08pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: AC Ready for D-Day...
Posted By: GBACBFan
Subject: AC Ready for D-Day...
Date Posted: 15 May 2011 at 4:05pm
Spring 1944 photo of Allis-Chalmers Co. HD10W Tractors at the Engineer Depot, Thatcham, England in preparation for the D-Day invasion, 6 June 1944.
 Small pic but you get the idea. ------------- "The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that you can never know if they are genuine." - Mark Twain |
Replies:
Posted By: DMiller
Date Posted: 15 May 2011 at 4:42pm
| Looking at the photo I am taken by the lack of consistency to the machines, the blade styles, the lift mechanisms, the variations as to sheet metal. Looking at a equipment yard today they all look much the same. |
Posted By: Tad Wicks
Date Posted: 15 May 2011 at 5:40pm
|
Great photo, I looks as though the row of tractors to the viewers left are all AC, starting with a 14 followed by 2 - 10's, or they all might be 10's, it appears as thought the front and fourth ones are bigger and the pre-cleaner arrangement is different, but I could be wrong, no blades on any of the AC's but the second on third have trunions and to the right, the first an early D7 maybe (hard to tell) with hydraulic blade and an RD8 (slidebar) next to that, with LeTourneau blades, I am not the expert by any means. By the time of D-Day 1944 I believe that AC was using more of the Garwood blades instead of the Baker, especially on the HD7. These AC tractors may have been for pulling big guns, they had a road gear that would do around 10-12 MPH and extra wide seats for personnel, so did the IH tractors of the time. My dad was in the Army Engineers in the Pacific, he said that they always kept an HD7 or 10 with all the "Cats" because they would start right up, so they could push start them in a hurry if need be. Thanks for posting Who has more fun than people on tractors; Tad |
Posted By: Coke-in-MN
Date Posted: 15 May 2011 at 7:13pm
|
All outside are dozers (now most are inside arm) with over the track lift arms or cable blades. Yes those cats with pony start could be a problem and push start was the easiest way if. Detroits seems to start as long as there is fuel in them and it's above 20 F without any help. ------------- Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something. "Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." |