Holt Tractor ‘Tank’ Didn’t Work

Holt Tractor ‘Tank’ Didn’t Work During the tumultuous years of WWI, U.S. military officials were tasked with developing an armored vehicle to counter trench warfare. Shielded weaponry was necessary to combat the heavy artillery and machine guns that were taking a heavy human toll in the trenches. Modern-day “tanks” hadn’t been invented yet, so engineers built a heavy metal cabinet around the engine and operator’s platform of a tracked tractor made by Holt Manufacturing. Their prototype looked invincible, but field performance tests proved otherwise. Installing a large cab made of 15 mm heavy-duty armor, along with a bulky forward-mounted cannon and two machine guns, created a brutish 25-ton tracked weapon. The designers and builders soon learned the prototype was immobile and underpowered. Not surprising, considering it had just a 60-hp 4-cyl. gasoline engine powering two General Electric motors that drove each track. The tank crept along at just 6 mph on flat ground. When it encountered a slight incline, the engine sputtered, and the tank ground to a halt. Knowing the crew of six inside were sitting ducks, the engineers redesigned it with a stronger engine and a much lighter electric-powered cannon. It was a workable model, but the rig wasn’t put into production because a truce between the warring countries ended the war. The pseudo tank did make a very public appearance during the closing scenes of a miniseries produced by William Randolph Hearst in 1917. U.S. troops marched ahead of the twin-turreted tractor tank. It appeared far more menacing than functional. Although the tractor-to-tank conversion wasn’t successful, the effort did lay the groundwork for modern-day armaments, including the M1 Abrams, a 68-ton battle tank powered by a 1,500-hp engine.

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