The Diamond T 980 was a heavy tank transporter

Tank transporter

A tank transporter is a specialized road vehicle for the transport of tanks, to and from the battlefield or during peacetime. They are necessary to limit the mileage of the tracked vehicles and also to reduce wear on road surfaces which can easily be damaged by such heavy vehicles...

 developed early in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Designed as a heavy prime mover for tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

 transporting, the 980 was the product of the Diamond T

Diamond T

The Diamond T was an American automobile manufactured in Chicago from 1905 until 1911 by the Diamond T Motor Car Company. It was a powerful touring car . The company later became known for its trucks...

 Company in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

. In 1940 the British Purchasing Commission

British Purchasing Commission

The British Purchasing Commission was a United Kingdom organization of the Second World War.Also known at some time as the "Anglo-French Purchasing Board", it was based in New York City, where it arranged the production and purchase of armaments from North American manufacturers.The Board was able...

, looking to equip the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 with a vehicle capable of transporting larger and heavier tanks, approached a number of American truck manufacturers to assess their models. The Diamond T Company had a long history of building rugged, military vehicles for the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps

U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps

The United States Army Quartermaster Corps is a Sustainment branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being the Transportation Corps and the Ordnance Corps....

 and had recently produced a prototype heavy vehicle for the US Army which, with a few slight modifications met British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 requirements and an initial order for 200 was very quickly filled.

The result was the 980, a 12-ton hard-cab 6x4 vehicle which proved to be one of the most successful and memorable in its class. Powered by a 895 cid Hercules DXFE OHV

Overhead valve

An overhead valve engine, also informally called pushrod engine or I-head engine, is a type of piston engine that places the camshaft within the cylinder block , and uses pushrods or rods to actuate rocker arms above the cylinder...

 inline six diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...

 developing 185 bhp with Bosch fuel injection

Fuel injection

Fuel injection is a system for admitting fuel into an internal combustion engine. It has become the primary fuel delivery system used in automotive petrol engines, having almost completely replaced carburetors in the late 1980s....

, or the 1090 cid Hall-Scott

Hall-Scott

Hall-Scott was a Berkeley, California-based manufacturing company. It was among the most significant builders of water-cooled aircraft engines prior to World War I.-1910–1921:...

 440 OHV inline-six gasoline engine (the largest gasoline engine in any WW2 military truck) of 240 bhp, and geared very low, it could pull a trailer load of up to 120000 lb (54,431.1 kg), and proved capable of the task of moving the heaviest tanks then in service.

With a single dry-plate clutch, It had a four-speed manual constant-mesh transmission plus a similar three-speed auxiliary gearbox, for a total of twelve forward and three reverse speeds, driving through Timken

Timken

Timken may refer to:* Timken, Kansas, a small town in the United States* Timken 1111, 4-8-4 steam locomotive built in 1930* Timken Company, a manufacturer of industrial parts* Timken High School, in Canton, Ohio, United States...

 double-reduction differential

Differential (mechanics)

A differential is a device, usually, but not necessarily, employing gears, capable of transmitting torque and rotation through three shafts, almost always used in one of two ways: in one way, it receives one input and provides two outputs—this is found in most automobiles—and in the other way, it...

s. Airbrake

Air brake (road vehicle)

Air brakes are used in trucks, buses, trailers, and semi-trailers. George Westinghouse first developed air brakes for use in railway service. He patented a safer air brake on March 5, 1872. Originally designed and built for use on railroad train application, air brakes remain the exclusive systems...

s were standard. The electrics were 24-volt. Top speed was 23 mph (37 km/h), and with 150 US gal (124.9 imp gal; 567.8 l) fuel, maximum range was 300 mi (482.8 km)..> Wheelbase was 179 in (4,546.6 mm), length 280 in (7,112 mm), track 74 in (1,879.6 mm), and height 100 in (2,540 mm). Steering was manual, with no power assist. The weight was 26500 lb (12,020.2 kg), with GVW

Gross vehicle weight rating

A gross vehicle weight rating is the maximum allowable total weight of a road vehicle or trailer when loaded - i.e., including the weight of the vehicle itself plus passengers, and cargo....

 of 45000 lb (20,411.7 kg)

A winch of 40000 lb (18,143.7 kg) capacity, chain drive

Chain drive

Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...

n off the top of the auxiliary transmission and intended mainly for hauling damaged tanks aboard trailers, was mounted behind the cab.

The 981 was the same chassis with open cab (no top) and cargo box. Both the 980 and 981 used a cab design similar to the 4-ton truck.

Service

Production began in 1941. The first batch of the vehicles was received in Britain in 1942 and very quickly demonstrated their rugged reliability in the British campaign in North Africa. Battle-damaged tanks needed to be quickly recovered, often under hostile fire, and returned to workshops for repair. The Diamond T, with its well trained Royal Army Service Corps

Royal Army Service Corps

The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...

 crew and powerful engine and winch, could accomplish this, even in the harshest desert conditions.

5,871 were built by 1945 and were used by virtually every Allied army in every theatre of WWII. The British Army took delivery of around 1,000 during the war years. It suffered from "very limited off-road performance" as a result of only the two rear axles being driven.

Today many of the 60 year-old Diamond T's can still be found in private ownership in Britain and frequently appear at historic vehicle shows.

U.S. nomenclature

This combination unit is referred to as the M19 tank transporter, consisting of the M20 tractor and M9 24-wheel trailer. In the nomenclature system used by the U.S Army Ordnance Corps Supply Catalog this vehicle is referred as the G159. It was superseded by the M26, which would use the same Hall Scott 440 engine. After the introduction of the M26, the U.S. relegated M20s to ammunition hauling, for which they proved "tremendous".

See also

• Scammell Pioneer Semi-trailer
  Scammell Pioneer Semi-trailer
  The Semi-Trailer Scammell Pioneer was a British vehicle that was used to recover tanks from the battlefield and transport them over rough ground during the Second World War.-History:...
  
  
• G159, "G" designation

External links

• http://www.military-museum.org.uk/diamond.htm
• http://www.autogallery.org.ru/m/diamond.htm
• Ex Army Diamond T in Wynns haulage colours