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A battle sled (battle sledge, tank sledge or armoured sledge) is a protective device dragged behind an armored vehicle that is used to carry infantry closer to the front lines of a battle zone. They were used by multiple combatants during World War II.

United States

The United States Army trialed battle sleds during the World War II Battle of Anzio. General John W. O'Daniel, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, ordered torpedoes to be cut in half for the purpose. Six torpedo halves, each carrying one prone infantryman, were then chained together into a unit, with one tank pulling two such chains. A total of 360 such sleds were manufactured and used during the Battle of Anzio.

The sleds were disliked by the infantrymen, who "felt like 'dead ducks'" in them. Their use was also impeded by rough ground and the loss of the tanks pulling the chains of sleds. O'Daniel himself viewed the combat trials as "inconclusive". Salvaged sleds were used later in the invasion of Southern France.

German battle sled

In World War II, Nazi Germany built large battle sleds that were towed behind an assault gun. These large sleds were less likely to tip over on hills. They were tested in the winter in snow and ice in Tirol, Austria. Like the US sleds, few saw combat. The sleds were towed often by the Stug III, an assault gun or a Panzer III tank. The goal was the infantry could quickly unload from the sleds and help the assault gun when needed.

Russian battle sled

In World War II, the Soviet Union used armored battle sleds in Winter War in winter battles in the Karelian Isthmus against Finland. The sleds were smaller with one line of infantry behind an armored plate towed by a tank. The armored sleds carrying infantrymen helped to resolve the problem of deep snow slowing down the foot soldiers.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom tested armoured sledges, but did not use them in battle for troops. A Churchill tank was used to tow an experimental armored sled in the test. The AVRE trailers test was done by the Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers. United Kingdom battle sleds were used to move battle stores and ammunition. Centaur tanks and M7 Priest were used to tow the ammunition porpoise sledge at the Normandy landings on Juno Beach. The porpoise sledge had a low profile and was stored under the tanks on the landing crafts. The porpoise sledge has water tight storage bays for the ammunition.

See also

• Hobart's Funnies
• NKL-26
• Aerosledge

References

1. ^ Mayo, Lida (1968). "Chapter 12: Rome and "The Forgotten Front"". The Ordnance Department: On Beachhead and Battlefront. Center of Military History, United States Army. pp. 209–218.
2. "Photo: German battle sled towed by Stug III in Tirol, Austria".
3. Irincheev 2013, pp. 90–92.
4. "Eastern Command Excercise [sic]". Imperial War Museums.
5. The Invasion of Hitler's Third Reich, by Patrick Delaforce, 2017
6. "THE ARTILLERY THAT WASN'T". www.keymilitary.com. January 31, 2019.
7. "Photo of porpoise sledge being load on to a LCT".
8. The Funnies: The 79th Armoured Division and Its Specialised Equipment by Geoffrey W. Futter, page 64–65

Sources

• Irincheev, Bair (2013). Танки в Зимней войне [Tanks in the Winter War] (in Russian). Moscow: Taktikal Press. ISBN 978-5-906074-08-9.

v t e Tanks
General	Armoured warfare Dummy tank History of the tank Hull-down Tank Tank classification Tank desant Tank gun Tanks in World War I Interwar Tanks in World War II Tanks in the Cold War
Of Argentina	Nahuel TAM
Of Croatia, and former Yugoslavia	M-84 M-95 Degman
Of China	Type 59 Type 62 Type 63 Type 69/79 Type 88 tank (China) Type 96 Type 99 tank
Of France	Renault FT-17 Schneider CA1 St Chamond (tank) Char 2C Char B1 Char D1 Char D2 Char G1 Somua S35 AMR 33 AMR 35 FCM 36 Hotchkiss H35 Renault R35 Renault R40 AMC 34 AMC 35 ARL 44 AMX-13 AMX-30 AMX-50 Leclerc
Of Germany	A7V Panzer I Panzer II Panzer III Panzer IV Panther tank Spähpanzer SP I.C. Tiger I Tiger II Leopard 1 Leopard 2
Of India	Arjun MBT Tank EX Vijayanta
Of Iran	T-72Z Safir-74 Zulfiqar (tank)
Of Israel	M50 Super Sherman Magach Merkava Sabra (tank) Sho't
Of Italy	Fiat 2000 Fiat 3000 L3/35 Fiat L6/40 Fiat M11/39 Fiat M13/40 Fiat M14/41 M15/42 tank P40 tank Ariete
Of Japan	Type 87 Chi-I Type 89 Chi-Ro Type 94 Te-Ke Type 97 Te-Ke Type 95 Ha-Go Type 98 Ke-Ni Type 2 Ke-To Type 4 Ke-Nu Type 97 Chi-Ha Type 97 ShinHoTo Chi-Ha Type 2 Ho-I Type 1 Chi-He Type 3 Chi-Nu Type 4 Chi-To Type 5 Chi-Ri Short Barrel 120 mm gun Type 95 heavy O-I super-heavy Type 61 Type 74 Type 90 Type 10
Of Poland	TKS 7TP 10TP 20/25TP PT-91 Twardy
Of Romania	TR-77 TM-800 TR-85 TR-125
Of Russia, and former Soviet Republics	Mendeleev tank Vezdekhod Tsar tank BT T-24 T-26 T-27 T-28 T-34 T-35 T-37 T-38 T-40 T-50 T-60 T-70 Kliment Voroshilov IS family T-54/T-55 T-62 T-64 T-72 T-80 T-84 T-90
Of Spain	Verdeja Lince (tank) AMX-30E Leopard 2E AAC-1937
Of the United Kingdom	Mark I Vickers A1E1 Independent Vickers Medium Mark I Vickers Medium Mark II Vickers 6-Ton Light tanks of the United Kingdom Light Tank Mk VI Light Tank Mk VII Tetrarch Cruiser Mk I Cruiser Mk II Cruiser Mk III Cruiser Mk IV Covenanter Crusader Cavalier Cromwell Cruiser Mk VIII Challenger Comet Sherman Firefly Matilda I Matilda II Valentine Churchill Centurion Chieftain Conqueror Vickers MBT Challenger 1 Challenger 2
Of the United States	Holt gas–electric M2 light M3 Stuart M22 Locust M24 Chaffee Marmon-Herrington CTLS M2 medium M3 Lee M4 Sherman M26 Pershing M46 Patton M47 Patton M48 Patton M60 M41 Walker Bulldog M103 M551 Sheridan M1 Abrams Mobile Protected Firepower
Rheinmetall 120 mm gun Arena Active Protection System

• Tanks
• Armoured warfare
• M4 Sherman tanks
• Italian campaign (World War II)