Italeri 0379 LVT-4 Water Buffalo

The Amtrac tracked amphibious vehicle from the family of American floating tracked transporters used during World War II for amphibious operations. The Amtrac was developed from the chassis of the M3 tank and was initially not intended for combat use. The first "amtraks" were designed for civilian use in a swampy area in Florida. However, at the beginning of the war, when it became obvious that US troops would have to undertake amphibious operations in the Pacific islands, it became necessary to adapt the civilian design to military use. In this way, the LVT-1, -2, -3 and -4 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked) vehicles were developed with a Continental W970 gasoline engine with a capacity of 250 HP, capable of reaching speeds on land of 32 km / h and in water at 12 km / h. The LVT weighed about 11 (with a load of up to 13) tons. Range 160 km. The armament of the LVT-4 version is 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns. In later versions, 37 mm and even 75 mm cannons appeared. By the end of hostilities in the Pacific, more than 14,000 LVTs had been produced.