Amtrac LVT

Click the thumbnails to enlarge them

28th Marines and LVT Buffalo Amtracs on Iwo Jima

30th ID LVT M25 Dragon Wagon 458th Ordnance Evacuating Battalion Roermond Holland

30th Infantry Division LVT Buffalo Amtracs February 1945 roer crossing

5th Dorsetshire Regiment crossing the Rhine 1945

708th amphibious tank battalion crew in their 37mm LVT buffalo amtrac

708th amphibious tank battalion crew in their 37mm LVT Amtrac

79th Armoured Division

79th Armoured Division Arnhem 1945 2

7th ID LVT-4 on Okinawa

7th Infantry Division LVT-1 Alligator on Attu Holtz Bay Aleutians may1943

81st Division Troops and LVTs Landing on Mogmog Beach Ulithi

88th Infantry Division LVT Buffalo and Troops Cross Po River Ostiglia Italy 24apr45

88th Infantry Division LVT Buffalo and Troops Cross Po River Ostiglia Italy apr45

95th Infantry Division LVT and 2 1/2 Ton Trucks Saarlautern 2dec1945

Amphibious tanks head for the shore Peleliu

Amphibious tractor on beach to pick up supplies for men on the lines Peleliu

Amphibious tractors go to work on the caves Peleliu

Amphibious tractors moving around death point on Peleliu

AMTRACS Head to Angaur Beach

An amphibious tank shortly after it hit the beach on Peleliu

Australian 7th ID in LVT during the invasion of Penajam Balikpapan 5 July 1945

British LVT Fantail Amtrac Perugia Italy

British LVT Fantail Amtracs Perugia Italy 1945

British LVT Fantail Command Amtrac Perugia Italy

British variant of LVT Buffalo fantail at Perugia Italy 1945

Buffalo during the Rhine crossing

Crew on amphibious tractor 3 March1944

Crew on amphibious tractors 3 March1944

Damaged LVT-1 Amtraks Mt Rainier Ordnance Depot Fort Lewis 1944

DUKW and LVT Amtrac in LST USS Maffin Bay New Guinea 26July 1944

Infantry Enters Water Buffalo Ramp Tank LVT

Interior of British LVT Fantail Amtrac Perugia Italy 1945

Interior of British LVT Fantail Command Amtrac Perugia Italy 1945

Jeep Entering A Water Buffalo LVT-2

long row of LVTs with crews

LVT 3rd Armored Amphib Tank Commander 1944

LVT amphibious carry british troops across flood Rhine Nijmegen

LVT Amphibious in Field

LVT Amtrac Pulls Jeep Ashore at Saipan June 1944

LVT AMTRAC SHOT UP by JAPANESE 75mm GUN 1944 Saipan

LVT and tanks after they left their LSTs about dawn Peleliu September 1944

LVT and tanks landing the first day Saipan

LVT banks of the Elbe 1945

LVT bridge Saipan

LVT Buffalo Amtrac by Windmill along Rhine River March 45 9th army

LVT Buffalo and Natives Palau Islands 1944

LVT Buffalo Heading to Tinian Beach 24jul44

LVT head out to sea

LVT heads in for the beach June 1944

LVT is shown descending a 35 degree bank 9th US Army ETO 8 November 1944

LVT Lady Luck Peleliu

LVT on maneuvers Guadalcanal 3 March 1944

LVT Tarawa

LVT underway

LVT Water Buffalo

LVT-1

LVT-1 Alligator at Camp Lejeune 43

LVT-1 Alligator on trials at Inverary in Scotland 20 November 1942

LVT-1 Amtracs on Deck of Cargo Ship

LVT-1 Storage Park Tidworth England Prior to D-Day

LVT-2

LVT-2 5th Royal Tank Regiment during the Rhine crossing 1945

LVT-2 and DUKW with rockets Guadalcanal

LVT-2 Morotai 1944

LVT-2 pulls away from LCM with rations headed for the frontlines Saipan

LVT-2 Water Buffalo

LVT-2 Water Buffalo Amphibious Vehicle

LVT-4 79th Armoured Division Arnhem 1945

LVT-4 79th Armoured Division May 1945

LVT-4 9th ARMY COMBAT ENGINEERS

LVT-4 across the River Po 26 April 1945

LVT-4 Amphibious tractor uses flame weapon on Peleliu

LVT-4 amphibious tractor with flamethrower

LVT-4 carrying 105mm howitzer and 55 sandbags

LVT-4 Doodlebug Italy 1945

LVT-4 fighting on Peleliu

LVT-4 Lake Comacchio 11 April 1945

LVT-4 land on the beach Okinawa

LVT-4 loaded with supplies removed from an LSVP heads for the beach of Okinawa

LVT-4 of 4th Royal Tank Regiment crossing of the Rhine 24 March 1945

LVT(A)-1 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion going up hill

LVT(A)-1 Amtrak Tank Water Buffalo

LVT(A)-1 in water

LVT(A)-1 on beach

LVT(A)-1 on steep hillside

LVT(A)-1 Water Buffalo Speeding over Sand Dunes

LVT(A)-4 Buffalo with 75mm 1944

LVT(A)-4 Iwo Jima

LVT(A)-4 Okinawa

LVT(A)-4 tractor is lowered over the side of USS Hansford Iwo Jima

LVTs and a jeep victims of Japanese mortar fire on the Iwo Jima beachhead

LVTs at beach maning machine guns

LVTs coming down hillside

Marine Amtracs struck by Japanese mortar fire on Iwo Jima

Marine Corps LVT-1 tractors on the dock at Wellington New Zealand 1942

Marine LVT (A)-4 75mm Armed Buffalo Amtrac Knocked Out on Saipan

Marine LVT Company Landing Troops on Beach at Iheya Island

Marine LVT Knocked Out at Yontan Airfield Okinawa

Marine LVT PTO

Marine LVT-1 Head to Guadalcanal Shore USS PRESIDENT HAYES Background

Marine LVT-2 Amtrak Testing Amphibious Cargo Trailer

Marines carry a wounded comrade to an evacuation point on Iwo Jima beachhead

Marines demount from an LVT-2 at the Invasion beach at Tinian

Marines down low in Alligator waiting to hit the beach

Marines in LVTs Pursue Retreating Japanese on Guadalcanal

Marines LVTs on beach of Emirau 19444

Marines moving along the beach while an amphibious tractor covers them on Peleliu

Marines of the 1st Div pinned down mortar fire on Peleliu

Marines sit by amphibious tractor on beach September 1944 Peleliu

Marines with their flame-throwing amphibious tractor Peleliu

Mass Of Marine LVTs PTO

Men of 7th Infantry Division head for the beaches of Okinawa in LVT-4

Mud Covered LVT Buffalo Amtracs Off Load Supplies Leyte 15dec44

Quickly disembarking from tractor attacking inland 10 March 1944

Smashed by a direct hit from Jap shore batteries at Saipan an Army amtrac is sinking

Tractors going ashore Peleliu 15 September 1944

Transferring from Higgins Boats to amphibious tractors Guadalcanal 10 March 1944

Troops of 96th Division pause at the pass leading to Chatan village Okinawa

US Army Engineers Testing Alligator LVT in Germany

US LVT(A)-4 Amphibious Armoured Tractors PTO

Walcheren Island

Wounded Marine receives treatment aboard an LVT at Peleliu 1944

Wounded when Japanese fire made a direct hit on an AMTRAC Iwo Jima on D-Day

The Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT), often referred to as an amphibious tractor or AMTRAC, was a vital military vehicle designed to operate effectively both on water and on land. Its origins can be traced back to the work of Donald Roebling, a Florida-based engineer, who in 1933 developed a tractor for rescue and supply operations in the Everglades. The U.S. Marine Corps recognized the potential of this design for amphibious warfare, and by 1940, had begun development with Borg-Warner Corporation on a similar design, leading to what became the LVT.

The LVT-1 was the first production model, initially designed primarily for logistical supply. It was based on Roebling’s original design and was used to carry supplies over swamps and water, and later from ship to shore. Its hull was divided into a crew compartment in the front and a cargo compartment at the rear, with a capacity of 4,500 pounds of cargo or 24 equipped troops. The propulsion on water and land was achieved through its track system, featuring large, curved grousers that provided traction in soft terrain and acted as paddles in water. The LVT-1 first saw combat in August 1942 in Guadalcanal, used for carrying supplies rather than direct assault.

Building upon the LVT-1, the LVT-2, nicknamed the “Water Buffalo,” introduced significant improvements, including a more robust track and suspension system and an engine relocated to the rear, which enhanced its reliability and performance. The LVT-2 also featured “W-shaped” grousers which improved its movement through water and soft ground. The LVT-2 could carry twenty-four troops or 6,500 pounds of cargo. It was considered a major step forward in design and was widely used.

A pivotal moment for the LVT came during the Tarawa landings in November 1943. Here, LVTs, including the LVT-1s and LVT-2s, were used for the first time in assault landings to carry Marines over the shallow reef and directly onto the beach, circumventing the obstacles that had previously hampered conventional landing craft. Despite heavy casualties and significant losses, the LVTs proved invaluable in this operation, demonstrating their critical role in overcoming beach defenses and bringing troops and supplies ashore. This success solidified their importance for future amphibious operations.

Further developments led to the LVT-3 “Bushmaster” and the LVT-4. The LVT-3 featured a redesigned power train with engines located in side sponsons, which provided a larger, unobstructed cargo compartment accessed by a rear ramp. This allowed for easier loading and unloading of troops and equipment. The LVT-4 adopted the rear ramp design of the LVT-3 but retained the LVT-2’s front-mounted engine, making it exceptionally versatile for transporting artillery, vehicles, and troops directly onto the beach. The LVT-4 became the most produced LVT variant.

To provide fire support for landing troops, specialized armored versions known as LVT(A) models were developed. The LVT(A)-1 was equipped with an M5 Light Tank turret mounting a 37mm gun and .30 caliber machine gun. The LVT(A)-4 replaced the 37mm gun with a 75mm howitzer in an M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage turret, significantly increasing its firepower against enemy positions. These armored variants provided crucial close support during assaults.

LVTs were extensively used in major campaigns across the Pacific, including Kwajaielein, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, where their ability to traverse reefs and soft volcanic ash proved essential for successful landings. They also saw service in the European theater, particularly for river crossings and operations in swampy conditions in countries like Holland and Germany. Post-World War II, the LVT, particularly modernized versions like the LVT-3C, continued to be used by the Marines in the Korean War.