Can anyone shed any light on this one. In an old book entitled Great Battles of WW2 I found a very grainy photo of a knocked out half track in Normandy. It looks to have been either an M5A1 or M9A1. What made it unusual was the body height extensions, front,side and rear, which look to have come to the level of the top of the mg "pulpit". I've not seen any mention of this modification in any other book. Was this just a local field modification or a sanctioned job? Any help would be appreciated.
I have no idea what original image you refer to but I suspect this thread will help you. Allied WWII AFV Discussion Group: Odd Photo british half track
I'm guessing it's a photo of a KO'd 7 Armd Div halftrack with some infantry moving past - a Villers-Bocage relic photographed in August. I've seen at least two in the series in non-specialist books. There may be more as it was said to be a 1 Rifle Brigade vehicle near Tracy Bocage in one caption I've seen. The side extensions were for deep wading - all vehicles landing on D-Day and the immediate follow up had to be waterproofed to, I think, 6'. A similar technique of pinned plates and the joint sealed with Bostik was used on universal carriers.
