Provides an in-depth look at the history and variants of the WW II US personnel carrier. Includes full color profiles, B&W line art, technical data, dozens of full color photos, and B&W photos.

As armoured warfare tactics matured, mechanised infantry became a key ingredient in what is now called 'combined arms' doctrine. For the US Army of World War 2, the most important technical aspect of infantry mechanisation was the development of the M3 half-track personnel carrier. Steven Zaloga guides the reader through the early 1930s development of the half-track, its first deployment in action in the Philippines in 1941 and its varied and vital role in international deployments since World War 2. This authoritative text also examines the operators of half-tracks and the troops that they carried.

Featuring over a thousand photos from the National Archives, diagrams, and detailed specifications, Hunnicutt's Half-Track remains the definitive development history of half-track vehicles for the military historian, professional soldier, and tank restorer. In this ambitious work, Hunnicutt details the developmental history of half-tracks, examining its modifications and effectiveness. Products of a pre-war development program, half-track vehicles served in all theaters of operation from the first to the final days of WWII, and many models remained active long after the Korean War. The armored half-track was one of few vehicles available to equip the new divisions being formed just prior to WWII. Part I traces the early development beginning with the slow half-track of WWI to the faster vehicles developed after the evaluation of the French Citroen-Kegresse P17 in 1931. These vehicles were unarmored half-track cars and trucks intended for use as prime movers and reconnaissance vehicles. In 1938, the half-track suspension was installed on the M2A1 scout car, and the converted vehicle became the half-track personnel carrier T7. This was the first armored half-track, but tests showed that it was underpowered. Based upon the experience with the T7, a new vehicle was designed in 1939 and designated as the half-track scout car T14. Using the half-track suspension from the T7 and a more powerful engine, it became the prototype for all of the half-tracks produced during WWII. In Part II, the development and production of half-tracks during WWII is described showing the many roles for which it was adapted. In addition to the original armored scout car, the basic chassis was adapted as a personnel carrier, mortar carrier, tank destroyer, self-propelled artillery, and other specialized applications. Some of these vehicles were temporary expedients, but others were so successful that they remained in use until long after WWII. Part III briefly describes some half-track operations during WWII and Korea. However, it is not intended to be an operational history, but to illustrate the effectiveness of the half-track in active service. The characteristics of the various half-track vehicles and the weapons with which some of them were armed are tabulated in the data sheets in Part IV. Richard Pearce Hunnicutt (1926-2011) enlisted in the 7th Infantry Division in 1944 and in 1945 was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions. After WWII, Hunnicutt earned a Masters in engineering from Stanford University under the GI Bill. In addition to being one of the most respected metallurgists in California, Hunnicutt wrote the definitive 10-volume history of the development and employment of American armored vehicles. As a tank historian and leading expert in the field, Hunnicutt was one of the founders of the US Army Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD and was a close friend and frequent contributor to the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, KY. Readers interested in related titles from R. P. Hunnicutt will also want to see: Abrams (ISBN: 9781626542556), Armored Car (ISBN: 9781626541559), Bradley (ISBN: 9781626542525), Patton (ISBN: 9781626548794), Pershing (ISBN: 9781626541672), Sheridan (ISBN: 9781626541542), Sherman (ISBN: 9781626548619), Stuart (History of the American Light Tank, Vol. 1) (ISBN: 9781626548626), Firepower (ISBN: 9781635615036).

A history of these versatile vehicles, with photos and useful information for modelers. Among the most successful armored vehicles produced by American industry—known as the Arsenal of Democracy—during the Second World War were the M2 and M3 half-tracks. They served on every battlefront and were as recognizable as other famous American wartime vehicles like the Sherman and the Jeep, and around 40,000 were produced between 1941 and 1945. They were easy to assemble, operate and maintain, and their versatility allowed them to fulfill a variety of purposes. This volume traces the design, development, and manufacturing history of the M2/M3 and describes its operational role within the Allied armies. A selection of archive photographs showing the M2/M3 in action gives a graphic impression of how adaptable these vehicles were and records the range of equipment they could carry. The book is also an excellent source for the modeler, providing details of available kits, together with specially commissioned color profiles demonstrating how the M2/M3 used by different units and armies appeared.

Little has been published on US armored infantry units and tactics over the years. However, their contribution to the war effort was hugely important. There were a total of 57 armored infantry battalions and two regiments that served throughout the war and in all theaters. Equipped with halftracks, they fought as part of combined arms teams and combat commands alongside tanks, tank destroyers and artillery battalions. Significantly, they were not simply standard infantry battalions provided with halftracks. Their company and platoon organization was very different from the standard infantry unit and these highly mobile, heavily armed battalions fought in an entirely different manner. Using period training manuals and combat reports this book provides an exclusive look at the unique tactics developed by US armored infantry units including movement formations and battle drills.

Developed from celebrated Harvard statistics lectures, Introduction to Probability provides essential language and tools for understanding statistics, randomness, and uncertainty. The book explores a wide variety of applications and examples, ranging from coincidences and paradoxes to Google PageRank and Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). Additional application areas explored include genetics, medicine, computer science, and information theory. The print book version includes a code that provides free access to an eBook version. The authors present the material in an accessible style and motivate concepts using real-world examples. Throughout, they use stories to uncover connections between the fundamental distributions in statistics and conditioning to reduce complicated problems to manageable pieces. The book includes many intuitive explanations, diagrams, and practice problems. Each chapter ends with a section showing how to perform relevant simulations and calculations in R, a free statistical software environment.