K M29 WEASEL US AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE

The M29 Weasel was an American universal transport vehicle of the Second World War. The first prototypes of the vehicle were built in 1942, and serial production was carried out in 1943-1945. The M29 Weasel was powered by a single engine Studebaker 6-170 Champion with a power of 70 HP. The vehicle did not have any permanent weapons. The M29 Weasel was developed by Studebaker as commissioned by the US Army, which reported a need for a light transport vehicle capable of handling rough terrain - especially deep snow. Initially, the vehicle had the designation T19, but it was quickly changed to the M29. The development version of the M29 was the M29C model, which had amphibious capabilities by adding floats and a rudder at the rear of the vehicle hull. The M29 Weasel entered service with the US armed forces in 1942, but was not used on a massive scale until the Italian campaign (1943-1945) and the fighting in north-west Europe in 1944-1945. From November 1944, the M29 Weasel also fought in the Pacific as part of the Marine Corps. Vehicles of this type took part in the fights for Iwo-Jima and Okinawa in 1945. Other users of the M29 Weasel vehicles were also France, Canada and Great Britain.