35-026 U.S. TANK RECOVERY VEHICLE M32B1

The M32 was an American, tracked technical support and evacuation vehicle from the Second World War. The first prototypes of the car were built in 1943, and serial production was carried out in 1943-1945. The car remained in the line with the US armed forces until 1953. More than 1,500 vehicles of this type were created in the course of production. The car was powered by various drive units, e.g. Continental R-975 or General Motors 6046 engine. The total length of the wagon was 5.9 meters with a width of 2.7 meters. The armament consisted of an 81 mm mortar and two 7.62 and 12.7 mm machine guns. The beginnings of work on the M32 date back to 1942 and assumed the creation of an Armored Recovery Vehicle, which was used on the battlefield. Ultimately, the M32 was based on the M4 Sherman medium tank and used many of its elements, such as the chassis, suspension or the hull. Such a procedure shortened the time of research and development, accelerated production, but also allowed the use of the same spare parts. Several development versions of this tank were created in the course of production, including: M32B1 (the basic version of the vehicle, based on the M4A1 tank), M32B3 (version based on the M4A3 tank) or the M32A1B1 (vehicle with HVSS suspension). The M32 vehicles were used in combat on many fronts of World War II, for example in the Italian campaign (1943-1945) or during the fighting in Normandy and France (1944). The US Army also used them during the Korean War (1950-1953).