The small, amphibious landing craft known as the Landing Vehicle, Tracked, or Amtrac evolved from a civilian rescue vehicle to a ship-to-shore cargo transport, to finally an amphibious troop transport and fire support craft.  Donald Roebling's swamp rescue vehicle made the pages of Life Magazine in 1937 and caught the eye of the U.S. military, in particular the Marine Corps brass. A contract for 200 vehicles was issued in February 1940, and so began the story of constant development and modification of the amphibious transport. The vehicle's versatility increased demand to the point that manufacture was eventually shared out among FMC, Borg-Warner, Graham-Paige and the St. Louis Car Company. This volume covers in detail the development, production, and combat career of the LVT(4) which saw extensive action in the Pacific and Rhine Crossing. Illustrated with over 225 vintage photographs plus color profiles and over a dozen color renderings and detailed line drawings; 80 pages.

By David Doyle