Norwegian Truge (from a great idea by deLanglade ):
Inspiration for the model:
Backstory:
In 1938, the Norwegian government realized it was woefully unprepared if any real conflict erupted in Europe. Being a very poor nation at the time, a public appeal went out for donations in materials, time, and money to strengthen the countries defences. Word of this soon reached the Norwegian Diaspora worldwide, and various fraternal organizations began to contribute to the effort.
The Norwegian Army processed only a few armoured cars, and a single tank. Even though more tanks were desired, they were very expensive and funds were deemed better suited spent elsewhere. However, in late 1938, a group of Norwegian American discovered that large numbers of tanks had been mothballed by the US Army since the beginning of the Great Depression. They contacted the War Department with the hopes of having some of them declared surplus and available for purchase. Long story short, the War Department agreed to sell twenty M1917 6-Ton tanks to the Norwegian government as "Scrapped Machinery," at a price of $200 each. As such, the weapons were removed, as were the engines. Additionally, three redundant M2A3 (Mae West) turrets were purchased in order to facilitate three ‘command’ vehicles. The hulls and turrets were delivered to the Diamond Iron Works in Minneapolis, where they were refitted as much as possible and made ready for sale. The work was done on a short budget, and a lot of ingenuity was shown in the work. Originally equipped with a 4 cylinder, 40HP Buda engine, the tanks were repowered with 85hp V-8 Ford engines pulled from scrapyards and wreckers across the Midwest. Gun mounts were modified to accept the standard M29 Browning machine gun, which were in Norwegian service at the time. Funds accumulated from donations were enough to purchase three commercial Browning .50 HB machine guns from Colt, which were installed in the M2A3 turrets and attached to the "best-of-the-best" machines.
Six machines were given a much more radical set of modifications. New girder sections were created that moved the track frame assemblies out from the hull by approximately 14 inches on each side. Then, in a practice that was by that time somewhat common in the northern US and Canada, 36" long cleats of white oak were bolted to the track links to create an extra-wide track. The cleats, 2" thick by 6" wide, featured sharpened pointed bolt heads to give grip on icy surfaces. With these extra wide tracks, the ground pressure of the machines was reduced to 2.5psi - barely a third of the machines original pressure. This, along with the increased power of the Ford engine, meant that the already nimble M1917 was able to cross over deep snow and soft, marshy terrain with near impunity. It was christened the M1939, but was quickly given the moniker of Truge (snowshoe).
The twenty M1917's were delivered to Norway in February of 1939. Once unloaded, the entire contingent formed an impromptu parade and drove from the dockyards through downtown Oslo to the Royal Palace, where they were inspected by King Haakon VII personally. They remained at the palace in Oslo for three days, where they became an instant attraction for the local residents. It is generally accepted that it was the King himself who said that the three command variants should be named ‘Odin’, ‘Thor’, and ‘Loki’ respectively. While well received by the public, the army was less certain of the usefulness of the machines. One main problem is they just didn't know what to do with the things in the presumably defensive battles that war would bring. The parade through Oslo assured that they were not in any way a military secret, which in some ways worked out for the best. The German Ambassador was unimpressed, stating that a "pack of slow, worn-out tractors is no concern of ours," while the Military Attaché said that the M1917's were "quite impressive, as scrap iron goes."
Soon, the Norwegian Army transferred the machines to various bases throughout the country and began to develop their tank doctrine. Immediately, it was found that the regular M1917 tanks - rechristened the M39 in Norwegian service - were fairly capable machines on snow covered roads, but rapidly became stuck if the snow became more than 1m deep. The six tanks equipped with the wide track extensions - the Truge - were something else, altogether. While slow, they were able to traverse any depth of snow encountered. The wide tracks gave them exceptional stability on slopes, and the combination of traction and flotation allowed them to climb ski slopes and pack trails for skiers. Indeed, though the winter and spring of 1939, a tactic was developed of using the Truge as armoured snow tractors. One Truge could tow a field cannon and limber (the wheels replaced on the artillery replaced with skis), up to three sledges for supplies, or an entire squad of rifleman on skis as they clung to ropes behind the machine. By spring thaw, some interesting notions of rapid deployment of ski troops supported by the Truge were in the works. Indeed, during the summer an additional six machines were converted to the Truge configuration.
Operationally the new Panserbatalijonen (Armoured Battalion) was deployed in three Stridsvogneskadronen (Armoured Squadrons), each of two troops of three tanks with the lead tank of the first troop being one of the 0.5"-armed command tanks - two 0.3"-armed M1939s were held by the training school. The 2nd and 3rd Squadrons were fully converted to the Truge variant.
When Germany inevitably invaded, Norway's new armoured force was still in its infancy but met the challenge head on. Tank for tank, the M1939s were never going to be a match for the German's panzers and with little in the way of tactical doctrine and/or operational experience it was only a matter of time until they were overwhelmed. Nevertheless, the M1939s, and the Truge variants in particular, performed well in their intended infantry support and artillery tractor roles. The only documented tank on tank success occurred when 1st Troop of the 2nd Squadron ambushed a German supply column heading out of Lillehammer. Thor engaged a Panzer II from close-range and penetrated its side armour causing an internal fire and explosion that destroyed the vehicle. This photograph was taken two months later after the snows had melted.
The model depicts ‘Loki’ the command vehicle of the 3rd Stridsvogneskadronen (Armoured Squadron) of the Panserbatalijonen (Armoured Battalion) as she was when discovered in a farmer’s barn in the high meadows of the hinterlands of Narvik in 1951. She now resides in the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum in Oslo.
The model is adapted from the excellent Meng FT-17 kit, some plastic card and tubing.
Alternative ending: The model depicts the 2nd vehicle of the 3rd Stridsvogneskadronen (Armoured Squadron) of the Panserbatalijonen (Armoured Battalion) as she was when discovered in a farmer’s barn in the high meadows of the hinterlands of Narvik in 1951. She now resides in the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum in Oslo.
