LVT 4: A disadvantage of the original LVT 1 and 2 designs had been the rear mounted engine and central cargo space which meant that troops and stores were loaded over the side of the vehicle and that there were thus limitations on the sort of item which could be loaded. The LVT 4 was basically the LVT(A) 2 modified by having its engine moved forward and resited immediately behind the driving compartment. The transom was then replaced by a ramp operated by a hand winch. This now allowed troops and stores to be loaded through the stern of the vehicle. It could carry 30 troops (compared to 18 in the LVT 2) and light vehicles (eg, Jeep, Universal Carrier) or field guns. This type was first used at Saipan in mid-1944, and was also used in Italy and NW Europe, 1944-45. The LVT 4 was also used by the British Army, under the designation "LVT, Buffalo". In British service it was fitted with a Polsten 20mm cannon and two ·30 cal Browning MGs. In American service it carried a mount on each side for either a ·30 cal or ·50 cal machine gun. These could be seen fitted with or without gun shields. The British army, incidentally, also received a very small batch of LVT 1s (Alligators) which were used mainly for crew training.
The French Army used the U.S.-supplied LVT-4s and LVT(A)-4s in the Indochina War and in the Suez Crisis.
The British fitted their versions with 1 x 20mm Polsten cannon with 2 x 0.30 caliber Browning machine guns. British LVT4s could also deliver their diminutive "Universal Carrier" tracked armored vehicles as well as 6-pounder towed artillery pieces to the fray. As part of the British Commonwealth, Canada also saw use of the LTV series in their war time inventories - fitting a Ronson flamethrower to the forward hull.
The LVT-4(F) "Sea Serpent" was a British conversion of the LVT-4 model to accept a pair of "Wasp" flamethrowers for actions in the Far East Theater. The flamethrowers were seated on flexible mounts at the left and right forward sections of the loading area while a single machine fitting was set in a semi-armored rounded "tub" at the stern. Like all other LVT developments, the gunnery crew and passengers were in the open-topped portion of the vehicle loading area but the LVT-4(F) was nary used by the British Army before the war ended in August of 1945. The British also based their "Amphibian, tracked, 4-Ton GS Neptune" model on the LVT-4 though little production ensued. Similar designs included the "Sealion" amphibious recovery vehicle and the "Turtle", a mobile workshop platform. The LVT(A)-3 designation was reserved for an armored version of the LVT-4 but these were never sent into production.
In April 1945, Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC, then Commanding General of the III Amphibious Corps, eloquently described the contribution of the amphibian tractor in a letter to an official at the Food Machinery Corporation. General Geiger wrote: "...amphibian tractors are the "work horses" of the Marine Corps. Except for the 'amtracs' it would have been impossible for our troops to get ashore on Tarawa, Saipan, Guam or Pelelieu without taking severe, if not prohibitive losses. But their use is by no means limited to the assault waves; after landing troops and equipment, they play an indispensable part in the movement of supplies, ammunition, et cetera ashore. In fact, the whole ship- to-shore movement in the normal amphibious operation is to a considerable extent dependent upon one or more of the 'amtrac' family.
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LVT-4 walkaround
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