Greetings all,

Here's some general information on LVTs that I picked up in the Natlional Archives. The information comes directly from the Operational Orders and documents for the crossing. It contains information about vehicle loadings, re-equipment and operational performance which might be of interest.
"
BUFFALOS (LVsT)

1. Two sorts LVT II and LVT IV

2. The LVT Regt has been re-organised for this operation and the new squadron, which lifts an assault battlaion, has 38 LVsT. Six troops of six. Four troops all LVT IV and two troops each of three LVT II and three LVT IV.

3. The LVT IV has a door which can be lowered like an LCA and can take the following vehicles and NO OTHERS:-

Jeep
Weasel
Dingo
A/B Bulldozer
Carrier
Also a 6-pr gun

It CANNOT take a Windsor Anti-Tank Tower. Carriers can only be taken with a reasonable load.

4. The LVT II has no door and so can only carry personnel normally. Any stores carried have to be loaded into and unloaded from a deep well. It can however, carry a 17-pr on top and some personnel in the well by a modification which can be put in or removed within half an hour in the LVT Collecting Area.

5. A reserve of 10 per cent "Left out of Battle" muct be withheld but this is done on a regimental basis and does not affect the 38 available for a battalion. This allotment is, in fact, arrived at AFTER deducting the 10 per cent.

6. An infantry commanding officer with considerable experience of these craft has stated that you should only work on being able to keep a thirs of them running for any length of time.

7. They have wonderful performance except in deep mud when they stick owing to the fact that they have only two foot bel?? clearance.

8. They are devils for picking up wire which wrecks their steering. This needs watching both on their approach track and in the river. Any sort of wire - telephone calbe or fence wire - should be avioded like the plague.

9. Their 20mm Polsten is a grand gun for covering fire, and extra magazinescan be carried for Brens so as to enable these to join in too where possible. The 20mm set houses on fire. About a third of the total number of Buffaloes have Polstens.

10. Loading capacity - 4 tons
Maximum speed, land - 30 mph
Maximun speed, water - 5.9 mph
Maximun gradient - 29 degrees

11. Performance over steep sided main flood banks with full load of infantry or a carrier is doubtful. To be certain of clearing these a demolition followed by about three hours RE work will be necessary.

12. Very noisy.

13. The Buffaloes of a division provide a very considerable 'lift' for the vehicles which it can carry. This is at least 60 per hour on the divisional front as opposed to 12 per hour for Class 9 ferry.

14. Can only go very short distances ??????????????????(text too faded) ... owing to their cup shaped tracks which give them their high performance in water. Cut any roads to ribbons and completely wreck the shoulders of narrow roads. Move them across country.

15. Carry light armour in front only.

16. Very low silhouette in the water but are badly silhouetted on top of the river banks which should therefore be crossed as quickly as possible.

17. Normally can get out of the river beside "Grions" by using the "gravel backlash".
"
Some additional data about re-equipment of vehicles.

Fit Polsten 20mm guns to all LVT II's
Fit 300 watt charging set to all LVTs
Fit No 19 wireless set to all LVTs
Fit second No 19 wireless set to all LVtT IIs on Sqn HQ
Fit One .300 and One .500 Browning to all LVTs
Fit One 4" smoke discharger to all LVTs

All BUFFALOES will be painted olive drad under unit arrangements and 79 Div Signs will also be painted on.

Loud Hailers are also being provided on a scale of one per Sqn.

LVTs were also to be equipted with Gyro directional apparatus and 'Tabby' equipment was to be used to guide them back. 'White Stars' were to be dulled, and 6 pdr ramps provided for each MK IV.

Also use in the crossing were DUKWs, Storm Boats, Class 9 Rafts, Class 9 FBE Bridges, Class 5C/6C Rafts, CDL Tanks, DD Tanks.

Not used were Terrapins (worn out/none available) and Weasels were considered not to be relied upon and should be taken across in Buffaloes.

Both the 1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry and 4 Royal Tank Regiment were converted to LVTs for the Rhine Crossing 'Op Plunder'.

Apologies for any 'spellers' hope you find the information useful.

Cheers

Al

McNeilly

The late Walter Skewis, British Army, related a story in our MAFVA in house Tankette magazine that a British Kinematograph Unit arrived to make a training film of the Rhine Crossing featuring Buffalo amphibians. It was actually the crossing of the Weser! And filmed a day later and there were no hostilities. Two Buffalos were used and presented in battle order for ‘storming the banks’. The numbers and signs were covered in mud to make it look like there was more of them. So somewhere in the archives is actual movie footage.

Regards, John-B
MAFVA Information Officer

Hi John,

Thanks for that additional piece of information.

There are about 34 photographs of the crossing available on the IWM site if anyone's interested. See:-

http://www.iwmcollections.org.uk/

There are also probably some on the Pathe News site although I haven't checked yet.

In the book 'D Day Commando' by Ken Ford about the landings on Walcheren, there are some useful photo's and references.

On a point of etiquette John and as an ex British Soldier of Her Majesties 5th Regiment of Foot and Royal Engineers it's normal on this site for people to use either call signs or first names. You can call me Al, AlanL, Mr McNeilly or Sir, but were I come from it's considered extremely rude to address anyone by their surname OK, especially when one doesn't know who ones talking too.

Many thanks again for you input and I hope you found the information useful.

Cheers

Al

My apologies Al / Alan, an oversight on my part, all I can say was that I only spotted the Header name and I was in a bit of a rush at the time. Going by this forum it often only bears one name. Hope you can forgive me.

I have a little more to the story if you wish to see it.
John

Hi John,

No problem, I get a bit grumpy sometimes, I think it's old age.

Any other data would be most welcome. There are only a limited number of people who are interested in British Armour on the site so feel free to pass the information on to any one you think might be interested.

Cheers

Al

Corporal McNeilly

The rest of the Buffalo story:-

Dennis Scarr offered to take Walter Skewis across the river in the Buffalo. Walter sat in the roof and away they went. Instead of going down the ramp that had been cut in the river bank for the Buffalo, Dennis went straight off it! As the vehicle weighed 15-16 tons it went under like a submarine before resurfacing. Needless to say, Walter got soaked to the skin and he got very frightened because he couldn’t swim. When they got to the other side, Dennis thought it was very funny whereas Walter had other ideas. Walter got back to the camp and changed, his cigarettes were ruined and he had to obtain a new pay book – parts one and two.

Sorry there's no more to add to this. Regards, John

Hi John,

Boys and their toys, what can I say other than it reminds me of a few drivers I know and is very typically military!!!

I remember a certain young officer (a rupert) on duty as Picquet Officer being told (on the QT) that the Commanding Officer intended to do a spot check on the indoor grenade range later in the day. He then spent the next three hours running around in a panic trying to find it!!!

Thanks for that.

Cheers

Al