Casemate's US Army Tractor Trucks and Semitrailers, reviewed by Scott Van Aken

Casemate's US Army Tractor Trucks and Semitrailers

Author/Artists:	Didier Andres
Publisher/Distributor	Casemate
Price	$39.95 MSRP from Casemate
Reviewer:	Scott Van Aken
Notes:	160 pages, softcover, over 150 photos and illustrations. 7 x 10 inches. ISBN: 978-1-63624-590-4

When one thinks of what it takes to win a war, one naturally thinks of things like trained troops and powerful weapons. But what is probably paramount is logistics. It was the lack of well-planned and equipped transport of material to those in the front lines that really doomed both the Japanese and Germans during WWII. Germany constantly had to rely on overly long supply lines and insufficient modes of transport during its campaigns in North Africa and the Soviet Union. The Japanese not only had insufficient shipping to keep their troops supplied, but were plagued by an inability to protect that shipping.

This was definitely not the issue when it came to the US. Not only was production of supplies sufficient, but there were sufficient modes of transportation to get the supplies where they were needed. The US put a lot of work into ensuring enough ships, cargo planes, and most of all, trucks to move the equipment and men.

On one end of the spectrum were the light 1/4 and 1/2 ton trucks, while on the other were the much heavier semi-trucks. Now granted, much of the fleet was kept in the US to move materiel to embarkation areas, but quite a bit of it was also used overseas. This was particularly true of the European theater in the last year of the war when supplies had to be moved from the Channel ports to the units moving across France and into Germany. The best way to move a lot of goods when you don't have a functional railroad was by large trucks.

This is one of Casemate's Illustrated Special book. It is a hardcover and includes more pages and therefore more photos and information than the standard series. It is divided into multiple sections that go from the lightest 1 1/2 ton vehicles up to the 20 ton versions. There are also sections on special tractors and on a variety of special trailers and dollies. Finally, a section on postwar use of these vehicles.

Overall it makes for an interesting read and a great initial introduction to the subject. Well worth picking up.

September 2025

Review book courtesy of Casemate Publishers. Get yours at this link.

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