After WW II the Royal Netherlands Airforce used two Diamond-T M-3 half tracks as "bombservice" vehicles. After several years these M-3's came to their end. A Hanomag ALO 28, 2,5 ton 4x4 truck, 1961 vintage, was converted into a half track using the M-3's halftrach suspension. The conversion was done by the firm "Kuiphuis" from Oldenzaal. The vehicle fullfilled its duties until 1976. This time the Airforce took one of their DAF V-1600 DD538, 4 ton, 4x4 trucks (1964 vintage) and rebuilt it, once again with the suspension of the M-3, into a half track. The conversion and modification of the suspension was preformed by the company "Terberg Benschop B.V. " The half track was equipped with a DAF dieselengine, 6 cylinder in line, 5750 cc which gace it a 120 hp- 1400 rpm. The vehicle was shipped to the target practice area at the island "Vlieland" but did not preform so well. It was then send to the recovery unit of the airforcebase "Gilze-Rijen", here it was used uintill 1988. In this year it was retired and handed over to the Royal Airforce Museum at "Soesterberg".
Here it is still in an old wartime hangar waiting was transport to the museum in 1988.
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06-01-05, 19:26
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