Oh Canada! The Canadian-built field artillery tractor

Canadian industry joined the country’s war effort and over the next six years a workforce of around 1 million men and women, out of a population of around 11.5 million, worked in factories to produce millions of tons of ammunition of all calibres, along with a prodigious amount of explosives for propellants and filling for the artillery shells.  In addition they also turned out some 50,000 tanks and other AFVs, 40,000 pieces of artillery, including anti-aircraft guns and over 850,000 ‘soft-skinned’ (un-armored) trucks of varying sizes. Then, there were the Canadian designs such as the CT-15 armored truck, Fox armored car and Otter reconnaissance vehicle along with 2,150 “Sexton” self-propelled guns mounting a 25-Pounder field gun. Most of this output was eventually be shipped to Britain with a relatively small amount, almost 17,000 trucks and tanks, going to Russia.

The first Canadian troops sent to Britain arrived in December 1939, bringing with them all their equipment and a number of trucks ranging from 8cwt to 3-ton capacity. These were based on British designs such as the Morris C8, but modified to meet Canadian military standards. At first these were known as Department of National Defence, DND Pattern but later referred to as ‘Canadian Military Pattern’ or CMP.  Most were built by either Chevrolet (General Motors), which had several plants across the country including Oshawa in Ontario, or the main Ford production line in Windsor, Ont. Although built by American companies in Canada, where vehicles were driven on the right hand side of the road, the vehicles they produced were fitted with right-hand drive, which was standard for the British Army.  

This modification in driving layout would also be used on a 4x4 vehicle known as the Field Artillery Tractor or FAT. It was based on the Morris CS8 “Quad” version, but used the C8A chassis, which had entered service with the British Army as the gun tractor for the 25-Pounder field gun in October 1939. Production of the Canadian-built version commenced in 1940, and by 1945 between them Chevrolet and Ford had turned out 22,891 examples of these 4x4 vehicles. This figure was more than double that of the output by Morris factory in Britain. They were also known as Gun Tractors, GT, and each company applied their own name badge, so those produced by Chevrolet were termed”CGT” and those from the Ford plant were known as “FG”. 

The differences between the vehicles produced by each manufacturer were mainly superficial, such as the design of the grille covering the radiators. The axles were “banjo” type on the Chevrolet vehicle and split on the Ford, and there were several other minor differences. The CMP did result in changes to the driver’s cab which, was considered too small. The problem was solved by slanting the windshield forward, reversing the slope, to a slight angle from the more usual vertical style. This feature was introduced in 1942 and prevented the build-up of snow or thrown mud from sticking. The CMP was smaller in width and length than its British counterpart, but it was taller and also heavier, which made it marginally slower.

The main difference between the CMP FAT and the Morris Quad was under the engine hood. The Ford version was fitted with the V-8 “Flathead” that produced 85 hp at 3,800 rpm, while the Chevrolet was fitted with the inline-six, which developed 85 hp at 3,400 rpm, and the operational range was extended over the British version. The “beetle-back” design, as featured on the Morris Commercial designed Quad, remained with accommodation for the driver and five passengers. By coincidence, this was the number required to serve as crew for either the 25-Pounder field gun or 17-Pounder anti-tank gun. A total of 32 rounds of ammunition for the 25-Pounder were carried in a “limber” weighing 1.3 tons and measuring 10 feet 7 inches. Hitched to the limber came the 25-Pounder, 15 feet in length and weighing 1.6 long tons.

The 17-Pounder anti-tank gun was also towed by the FAT  — a role to which it was ideally suited. The 17-Pounder entered service in 1943 and almost immediately the FAT, which by then was a proven artillery tractor, made the ideal combination carrying the crew and ammunition supply on board. Ammunition for the 17-Pounder was different from that of the 25-Pounder, with a “fixed” type design. It was loaded as a single round, as opposed the propellant charge and projectile ammunition which had to be loaded separately. This meant that the ammunition for the 17-Pounder could be carried on the FAT still contained in the transportation boxes. The FATs were fitted with rear-mounted winches, mounted just above the axle. these winches could be used to help maneuver the gun into place or for helping to recover either another vehicle or ammunition limber.

During the campaign in northwest Europe after D-Day in June 1944, a typical anti-tank regiment of artillery attached to an infantry division would have included 32 guns, which sometimes included 17-Pounder or 6-Pounder anti-tank guns, formed into four batteries, each of eight guns. These were sub-divided into two troops, each with four guns. In the case of 25-Pounder field guns, a division had three regiments attached each and organized into three batteries of eight guns divided into two troops. Forward Observation Officers, FOOs, operated from forward positions, using either a FAT or some other vehicle type, to relay information on targets and direct fire. The vehicles were never armed, but the personal weapons carried by passengers could provide some degree of self-defense. FATs not engaged in towing guns were often used to carry supplies of ammunition for their batteries.

CMP FATs were based on the British-built Morris Commercial Quad design and the first production examples were used to replace the losses following the British Army’s evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940. The early replacement vehicles would have been familiar to British troops, in part because they were right-hand drive. Eventually, six versions were produced by the end of the war. As with the British vehicles, the CMP were not armored, with the bodies being made of pressed steel panels, including the engine hood and doors. All retained the distinctive “beetle-back’ sloping rear roof that was attached the spare wheel, which can make it difficult to distinguish between types at a distance, even for enthusiasts. 

The first version, referred to as the “7A1”, had a solid roof, two side doors and other similarities to the British design. This was followed by the “7A2”, which differed by having a center section of the roof covered by a canvas tilt. The 7B1’ and 7B2 versions each had four doors and retained a roof design similar to that of the 7A2 layout. 

The final version was the “7B3”, which was similar to both the 7B1 or 7B2.. Australia produced FATs locally, while chassis were sent to India, where they were fitted with wooden bodies in local production plants. 

The Canadian FATs were used in all theaters of operation, including North Africa, Italy and across northwest Europe and in the Far East. After the war a number of Chevrolet 8440/CGT FATs were supplied to the Danish Army and used throughout the 1950s. The design remained in service with various armies and was used in many post-WWII conflicts, including the Korean War, making it an interesting collector vehicle to a wide range of enthusiasts.  

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