Tank Infantry Sleds at Anzio Beachhead during WWII

The battle sled, invented by Brig. Gen. John W. O'Daniel (Truscott's successor as commander of the 3d Division), was half a torpedo shell, just large enough to hold one soldier lying down. Six were hooked together and attached to each side of a tank and the twelve sleds were pulled forward in the paths made by the tank's tracks, enabling an infantry squad to accompany a tank without being exposed to small arms fire and antipersonnel mines. After O'Daniel sent Ordnance a sketch of what he wanted, Colonel Jaynes and his staff developed a model with runners, to prevent heat from friction, and made the sleds in an atmosphere of the greatest secrecy in a field near the Capua shops. They set up a production line, using 80 welding sets in stalls under a big circus tent, and with the expert supervision of Sergeant Sellfors as chief welder, Fifth Army and PBS mechanics working in 8- hour shifts manufactured 360 sleds between 29 April and 14 May.
http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Beachhd_Btlefrnt/ChapterXII.html

@ col mikel COL Mikel J. Burroughs @ ltc stephen LTC Stephen C. LTC Stephen F. Maj Marty Hogan @ sfc joe SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL @ sfc george SFC George Smith @ tsgt joe TSgt Joe C. PO2 (Anonymous) @ po2 robert PO2 Robert M. @ sgt david SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth @ sp5 mark SP5 Mark Kuzinski Alan K.