Massey Discussion Forums > Massey Talk > M-H Tanks/Racine
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Your imagination was flowing well last night Joe, expect it is too cold to be out in the shed just like here, so it is the time of year to spend a little time on the computer in the warmth.

Yes after reading your post you portrayed the scene well, I will certainly push for a re enachment up the hill to Bryn Eglwy's with the church in the background, please be patient it could take John and Trystan a while to get two tanks and a M-H combine in their collection, of course that would require further shed building to house them too, in all quite a task but the longer warmer summer days are coming and who knows what will happen.

May be this great parade could happen when you are all over for the MCA Meeting talked of in the Stove thread, all MCA members present would witness memorable Massey occasions both in the East and West of the UK.

Have a Great Day,

Malcolm.
 

RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Joe,

To further fertilise your profound imagination here I am field ready!!!!

I'm ready to fly to any destination for the war effort and fight or farm in any field using MH built war equipment as shown.

I think these two Massey-Harris Farmers Handy Catalogues of 1943 and 1944 are superb!!!!!!  They compliment the pic that Malcolm put on the other day.

Joe - are you now fired up and ready to join my tank consortium??  Only a small non-refundable deposit required for retaining a share in the eventual tank ownership and enactment enterprise to be held up here on the hill on the southern side of the valley so that the enemy will have the sun in their eyes!

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Rooting through the files I came across this photo of an MH contribution to world war one.  WW1 of 1914-1918 was known as the "Great" War which it was thought would never be repeated.  But lo and behold it all happend again with WW 2 in 1939-1945.

Massey-Harris bough the Bain wagon company in 1895 so this really is a piece of history.  At this time of course M-H had no corporate presence in the USA so this is a pure Canadian contribution to the war effort.

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Besides US MH production of armaments in Racine - mostly tanks - Canadian MH also produced many armaments, shells etc and aircraft parts.  In fact many of the photos Malcolm put on a few days ago were of Canadian manufacture and featured in a UK brochure about MH wartime armament production.  I am not sure whether it was intended for Canadian, US or both readerships.  But it is marked MH Canada as you can see.

Here is the front cover of a N American brochure detailing armament production.

I also have one of Australian MH armament production which I will post soon.

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Here are some shots of military production in Canadian MH which I mentioned in the last post.  Wings for the much revered Mosquito fighter were one of the main and most significant products.

Truck bodies were also an important component of wartime production.  Here we see a body for a red cross truck and a body for a carrie type of truck

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

I mentioned in an earlier post that Massey-Harris in Australia made an enormous contribution to the war effort.

Here is the cover of their brochure which summarised their work.  I will post some photos from it in due course. H V McKay Massey Harris as it was then known.

Their first order was for parts to enable conversion of field guns from horse drawn to mechanical traction.  Up to 10,000 per item required were produced.  Then followed orders for track pins and track parts for Matilda tanks and sprocket driving drums.  There was an order for one million carrier track links and pins and thousands of machined parts for carrier suspension gear.

Special furnaces were built for heat treatment of 27 million cores of armour piercing bullets.  The company was closely associated with the production of armoured fighting vehicles.  Supplies were sent to the western desert, India, the Dutch Indies and even China.  Approximately six and a half million parts were supplied for such vehicles.  At the same time two million track links were also made

The company made many parts for aircraft such as the Beaufort bomber, the Beaufighter and the Licoln heavy bomber; Mustang and Boomerang fighters.  Camshafts were made for aero engines.

Rough forgings were supplied to other manufacturers including 500,000 drop stampings for Lee Enfield rifles.  There were thousands of castings for aero engines and air frames, for Bofors anti aircraft guns and many sub assembiles for these.  They also made many special tools for the armaments industry generally as well as regular tools needed by troops on the ground.

One of the company's larger projects was radio location equipment and control assemblies such as for the 18 inch Mark 15 torpedo.

400,000 shell bodies for the 4.5 shell were produced and 250,000 six pounder armour piercing shots

I wonder have any our Australian friends ever come across any of the tolls made by MH for the war effort?  Alan - another line of enquiry perhaps??

John
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

John,

What fascinating history of M-H are their wartime manufacturing efforts. Also great pictures. It's a good job someone has preserved all this history.

On wrenches I have some info on Australian wrenches but I haven't as far as I know have got anything that is linked to military use. I have one bit of info on an adjustable wrench that is stamped D^D. That may be I guess.

Alan

RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

Here are two of the first images from the Austraian MH record of their military construction activities in the war.  The whole large brochure is very artistically prepared.
Most depict operations in the factory.  Here we see an MH 81 tractor moving forged castings and another flash welding bogie castings.  Do click to enlarge the pics and get mre detail.

John 
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RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

That 81 cartoon in the photo looks like an interesting combination of a row crop and standard tractor - or a standard tractor with a v-twin narrow front.  Has anybody ever seen an actual tractor or photo of a tractor in that configuration?

   - JB

RE:M-H Tanks/Racine

John,

Well spotted regarding the 81.  I agree it does look something of a hybrid.  Maybe wartime and they were just putting sections together as they had them available and it was not too citical for work in the factory. Do they look like over size rear tyres to you?

Here are a couple more illustrations from the factory.  The first shows the bright steel shafting mill with furnaces in the background.  The second shows them drop forging gun parts.Looks like it was pretty hot in that factory.

Wonderful artwork don't you think?

John
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