This M-9-A-1-1840-ORD-1340 was built by International Harvester Corporation in August 1943 and rolled off the production line as a M9A1 halftrack with winch. This M9A1 was definitely in service for the Allied troops liberating Europe! From the OD it received US ID USA 40683599  however it never saw active service in the US Army because it was supplied to allied to be active on the Western Front.

Its wartime history is currently unknown, but it either served in the British, Commonwealth or Canadian or Polish Army during the liberation of Europe. If the halftrack could speak, its stories would certainly be overwhelming, as it served in the United Kingdom, France, most likely Belgium and the Netherlands, and was eventually active during the final battle in Germany.

After the war this example was overhauled in France in the fifties and saw service in the French Army. It was decommissioned in the seventies and sold to a local collector who restored it completely in the late eighties.

It was never decommissioned / torch cut and according to our opinion it is one of the most original examples we ever have seen.

1.1       Some remarks

• This M9A1 is almost 100% original
• Never used in a civil application: Straight Army release so not abused and modified
• Older Class A restoration showing very little signs of usage
• Original M9A1 marked heavy canvas top and original aged cushions
• Original RED Diamond 450 B; Good oil pressure and an excellent runner
• Great wiring and fully original instrumentation
• Data plates: very nice copies produced in zinc.
• Suspension in very good condition; tracks 90%; brakes are working excellent
• All original armor with original hard stamping; never cut for demilitarization
• All seats and other sheet metal parts are original
• Complete with all cradle and carriages
• Comes with all accessories as indicated on the pictures

Conclusion: this is an absolutely superb Halftrack and therefore a good investment and highly collectable.

The International Harvester M9A1 Half-track model is, for the serious MV enthusiast, a must-have in his collection.

1.2     Why bidding and buying this Halftrack?

Some Facts & Figures:

• The International Halftrack is, according to serious MV collectors and enthusiasts, the best Halftrack produced by the US Industry in
  WW-II
• Halftracks as being produced by International Harvester are much rarer than the models which have been produced by White, Autocar and Diamond-T. Same for the parts which makes these vehicles highly collectible
• This Half-track is almost 100% original, Class A restored and in great running condition.
• It is, next to enjoying it, a sound investment for a serious collector
• Comes with Belgium road registration
• Has been active in WW-II on the Western Front

1.3     Investment

An investment in professional restored WW-II historical military vehicles is very valuable. Annual price increase is at least 5-20% depending on popularity and rarity. Our sister company BAIV BV is, in this respect, one of the market leaders. The estimated current market value of a fully Class A restored M5A1 or M9A1 Halftrack is according to our opinion between € 100.000 and € 120.000 (Price level December 2022).

However, on November 2017 one of BAIV’s Halftracks (The Krystyna) was sold at the Imperial War Museum Duxford Motor Car Auction in the UK.

This vehicle; the first ever restored by BAIV’s founders and owners Ivo Rigter Jr. and Sr., was sold to an US customer for

£ 135.000, – (excluding buyer’s premium and shipment). See link

The half-track M5/M5A1 and M9A1 was created out of a need to produce more (M3) half-tracks. Unlike tanks, which required complex transmissions and brakes for steering, the half-track needed only conventional automotive steering. This kind of vehicles were therefore very popular during the start of the WW-II. Basically, designed and developed in France in the period between WW-I and II the design was as well adopted by the Germans as the US forces. They were easy to drive, operate and less training was required on half-tracks than for operators (drivers) of fully tracked vehicles.

White, Autocar, and Diamond T could not keep pace with the demand for half-track personnel carriers and other models. Therefore mid 1941 International Harvester Company (IHC) from Chicago, Illinois was requested to produce half-tracks as well.

IHC was formed in 1902 by the merger of the Mc Cormick Company of Chicago, the Deering Harvester Company, and several other smaller firms. It gradually expanded to eventually build farm implements, tractors, stationary engines, trucks, construction equipment and household appliances. Along with other manufacturers it branched out into military production after the attack on the US fleet in Pearl Harbor.

The engineers of IHC did an extensive study to improve the design in combination with the large-scale manufacturing equipment they have and made many changes to the design. These vehicles became the M5 and M5A1 and M9A1 half-tracks. Next to this the M14 and later also the M17 was produced with in the rear a Maxon turret. However, the essential features of the vehicles remained the same the IHC models differed in many respects from the M3.

The armor was manufactured from 5/16-inch homogenous armored plate which could be bent rather than the ¼ inch face-hardened steel of the M3. This made the M5/M5A1 heavier than the M3. To avoid performance loss the IHC models were fitted with heavier so called ´banjo´ model axles, strengthened chassis and hull and the introduction of the suburb International Harvester RED-450-B engine with overhead valves. A very modern and state of the art engine in these days! The International Halftrack, standardized in June 1942, is without any doubt the best US half-track vehicle ever built. Technical superior to White, Autocar, and the Diamond T models, very well designed, and loved by its crew even though it had a limited capacity for stowage.

Comfort, speed, and performance made the vehicle a great pleasure to drive. Disadvantages were that the armor plate only stopped small arms fire and shell and mortar splinters. It could not withstand direct artillery and anti-tank fire.

Moreover, just because it was easy to drive did not mean that drivers did not have to be careful! As a result, the First Canadian Army in Britain introduced a 30-mph road speed limit for half-tracks to reduce accidents.

Physically the M5 and M9 versions had a couple of notable differences. For example, the IHC half-track’s fenders were flat in cross-section (rather than round), and it was never fitted with the large fender-mounted headlights. The use of rolled homogeneous steel armor by IHC on their vehicles allowed plates to be welded together, giving the M5 much smoother appearance than the bolted M3 half-tracks. This also improved the ballistic protection.

For this purpose, bullet catchers were also designed and introduced by IHC compared to simple flat strips on the other half-track models.

In addition, the IHC half-tracks featured rounded rear corners, which contrast to the right-angled corners on the M2 and M3. IHC halftracks always had a very good reputation! 

result of the Lend-Lease program, the Halftracks produced by International Harvester were classified as “limited standard” by the US authorities.

This resulted in more than half of the M5 (4.625) and M5A1 production (2.959) and later also the M9A1 (3.433) were send to Britain where they were used by the Armoured Divisions of Britain, Canada, and many other allied nations under Lend-Lease such as the Polish, Dutch , Australian, New Zealand and French forces for Motor Infantry transport, engineer vehicles, command vehicles and anti-tank gun tows.

A total of 420 halftracks produced by International Harvester went to the Soviet Union. The remainder were used for training purposes in the United States.

Lot-0206-02-TT-US-Halftrack-M9A1-Rev-3.0

Brochure: Lot 0206-02 T&T US Halftrack M9A1 Rev 3.0