Allis-Chalmers in World War Two

We Work for Victory, and We Plan for Peace
Allis-Chalmers in World War Two
Milwaukee, WI
1901-1998

This page updated 11-18-2013.

The Allis-Chalmers name is best known to the general public for its manufacture of farm and construction equipment. For the World War Two historian, the company is best known for the production of the M4 High Speed Tractor. Allis-Chalmers had a more diverse product line before and during World War Two, well beyond building tractors and combines. During World War Two the company's 32,000 employees in eight plants built 1,600 products; most of them non-military in nature. Allis-Chalmers produced steam and hydraulic turbines, electrical generators and the associated electrical switchgear, transformers and circuit breakers. The company produced equipment for the conversion of raw materials into useful metals needed for the war effort. Its industrial electrical motors were used in steel and other metal processing plants to drive the equipment which processed the metals into useful products. On the agricultural front Allis-Chalmers continued to produce needed farm equipment, and the equipment needed by the food processing industry to provide food for both civilian and military needs. The company's equipment was also used in the chemical, textile, rubber, wood, paper, petroleum and rubber industries.

Allis-Chalmers was the "conglomerate" of its time, long before the term was applied to diverse product companies of the 1960s.

Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Tractor Works, Springfield, IL three awards total.
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Electrical Control Plant, Milwaukee, WI five awards total.
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, Supercharger Works, Milwaukee, WI four awards total.
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, West Allis Works, Milwaukee, WI five awards total.
Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company, La Porte Works, La Porte, IN two awards total.

Allis-Chalmers World War Two Military Products: Table 1 shows that the nine Allis-Chalmers plants had a total of $660,875,000 in major contracts during World War Two. 90mm anti-aircraft guns, propeller shafts for destroyers, cruisers and submarines, slides for 16- inch naval guns, aircraft turbo superchargers, 434 snow trailers, and at least 11,249 tractors of various types were just a few of the diverse products this company manufactured to help win World War Two.

Table 1 - Allis-Chalmers Major Contract Summary by Plant Location - Table added 11-18-2023.
Plant Location	Contract Amount	Products	Customers
Appleton, WI	$113,000	Service Propulsion Machinery	Navy
Boston, MA	$2,457,000	Ship Hatches and Bulkhead Frames, Oil Circuit Equipment, Gas Mask Parts	Army, Navy, Treasury
La Crosse, WI	$3,321,000	Snatch Blocks, Rope, Steel, Tractor Plows, Agricultural Equipment	Army, Navy, Treasury
La Porte, IN	$66,640,000	Gun Mounts, Snow Tractor Parts, M6 High Speed Tractors	Army
Milwaukee, WI	$46,648,000	Turbine Generator Sets, Tractors, Pumps, Road Machinery, Airplane Equipment, Transformers, Shafting, Fire Pumps, Ore Crushers, Generators, Turbines, Machine Tools, Circuit Breakers, Ordnance Equipment, Farm Equipment, Voltage Regulators, Machine Tools, M1 Tractors, Motors, Anchor Shackles, Pulley Blocks, Snow Tractors and Trailers, Hoists	Army, Foreign, Maritime, Commission, Navy, Treasury
Norwood, OH	$4,110,000	Condenser Pumps, Circulating Pumps, Centrifugal Pumps, Engine Starting Motors, Electric Motor Controls	Navy, Treasury
Pittsburgh, PA	$1,399,000	Electric Transformers	Army, Navy, Treasury
Springfield, IL	$246,621,000	Tractors, Tractor Parts, Medium Tractors M1, Tractors M4, Ordnance Material, Tractors, HD7, Tractors HD10, Tractors HD14, Turbo Generator Sets	Army, Treasury
West Allis, WI	$289,566,000	Breech Forgings, Lab Equipment, Gun Forgings, Ship Propulsion Turbines, Shaft Couplings, Tractors, Farm Machinery, Airplane Parts, Steel Forgings, Gun Mounts, Turbine Blades, Sub Stations, Machine Parts, Snow Tractors T26, Generator Motors, Turbo Supercharger Assemblies, Triple Turret Slides, Turbine Gears, Turbine Rotors, Armatures, Fire Pumps, Steering Gear Equipment, Power Units, Electric Switchboards, Shaft Forgings, Turbo Generator Sets, Farm Tractors, Buckets, Condensate Pumps, Radio Sets, Centrifugal Pumps, Voltage Regulators, Hoists, Ball Mills, Ball Mills, Condenser Ejectors, Electric Sub Stations, X-Ray Machines, Aircraft Rocket Launch Devices	Army, Foreign, Maritime, Commission, Navy, Treasury
Total	$660,875,000

Table 2 - Allis Chalmers Tractors and Trailers Accepted by Detroit Ordnance, US Army The information below comes from "Summary Report of Acceptances, Tank-Automotive Material, 1940-1945." Published by Army Services Forces, Office, Chief of Ordnance-Detroit, Production Division, Requirements and Progress Branch, January 21, 1946.
Type	Same as	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	Total
Tractors
Medium, M1	Cat D6, Cleveland M1, IH TD14	168	211	930	1424	*	*	2,733
High-speed, 18-ton, M4 (90mm gun)					1045	1248	171	2,464
High-speed, 18-ton, M4 (155 mm gun and 8 in howitzer)					599	1663	826	3,088
High-speed, 18-ton, M4A1							259	259
Medium (Winterized), D6	Cat D6				67	*	*	67
Medium, Diesel, 45 hp	IH				245	*	*	245
Heavy, M1	Cat D7, IH TD18	136	40	315	256	*	*	747
High-speed, 38 -ton, M6						724	511	1,235
Crane, 1-ton, M1	IH	17						17
Wheeled, Light, M3		96						96
Snow, T26				6				6
Snow, T27					1			1
Snow, M7						291		291
Total Tractors		417	251	1,251	3,637	3,926	1,767	11,249
Trailers
1-ton, Snow, M19						434		434

Author's Note and Disclaimer: The Detroit Office of Ordnance of the U.S. Army was the primary purchasing entity for vehicles for the U.S. Army during World War Two. It also purchased vehicles for the USMC, US Navy, and for Lend-Lease. However, there were other organizations that also purchased vehicles including the Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Air Force, U.S. Army Signal Corps, Navy Bureau of Ordnance, Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, and foreign countries making direct purchases.

*Starting in 1944, the Army Corps of Engineers became responsible for the purchase of low speed tractors which, until then, had been the domain of Army Ordnance. Therefore, the totals for these types of tractors are incomplete. At the same time as noted above, other branches of the US military were also making their own purchases, making the totals even more inaccurate.

Jet Engine Research: In 1941 the US Navy gave both Allis-Chalmers and Westinghouse 18-month contracts for the development of an aircraft jet engine. Both were picked because they built steam turbines for electric energy production, and it was felt the technologies were similar. In 1943 the Navy chose to go ahead with Westinghouse as the sole source.

M6 High Speed Tractor: 1,235 of these 38-ton tractors were built in 1944-45 at the Allis-Chalmers La Porte, IN Works . There are only two known to still exist; one in The Netherlands, and one at the Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes, IN, 250 miles from where it was originally built. It is in need of extensive restoration, as can be seen below.

The Indiana-built M6 is located outside with a lot of other equipment the museum has purchased. Hopefully, it is waiting for restoration when time and funding becomes available. Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

The original engines in the M6 were two Waukesha 145GZ six-cylinder gasoline engines each producing 190 h.p. However, a previous owner replaced the Waukesha engines with Cummins NH diesels. Interestingly, someone from the museum has been out recently doing some work on both engines, as evidenced by the cans of lubricant left on the vehicle. Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

The valve covers on the Cummins engines consist of two pieces. The rear section on each has new un-rusted bolts in it. On the front section, the top of the valve cover is missing and the rusted rocker arms can be seen. The intake manifold on the yellow painted engine has been disconnected. Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

The two engines are different colors, indicating that one was replaced during the M6's useful lifetime. Author's photo added 1-25-2019.

On April 6, 1944 it was announced that the La Porte Works would begin production of the M6 High Speed Tractor. On September 21, 1943 the La Porte Works received its first Army-Navy "E" Award; and March 9, 1944 its second. Both of these dates preceded the production of the M6, the only known "military" product for the plant. There was also grader production at the plant, and these two awards may have been for that.

During the war, the plant had 3,200 workers. M6 work stopped on January 20-23, 1945 due a labor dispute at the plant.

M4 High Speed Tractor: A total of 5,811 were built in three different versions as shown above in the table. Production of the M4 was in the Springfield, IL Tractor Works. It was the first tractor plant to win the Army-Navy "E" Award. Below are three of the 33 known remaining Allis-Chalmers built M4 High Speed Tractors.

This totally restored and running M4 is owned by the Museum of American Armor in New Bethpage, NY. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

This is on display at the Museum of the Kansas National Guard in Topeka, KS. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

Another M4 is sitting in the corner of the parking lot of the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum in Leslie, GA. This was equipped after the war with an implement for installing buried telephone cables. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

WW2 Armor Allis-Chambers M4 High Speed Tractor Restoration: The next set of photos starts with photos I took of the WW2 Armor M4 High Speed Tractor while undergoing restoration in March 2019 at the organization's facility in Osteen, FL. Next are photos of the restored M4 at the 2019 Conneaut D-Day event in August 2019 in Conneaut, OH. What excellent work! WW2 Armor also has a newly restored 155mm Long Tom that the M4 can pull, showing exactly how it was utilized during World War Two. This is such excellence to detail by the staff at WWII Armor.

This Allis-Chalmers M4 High Speed Tractor is part of the collection of equipment at WW2 Armor in Osteen, FL. It is being restored to operating condition to pull the group's 155mm Long Tom. Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

With the body of the tractor off, one can see the layout of the chassis and the drive train. The fuel tank is at the top of the photo. Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

The original Waukesha inline six-cylinder engine has been replaced by a Ford V-8. Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

The WW2 Armor M4 High Speed Tractor and 155mm Long Tom on the beach at Conneaut, OH. Later, the M4 would pull the Long Tom down to the water's edge for the reenactment of D-Day. Everything is functional on WWII Armor equipment. The Long Tom fired blanks from the edge of Lake Erie during the reenactment. As an added note, the carriage for the Long Tom was built by the Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois during World War Two. Author's photo added 8-22-2019.

Author's photo added 8-22-2019.

The crew is making preparations for the reenactment. Author's photo added 8-22-2019.

Author's photo added 8-22-2019.

Another M4 High Speed Tractor chassis is outside at WWII Armor in Osteen, FL. Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

Author's photo added 3-24-2019.

This M4 High Speed Tractor is rusting away out in the elements at the Russell Military Museum in Zion, IL. Author's photo added 7-29-2019.

Author's photo added 7-29-2019.

Low Speed Tractors:

Table 3 - Allis-Chalmers Low Speed Tractors Accepted by Detroit Ordnance, US Army As noted above, the Army Corps of Engineers took over acceptance of low speed tractors on January 1, 1944. Those numbers are not available along with the number of Allis-Chalmers types purchased by the US Navy for use by its Construction Battalions (Seabees). During 1944 and 1945, military demand for low speed tractors increased dramatically, with the planned invasions of Europe and Japan. The total for the M1 Heavy is particularly under-represented.
Type	Allis-Chalmers Model	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	Total
Medium, M1	HD-7W	168	211	930	1424	*	*	2,733
Medium (Winterized), D6					67	*	*	67
Medium, Diesel, 45 hp					245	*	*	245
Heavy, M1	HD10W	136	40	315	256	*	*	747
Crane, 1-ton, M1	HD-7W	17						17
Wheeled, Light, M3		96						96
Total Tractors		417	251	1,251	1,992			3,905

This 1947-1950 Allis-Chalmers HD19 is essentially similar; but it is bigger than the World War Two HD10 and equipped with a six-cylinder Detroit Diesel engine rather than a four-cylinder engine. It was also two tons heavier. Author's photo.

On display at Fort Polk, LA is this post-World War Two HD-16, introduced in 1955. Allis-Chalmers had been using Detroit Diesel engines until 1955. But with the recent purchase of Buda Engines, it began installing Buda engines under the Allis-Chalmers name. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

M7 Snow Tractors: 298 snow tractors were built by Allis-Chalmers during World War Two, with 291 them being the M7 like the ones shown below. The three shown below are of only 20 known to still exist.

This M7 snow tractor is on display at the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles in Lexington, NE. Author's photo added 11-18-2023.

Author's photo added 11-18-2023.

This M7 is on display at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, WY. Author's photo added 11-18-2023.

Serial number 283 of 291 M7 Allis-Chalmers Snow Tractor M7 is owned by Roberts Armory in Rochelle, IL. Author's photo.

Aircraft Turbo superchargers: Allis-Chalmers had a dedicated plant in Milwaukee, WI, building GE turbo superchargers under license. The P-38, P-47, B-17, B-24 and B-29 aircraft used the device. The B-29 used two turbo superchargers per engine, while the remaining aircraft used one per engine.

The B-17 display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, OH has an excellent display on the aircraft supercharger. Author's photo.

It is unkown which of the three companies that built the supercharger on display at the Memphis Belle. This one shown here could have been built by Allis-Chalmers, the Ford Motor Car Company, or General Electric. Author's photo.

This cut-a-way has a mirror, so the bottom of the unit can be seen. Author's photo.

Author's photo.

The turbo supercharger on the B-17 was located along the bottom of the wing behind each engine. Not counting spares, 50,768 turbo superchargers were needed for B-17 production during World War Two. Author's photo.

This turbo supercharger on display at the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ is identified as one that was built by Allis-Chalmers. Author's photo added 11-18-2023.

Author's photo added 11-18-2023.

90mm Anti-Aircraft Guns:

Allis-Chalmers was the first company during World War Two to start building the 90mm Anti-Aircraft gun. Author's photo.

Ship's Propeller Shafts: Allis-Chalmers built propeller shafts for US Navy destroyers, cruisers, and submarines. Work on the propeller shafts included forging, shaping and boring.

The USS Kidd is a Fletcher Class Destroyer that is typical of destroyers utilizing Allis-Chalmers built propeller shafts. The propeller shaft can be seen in the lower left hand section of the photo. Author's photo.

The USS Cod is typical of the many US Navy submarines built with Allis-Chalmers propeller shafts. Author's photo.

16-Inch Battleship Gun Cradles: Allis-Chalmers built gun cradles for the 16-inch main guns used on US Navy battleships.

The USS Alabama was armed with 16-inch main guns. It was one of eight battleships built during the World War Two era armed with nine 16-inch guns. Author's photo.

Manhattan Project: Allis-Chalmers-built compressors were used to handle Uranium hexafluoride at the K-25 separation plant in Oak Ridge, TN. K-25 used the gaseous diffusion process to separate the fissionable U-235 from U-238.

K-25 was a mile long and the largest factory in the world during World War Two. It was torn down in 2016.

The Allis-Chalmers compressors in K-25 helped produce the 30 pounds of U-235 used in the Little Boy atomic bomb.

La Porte, IN Works:

The former Allis-Chalmers La Porte, IN Works. The section farthest from Clear Lake is now a shopping center. The three long buildings in the center have been repurposed and are currently owned by Metaltec, Inc and Berry Metals. The building at the far right is gone.

The La Porte Works built 338,000 All-Crop Combines between 1935 and 1960. This combine eliminated the binder and thresher pioneering the conversion to field harvesting.

The M50 Ontos Anti-Tank Gun: The La Porte Works did the final design for manufacturing, and was the sole supplier for this tracked vehicle. The US Army contacted the La Porte Works on October 26, 1951 to engineer and build the M50. On November 11, 1954 the Army ordered fifteen pilot models of the Ontos. In March 1955, after testing, the Army decided that the Ontos was not suitable for use. But the Marines wanted the Ontos. They purchased the first 29 in Fiscal Year 1956, and 267 in Fiscal Year 1957, for a total of 296. Subsequent orders brought the total up to 360.

Several M50s are on the assembly line at the La Porte Works.

This M50 Ontos is one of 14 still left, and can be seen at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, IN. Used by USMC in Vietnam, they were taken out of service by May 1969. It is on display 190 miles from where it was built in northern Indiana. Author's photo.

Author's photo.