One of the most popular small US Army 'vehicles' of WW2 is without doubt the M3A4 Hand Cart.
A general misconception is that this was an Airborne item and only used by paratroops. In fact the Cart was a standard Ordnance item used by every branch of the US Army to haul ammunition and equipment.
Two carts could be transported in the back of the 2 1/2 Ton Trucks on the floor of the bed between the rows of seated troops.
The Carts issued to the US Marine Corps, equipped with larger 18" 'motorcycle style' rims, were completely different from the Army's M3A4 series and not used by the US Army during their European campaign.

Hand Cart M3A4 with M500 Cover and Tow Ropes as shown on the back cover of ORD9-SNL A-42, dated 1 June 1945

The US Army had several different types and models of Carts in inventory over the years preceding WW2 but during the war the most common model used in the ETO was the M3A4. Except for some very early M3A4 Steel Bodied Carts which had a plain box without re-inforcing at the top and no holes to attach brackets; the M3A4 Cart served as a basic cart which could be converted into other models by bolting additional parts through the holes in the body provided for this purpose.
The Model M4A1 was thus equipped with brackets for the transportation of the M1917A1 water cooled Machine Gun, while the M5A1 was equipped with brackets and straps to hold the .50Cal M2 HB Machine Gun and its M3 Tripod. The M6A1 was used to transport the 81mm Mortar.

             

Hand Carts M4A1 and M6A1 as illustrated in ORD9-SNL A-42, dated 1 June 1945
Note the 'bolt on' parts and brackets that hold the tripod or mortar parts
Both carts are equipped with aluminum wheels, easily identified by the round holes in the rims

Although in bad shape, the cart above is a rare example of an early M3A4 with plain box and no holes nor re-inforcing rib around the top of the body. The above cart was made by the Rock Island Arsenal and has Serial Number 8433. It was entered by a French owner in the 2007 Beltring War & Peace Show.

The John Wood Mfg Company was the main supplier of these carts but other manufacturers include the  Rock Island Arsenal, Trussbilt and Omaha Industries Inc. Early Carts were completely made in aluminum, but on later models a mix of steel and aluminum parts were used. Different types of tires were mounted, and they seem to have been supplied by the Firestone Tire Company and the Good-Year Tire Company.
Canvas Covers were provided for the different carts (M500-M501-M502-M503) and all carts came with two Towing Ropes that could be attached to any corner of the body for additional towing.

Today, any variation of the M3A4 Utility Hand Cart is a rare and desirable collectable and although many are in collectors' hands, it is one of the rather more sought after objects on the US WW2 militaria market. They are hard to come by, especially in Europe where most of these carts were put to good use by local farmers after the war. Many of these carts ended up as scrap metal and whenever one shows up, it's either missing several parts or is completely worn out. The tow bar is almost always missing!

Hand Cart Tires

Firestone Rib Implement and Tractor Tread Tires on John Wood M3A4 #17564 (left) and #20939(right)

The Firestone Tire Company supplied the majority of the 4.00x12 tires in different patterns for the Carts, but Good-Year tires have been observed on different carts too.
Most common were the Tractor Tread 'Speed King' and Straight Rib Implement types but the  'Champion' tread usually fitted to Signal Corps RL-35 Reel Carts is sometimes encountered on M3A4 Hand Carts, especially on the earlier models equipped with aluminum wheels. The Good-Year tire mounted on 1945 made carts seem to have been mostly of a diamond pattern tread.
No doubt tires were mixed during maintenance or replaced with whatever type available when needed.
US Army WW2 tires are generally marked 'S3' or 'MILITARY'....

Three most common types of tires for the M3A4 Hand Carts are shown:
Left: Rib Implement with 'S3' marking
Center: Ground GripTractor Tread, marked 'MILITARY' and 'SPEED KING'
Right: Champion, marked with both 'S3', 'MILITARY' and 'SPEED KING'

All tires from the Webmaster's Collection

The Good-Year made tire shown above is another type used on the carts. It has the straight rib implement tread generally encountered on Firestone made models. It is marked 'Implement' and 'S-3' with an extra red dot over the '4-Ply' marking.

Cover & Tow Ropes

       
M500 Cover and Clip from private collections, Tow Ropes from the Webmaster's Collection

The M500 Cover for the M3A4 Hand Cart is a rectangular cover with grommets and a rope going all around the cover. Each corner is equipped with a clip to attach the cover to  wire loops on the box.
The Tow Ropes are about 6' long and hook up to the loops provided on each corner of the box. The metal handles are partly covered in leather.

Data Plates & Ordnance Inspector Markings

A Data Plate showing Type, Make, Serial Number and Year of Manufacture is riveted to the right side of the box on all M3A4 Hand Carts.
Similar to rifles and other weapons of the US Army during WW2, an Ordnance Inspector marked all carts upon acceptance. This Acceptance Mark was stamped in the upper right corner of the dataplate and varied with the different manufacturers. Since all markings were painted over, it seems these were applied before final painting...

The Machine Gun or Mortar Carts were hardly used in Europe during WW2 and in fact most of the M4A1, M5A1 and M6A1 variations saw their special brackets removed to return them to standard M3A4 Utility configuration. Sometimes even the data plates were altered to change the nomenclature to M3A4.
The plate shown below was fitted to a M5A1 Cal .50 Machine Gun Cart which was brought back to M3A4 standards. The Cal .50 was also changed into Cal .30

Private Collection Photo

Wartime Images of Hand Carts in use

'Embarking for Omaha-Beach' US Army Signal Corps Photo

While the markings on the helmets of the Oficers in the back clearly identify them as belonging to the 29th Infantry Division, the GI's pulling the M3A4 Hand Cart are from the 1st Infantry Division. This photo shows first wave assault troops from both divisions embarking for the Normandy invasion early June 1944 and is clear evidence that Hand Carts were not only issued to Airborne troops.

'Two Carts on Utah-Beach...' Two fully loaded carts on Utah-Beach shortly after the invasion. Note the 6-Ton Athey Track Laying Trailer and Dodge WC 56/57 Command Car in the background.

US Army Signal Corps Photo

'Picking up equipment bundles from the Drop Zone' US Army Signal Corps Photo

A Jeep from the 101st Airborne Division towing a  M3A4 Cart loaded with an A5 Equipment Container in Normandy, June 1944. The cart is equipped with the Firestone tractor tread tires and crudely marked 2C (2nd Platoon, C Company?) In the background M29 'Weasels' are heading inland from Utah-Beach past an apparently undamaged British made Horsa glider. The Horsa was favored by the USAAF for its larger payload...

'Moving Inland...' US vehicles are moving inland from the landing beaches in France. A M3A4 Hand Cart with tractor tread tires is strapped upside down on the Bantam Jeep trailer.. The Jeep is still equipped for deep water fording; the air intake tube is visible towards the right of the windshield. Note the highly visible white markings on the back of the trailer.

US Army Signal Corps Photo

'Band of Brothers' in Holland' US Army Signal Corps Photo

Paratroopers from the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment advance through the Dutch town of Veghel during Operation Market Garden in September 1944. Again two men are pulling the cart with tow ropes while a third trooper steers from the back. Note the British vehicles from XXXth Corps in the background.

'The Ardennes front...' Paratroopers of the 1st Battalion/504th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division use a cart to transport supplies in the Belgian Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Again one trooper is steering from the back while others pull the cart with the Tow Ropes. The early aluminum cart seems to be a M6A1 Mortar Cart with the tube carrying bracket bolted to the cart's body. However there are no 81mm Mortar parts visible on the cart. The white marking on the cart seems to be 'HQ' indicating a Headquarters unit.

US Army Signal Corps Photo

'Marlene' having fun with a Hand Cart'     Photos from the Webmaster's Collection

During a USO Tour in March 1945, Marlene Dietrich spent some time at Mourmelon, France with the 101st and 17th Airborne Divisions. She was accompanied by actress Lynn Mayberry and these images show them using a M3A4 Hand Cart to move their personal clothing. Ms Mayberry is wearing a Arctic Field Jacket, while Marlene Dietrich sports an A2 Flying Jacket! A Sgt from the 17th AB Div seems to be having the time of his life.....

'Searching the Varsity Drop Zone for Supplies' Photo from the Ethell Collection

Two GI's from the 17th Airborne Division and some German POW's with an M3A4 Hand Cart search the field for supplies, while other paratroopers make their way across the Drop Zone towards their assembly point after the jump over the Rhine on March 24th, 1945. A white parachute canopy hangs from the trees in the background....

Company Roster of I Company-18th Infantry

Original paperwork from the Webmaster's Collection

The above cards were made up by the CO of I Company/18Infantry Regiment of the 1st Division before an exercise or operation during WW2. The Company was divided over 6 teams (boats) and personnel of both I and M Companies are shown on the cards. The cards show that each of the two platoons had 2 Hand Carts to transport their .30Cal Machine Guns. The carts used by this Infantry Company probably came from Battalion HQ, as according to Table of Organization and Equipment (T/O&E) 7-16 , dated 15 July 1943, the Headquarters and Headquarters Company of an Infantry Battalion in an Infantry Division was issued 10 M3A4 carts to be used by the Battalion in landing operations when authorized by the Theater of Operations Commander.

Other Carts used by the US Army in the ETO

Two other carts that were used during WW2 in the European Theater of Operations were the RL-35 Reel Cart, used to transport Communication Wire Reels and the M1A1 Chemical Mortar Cart, used by the Chemical Mortar Battalions to transport their heavy 4.2 Inch Chemical Mortars.
While the M1A1 is practically impossible to find, dozens of Reel Carts found their way into collector's hands after the Dutch Armed Forces sold off their stock in the late 1990's

   
Scan from Signal Corps Equipment Technical Manual & Still from US Army Signal Corps Film Reels

The image from the manual left shows the Signal Corps RL-35(A) Reel Cart loaded with 3 DR-4 Wire Reels and right is a rare image of its use during WW2, towed behind a Jeep on the road towards Cherbourg,A France in June 1944

       
Stills from US Army Signal Corps Film Reels

Two images showing a GI from the US 1st Infantry Division's 5th Artillery, loading a Reelcart onto a Landing Craft in preparation of the invasion of France in June 1944.

   
Scan from TM 9-2300 Artillery Material and Associated Equipment & US Army Signal Corps Photo

Due to its weight of over 300 Lbs, a Cart was needed to transport the 4.2 Inch Chemical Mortar and its ammunition. Troops of the 87th Chemical Mortar Bn fire their weapon from the dunes on Utah-Beach in support of the 4th Infantry Division on D-Day in Normandy.
Note the 18" Motorcycle Wheels on the M1A1 Cart!

John Wayne in 'The Longest Day'!

Anyone involved with US WW2 militaria knows the scene from the movie 'The Longest Day' where John Wayne (playing LtCol Ben Vandervoort) commandeers a Handcart to ride him into battle with a broken ankle. While the cart looks OK from a distance, it is in fact a poor substitute for an original cart with aluminum body. The overall dimensions are too large and the wheels are completely wrong.

Still from 'The Longest Day', Darryl F Zanuck (1962)

The real thing ???? Or not????

The Cart above displayed at the 2008 Beltring War & Peace Show, is in fact a replica. It is perfect for re-enactments but collectors wanting to buy an original, should do their homework! Caveat Emptor!

For more images and information about US Army Hand Carts, visit Craig Johnson's excellent website at:
www.handcartz.com

Go to the next page for more information about the restoration of my M3A4 Hand Cart.