Disston 6-Ton Tractor Tank – American-Made Tractor Tank

A commonly used phrase to show easiness is Bob’s your uncle. I surely doubt that everyone who this is said to has an uncle named Bob. In the tank world, however, the Bob Semple Tank is the uncle of a few designs, such as the Schofield tank (through country of origin). You’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with the Disston, but the answer is quite plain: who is Bob’s uncle? The answer is the Disston 6-Ton Tractor Tank.

The Great Depression saw a great deal of companies being financially starved and trying to find new ways of making income. In 1933, the Disston Company—the same company which had assembled the Sutton Skunk—received a Caterpillar 35 tractor from Caterpillar Tractor Company and was requested to design a tank on the C35’s chassis. The resulting tank weighed in at about six tons, could allegedly hold seven troops, and was modestly armed with an M1916 low-velocity 37mm gun and a Marlin machine gun. Its boxy superstructure was armored with up to thirteen millimeters of steel. The original Caterpillar tracks were lengthened via the addition of an idler (though one tank is known to have the original tracks). The only step left was to actually sell the tanks.

The original intended buyer of the tank, the US Army, flatly refused sales of the Disston, already on their way to developing fine tanks of their own. The USMC was marketed to and was more interested in the design than the Army, but the large size of the Disston discouraged the Marines from purchasing any. Disston then turned its attention to the export market. Kuwait was the first country marketed to, a letter being sent in January of 1934. However, no orders were placed. Romania received an offer to buy a unit of Disstons. The Romanian Ministry of Defense was interested, and sent an invitation to Disston to compete in a tank competition in Romania, but Disston stated that Romania should first purchase tanks. Romania refused to purchase any. There are rumors of the Disston also being marketed to Canada and New Zealand, both not buying any (though the Bob Semple Tank is known to have taken inspiration from the Disston).

The only confirmed operator of the Disston Tractor Tank was Afghanistan. Five tanks were delivered to India and shipped via train to Kabul, where they were paraded around the city center before being sent to an armored unit. Afghanistan is known to have used Disstons up until the end of the Second World War, with some modifications such as engine grilles and the like. It is believed that up to four tanks were ordered by and shipped to China, though this lies unconfirmed. The armies of China were previously supported by Germany, but as this began to fall apart in 1938 it is not impossible that some were ordered.

Tanks Encyclopedia article: Disston Tractor Tank – Tank Encyclopedia (tanks-encyclopedia.com)

In Bolt Action, this could be used theoretically with either a Chinese (Nationalist?) army or an Afghan army, though I have never seen an example of the latter. I would use it as follows:

Damage Value: 7+ (Armored Carrier)

Weapons: 1 Low-velocity Light Anti-Tank Gun, 1 MMG

Special Rules:

• Slow
• Experimental

Alternatively, as some have ended up in scrapyards in Afghanistan, you could use it as a terrain piece…

I have only printed the tank in FDM—print at fine layers, all the usual.