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M55A2 [M114 Woodmaster]

The Army acquired 27 tractors that had been stripped down M114 hulls. The M114 had a standard front-engine arrangement, with the engine compartment located in the right half, the control divisions - in the left half of the frontal part of the hull. It is understandable why Salvadorians got it - the Americans in Vietnam did not like here and distributed to their allies. The M114A2 (1969, originally called M114A1E1) replaced main armament with a Hispano-Suiza HS.820 20 mm gun (designated M139 in US service) which used a hydraulically-powered cupola.

El Salvador really got the US "log tractor based on M114". However, given the time of supply []1978, it can be assumed that this is the way the US military and their Salvadorian friends (junta) so bypassed the ban imposed by President-Democrat Carter on the supply military equipment to South America.

In El Salvador, when Maestranza started to rebuild the M114 tractors it concentrated in three basic types. The initial tracked transport variant presented a simple box-like structure; even American advisers often confused this variant for modified M113s. The gun carrier variant appeared more like a Great War, sporting several machine gun turrets or pedestals. Maestranza converted 23 tractors into IFVs and this M114 Woodmaster tractor was modified as a M55A2 carrier. Finally, the utility/cargo variants sported an open bed and were used for diverse roles, including one modified as an amphibious assault/patrol vehicle. They had a strange appearance, judging by the seams welded by local craftsmen on unfortunately not a reliable design.

Although the new armored body provided much needed protection, the mechanical defects of the M114 “tractors” remained. These included an unreliable and break-down prone Chevrolet V8 gasoline engine of 160hp, and poor traction. The biggest problem that Mastranza had was the engines. The Woodmaster does not have the same engine as the M-114 - it's used a different engine, a Chevy V-8 gasoline engine that produces 160 horsepower. The gasoline engines were limited in range, unreliable, prone to breakdowns, and tended to overheat when used in their new role in armored vehicles.

Within a year, Maestranza had adapted the LDT-465IC diesel V6 of 140hp engines from the M35 trucks. This improved range but reduced maximum speed to some 50km/h. Nevertheless, the vehicles easily overheated, and this confined them to be used as reaction tools rather than their intended field supportive role.

In the early 1970s, the Army acquired a quantity of 32 M55A2 antiaircraft gun systems. The M55A2 is basically the former Hispano-Suiza (HS) 630 mount, consisting of three 20mm HS-804 cannons mounted on a two-wheeled undercarriage built under license from Switzerland by the Federal Supply Bureau Yugoslavia.

The Salvadorian Maestranza developed several M55A2 self-propelled gun systems during the 1980s conflict. Colonel Oswaldo Marenco would adapt the one-piece M55A2 one-piece tripod inside a M114 Woodmaster tractor chassis back in 1979, constructing a casemate / turret and allowing the use of its mechanical systems for its lifting and rotation. Four of these modifications have been identified, with two others based on trucks. The use of the four AAA M55A2 / M114 SP systems in the urban struggles would have been of great effect, but this never outlined in the tactics of the Army.

In general, it is called M55A2 and is listed as a self-propelled unit, not anti-aircraft. The mount was fitted intact within the hull. The wheels were replaced with plates that protected the sides of the gunner seat, linked by another roof-plate, and a small rear door. The gun turret is manually operated. This model served with the National Guard, and was one of a total of four M114/M55A2 conversions made between 1979 and 1984.

It was made from a demilitarized M114 (armour stripped off and converted to a tractor called the 'Woodmaster') and Yugoslavian M55A2 20mm AA gun system based on a Hispano-Suiza (HS) 630 mount, consisting of three 20mm HS-804 cannons mounted on a two-wheeled carriage built under license from Switzerland. Four were built. The effective range of these guns is about 2500 meters.

The vehicle is compact, easily camouflaged with branches, the good vegetation in tropical El Salvador is enough. Until the time of shooting, he does not betray himself. So this is the same as the ZU-23 in the mobile version.

With American help, some of the tactical transport park and infantry equipment and part of the armored park have been upgraded. There is still hope of being able to complement the armored transport park with M1152 TTP, and perhaps some donation of protected means of transport by European allies.