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HIS-00Across the Reef

History

An immersive timeline of Landing Vehicle Tracked development and employment—sourced from institutional histories, not invented drama.

  1. ERA-01

    26.7°N · 80.0°W

    The Alligator

    1935–1940

    Donald Roebling developed a civilian amphibious tractor for Florida swamp and hurricane rescue work. Life magazine coverage drew Marine Corps interest as amphibious doctrine matured.

  2. ERA-02

    WWII Development

    1940–1942

    Militarized prototypes led to the Landing Vehicle Tracked. The first production LVT-1 rolled from Food Machinery Corporation in July 1941, bridging ship-to-shore where reefs stopped conventional landing craft.

  3. ERA-03

    1.4°N · 173.0°E

    Tarawa

    November 1943

    At Tarawa, LVTs carried assault waves across coral reefs that stranded conventional landing craft. The operation fixed the Amtrac’s place in Marine amphibious assault doctrine.

  4. ERA-04

    Central Pacific

    1944

    Across the Marshalls, Marianas, and beyond, LVTs and armored LVT(A) variants moved troops, supplies, and close fire support from ship to shore and inland.

  5. ERA-05

    7.0°N · 134.2°E

    Peleliu

    September 1944

    LVT assault waves, including armored amtracs in the lead, carried Marines onto Peleliu’s contested beaches under devastating fire.

  6. ERA-06

    24.8°N · 141.3°E

    Iwo Jima

    February–March 1945

    LVTs again bridged surf and sand, sustaining the assault and logistics of one of the Corps’ costliest Pacific battles.

  7. ERA-07

    26.5°N · 128.0°E

    Okinawa

    April–June 1945

    Late-war LVT variants, including the LVT-3 family, supported the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific war.

  8. ERA-08

    Postwar Development

    1945–1950

    The Marine Corps refined preferred LVT types for peacetime force structure while preserving amphibious assault capability for the next fight.

  9. ERA-09

    37.5°N · 126.6°E

    Korea / Inchon

    1950–1953

    At Inchon, LVTs supported landings across difficult tidal flats—including Blue Beach operations—extending the Amtrac legacy into the Korean War.

  10. ERA-10

    LVTP Era

    Post-Korea

    Tracked amphibious personnel carriers evolved beyond WWII LVT designs, carrying the Amtrac community into the Cold War and Vietnam eras.

  11. ERA-11

    AAV Era

    1970s–2020s

    The Amphibious Assault Vehicle became the defining platform for generations of Amtrac Marines—the living lineage honored at Camp Del Mar.

  12. ERA-12

    ACV Era

    Fielding ongoing

    The Amphibious Combat Vehicle is succeeding the AAV. The museum preserves the machines and stories that brought the community here.

Campaign map

Verified LVT-associated campaigns

Click-through campaign cards for desktop. Mobile keeps the same content without heavy map chrome.

  • Solomon Islands

    Guadalcanal

    1942–1943

    Early LVT-1 employment focused heavily on logistics—moving supplies ship-to-shore and inland, and evacuating wounded.

  • Gilbert Islands

    Tarawa

    November 1943

    LVTs carried assault waves across coral reefs that stranded conventional landing craft, proving the Amtrac’s combat assault role.

  • Mariana Islands

    Saipan

    June–July 1944

    LVTs delivered assault waves and sustained ship-to-shore movement across the Central Pacific campaign.

  • Mariana Islands

    Tinian

    July–August 1944

    LVT employment supported landings and subsequent operations across Tinian’s beaches and inland approaches.

  • Palau Islands

    Peleliu

    September–November 1944

    Assault waves included LVTs and armored LVT(A)s leading into a fiercely defended beachhead.

  • Volcano Islands

    Iwo Jima

    February–March 1945

    LVTs supported the assault and continuous logistics across volcanic sand under intense fire.

  • Ryukyu Islands

    Okinawa

    April–June 1945

    Late-war LVT variants supported the largest Pacific amphibious assault of the war.

  • Korea

    Inchon

    September 1950

    LVTs supported landings across difficult tidal conditions, including Blue Beach operations during Operation Chromite.

Then / Now

Compare only historically connected imagery

The comparison component is scaffolded on the homepage. Production pairs require rights-cleared archival sources and museum photography with dual captions.