Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 10, 2026

Unditching roller

An unditching roller is a device fitted to the front of military vehicles, such as the M3 Scout Car and the M3 half-track, for the purpose of preventing the vehicle from getting stuck in an obstacle, such as a ditch. The C4 based Citroën P17C Kégresse from 1931 also had such a roller.

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Photo of an M3 Scout Car from the front, outdoors on a city street with other military vehicles. It has a wide cylindrical object mounted on front beneath the radiator grill. A coil of barbed wire and coiled rope are also mounted.
An M3 Scout Car showing the wide unditching roller at the front source ↗

An unditching roller is a device fitted to the front of military vehicles, such as the M3 Scout Car1 and the M3 half-track, for the purpose of preventing the vehicle from getting stuck in an obstacle, such as a ditch.2 The C4 based Citroën P17C Kégresse from 1931 also had such a roller.3

Upon entering a ditch, the roller prevents the front of the vehicle from digging into the opposite face of the ditch; instead, the roller acts as a wide wheel enabling the front to climb out of the ditch more easily.2

  • Variants of unditching rollers
  • 1931 C4 based Citroën P17C Kégresse
    1931 C4 based Citroën P17C Kégresse
  • Drawing of Unic TU-1 tractor, side view.
    Unic TU-1 Light Artillery Tractor
  • Photo of Unic P107 museum specimen from front-left. The wide cylindrical roller is mounted at front below the radiator grill.
    Unic P107
  • Black-and-white photo of 38M Botond truck from side, showing it driving over a rise.
    Hungarian 38M Botond
See also

See also

References

References

  1. "M3A1 Scout Car". Heritage Flight Museum.
  2. Zaloga 2018, p. 44. sfn error: no target: CITEREFZaloga2018 (help)
  3. Ellis 1970, p. 161.
Bibliography

Bibliography

  • Ellis, Chris (1970). Military Transport of World War I: including Vintage Vehicles and Post War Models. Poole: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0701-1.
  • Zaloga, Steven J. (2006). Early US Armor: Armored Cars 1915–40. New Vanguard 254. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781472825148.
External links