LVT(A)-1 (1942)[edit]
The first infantry support LVT. With the first experience of Pacific amphibious operations it was clear heavier firepower than the usual .50 cal guns was needed. Based on the LVT-2, A standing for armored, this fire support version had an armored (6 to 12 mm) hull. It was fitted with a turret nearly identical to that of the Light Tank M3, with a 37 mm Gun M6 in an M44 mount, and also carried two rear-mounted machine guns. 509 units produced. The vehicle's hull was covered in 6-12mm of armor plate, and the vehicle was powered by a 262 bhp air-cooled petrol engine. Despite the limitations imposed by the turret it could still carry a limited payload of 1,000 lbs of cargo and had a quite respectable speed of 25 mph or land and 6.5 mph in water, and an operational range of 125 miles on land or 75 miles in water.
These vehicles were intended to provide fire support to the assaulting Marines in the early stages of establishing a beachhead. It was common, however, for the LVT(A)s to commence firing whilst still in the water, which, considering the amount of naval gunfire which usually accompanied a landing, may have been a waste of ammunition.
At Roi-Namur, the 24th Marines had support of LVT(A)-1s, but they could not close up enough to effectively support the troops from the beaches. Other LVT(A)-1s supported the 22nd Marines landing at Engebi. By mid-1944 all LVT(A)-1s had been replaced by much more capable 75mm gun armed LVT(A)-4s.