I am doing a paper on the LVT during WWII, and have run into a bit of an issue. I have one source that says that the amount of LVT's produced was less than 10,000, while Wikipedia (I know, not a real source) said that 8,000 of only just the LVT-4s were made. That leads me to really want a second source to collaborate the numbers I am using.
Is there a US database, or records that would state how many of each variation were produced by the end of the war?
Slightly varying production numbers exist, although being realistic, only one can be taken to be the actual number built.
The document Official Munitions Production of the United States by Months, July 1, 1940-August 31, 1945 lists a total of 18,620 of all types produced from July 1941 to August 1945.
| Month | Unarmored, LVT | Armored, LVT (A) |
|---|---|---|
| July 1941 | 1 | |
| August 1941 | 6 | |
| September 1941 | 12 | |
| October 1941 | 9 | |
| November 1941 | 23 | |
| December 1941 | 21 | |
| January 1942 | 38 | |
| February 1942 | 25 | |
| March 1942 | 38 | |
| April 1942 | 41 | |
| May 1942 | 48 | |
| June 1942 | 58 | 2 |
| July 1942 | 74 | |
| August 1942 | 94 | |
| September 1942 | 105 | |
| October 1942 | 52 | 1 |
| November 1942 | 133 | |
| December 1942 | 125 | |
| January 1943 | 103 | |
| February 1943 | 86 | |
| March 1943 | 75 | |
| April 1943 | 35 | 7 |
| May 1943 | 61 | 47 |
| June 1943 | 117 | 55 |
| July 1943 | 174 | 58 |
| August 1943 | 219 | 45 |
| September 1943 | 236 | 68 |
| October 1943 | 243 | 65 |
| November 1943 | 259 | 70 |
| December 1943 | 246 | 73 |
| January 1944 | 341 | 101 |
| February 1944 | 397 | 114 |
| March 1944 | 604 | 181 |
| April 1944 | 680 | 194 |
| May 1944 | 762 | 217 |
| June 1944 | 696 | 198 |
| July 1944 | 615 | 196 |
| August 1944 | 583 | 176 |
| September 1944 | 510 | 127 |
| October 1944 | 696 | 173 |
| November 1944 | 652 | 151 |
| December 1944 | 599 | 130 |
| January 1945 | 683 | 125 |
| February 1945 | 727 | 125 |
| March 1945 | 817 | 115 |
| April 1945 | 790 | 70 |
| May 1945 | 792 | 65 |
| June 1945 | 785 | 60 |
| July 1945 | 589 | 58 |
| August 1945 | 406 | 52 |
| Total | 15,501 | 3,119 |
Gordon L. Rottman's U.S. Marine Corps Pacific Theater of Operations 1943-1944 lists a total of 18,616, while Steven J. Zaloga's Amtracs: U.S. Amphibious Assault Vehicles, gives 18,621, with a chart by type and year;
LVT Production 1941-45
| Type | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LVT-1 | 72 | 851 | 302 | 1,225 | ||
| LVT(A)-1 | 3 | 288 | 219 | 510 | ||
| LVT-2 | 1,540 | 1,422 | 2,962 | |||
| LVT(A)-2 | 200 | 250 | 450 | |||
| LVT-3 | 1 | 733 | 2,230 | 2,964 | ||
| LVT-4 | 11 | 4,980 | 3,360 | 8,351 | ||
| LVT(A)-4 | 1,489 | 401 | 1,890 | |||
| LVT(A)-5 | 269 | 269 | ||||
| Totals | 72 | 854 | 2,342 | 9,093 | 6,260 | 18,621 |
The American Fighting Vehicle Database gives the following;
| Type | Total |
|---|---|
| LVT-1 | 1,225 |
| LVT(A)-1 | 509 |
| LVT-2 | 2,963 |
| LVT(A)-2 | 450 |
| LVT-3 | 2,962 |
| LVT-4 | 8,348 |
| LVT(A)-4 | 1,890 |
| LVT(A)-5 | 269 |
| Totals | 18,616 |