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My understanding is that most early WWII US Artillery units, motorized to tow Howitzers or Long Toms, used trucks to maneuver. At a later stage, the artillery tractors were produced and utilized in different variants. In Feb 1944, when the 528th FABn was activated, the M4 High Speed Tractor was used to tow the 155mm Long Tom Guns, for which they trained to use. Being at Fort Hood Texas, home of the Tank Destroyers, it makes sense due to the similarity of the M4 to a Tank for maneuvers, etc.
In Spring of 1944, my grandfather was sent from Fort Hood Texas for several weeks to Fort Sill, Oklahoma (home of the field artillery training) to receive an official driver training on the M4 tractor. I believe they still have one today on display at Fort Sill.
The M4 High Speed Tractor used the chassis and drive train of the older M3 Light Tank. It was manufactured by Allis-Chalmers of Wisconsin. They started in 1942 and were used in the U.S. military service until approximately 1960.
It was designed to replace the 4-Ton 6x6 Truck as the prime mover of the 105mm and 155mm Howitzers and the 4.5 inch Gun
You can Youtube some videos to see them in action. They are really quite neat and highly maneuverable.
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