Track spuds and Track Torpedoes
Photos by Phil Radley

A big problem soon experienced by the early tanks, was the ever present risk of the vehicle getting stuck while moving on the churned-up ground of the Battlefields of WW1. Remedies for this, and for helping stuck tanks getting free, was sought. And two of the earliest ones was the attachment of tracks spuds and track torpedoes. Track spuds was a small, more or less permanent attachment, simply improving the grip of the tracks. Track torpedoes were, elongated pieces of wood, intended as unditching gear, that was attached to the tracks when a tank got stuck, and then followed the track around, in under the tank, hopefully giving it the grip and "leverage" it needed in order to get free. They were eventually replaced with the more effective unditching beams, that could be seen on all Mk IV's.

Matador Models make a set of Spuds & Torpedoes, to use on Tank kits.

This fine photos by Phil Radley, taken by him at Bovington, probably the no.1 AFV museum in the World, show seldom seen details of these contraptions: