M35 Prime Mover - AFV Club's No. AF 35S08 released in 2000
By 1943, Battles were fought mostly on Italian soil. The Allies regarded Italy as their secondary battlefront with two objectives : 1) to force Italy to withdraw from the war; and 2) to hinder the Germans and to cut down their strength. Italy composed of hilly terrain making offensive hard and easy for defenders. The Allies depended heavily on big bore artilleries as their primary support.

At that time, the factory that was manufacturing the M6 High Speed Tractors originally planned for tolling the 203mm and 240mm cannons was falling behind production schedule. The Allies had to find other vehicles to substitute the M6s. From December of 1943 to March 1944, 133 M1s and M32s were converted by removing their turrets, winches and booms and renamed as M33s and M34s. During January to June 1944, 209 M10A1s Tank Destroyers were also converted by removing their turrets and part of the interior construction and renamed M35 Prime Mover.

The M35s can directly control the brakes and detachment of the cannons from the main vehicle and remained active in battle throughout the later stages of the war in Europe.

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