General O'Daniel introduced his "Battlesleds" on Anzio. Designed for the upcoming breakout, the sleds were intended to give protection from small arms fire to the twelve-man sled teams pulled behind tanks advancing through barbed wire and mine fields. The sleds were tethered behind a tank, six sleds inline with each track.(rudeerude)

Battlesleds

General John "Iron Mike" O'Daniel (standing) and General Mark Clark (seated in Jeep) exchange parting comments on the Anzio beachhead. O'Daniel, a "no frills" leader who was widely respected by those he commanded, led the Third Division from Anzio to Austria for the German surrender in May 1945(rudeerude)

General John "Iron Mike" O'Daniel 3rd ID

The reality of the "battlesleds" was that, as soon as the tanks began to advance, they received increasing direct fire from enemy tanks and anti-tank cannons. The tanks, forced to return fire and take evasion action, had to change direction abruptly or stop to fire and in some cases, back up. This maneuvering caused some of the sleds to topple and the soldiers riding fell victim to near-misses directed at the tanks. The sleds made a debut and a hasty exit from military history during the breakout.