When the Cleveland Tractor Company merged with the Oliver Corporation in 1944, this did not set well with some of the Cletrac personnel. This is a common occurrence when new management is put in place. There was some feeling amongst the Cletrac people that the Cleveland Tractor Company was primarily an industrial company and they considered being bought by Oliver, who was primarily a farm equipment manufacturer, was taking a step backwards. A situation like this usually causes some unrest and the offended party begins to look for employment elsewhere. The time was just right- a small new crawler company who was in need of talented personnel was just being born.
Marc B. Rojtman migrated from Russia in 1938. His family manufactured locomotives in Europe. Since his family was Jewish, the were forced to flee during the Nazi era.
After WWII, Marc became interested in the Clark Airborne crawler tractor. The Clark Airborne crawler was meant to be airdropped behind enemy lines and then to carve out an airstrip in the wilderness with a small carryall scraper. Many of these machines became available as military surplus and could be purchased for a very reasonable price. Later these were also marketed under the USTRAC name.
To read more about this article order issue #27 or if you have the Issue go to page 12
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