Indholdsfortegnelse for February 2019 i Military Vehicles

In 2008, I was nearing the end of my career as a forester and wildland firefighter. My two older children were out of the house, and I came to the realization that I had not spent enough quality summer time with them. I was determined to make that up with my youngest son, Gunnar. We had purchased a very nice 1943 Dodge WC-56 Command Car. We thought about taking it on a slow and extended cross country camping trip to visit both sets of grandparents who lived back east. As we were making early plans, we read about the MVPA intention to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first Transcontinental Military Motorized Convoy staged by the US Army over three months in the summer of 1919, from Washington, DC to…

Most 4-H projects take one weekend to complete and are usually done in a mad frenzy just before the local county fair. Pinterest has gone wild with weekend warrior 4-H ideas. Many 4H parents know exactly what I am talking about! Dawson Ducommun, a 15-year-old from Cherokee, Iowa, is a member of the Mill Creek Valley 4-H club. He chose a project that he would work on over the 9 months leading up to the Cherokee County Fair in July 2018. While there were some last-minute items to take care of, Dawson got it entered...and went on to qualify for the Iowa State Fair. HMMWV OR M37? It all started back in the fall of 2017, when Dawson and his dad, Daryl, made a trip to Sioux City, Iowa, to…

Work on a new Jeep began in 1948, though the M38 was regarded as a stopgap vehicle. Slightly larger and heavier than its World War II MB counterpart, the M38 did resemble its ancestor and used a power plant very much like that of the WWII-era “Go-Devil” engine. Still, with the increased weight of the vehicle, the flat head four-cylinder was underpowered. From 1950 until 1952, Willys produced 45,473 M38 Jeeps. A rare few were equipped with a PTO-driven winch. Weight: 2,750 pounds Size (LxWxH): 133” x 62” x 74” Max Speed: 55 mph Range: 225 miles There are almost infinite variations of vehicles, even of the same model. The pricing shown in this Buyer’s Guide represents current market trends for typical examples of each vehicle. This brief price guide…

30th DIVISION MARKINGS I just finished reading the October 2018 issue of Military Vehicles Magazine. I was taken by the markings on the front of Tim Scobie’s truck that was featured on the cover. It appears he marked his truck almost identically to the jeep my father purchased in 1949. It was marked for the 30th Division, 117th Reg. The only difference was that father’s jeep is marked for Company C rather than Company B as on Tim’s truck. —Joe Plechavy GRANDFATHER DEUCE? This photo was in a local Wisconsin family album that we had purchased for other subjects. There was no information on it. After some study, I could identify the military trucks in the foreground as early Federal models. They were assembled from components sourced from heavy duty…

MVM named 2019 the “Year of the Military Dodge” and has invited readers to share photos and stories of their military Dodge vehicles. We want to see your military trucks. Send high-resolution photos of your military Dodge for us to share in the magazine, on Facebook, and maybe even in our annual calendar. Send to john-adams-graf@fwmedia.com  or mail to: MVM/ YOMD, John Adams-Graf, 901 Fourth St., Suite 50, Hudson, Wisc. 54016…

Back in 2015, I participated in the MVPA Bankhead Cross Country Convoy from Washington, D.C. to San Diego, Calif. Traveling that distance in my M38 jeep and M100 trailer was a wonderful experience. I camped out every night for more than 30 days. While it was very tiring to set up my tent every night, tearing it down every morning before sunup was really the killer! Regardless, I really enjoyed the convoy. Along the way, however, I noticed a lot of my friends were sleeping in big trucks. Some had fixed their trucks up like an RV with all the comforts of home: Generator, running water, toilet, and even air conditioning. I decided I needed to do convoy in a big truck! LOOKING FOR A TRUCK I was planning on…

I’m currently training with the Ukrainian Army. Here are some of the cool vehicles I’m encountering.…

The largest annual military vehicle event in western North America made its second stop at the San Francisco North / Petaluma KOA campground in Sonoma County, California, in April 2018. Participants bought and sold plenty of parts, drove their historic military vehicles (HMV)s in scenic countryside and enjoyed the kind of camaraderie that is typical of the Spring meet that draws people from many states and sometimes other countries. This meet has been occurring annually at various venues since the late 1970s. The Military Vehicle Collectors of California (MVCC) called it “Camp Delta” when it was at Tower Park Resort west of Lodi for 13 years. In 2016, the new owners of that campground announce a major remodel, causing the club to look for a new location for the 2017…

We love to see and share photos of our readers’ HMVs. Here are few that appeared on our Facebook page. To see more, share your own photos or to simply “join the conversation,” log onto your own Facebook page and type “Military Vehicles Magazine” in the search bar at the top of the page. “LIKE” us to receive the most recent news and hobby chatter. Follow us on Facebook: Join Facebook.com  and search for Military Vehicles Magazine…

Global Firepower (www.globalfirepower.com) recently released its 2017 Military Strength Ranking. The ranking draws on more than 50 factors to assign a Power Index score to 133 countries. The ranking assesses the diversity of weapons held by each country and pays particular attention to the manpower available. The geography, logistical capacity, available natural resources, and the status of local industry are also taken into account. While recognized nuclear powers receive a bonus, the nuclear stockpiles are not factored into the score. Moreover, countries that are landlocked are not docked points for lacking a navy, though they are penalized for not having a merchant marine force. Countries with navies are penalized if there is a lack of diversity in their naval assets. NATO countries received a slight bonus because the alliance would…

Introduced in 1983 as a general-purpose vehicle designed primarily for tactical, off-road use, the M939 series of 5-ton trucks was essentially a Product Improvement Package upgrade of the M809 series of 5-ton, 6×6 trucks. While initially augmenting the fleet of M809 tactical trucks and visually looking quite similar, the basic M939 possessed some major upgrades, including an automatic transmission; improved power steering system; complete air brake system; improved cooling and electrical systems; a wider, three-person cab, tilt-hood, and a simplified test equipment/internal combustion engine diagnostic connector. While all models of the series share a common chassis components, cab, hood, and fenders. Unlike the M809 series that had PTO-powered, mechanically-driven winches, the M939s have hydraulic winches. From 1983 to 1989, AM General Corporation built the M939 and M939A1 trucks in five…

The Marlboro Volunteers replaced the engine in Doctor James Law’s Dodge Command Car at the Wooster, Ohio Fairgrounds during a rest day on the 2009 Lincoln Highway Convoy. This was a true “in-the-field motor pool experience” for both the participants and the viewing public. Photo by Gunnar Sigrist If you have a suitable photo for SNAFU, please send it to Editor, Military Vehicles Magazine, 5225 Joerns Drive, Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481, USA or email to john.adams-graf@fwmedia.com All submissions become property of F+W Media, Inc. and may be used in other features.…