Indholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i Military Vehicles

It is easy to assume that all historic military vehicles were painted in some muted shade of olive or forest green. While that tends to be true for tactical vehicles, all branches of services have employed fleets of administrative vehicles. Since 1954, the General Services Administration (GSA) has provided quality vehicles and efficient and economical fleet management services to more than 75 federal agencies — including all branches of the U.S. military. The GSA Fleet leases non-tactical vehicles to other federal agencies. The types of vehicles in the Fleet include: • Sedans • Station wagons • Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) • Vans • Pickup trucks (4x2 and 4x4) • Buses • Ambulances • Medium and heavy duty trucks; • Law enforcement vehicles • Specialty equipment (trailers) Today, with nearly 218,000…

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…

This may be the oldest M37 in existence — the 13th one to be produced, to be exact. A review of the serial number history shows that it was manufactured January 10, 1951, based upon its serial number, 80006025. According to TM9-1840C (Research Department Technical Manual), M-37 serial numbers 80006001 through 80006006 were assigned to the pilot M37s. Serial numbers 80006007 through 80006009 were given to the three M43 pilots. Serial numbers 80006010 and 80006011 were the first two production pilot M37s, completed on December 14 and 20, 1950, respectively. CLUES IN THE SERIAL NUMBERS M37 serial numbers can be found on the dashboard data plate. However, since these can be removed and/or replaced, the Serial number can also be found stamped on the vehicle frame in the front left…

When the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was created in 1949, one of the European nations to sign the agreement to the Alliance was the Netherlands. In doing so, it broke with a tradition of neutrality which stretched back to the early 19th century. During the early postwar years, the Dutch Army continued to use a mixture of British and American equipment, including armored vehicles, much of which was surplus from WWII. By 1956, the Dutch Army approached the vehicle manufacturer Van Doorne’s Automobielfabrieken (DAF) to come up with a modern design for an armored personnel carrier. The company produced a mock-up which was approved and led to the first prototype in 1958. Following field trials, the Dutch Army proposed a series of changes. DAF’s design team knew they could…

After WWII, many of the Allies’ vehicle designs used during the conflict continued in service. By the late 1940s, however, most countries realized that more modern vehicles would soon be required. As the British army began looking for replacements to update its ageing fleet of soft-skinned vehicles, it focused on a worthy stand-in for the Jeep. Even though there was plenty of service life left in the venerable American Jeeps, the British Army envisioned something different. In 1947, the British Army launched its search for the new vehicle, which it labeled, “Project Car 4X4 5cwt (quarter ton) FV1800 Series.” The Nuffield Organization which owned the subsidiary company of Morris Motors Ltd., produced three prototype vehicles known as the “Nuffield Gutty.” The Gutty’s extensive field trials revealed the design required a…

During the 1980s, several armies introduced small, lightweight 4x4 all-terrain vehicles for the purposes of providing transportation and cargo-carrying capabilities to specialist forces, especially airborne units. The trend was set by the American army during the Vietnam War, where it used the M274 “Mechanical Mule” to carry ammunition and cargo over shor distances and be used as a firing platform for weapons. One of the more interesting designs to emerge was a versatile French-built vehicle called the “FL501.” It entered service with the French Army, but was also adopted by the Spanish army, along with the forces of Tunisia and Argentina. Weighing only 680kg, it could carry almost its own weight as a cargo load and configured to serve in various roles including troop carrier, weapon platform, ambulance, and communications…

AVietnam firebase was a bit like an updated 1870s western cavalry fort. Instead of log wall, the firebase of the 1960s and 1970s consisted of sandbagged and earthen walls topped with barbed wire and surrounded by mined perimeters. They dotted the landscape and provided a place with a level of security. Firebases were safe havens for troops to operate from and to return to; logistics points; helicopter landing zones (LZs); and fire support — usually in the form of light to heavy mortars and artillery. Also known as fire support bases, firebases were established to support infantry operations that were sweeping the landscape of hostile forces and to hold geographic areas. Firebases were usually located 5 to 10 air miles apart to allow full artillery coverage for the 105mm and…

Back in the days of acetylene headlights, most vehicles were not equipped with filters to protect their engines from dusty air or dirty oil. This was mostly because it was simply not known how much damage dust and grit could do inside an engine such as scoring cylinder walls, scuffing piston rings, and scouring bearings and other moving parts. Of course, the tolerances in the engines of this period were loose and sloppy. They were low-compression, low-RPM, and not very long-lived. All engines could have been fitted with air cleaners if their manufacturers had realized the need. No matter how old or primitive an internal-combustion engine might be, the air needed for combustion of fuel is sucked into its intake manifold by vacuum created when the pistons go down on…

We all love the Jeeps, M37s, deuce-and-a-half’s, and tanks — all of which are universally painted some shade of olive drab (OD). What a person might not realize is that all of these OD trucks and tracks are considered to be “tactical vehicles.” That means these vehicles were designed for rugged use on- and off-road in combat or tactical use. That is why they were painted in the drab green colors. However, there was a whole other class of vehicles used to support the military in their day-to-day operations at installations and depots during the post-WWII Cold War era. These were referred to as “administrative vehicles.” Whereas tactical vehicles underwent long periods of development and testing before reaching production, administrative vehicles were commercial and “off-the-self.” They were usually very basic…

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