Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Military Vehicles

Quick! Which U.S. WWII military vehicle was 61 feet long, weighed 72 tons, and could travel at 60 miles per hour? Well, if you are looking at this article, you have probably already guessed — a railroad steam engine. To be exact, a Grand Trunk Western 2-8-2, specifically designed for war-time use by the U.S. Army and Allied countries. Is a steam engine really a military vehicle? It is, if the U.S. Army owned it. Most people don’t think of steam engines when you mention historic military vehicles (HMVs). And that is exactly why the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio (northeast of Columbus), put on their “Steam to Victory” military vehicle show this past summer. Until recently, this amazing collection of over 20 locomotives, cars, and equipment,…

Frank Salazar lives in the San Fernando Valley, Calif. At 75 years old, he currently owns a 1942 Dodge Command Car with winch, 1942 Dodge Carryall with winch, 1941 Chevy G-506 dump truck with winch, and, of course, a Ben Hur “style” trailer of unknown origin. Frank was one of the first members of The National Military Vehicle Collectors Assoc. This club started in the late 1960s with Frank Bricker the president at that time. Frank Salazar was number 47 of that club. Over the years, my uncle has owned, restored, and sold around 100 vehicles. One, though, remains an enigma. About 15 years ago, he bought a beat-up frame of an old wood military trailer. Two years ago, he decided to restore it. Is now complete, but he desperately…

Mack Defense showcased the Mack® Granite®-based M917A3 Heavy Dump Truck (HDT) at the Association of United States Army (AUSA) 2018 show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Mack Defense was awarded a $296 million contract in May 2018 to produce 683 HDTs for the U.S. Army. “The M917A3 is a great example of the capabilities Mack Defense has to develop solutions for military customers,” said David Hartzell, president of Mack Defense. “Using the rugged Mack Granite as a foundation, we were able to engineer the M917A3 to meet the U.S. Army’s challenging applications.” Based on the civilian Mack Granite model, Mack Defense optimized the M917A3 HDT to meet the current needs of the U.S. Army, while allowing for evolving requirements and future growth. Mack Defense engineers…

Factory Designation: MC Common name: M38 Nickname: “Flat-Fender” Willys built approximately 60,000 of this Korean War-era was Jeep from 1950 to 1953. Basically, the M38 was an improved/updated MB/GPW. It was based on the Willys civilian CJ3A rather than being designed as a tactical military vehicle. M38s used the same Willys L-head engine as the WWII Jeeps The engine was now fitted with deep-water fording controls. The vehicle featured the standardized 24-volt M-series electrical system and other M-series components, such as dashboard instruments and tail lamps. The M38 is about as easy to service and repair as the MB/GPW, with the exception of the M-series components and 24-volt electricals, including special military spark plugs and tune-up parts. Likewise, finding 24-volt headlamps and light bulbs may require some research. Most parts…

There is something about amphibious vehicles that captures the imagination. There has never been an amphibian as fascinating as the GMC DUKW. Though I have owned, driven, and worked on hundreds of military vehicles, there’s something about a DUKW waddling up through the surf line with its propeller thrashing the water astern while its front wheels claw for a grip on land, that makes it about the ultimate rush for a historic military vehicle (HMV) experience — especially if I’m in the driver’s seat, pulling and pushing what seems to be a hundred levers and controls! As with flying an airplane, landing is usually the busiest part. When “landing” a DUKW one comes to appreciate the saying that any landing you can walk away from was a good one. Maybe…

“Mark will do it.” That remark wormed its way through the fog of my mind as I was contemplating my Dodge WC-56 command car’s maintenance needs of my. Yes, “contemplating.” I was not day dreaming Terry Shelswell (the Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s Convoys Coordinator) was speaking at a convoy planning meeting at the 2014 Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. A GOOD IDEA We had been discussing potential future convoys and coordinating them with Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA) conventions. We also discussed potential two-week convoys in the “off ” years between the four-week transcontinental convoys. A convoy through National Parks in the west was on the table for consideration. The National Park Service was established in 1916 to manage national parks, monuments, and other historical properties. In 1924, the young organization…

Social distancing? I have been at for years. Many of you know that I have a small office in the “lower level” of a public building. That’s the fancy name for “corner office in the basement.” Just think of Melvin in the 1999 classic movie, “Office Space.” Add a bunch of WWI uniforms and shelves and shelves of books and you pretty much have a picture of my “office space.” But, on a serious note, this pandemic is affecting all of us in many different ways. I actually left my cozy little office and moved my operations to my home where I am learning to share my work environment with my spouse. I am writing this on Day 2 of self-isolation, and both of us have learned a few new…

FROM THE MVPA PRESIDENT: As every one knows the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is upon us worldwide. Your Board of Directors recently met to discuss how this virus is impacting our upcoming 2020 International Convention, slated for May 14-17 in Findlay, Ohio. Ohio’s Governor, along with many other Federal and State Leaders and Nations, have taken precautionary measures of cancelling events and gatherings over certain numbers to minimize the growth and spreading of this potentially fatal virus. As you know, many of our members are over the age of 50 and are susceptible to contracting this virus which can be easily spread in a Convention setting from either direct or indirect contact of an infected individual(s). The Board therefore unanimously decided to cancel this year’s Findlay Convention in keeping with local and…

Military Vehicles Magazine named 2020 the “Year of Military General Motors.” We invite you to share photos and stories of your General Motors military vehicle, whether a Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, GMC, or other GM subsidiary. Collector Paul Rea responded with a few of his, along with a few vehicles owned by some of his friends.…

The M977 Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) series of vehicles consists of a number of different models all built on similar chassis but specially equipped to perform different missions. The M977 cargo vehicle is a general purpose carrier used for ammunition resupply and other resupply missions. The M985 cargo vehicle is used to resupply the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS). Power for the vehicle is provided by a diesel engine that is coupled directly to an automatic transmission. Power from the transmission is transferred to the transfer case and on to the front and rear axles through a series of propeller shafts and universal joints. The engine is a 2-cycle, turbocharged, 8-cylinder, V-block diesel unit. These 8x8 diesel-powered, off-road capable, all-weather trucks are used by the U.S. military to…

Proper military vehicle operation depends on the correct display of basic parameters on the instrument panel. Some gauges — like the speedometer and tachometer — are mechanically linked to the moving parts. Others, rely on electric signals. Electrical instruments rely on wires, connectors and metal-to-metal contacts held together with bolts. We automatically view them with a bit of distrust as soon as the reading appear out of the ordinary. Except for the voltmeter and pressure gauge (connected via tubes or hoses to the point of measure), they rely on a “sending unit” or “transmitter” that may or may not be securely connected to the gauge itself. Fine copper wires are not the same as mechanical linkages. A poor connection will still provide a path for electrical current and deflect the…

Military Vehicles Magazine welcomes photo submissions from its readers of any MVs, new or old. Send photos with a brief description to: Military Vehicles Magazine, Attn: Reader Photos, 5225 Joerns Drive, Suite 2, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or email high-resolution copy to jadams-graf@aimmedia.com. All submissions become property of Active Interest Media Inc. and may be considered for inclusion (with proper credit) in other features.…

One of the first Jeeps to roll ashore as the Fifth Marine Division landed on Iwo Jima, met the same fate as most of the other vehicles, when it sank into the soft black volcanic ash on the beach. Until steel mats were laid, a large number of Jeeps and trucks were stalled in the quagmire as they rolled from landing boats. Bogged vehicles were favorite targets of Japanese mortar men who fired down from flanking mountains overlooking the beach. Quoted from the original photo caption, released by Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, on 25 February 1945. Photographed by T/Sgt. H. Neil Gillespie. 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 jadams-graf@aimmedia.com.…