Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2020 i Military Vehicles

In Part One of this article (MVM no. 210, June 2020), we learned a few things about the GMC. DUKW, along with a bit of its history and development. We also explored ways in which a DUKW might be located and purchased, as well as learning what to look for when inspecting one. Let’s assume you have bought a DUKW and have been able to get it home. What you do next depends on what condition the vehicle is in, and how you plan to use it. If you bought your DUKW for restoration as a showpiece, my best advice — as with any restoration of an historic military vehicle — is to obtain all the manuals, books, and related literature you can find, along with photographs and illustrations. Contacting…

While the terminus of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association’s (MVPA) Convoy usually includes fellowship at a nice meal, there is a large psychological letdown. Far too soon, you realize that the adventures and great times you have been experiencing are over. The End? After our first convoy experience during the MVPA’s Lincoln Highway Convoy in 2009, my (then) 13-year-old son, Gunnar, and I discovered that we had made lasting friendships with a large group of people. Prior to the beginning of the 35-day trip, we hadn’t ever met any of them. These convoy participants came together with common objectives: enjoying their historic military vehicles (HMV), seeing our great country, celebrating the accomplishments of our Veterans and active duty service members, encouraging HMV collecting, promoting MVPA membership, and visiting with those…

One of the strengths of National Guard units has always been their ability to react to unexpected circumstances and adjust the “plan” accordingly. This was never better exemplified than in 1960 by two Virginia Army National Guard aviators from the 29th Aviation Company, 29th Infantry Division. First Lieutenant Lowell Roberts and Sergeant Henry Sours received what appeared on the surface to be a fairly simple and straight forward mission: Take a commercial flight from Richmond to Tucson, pick up a new aircraft being assigned the unit and fly it home. At the time Roberts, was what today is known as a “traditional Guardsman.” That meant he drilled a few days each month and two weeks during the summer. Roberts’ civilian job was as an advertising account executive. Sours, on the…

I already had an M725 ambulance That was nice, but I had been wanting an M38A1 since that was what I drove in Germany back in 1961. I had been looking in the various military vehicle magazines and online, but every Jeep I found was either too far away or too expensive. In December 2007, I finally found one in Arkansas — not too far from me and the price was right. When I spoke to the owner, he said that the jeep must have had something mounted on the back. The right side and back were cut down. After he sent me pictures, and I did a bit of research, I discovered that he had an M38A1D — one of only about 50 made. I called him back to…

“We just won a World War Two truck!” I said to my wife, Carolyn, as we were driving down Rt. 17 towards Phoenix. While she was driving, I had been bidding on a GMC CCKW on eBay. As long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in WWII history. As a kid, I would eagerly listen the stories about the war told my family and neighbors down in northeast Philly. I’ve collected edged weapons, field gear, and uniforms since the early 1970s and spent several years reenacting. I participated in events like the “WW2 Weekend” at the Mid Atlantic Air Museum in Reading, Pa., where it was easy to get up close to antique military vehicles. That is where I really started to get the “OD itch.” My background…

Editor’s note: In 1971, Willie Skinner was an E-3 (PFC) in Company C, 716 MP Battalion at Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) headquarters annex in Saigon. After pulling another long night of guard duty, he indicated to his Company Commander that he better not take a particular V-100 on patrol. “Why not? the officer asked PFC Skinner. “Well, several of those bolts holding the wheel on have sheared off,” Skinner replied pointing at a the vehicle’s undercarriage. “How do you suppose that happened?” the officer asked. “Well, when guys go out on the airstrip trying to pop wheelies, things are bound to happen,” the E-3 explained. The next day, Skinner was assigned to the motorpool. “It was the best thing that happened to me in Vietnam,” Skinner told Military Vehicles…

WC-56, WC-57 and WC-58 3/4-ton Trucks Vehicle: WC-56 and WC-57 Command / Reconnaissance Car and WC-58 Radio Truck G-Number: G-502 Common name: Command Car Also known as: 3/4-ton Car The 3/4-ton Dodge is probably second only to Jeeps in popularity with collectors of World War II military vehicles. There were a variety of trucks in this series — cargo trucks, ambulances, command cars, even antitank weapons. This series had its roots in the earlier Dodge 1/2-ton G-505 trucks which, while nice, left the military wanting for something more. The “more” was to be delivered starting in 1942 with these 3/4-ton trucks that had the Dodge engineering designation “T214.” The G-502 series was standardized by OCM item 19107. The style of these vehicles has made them very sought after by collectors…

In 2015, we purchased a 1952 M43 Air Force ambulance that had been in a Curtis Collection in Portland, Ore. The caretakers had asked Steve Preston to sell the vehicles, most of which were in very good condition. At some time in its history, the ambulance had been repainted in a dark, glossy blue. When we couldn’t find a match for the paint, we decided to take Steve’s advice. He suggested that we leave it as is. It was a true “survivor” only require minor repairs to make it drivable. Considering its age, the Ambulance was in great shape. There are some places where the darker paint has come off that reveal what looks like semi gloss. When we did have to repaint anything, we used Strata Blue (a semi-gloss).…

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. We want to share photos of your military General Motors vehicle in the magazine, on Facebook, and maybe even in our annual calendar. Send high-resolution photos to jadams-graf@ aimmedia.com or mail to: MVM/ YOGM, John Adams-Graf, 901 Fourth St., Suite 50, Hudson, Wisc. 54016…

A Combat Photo Unit Eight (CPU-8) photographer took this photo of U.S. Army Jeep (nicknamed “Dam Yankee”) as it was towed ashore to a Normandy beach on June 12, 1944. Note the amphibious operation breathing tube leading to the engine compartment. Wartime censors have deleted markings on the Jeep’s front bumper. Official U.S. Navy photograph now in the collections of the National Archives 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,or email high-resolution images to jadams-graf@aimmedia.com All submissions become property of Active Interest Media and may be used (with credit) in its other publications…