Indholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i Military Vehicles

M2 High Speed Tractor The smallest high-speed tractor in the Army’s inventory was the M2 7-ton tractor developed by the Cleveland Tractor Co. (Cletrac). These vehicles were produced not only by Cleveland, but also by John Deere. The M2 was widely used by the Army Air Force and many of the 8,510 built were used at airfields. In addition to being useful as a “tug” around the airfield, it also had a large air compressor mounted on the rear, which was very useful for airing up not only the tires but also the landing gear of various aircraft. The drawbar was especially designed to transfer as much weight as possible from the towed object to the tractor to increase the tractive effort available. The M2 was powered by the 404…

Last September, the Virginia National Guard added another historic vehicle to the display pads at its Joint Force Headquarters near Richmond. The M7B2 “Priest“ joins the DUKW, M84 Armored Mortar Carrier, M4A3E8 Sherman, 40mm Towed Bofors, M42 Duster and 155mm Howitzer on display. Each display item is cleaned, preserved and repainted by a team of retired veterans who donate their time and efforts to the Virginia National Guard Historical Foundation. Among the veterans are two ordnance officers, a transportation officer, a medical service officer, a Chinook pilot, an engineer NCO, a supply NCO, a former Command Sergeant Major, a Navy Warrant officer, and an Army military intelligence NCO. In 2021, they donated a total of 1,079 hours and are currently refurbishing a UH-1 Huey. After that is complete, they will…

Muckleburgh Military Collection The village of Weybourne lies on the North Norfolk coast. It looks out across the southern end of a feature known as The Wash, a large tidal bay, roughly rectangular in shape covering an area of over 153,000 acres, into which several rivers flow, including the Great Ouse. Because of its location on the east coast of England, The Wash has long been an important sea route between Britain and Europe, with ships using facilities at King’s Lynn Docks or the Port of Wisbech. During both world wars, Weybourne found itself thrust into the front line when coastal defenses, including antiaircraft guns, were sited to protect the sea lane and the army established Weybourne Camp. During World War I, troops were based in the camp with pillboxes…

In 1934, the German army began a re-armament program to reform and re-equip with new weapons and modern equipment. Part of this plan included a series of outline specifications sent to motor manufacturing companies by the Army Ordnance Office (Heereswaffenamt) outlining specifications for a series of replacement vehicles. The document laid out the requirements for the new wheeled designs which would be divided into light, medium and heavy categories, with each type being multi-purpose and having cross-country capabilities. One of the companies to respond to this request was that of Stoewer-Werke AG, which had been founded in 1896 by the brothers Emil and Bernhard who established the family factory in Stettin (now Szczecin in modern-day Poland) to manufacture sewing machines and bicycles. Even before the outbreak of war in 1914…

For many readers of Military Vehicle Magazine, owning an historic military vehicle (HMV) is a hobby. While a hobby doesn’t have to have a practical purpose, when it comes to vehicular hobbies you should probably consider some practicalities in regard choosing a vehicle… most importantly how much the vehicle is going to cost in time and money versus how much enjoyment it brings. There is zero practicality in buying a vehicle that’s too large, too small, or otherwise unsuited to whatever you plan to do with it, or a vehicle that requires more maintenance and operating expenses than you’re willing or able to give it. With large numbers of HMMWVs being released from U.S. military service, you may be considering the purchase of one, so the purpose of this three-part…

For many years a staple of the military vehicle hobby has been attending the annual rally and swap meet hosted by the Washington Area Collectors/Blue & Gray Military Vehicle Trust, and that show was for many years held just down from the Ordnance Museum on the US Army installation at Aberdeen Proving Ground. During the drive to the show site one could help passing tank after tank in the median of the entry road. These historic tanks formed the Proving Ground’s famed “Mile of Tanks.” Given the passion of those in the historic military vehicle hobby, many visitors lamented the somewhat deplorable condition of some of these vehicles. While the vehicles and small arms are the property of the Army, the non-profit Ordnance Museum Foundation built the building. Various fundraisers,…

STRAIGHTEN UP According to the U.S. Army, one of the best ways to ensure that your HMMWV’s engine, coolant and fluids stay cool is to keep the fins of the cooling stack components clean and straight. These fins are often bent during repair and maintenance, and when enough fins are bent the reduced air flow through the radiator and cooling stack leads to engine and transmission overheating. To help prevent this, make a fin shield from a piece of plywood. Cut the wood to the necessary dimensions to fit the HMMWV’s cooling stack over the lifting rings. Also round off the edges. Then paint the shield so it looks like something more important than just a piece of plywood, and stencil it with NO STEP. To use the shield, remove…