Scpremben 1996 Vol 6, Number 5 | ‘Anon and Anillery Equipment and Wartare of the 20th Cexury avd BeyondCONTENTS September 1996 Volume 6, Number > ase | Features Pax Vobiscum 4. The Russian BA.64 Anmoned Can Senies By Nikolai Polikaropov, English Version by Jim Kinnear 11 The War Remembered Military Hardware in Vierwmese Museums By Gerard van Oosbree 19 Phoro Essay Leichme Panzerspithwagen (Fu)(Sd Khe 223) 19 Pbv 302 Swedish APC By Alessavdno DeMaria 2.1 AForgoren Gun: The 7 5mm Deport By Dr. Nicola Pignarro and Adam Gebel 27 Growing With The M1: The Path to a Furune MBT By Jeff McKaughan Jourmal of Miltary Ordnance isis peblsbed st- Journal of sine pr yxy During recto es Box 3884, Deng, MD Military ‘2ias4" 10 437540, 10) 457-5480 Ci) Allright versed Copyright 1996,” No part ofthis publication may be coped or reproduced witout the Ordnance ‘expressed writen permision ofthe publisher. Strip: Ove et (ue) S170 Manan een sales ax). All foreign subscriptions: $20.0 surface, $30.00 airmail. Payment ISSN 10880852 runt US. nds, Mak il chess aemoney oer payer Nil sien 5: - Daisy Onteniente Praesens 8 Seoenars, xpos ut tai. Hove paso savas teed aa the magazine snd authors icy. Mekucjon ats be pole fo deus: Mate wb ured ote Sater ay ‘trompanied bya elf addressed surnped of Military Ordnance was formerly tiled Museum Ordnance (SSN jaca 108 pe opas tl exe at not reflet those of Darinton Productions, the polisher, o pee Journal of wiiey Ordnance aaa Departments 8 Bookshelf G2 By Tom Lakin 9 Book Reviews |ANZIO ANNIE She Was No Lady Revioued by Pee A Faden ANGELS IN RED HATS Pazarnoopcns ofthe Second Indochina War 10 co 14 News From The Director The US. Army Onda Misco By Dr. Willan F, Anwar 27 the Ondyavoe Museum Foundation News, 28 Minisrune Ondaance Roco Minitavks, More Than Mets the Eye By Howie Belkin 30 Chssified Ads (On The Cover A BA-64B in Eastern Prussia, April 1945. ‘This vehicle, with tactical number 249 on the turret and unit number 30 inside a thombold (designating a tank unit) on the ‘vehicle nose, i fited with GK tires. Note the fring ports in vehicle side which distinguish the BA-64B from the earlier BA-64-125. INSET: This M48 Is on display at the War Crimes Museum in Saigon. US. stars were added after the war.‘The BA-64 isa significant vehicle in the history of Soviet armored car develop- ment in that {t was the only armored car series produced in Russia during the Second World War. After the out- break of war with Germany on 22nd June 1941, V.A. Grachev, as chief de- THE RUSSIAN =: BA-64 ARMORED. CAR SERIES=! S62: wert Si ares se ie due Original wx and photographs Nikoli Polikaropov dropped and the vehicle simply known Enqlish version as the BA-64 Siw Kinvear. ‘The BA-64 was designed as a llal- son vehicle and for convoy escort, com- i & BA-125's in convoy. Stalingrad region, February 1943. The lead vehicle ts fted with road tires from the GAZMI which were more fuel efficient than the GK tires (on long road marches. The lead and fifth vehicle have been repainted in summer colors, whicle the others retain their winter camouflage schemes. Photographer: A. Zenin. 4 mand andantl-aireraft functions. Later the vehicle was also given a limited anti-tank role when fitted with the 14.5mm PTRS anti-tank rifle. ‘The welded armor hull for the origl- nal prototype BA-64-125 was completed at the end of November 1941 and the completed BA-64 armored car began field trialson 9th January 1942. Asthe turret was not yet available, a 7.62mm DT machine gun was pintle-mounted on the upper hatch for the duration of the trials, which included a personal demonstration on the last day to Kllment.E,Voroshilov (after whom the KV heavy tank was named). Afler su cessfully completing military trials on the 3rd of March, the vehicle was dem- onstrated to members of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee ofthe Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) who also approved the design, ‘The BA-64 was accepted for series pro: duction ‘The BA-64 entered combat in the summer of 1942 on the Bryansk and Voronezh fronts and later the same year took part in operations in the Stalingrad region. The vehicle saw widespread service with the Russian Amy on all fronts afler 1942. The BA. 64 series remained in production until 1946 and served with the post-war Soviet Army until the early 1950's. The BA-64 also saw extensive service with North Korean forces during the Korean War. In total, 9,064 BA-64's of all models were produced. ‘The BA-64 was the first series produced Soviet all-wheel drive armored car and represented a major advance in terms of mobil: ity when compared with the BA: 20 series which was the stan- dard light armored car in Red Army service at the time of the BA.64’s introduction, The vehicle's ood power-to-weight ratio, low center of gravity, and the placing of the wheels at the extreme corners of the vehicle allowed for excellent agility and stabil: ity when traversing open ground and damaged road surfaces. The vehicle could negotiate 30° slopes, 18° side slopes and ford streams to a depth of 0.9m. ‘The GAZ-64 fleld car chassis re- quired significant modification to ac- cept the BA-64 hull. The cooling, fuel, and electrical sytems all required relo: cation and the rear suspension was strengthened to accomodate the addi- tonal weight. Description Joursal of Miliary OndanceByelorussian Front, February 1944. Rapid weathering of the whitewash winter camouflage ts evident on these BA-64-125. ‘The all welded hull of the BA-64 was developed by engineers U.N. Sorochkin,B.T. Komarevskly and V.FSamoylov. To provide maximum ballistic protection on such a small vehicle most armor plates were’angled at approximately 30°. The hull shape consequently provided the BA-64 with better armor protection than pre-war Soviet heavy armored cars and con- temporary German vehiclesdespite the BA-64's significantly smaller size and weight. The armored hulls for the BA- 64 were initially manufactured at the ‘Vyksunsky plant (which had produced the armor for several armored cars during the late 1930's) but as series production numbers increased, hulls ‘were also produced at GAZ. ‘The diminutive size of the BA-64 caused several design compromises to be made in development of the BA-64. ‘The crew sat in tandem, with the com- mander/gunner seated behind the driver/mechanic. ‘The driver sat cen- trally inavery restricted space. He was provided with a “triplex” vision device (Gor the first time on a Soviet armored car), taken from the T-60 ight tank. ‘Two further triplex vision devices were provided in the turret sides. ‘The BA-64 was powered by a 4- cylinder GAZ-MM engine developing SOhp. ‘The engine was a particularly reliable unitwhich operated well on low ‘octane fuel and low grade oll with little maintenance, an essential character- Istle for Russian wartime conditions. Sepenber 1996 ‘Toenhance the BA.64's survivabil- ity in battle, the vehicle was provided with bullet proof "GK" tires (Gubchataya Kamera — literally “sponge layered tires"). While very effective in battle conditions, these tires reduced the maxi- mum speed of the vehicle to 40km/ hour. For this reason standard tires from the GAZ-ML (Emka) with civilian tread were used in rear areas and this type of tire Is frequently observed fitted {in photographs. ‘The BA-64 was armed with a 7.62mm Degtyarev (DT) machine gun, personal weapons and F-1 hand gre nades. The machine gun hada rangeof 1,000m against ground targets and 500m against alr targets. ‘Some BA-64's were equipped with an RB or 12-RP radio set. ‘The early BA-64 had recognised g design drawbacks when it entered production and some of these were & rectified when the modified GAZ- 678 field car became available in late 1942. The new chassis was adopted for the BA-64-125, which was subse- ‘quently redesignated BA-G4B, Improve- ments included an increase In the vehicle's track from 1,245mm to 1,446mm (improving side slope stabil- ity from 18" to 25°) and the addition of ‘@ firing port in each front side armor plate. ‘The modernized BA.64B was suc- cessfully fleld trialled at the end of ‘October 1942 and immediately entered series production. Thevehicle remained {in production until 1946 and became the definitive BA-64 production model. ‘Several limited producton and pro: # totype vehicles were developed on the chassis of the BA-64 armored & car series = “The BA-64Vand BA-64G were } competitive designs developed for E use on the Soviet railroad system, The BA-64V (developed at the Vyksunsky Plant) had flanged rallway wheels in place of the standard wheels, while the BA-64G (developed at GAZ} had four small flanged rail wheels ABA-64-125 in winter camouflage in the Chernovtsy region of southwest Ukratne in November 1944. Photographer G. Khomzor.18 7 16 mounted in front and behind the standard road wheels. ‘The two designs were developed to prototype stage and competitively fleld trialled, but neither design was placed in serles production. ‘The BA-64D was an experimental vehicle developed in the spring of 1943 in an attempt to increase the firepower of the BA- 64. The BA-G4D was armed with a 12.7mm DShK heavy machine gun, mounted in an enlarged turret. It was not series produced, ‘Asmall number of turretless BA-64 armored cars were manu- factured armed with the 14,5mm PTRS anti-tank rile. The weapon was pintle-mounted on the open hull roof. Anattempt was made after 1943 to mount the 7.62mm $G-43, ‘machine gun in the standard turret of the BA-64, but the project was abandoned as there was insufficient room in the small turret for the weapon to be operated effectively. ‘The BA-64E was a turretless armored personnel carrier version of the BA-64 armored car. It accomodated stx infantry within the hull who gained acess by means of a small door in the vehicle rear. ‘The BA-64Zexperimental half track was developed to prototype stage in 1943. It did not enter series production. “The BASh-64 was a turretless armored staff car developed to prototype stage In 1944, BA-64B's during the Victory Parade on Red Square, Moscow, June 1945. vehicles are fitted with CK combat tires. 6 1g ite Maan atom sro De nsec one 14 Ne eas 15 22 2324 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 383 34 235 36 37 22 ELECIMCAL SOCKET FOR PORTABLE LMP ‘These Journal of Miliary OndvanceBA-64B ARMOURED CAR Specification BA-64B Armored Car Combat weight 2425 tonnes Crews 2 ‘Armament 7.62mm DT machine gun with 1260 rounds, ‘personal weapons, Fl grenades, 10mm 91 mm, 335km (cross-country)RAPA AS For anyone interesed in the history of the Second World War, WWII Miliary Journal inthemaguzine ofchoice, Declasified battle report tare photos, info. for collectors, ‘exciting articles, book reviews, interviews, rmilearia, events, and much more. Subscribe today — $16.00 per year (quar) (Griga sbvrp ane $2800 US) Send Check 7 Money Order ta WWII MILITARY JOURNAL 7. Box 28906 San Dio, CA92198- USA “SIRAASABS fx 819 471.406, = ee | Teter paint ee Peseren er emer , iesoy] saediotal ableton re thcoemh Tea Ea ere ences Herein mene pecatrniriany pet eer emeremiearet iad Pree rena RR peg eoe pr eront eretea) pg PON ty Corn) Serna tr) BACK ISSUES Miss an issue? Get them while youcan. Issues priortoJuly 1996 were published as Museum Ord- nance magazine. September 1991 Mareh-94 SO November 1991 January 1992 March 1902 May 1992 July 1992 Gept-92 SO November 92 SO January 1993° November 1995 January 1996 March 1996 denuery 94 SO July 1996 |SO- indicates this tssue Is sold out + indicates that there are 10 or less. copies remaining $3.00 each U.S. (50¢ postage. MD rest dents add 5% sales tax), foreign $4.25. U.S. funds only. Darlington Productions POB 5864 Darlington, MD 21034 JoMO Bookshelf G-2 news and notes about AFV resources by ‘Tom Laemlein ‘The summer has seen a sudden flurry of armored vehicle/ground power book releases. First and foremost isi Michael Wittman! the ‘Commanders of the Liebstandarte by Patrick Agte (JJ Fedorowicz Publish: Ing, 568 pages, $85). Ifthis book doesn't completely cover the subject, then no single volume ever willl From rare photos to detailed text, this book has all the elements of a classic Fedorowiez. publication, Look for these additional titles, coming very soon from Fedorowicz Publishing: tory of U Munch (almost 500 photos, 40 color plates detailing the unit that operated the Elefant and later the Jagdtiger), East Front Drama by Hinze (a detailed account of the German defense against the Soviet “Operation Bagration” 1944), Quiet Flows The Rhine by Maclean (examines the large number of German General Offlcer combat casualties in WWII), Also look for Tigers In. Combat 2 by Schneider in early 1997. Schiffer has released two interesting titles that were not part of their annual catalog. These are Mark Yerger’s: Images of the Waffen SS, and ‘The SS Cavalry Brigade in Poland and Russia (available ai, significant aiscount from Edward R. Hamilton, Falls Village, CT 06031-5000). For those with a particular interest in the units of the Waffen SS, contact Richard Landwehr at PO Box 6718, Brookings, Oregon 97415. His magazine Siegrunen (4 Issues for $25) and his other publications are thoroughly detailed. Ryton Publications has released: Panzer Truppe by Feist & McGulrl ($65, VLS Mail Order, 314-281-5700). Covering German Panzer Troops from World War One through the defeat of Nazi Germany, this book offers the outstanding color art of Uwe Feist. Every once in awhile you find a book that, although outside your main area of interest, turns out to be a fascinating read. This happened for me with by Timothy J. Kutta (Vietnam Studies Group—Squadron/ Signal Publications). This covers an area totally new to many armor fans, the story of the "Gun-Truckers” Is as riveting as it is armor-plated. A true testimony of "Yankee Ingenulty” From Russia comes: rank Museums, As far as I can tell it covers only the Kubinka museum, but that includes an incredible amount of vehicles. Text is in Cyrillic, but each page features a color shot of the vehicle, with three inset black and white shots of vehicle details, This offers a-close-up look at many rare vehicles only to be found in Russia. I found my copy of this volume for $39 at AirConnection, 1530 Albion Rd. PO Box 47510 Etobicoke, Ontario Canada MoV 5H4 416-743 646s. Stopby the Ordnance Museum and take alookat “Anzio Annie," the German 28em rallway gun. the only one ts kind lel. Then you can read a delaled account ofits employment tn by Ro. O'Rourke. While offering minimal aesthetic value. this book is highly readable and covers a unique topic ($17.95, Sidney Kramer Books, PO Box 10247, Silver Springs. Maryland 20914). (Ba. Note: A separate reviewof1s book onthe next page) Finally, ifyou have any questions or comments on military book buying and collecting. or ifyou have a new resource for books that you'd lke to share with the readership, please felfree to contact me directlyatlem@netace.net. Jounal of Military OndwanceANZIO ANNIE She Was No Lady ByRJ. ORourke ISBN 0-9645084-0-0 227 pages, photos, softback 1995 ORourke Services, Inc. P.O. Box 44928 FL Washington, MD 20744 Reviewed by Peter A. Fravdsen Serious Allied miscalculation turned the amphibiouslandingat Anzloin January 1944 from an understrength, planned end-run around the German Gustav defense line, intoaprotracted four month siege closely resembling a WWI battle- field. The principal Allied accomplish- ment ofthe siege was the evacuation of some 33,000 Allied casulaties caused by German artillery which covered every Bookshelf Book and Video Reviews part of the Allied landing zone. To feed the battle of attrition, both sides brought in, and used, large amounts of artillery. Anzio saw the tracking of incoming rounds by naval radarand the introduction of new heavy 8-inch gun and 240mm howitzers. The Germans employed fewer weapons, but included long range 170mm guns, 210mm howitzers, and even several 2 gun batteries of railroad guns.. Heavy German artillery out-ranged American guns which outraged the troops! Even- ANGELS IN RED HATS Paratroopers of the Second Indochina War By Michael N. Martin ISBN 1-56469.25-3, 1995 184 pages, photos (color + b&w) Harmony House P.O. Box 90 Prospect, KY 40059 $39.95 ($3.50 s&ch) With much the look of a college year- book, Angels in Red Hats {s a lookat the airborne arm of the Army of South Viet nam. Martin, an advisor with the alr- borne, ts a quick defender of the honor and fighting ability of the ARVN air- borne. ‘The premise of his book seems mostly targeted towards battling the sterotype that the soldiers of the South, were poorly trained and motivated arid were reluctant to fight — and when they did, they did so poorly. At least in the case of the airborne he disputes that idea. Its unmistakable from the start that Martin respects and admires the soldiers and their spirit. The book begins with a brief over- view of airborne operations during the French Indochina war to the foundingof the moder airborne arm. Short chap- Seprenber 1996 ters, usually by U.S. advisors, describe various aspects of the airborne units, their people, training, and operations, ‘The book's weakness is that by tel: ing the story in very personal ways, much of the battle history is ignored with litde details of the actual alr opera: tions undertaken, ‘The strengths of the book lle with the photos, some of combat operations others of trainingand personnel, mostly from private sources. There are several pages in color showing various unit uniforms, insignia, banners, etc. Despite the lack of combat drop details, thisbookis highly recommended and well worth the price. No book in English comes close to telling the story. tually the Allies, who enjoyed artillery superiority, mobilized over 400 guns firing some 25,000 rounds per day to breakout. ‘Although commandersonboth sides were reluctant to employ very heavy ‘weapons, they eventually did. OF these were a pair of German 280mm K5(E) rallroad guns known popularly as Rob- ert and Leopold. These two guns, hid- den in tunnels most of the time, fired sporadically at Allied position, and even ships atsea, throughout the siege. With their 59,000 meter range, these guns might have been more useful to the Germans had they enough ammunition, to fire. Unable to bring them back, the Germans abandoned themboth innorth- ‘em Italy where Leopold waa brought to Aberdeen Proving Ground. ‘AnzioAnnie isan attempt totell the story at several levels (strategic to per- sonal) of these guns at Anzio. To his credit, the author has gone to original German and Allied records and makes ood use of them. He has also tracked down and interviewed some of the sur viving guncrew members. The research 4s the strength of the book and is highly commendable. These parts of the book are by far the most interesting and infor- mative. The description of how the gu section operated, in the words of those that did the work under very dificult conditions, isfascinating. Hepins down the number of rounds fired and when Moreauthors should follow hisexample. There is no significant history about the design, development, or manufactureot the gun, Tt 1s where he strays from those strengths that the book suffers consid erably. He speculates about too many things with no basis for support and he wastes time writing about things that hhave nothing to do with the gun or the baitle. Unfortunately, he strays from his strengths much ofthe time resulting in a book that 1s largely wasted. For example, Anzio Annie ts absolutely the first book on artillery I have read that cites Abbott and Costello, and even then, the quote Is not helpful in the context used. Ifyou are interested in an artillery, Jook at the book because it does offer some useful information. Sadly, aflawed attempt to do the right thing. Noe: Anzio Annie (s one of the more famous weaponseondisplay atthe US. Army Ordnance Museum. The gun ts number 11 ard was made in 1941 by Hanomag tn Hanover. Germany. Almost all the other arillery weapons described ta the book are ondlsplay thereto. The books available at the museum gift shop or from the author.Cl According to the Interfax News Agency, ‘Afghan mercenaries are being pald {$1500 per month for duty in Chechyna and $1000 per month for Bosnia. A seemingly unlikely buyer of main battle tanks has created a stir among the nations of southern Africa. Land- locked Botswana is in close negotia- tions with the Netherlands for the pur- chase of fifty surplus Leopards. The deal for the tanks is approximately $15 million Botswana, has never operated a tracked vehicle, and to date thelr larg- est vehicle in inventory is the Russtan- made BTR-60 APC and the heaviest mobile weapon platform is the U. built Commando V-150. Concurrent with this purchase at- tempt was an announcement on the the purchase of thirteen SF-5 fighter. bombers from Canada, a deal worth more than $50 million. Botswana's nelghbors include South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Lteutenant-General an Khama explained that thearms purchases were simply part of an organized restructur- ing and rebuilding of his country's armed forces. A program which began in 1977, when thearmy was first formed. He further stated that Namibia and Zimbabwe {and Zambia which although no shared borders exist are very close geographically) were given large stand- Ing armies immediately upon thetr in- dependence, a luxury Botswana did not have. They went eleven years after independence before a standing army ‘was set up. ‘Namibian diplomats seemed skep- tical as the two countries havea border dispute that has been submitted to the Hague for mediation. ‘Germany for its part, is trying to block the tank sale as they claim Ger- man law forbides arms sales to sub- ‘Saharan Africa, Several new self-propelled guns have made the news within the past month. ‘The South Koreans announced the XK9 155mm SPG. Believed to be bullt around the U.S.-made M109A2, the SPG is a Joint project with Samsung Aerospace and the Agency for Defence Development, a state-run organtzation. Iran, continuing its trend towards Idigenous military equipment has re- portedly produced a 122mm SPG on the Buraq armored personnel carrier. Iftrue, the vehicle probably utilizes the Soviet-designed D30 gun. China too has announced a self propelled gun , theirs being an anti- tank gun. Believed based on the Type BE) Peru eum R CUCU kus All other conflicts, both American and Foreign, may be found in our catalogs. ‘83 122mm SPG, this systems is sup- posed to mount a 120mm smoothbore gun, Finally, The German Bundeswehr has announced an order for the PzH 2000 SPG. This 155mm gun system ‘will begin replacing the M109 system currently in service. At the 1996 Eure Satory exhibition, Hughes Delco, maker of the turret on the Marines’ LAV, displayed a model of the same turret mounted on a BMP chassis. Inan interview with Delco, the company said that they were very close toanagreement witha "former Eastern Bloc’ country to modifly their BMP fleet with the new turret. It was not clear at the time if the agreement was for only the one country or whether {t was a long-term agreement to market the modification to other countries was included. From photographs it appears that, at least two vehicles have been modi- fled, Command Post has special prices for readers of Museum Ordnance listed in (italics) U.S, MILITARY TRACKED VEHICLES Over 1500 photos and al details on US, tanks, halttracks, amphibians, personnel carers, mine clearers and more, This book a MUST US. armor i of interest by Fred W. Crmson HC ($25.00) TANK COMMANDERS: Knights of the M The men, the tanks and tates from WW | to Desert Storm, Battie histones of Paton, Rommel, Montgomery, Estenne, ‘Zhukov and Tal ae covered by Forty, the curator of the Royal ‘Armored Corps Museum at Sovingion by George Fory HC ($2200) Reg. $2495 TANK ACTION: From the Great War tothe Gull 42 individual tank actions are profiled. look at fe atthe sharp end of tank warfare, a¢ Viewed though the eyes ofthe tank crewmen, by George Fory «HE ($36.00) Reg. $30.95 To obtain our catalog, send $2.00 (cofunded with first order) to ‘COMMAND POST DEPT. MO P.O. BOX 141 ‘CONVENT STATION, NJ 07961 "Shinning A Handing wa ath lana Mall Us, Sona 8a rach TANK DESTROYER FORCES WW Il The defintve history of the tank destroyers, Every TD units, listed along with ta actions during the war. 2000+ photos, ‘maps, charts and personal histories with 1000 biographies of TO men, HC ($43.00) Reg $48.00 TIGER TANKS Extremely detaled book that gives the full combat and velopment history ofall Tiger variants, Includes combat recollections of German, Amencan & Britah tank crews that ‘ivy deta the war's “most feared" armored vehicle, byMicnae Green SC__ ($18.00) Reg $19.95 WORLD ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE TANK Tank development from WW Inti today, 400+ photos and ‘384 pages of ext range from the revolutionary Blitzkrieg tactics to todays armored warfare by Chnstopher Chant HC ($45.00) Reg. $49.95 To Order You May Call (800) 722 - 7344 MC / VISA / AMEXThe War Remembered Military Hardware in Vietnamese Museums A we » x Seprenber 1996 Vietnam. tre word alone brings back the images of war and destruction. After the vietory of North Vietnam the whole country was virtu- ally closed to foreigners. Alone, with veryliticoutside help, Vietnam tried to clean up the mess the fighting caused. Duringla eeent trip through the coun try very lide war-damage could be seen. No burned-out tanks by the side. of the road, "An occasional bunker or the remnants ofold bases now used by the Vietnamese military 1s all that is ret ‘The war against the Americans, from the communist viewpoint, was andtilis used tosymbolisethe struggle of the Vietnamese people against for elgn oppression during the last 1000 years. Therefore, al some places‘relles from the war are kept for all to sec. Velerans of the Vietnam war may find some of the explanations that come with those relles disturbing. ‘War trimes' is the common term used 10 describe everything U.S. soldiers did "As can be expected in one of the poorest countries in the world, the war treasures are ina very bad stale. So dont expect tosee immaculate vehicles. Most of them have been out in the harsh Vietnamese climate of scorching heat and soaking rain for twenty years. Still, some very interesting things can be found in the various museums all over the country. This article {s not meant to give a complete listing of everything in the museums just an overview of what can be seen in Viet ‘Most vehicles were captured from the South Vietnamese army, ARVN, during the 1975 invasion. ARVN mark ings can be found on almost all ve hhicles, although on some, the old U.S. markings can also be made out. Saigon. There are two museums of interest in this city, the War Crimes ‘Museum and the Military Museum. ‘The War Crimes Museum ts housed In the former JUSPAO offices, famous for the so-called Five’o-clock follies’ as Journalists liked to call the dally press: briefings. Inside the buildings pictures show what can best be described as the horrors of war, Outside are several vehicles and artillery pleces. The most Interesting vehicle here is the M132A1, the flame-thrower turret equipped ver sion of the M113. A rare vehicle not found not seldom seen elsewhere. Around it an M107 SPG, M48A3, and M41A3 can be found. ‘The Military Museum ts situated in a nice building and harbours a good looking exhibition which includes ex. amples of the infamous 120mm rocket launchers. A'TS4 tank takes a prom nent position next to the entrance. According to the sign it 1s one of the tanks that broke into the grounds of the Presidential Place on 30th April 1975. The equipment on display here MWLEFT: The flamethrower version of the M113 at the War Crimes Museum in Saigon. BELOW: This T54 on display at Salgon's ‘Military Museum is supposedly one of the tanks that broke into the Presiden tal Palace grounds (n 1976. This ve- ‘seems to be in much better condition Nicle ts in relatively good shape, than at the War CrimesMuseum. Along the street-side are examples of 37mm and 57mm AA-gunsaswellasa 130mm artillery plece. A ZIL 151 engineer truck stands next to a M37 light truck carrying what looks like a S-250 type shelter. ‘The M113 is armed with an 106mm recoilless fifle as used by the ARVN. Again a vehicle rarely seen. A. raised SAM-2 AA missile in launch position completes the line-up. ‘Vinh Long. This city in the Mekong Delta has it's own War Museum which fs closed most of the time. Fortunately the grounds are not sealed by gates. ‘There are only two vehicles on display here. APT76 amphibious tankas used in the attacks on Lang Vel and Ben Het Special Forces campsinnorthern South Vietnam in 1968. Misidentified as a flame-throweris anormal M113Al. Its ARVN use can be guessed from the large gunshield for the .50cal machine gun and the old Browning .30cal. Buon Me Thout. This town in the Central Highlands was the scene of some ofthe heaviest fighting during the 1975 offensive. On the first loor of the Tribal Museum photos and artifacts from the war can be seen. In the center of town, a 134/85 crowns a large monument (photo page 11) dedicated to the victory by NVA forces during the final battles. Hue. This old city was devastated dur- Ing the Tet offensive in 1968. Wander- Ingthrough the few buildings stil stand- Ing in the Citadel it ts very hard to imagine what it looked like before. The f - military museum was closed when we as x ata were there but outside was a row of The PT76 on display in front ofthe war museum of Vinh Long in the Mekong Delia interesting vehicles. Thenotoriousrains mola efit i, ° 12and dark skies made photography al- most impossible. Besides the normal pleces like M48A3, M41A3, M107, and M113, which missed most of it’s road wheels, there are a few special pleces. An M88 with all hatches open, a V100 armored car anda very battered M42A1 Duster with spare barrels in thelr stow: age position. Also seen here are a 37mmand twin 40mm AA guns. In the far corner of the fleld 1s a SAM-2 AA. missile on it's launcher. Hanol. The capital of Vietnam houses theofficial Army Museum. It shows the complete history of the Vietnamese army during the centuries, albeit very one- sided. It has a row of artillery and AA pieces also with a SAM-2. Situated around the wreckage of various Ameri- ‘can warplanes area M107 anda MS77, the command version of the M113. In front of the building and inside are two examples of the TS4b tank. According tothe sign theone outside fought in the 1975 invasion of South-Vietnamandin the 1979 invasion of Cambodia. Having seen many of the museums tn Europe, Israel, and the U.S.A., the Vietnamese museumsare not very valu- able as such as they tell a veiy one- sided story. Even $0, as they show military hardware that was used there the collections are of some value. The state of the vehicles may not be worse than that of vehicles In some. of the more famous museums. Latrun has some well worn vehicles, as has Aber- deen. Maybe now that foreigners show interest in these places the Vietnamese government might invest a little money and preserve the relics; even now they are well worth a visit. Seprember 1996 ABOVE: This T54b (s a veteran of two wars: first in the "Uberation” of South Vietnim and the second in the twwasion ‘of Cambodia in 1979. Photographed at the Hanot Army Museum. TOP; Used in significant numbers by the ARVN and the U.S. backed Cambodian “Army, this MI1SA1 mounts the 106mm recollless rifle at Saigon’s Miltary Mu LEFT: At Hanot's Army Museum is this, ‘M107 with both US. and ARVN identift- cation numbers. The missing road whet ison the deck. 3HE U.S. ARMY ORDNANCE MUSEUM News From the Director Dr. William F. Atwater ‘As reported earlier, the Ordnance Museum is getting ready to start a major rehabilitation program on our artifacts that are displayed outside. We have just picked up a new building in which we will do the work. A contractor will be hired to do the labor. The plan is to bring artifacts to our rehab building and then start the process. First, they will be drained of fuel, oil, and any other fluids left on board. An environmentally friendly fluid will then be introduced into the final drives in order to keep them lubricated. We plan to use an overhead crane to remove turrets and we plan to remove all the paint from the artifacts. Care will be taken to repaint the artifacts in the historically correct shade of paint. Ad tionally, we plan to reproduce the original tactical mark- ings and place them onthe vehicles and artillery pieces. We have also obtained a large indoor storage area where we plan to store the rehabilited pieces until we can display them inside a new addition to the museum. The estimated cost per artifact is between $10,000 and $20,000. It makes little sense to expend this amount of scare monies and then put the artifacts back outside exposed to the ravages of mother nature, Regrettably, thenumberof vehicle and artillery pieces on display now will continue to dwindle as we move further into this program. Itis my ntentto store renovated artifacts in our recently acquired buildings off public view until we can display them in anew addition. We have just acquired an interesting piece of technology in order to move our vehicles around during our renovation processing. It resembles a hovercraft and works on air pressure. This “vehicle” is placed under any large object, such as a tank, and isthen inflated. One man canthen move a 70- ton vehicle. It will certainly come in handy when we need to move heavy objects around during our restora- tion process and to position them once we get a new building. We are continuing to update our exhibits inside our existing building. Our Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)exhibitis still moving forward, however, wehave run into several technical problems which have slowed its progress, I recently made a video which will intro- duce the exhibit. At the risk of seeming immodest, 'am extremely pleased with the outcome and it should add to theexhibit. We also planan interactive exhibitas part of this EOD display. Three “bombs” will be presented with an invitation to “disarm” them, ‘The first “bomb” will be rigged in such a way that no matter how you approach the problem of removing the “fuze” you will succeed, ‘The second “bomb” will present more of a problem. Ifone touches the side ofthe fuze well withthe fuze whileextracting it, the “bomb” will detonate. (Ac- tually, ared light will goon indicating your failure.) The third “bomb” can be disarmed, however, it will contain areal sneaky booby trap. We will provide several clues on how to disarm the “bomb,” however, I am not going to disclose the secret. We want you to come in and, as the British say, “have a go.” I have played with the prototypes of this display and we have “play-tested” it with some visiting boy scouts, It was met with some enthusiasm and it appears to be “kid proof, “It should be a bit hit We are planning to put up two temporary exhibits this fall. One will show ENIAC, the first electronic com- puter. One can directly trace the development of the computer revolution to ENIAC. This computer took up space in a large room. It depended on vacuum tube technology and had a very short period of time between failures of the tubes. Today, the credit card sized calculator is much more sophisticated and capable than ENIAC yet it was the very firstelectronic computer. The other temporary exhibit will show the never carried out invasion of Japan. Several people have inquired about the status of two former members of the Museum Staff. I am very pleased to say that Mr. Ken Powers is doing well in Westport, CT, and Mr. Armando Framarini is also doing well in Havre de Grace, MD. We miss these two gentlemen very much! 14 Jovan of Miliary OndwanceAt the start of the war, the Germans relied heavily of purpose-bult armored cars in the command and radio role. This overhead view clearly illustrates the shape of the aerial, shown here in the lowered position. By the mid-30's, the Germans realized that communications would be critical to the style of battle that they were planning. Even they did not fully com- prehend just how important it would be, but they did design and build ve- hicles specifically for the purpose of command and communications, One such design was the Leichte Panzerspahwagen (Fu)(Sd Kiz 223). Over the course of $50 examples (with Photo Essay Leichte Panzerspahwagen Pusd Kfz 223) six official production changes from 1935 to January 194) the vehicle saw service all every front. The 223 was manufactured by Bas- sing-NAG, MNH, and Weserhattte. The 223 was equipped with the FuG10 + FUG Spr Ger ‘a’, radios. ‘The chassis also was used for the 222 armored car, which mounted a differ ent hull and’ turret. Seprenben 1996 ‘The Horch Type 801 chassis formed the Joundation ofthe 223, The rear mounted ‘engine was elther a Horch 3.5 or 3.8 engine. Ithad five forward speeds and one reverse. Top road speed was about 85 km/hr. The two piece hull with allopening show: ing for the various hatches, This vehicle {sfromone of the early production sertes 4s indicated by the driver's vision open: ing all being the same size and the two mounted side-by-side in the front. 1sa. ‘The fuel cell ts located just at the point where the rear deck angles up to meet the turret deck. Note how tt is straped into position. From inside looking forward you can see the driver's seat (left in photo) and hus controls. The seat to the right tn the photo is for the radio operator. The 223 had a smaller turret mounted farther back than on the 222 to accomodate the extra radio equipment. RIGHT: Looking towards therear ofthe 223 centrally mounted ts the platform for the small turret weapon mount. You ‘can also see the flange where the two huill halves are joined. ‘The 223 was armed with a single MG34 (7.92 mom) mounted in the small turret. From this angle you can see the screen {quard covering the forward portion of the turret. To the right you can see one ‘of two arms that attach the pedestal to the turret sides. Frontend showing the fender bar, head light attachment points, and the horn. 16 Jou of Miliary OrdvanceOfparticular interest are the springs on the seat, the connecting arms, and the long machine gun mounting post, the bottom of which can be seen below the magazine box. With this cranked to the ‘Themachinegun pedestal. Note the small springsatthe rearofthe seat. Not shown full up poistion, the machine gun would here are the two arms connecting (o the turret. ‘be much above the top of the turret. 14419 €, 47m Ave. « Denver, CO 80289 (203) $71-0887 Fax: (308) 373-9148, ase 0d 5475 po cr ship & hang IDF M-109 SPG upgrade and deals. Includes turret wial IDF modtcations, turret baskels, spare track bores, and many other details. K-90! $2400 Merkava MicUC turret conversion. Includes new upper surface ermor. KH605 $1400, MerkavaIVB complet Ki New version of Merkava wladliona armor. KC-108 $100.00 Pe a onto Ce cad Ca IDF M-113 Reactive armor array. ‘Conversion for Academy #1372 K-60 ‘Also over 40 other IDF conversions and complete kits from 1967 to today. We also ofr the ONLY accurate armor sand color $1750 paint scaled to 1/95, NBS-Ot for 1/2.02. bottle Send $2.00 for lst. $1.89 IDF M-160 Soltam 160mm morta. ‘Complete kt w/DML suspension included. KC-104 $95.00 L-83 155mm SPG complete kt wDML. suspension included. KC-102 $80.00 IDF M3 half track personnel carer. Includes new sides and rear, floor, external fuel cells, and other details. Kei $25.00 IDF M-3 Recovery conversion. K-83 $35.00 fi Sepenber 1996 7MO Specials Darlington Productions announces aseriesof publications using the24-page magazine format, Each publicationin the series will feature either «particular vehicle, a series of vehicles, or a conflicVengagement. Special #1 MB8A1 Armored Recovery Vehicle: An indepth photo study of the U.S. Army's primary ARV. More than 80 photos and line drawings detail the exterior and interior ofthis vehicle. Special #2 Iron Coffins: Italian Medium Tanks - M13 and M14 More than 60 illustrations depict these WWII tanks. Special #3 M26 Pershing ‘The interior and exterior of this U.S. tank is detailed with more than ‘90 photos and line drawings detailing the exterior and interior. Special #4 German Elefant Panzerjaiger Tiger (P) Approxi- ‘mately 90+ illustrations show the inside and outside ofthis German ‘Tank Destroyer, Although this example is notin restored condition, from the APG museum, it clearly shows off the features and details, ofthis vehicle. Special 45"FUCHS" Transportpanzer (TPz1) and Variants ‘This modern Bundeswehr vehicle serves not only as an APC, but also as an engineer vehicles, ambulance, command post, and other roles. The U.S. Army (designated as the FOX) used these vehicles in an NBC role during the Gulf War. See it inside and out! Special #6 Post-War T-34/85: The T-34/85 after WWII. Photos show extemal changes as wel as internal detail. Special #7 Armored Fighting Vehicles of El Salvador: E] Salvador fought their internal guerrilla war witha variety of armored vehicles, some purchased, most, however, were designed and built within the country. Tracked and wheeled vehicles alike are shown in this Special filed with action photos and detail shos. Special #8 The Battle for Namibia, South Africa's Longest War ‘This Special takes the reader into a rarely studied war fought by the South African military against SWAPO insurgents based mainly in Angola. With 57 photos, 2 drawings, and 3 maps. Special #9 The MIAI and M1A2: A deuiled look at THE world's premium MBT. Inside and out using photos and line drawings from the U.S. Army TM's, you can see the differences between the two vehicles. Special #10 Valentine Infantry Tank: Using photos from two different vehicles as well as illustrations from the operator’ ‘manual, see this tank up close, $7.95 each Poste: US: $1.00 forthe fit, +709 foreach after. Foreign: $2.00 for fit, +704 foreach afler. (surface) double above for overseas airmail US. funds aly Maryland residents ud 5% wx. 18 Special #11 Sd.Kfz 231 (8-Wheel): Detail photos of both the interior and exterior, plus afew wastime photos clearly describe the German armored car Special #12 Merkava IT and III: This look at the exterior ofthis Israeli MBT. Shows the differences between the two variants AND the differences between the production runs within the variant. r-- cee eee *_* NEW * * Special #13 Matilda In Australlan Service: The Matilda was widely used in the Pacific by the ‘Ausialiang. Their variant was not so different from that sed by the British. See the details here. Special #14 Waffentriger Wiesel: This airmobile recon vehicle isin service with the Bundeswehr. Both the cannon and TOW versions are explored. Special # 15 Visit to the Zoo: Iragl Tanks and APVs: After the war, avast quantity of Iragi ‘equipment was captured, This Special highlights « selected group of tanks and other vehicles. Special #16 Warrior MCV: Combine this Special With the Academy kit and you can now detail the interior! Focuses on both the standard Section vehicle and the Command version. Over 100 illustrations, Special #17 M18 Hell Cat: 100+ illustrations including photos from the tech manuals and the Tank Destroyer Board Reports show the TD in great detail ‘Also points out some production changes and ‘modifications Special #18 Wespe: Using photos and drawings from the actual D2020 (German tech manual) Tom Jentz details this German WWII self-propelled gun L------~-~~~-~~-----~-4 Darlington Productions P.O. Box 5884 Darlington, MD 21034 Joumal of Miliary OndwcePbv 302 Swedish APC By Alessavdao Demania Despite long-standing neutrality, Swe- ‘den has never let that philosophy deter itselffrom having a strong, well-trained military structure. In fact, to a large degree, that neutrality stance has also meant that Sweden has looked inward for many of its military hardware re- quirements. From missile boats, fighter aircraft, and even tanks, Sweden has never been afraid to “go it alone.” ‘When the Swedish tank corps was Jooking at a replacement for the Pz. 38- based Pv 301 armored personnel car- rier, they took hard look at the Amert- can M113. In the end, a local design ‘was approved and construction of the Phy 302 began in an ad hoc factory just 360 kilometers from the Arctic Circle. ‘The builder was Hagglund and Soner and the year was 1968. ‘The hull of the APC is all-welded rolled steel, and the sides are double- hulled above the tracks. This optimised crew protection from calibers up to 20mm (and some additional help in ‘The transmission access hatches on the ront glacis are visible in this view. All photos of the Pv 302 were taken at the Miltary Museum of Southern New England tn Danbury, CT. defeating HEAT rounds) plus added a buoyancy factor that was deemed im- portant in the Swedish environment. ‘The Pby takes on an almost nautical shape with its rounded edgesand prow- shaped front hull. An ample trim vane 1s also mounted on the front glacis to aid in water crossings and operations. ‘There are five smooth and un- ribbed road wheels per side on tradi- tional torsion bars. Hollow trailing arms help keep weight down, ‘The ‘The Pbv 302 APC had a road speed of 66 km/h and in the water could do about 8km/h. Witha fuel capacity of 285 litres, the vehicle had a road range of 300 km. Seprenben 1996 tracks are 38cm wide, single pin. Power comes froma flat Volvo Penta THD 100 B, six-cylinder turbodiesel, basically a modified truck engine, pro- ducing 280hp at 2000 rpm. Mounted “amidship" its position isa factor in the mine protection for the crew. Engine air intake and exhaust are served through duct work to the two grilles on. the topdeck directly behind the driver hatch. From the Volvo R60 gearbox power Is transfered tothe front sprocket through a main shaft. The transmis- sion ts also centrally located in front of, the engine. ‘Two servicing hatches are found on the lower glacis plate, each swinging upwards using two ten-bolt hinges. Steering Is of the clutch and brake type with a double dry-plate so- lution which allows continuous slip- steering. ‘The driver is centrally located at the very front of the hull with a one- piece hatch. There is a collapsible windscreen stored ina box on the right, rear door. Closed down the driver uses three forward-facing periscopes which give vision over a 150 degree arc. The APC commander sits on the right of the vehicle, slightly behind the driver. The gun sits opposite, on the left side in a fully rotating turret mounting an M47 ‘Akan 20mm Hispano Suiza HS 804 auto cannon. Ammunition is supplied in three 135-round HE belts plus ten AP rounds carried in ten magazines. 19‘The gun has open sights for engaging Jow flying aerial targets and there are eight smoke grenade launchers. ‘An infantry squad of nine can be carried in the crew compartment, sit- ‘ung three on each side facing!n, two in the rear facing forward, and one on front facing rearward. Two large infan- try access doors are at the rear of the Pbv 302. The commander controls two large hydraulically controlled hatches on elther side of the superstructure top. These hatches can be opened fully or half way offering some additional protection to the infantry when firing fromthe open hatches. Asafety feature forces the hatches to remain open if something (a hand, weapon, etc.) is caught between the hull top and hatch. ‘The Pby 302 has been deployed to Bosnia with a few modifications in- cluding a flexible “funnel" for the ex- haust grille for personnel protection), stowage boxes secured to the front glacis over the trim vane, and spall liners. Like any good APC chassis, this one too shoulder a variety of variants {neludingan ARV (Bgbv 82), bridgelayer {mounting the MLC 50 bridge), battal- fon command vehicle (Stripby). indi- rect fire control vehicle (Epbv]. and an artillery command post (Bplpiv). 20 Jouwwl of Milinay OndwavceA FORGOTTEN GUN The 75mm Deport By Dr. Nicol Piquato and ‘Adan Geibel “The gun-howitzer is the result of efforts combining the ballistic performances of the gun with the elevation range of the howitzer in order to provide flat trajectory and high angle fire.” Frank Kosar, the wellknown Austrian anillery expert, in “A Pocket History of Aaillery - Light Fieldguns’, 1971 Seprember 1996 Kosar's definitionofa gun-howitzer isa fair and accurate one, but further into that same text he claims that the first modern weapon of this type was the M27 85mm Schneider, as adopted by Greece in the late twenties. In fact, the French designer Colo- nel A. Deport brought out a gun-howit- zer that predated the Schneider and ‘was considered advanced for i's time. Guns with single trails had Umited traverse (6°) and elevation (12° or 17° when the spade was dug in), which ‘made fast-moving targets nearly im- possible to engage.’ The Deport was based on the famous ‘French 75° de- ‘sign, but had split trail legs and, most noticeably, the recoll mechanismstayed horizontal when the gun tube was el- evated. Developed at the end of the 19th century, the allan Army purchased the Deport as a replacement for the Krupp 75mm 27 caliber Model 1906. ‘The Deport was better sulted for the peninsular terrain and the Krupp pur- chase became something of a scandal in 1907, with two generals being off clally punished. ‘The first Deport was tested for five ‘months by an Italian commission. AF terfiring 495rounds (200 Italian shells, the rest French) at Montlucon, the test moved to the Cirle Firing Range in ‘August 9, 1912. This Deport was appar enily the prototype tested by the Italian Army. AOM Piedmont (NW Italy). It fired another 1,995 rounds and traveled 1,000 km ‘Accuracy was good, as was ‘Justesse’ (the ability to hold on the elevation and traverse set by the gun- ners). Atrangesof 1,000, 3,500, 5,000, and 6,000 m the gun could fire ten to fifteen rounds at maximum traverse without undo displacement. Rapid fire trials consumed 160 rounds, in ten round salvos (both manu- ally and automatic) before the towing tests. A second rapid-fire test after. wards, on 12 January 1911, consumed 230 rounds - 130 of which were fired whilst the gun was emplaced on hard or frozen (-14°C) ground, By the endofthe firing trials, barrel wear had reduced 25 m/s and devia- tions had increased by 50%. ‘Aller the (ests, the Italian Army bought two batteries worth of Deports for operative trials. A competition fol: lowed shortly thereafter, in which the major gun manufacturers took part. ‘The winner was the 75mm Deport and 100 batteries were ordered. ‘Since the Deport was more compli- cated to produce than the Krupp, an association of 27 companies headed by Vickers Terni was formed to provide both guns and ammunition.* Most of the work on the M1906 had to be done by Krupp. given the inadequacles of Malian facilities. Prior to that, work had A dusty Deport on the road. Note the canvas muzzle cover, the gunners loung: ing all over the caisson and the tarpau- lin. The captionreads WWI Italian troops passing in review’, but this might be post-war. The towing vehicle appears to be a Pavest all-terrain tractor and the, {sridingonasmall- wheeled, high speed cradle. Courtesy Amlei Nel Mondo (As- sociation Miluarta Italian Collectors In temational, 6300-138 Creedmore Rd, St. #109, Raleigh, NC, 27612. 21aly, circa 1918. This wartime 360° traverse carriage allows maximum elevation and rapid traverse. Note the elevated wheels and firing platforms for both gunlayers. At first glance, this resembles a refined version of some jury rigged French 75 A rigs. Given that agreatdeal of taly’s fighting in WWIwas in the Alps, this could have also been built for firing support missions. APG been done by Military Arsenals.* Originally known as the “da 75 ‘mod. 1911," only 532 were available at the beginning of WWI. Primary usage was obviously in the Alpine region, though a gun that could be disas- sembied for pack animal transport was more desirable. In the late 20's, the Deport’s no- ‘menclature was changed to 75/27-911. Intended to serve with cavalry units, the Deport was issued to some field batteries. Fifty guns were sent to Spain and performed well. Of the 1800 75/27's in service at the beginning of World War Il June 40), 1,073 were horse-drawn versions of the 911 and 268 the motor-drawn (known as the 75/27-911 TM). The Deport served on all fronts - North and East Africa, the Balkans, Russia, and aly ttsel, ‘The first Deport's were drawn by horse teams, but the original towing vehicle was a Pavest agricultural trac- tor. ‘There were several experimental mounts developed but not taken into service. In 192], a FIAT 18 BL three- ton truck (known as Autoportante con cannone da 75/911) was modified to cary this gun rather than tow it. In 1923, a flatear with traversing mount ‘was built. In the Spring of 1924, one Deport received a longer barrel for Increased range and in 1924-25, an- other was fitted with a large muzzle brake (Autoricuperatore Regi) Prior to WWII, the Deport was fitted with steel- rimmed solid tires for high-speed tow- ng by it’s prime mover, the SPA 37 tractor. ‘The last two batteries of 75/27- 911 .M, servedas training gunsat the Artillery School of Bracclano (Rome) until 1950. TECHNICAL FEATURES OF THE DEPORT ‘The Deport required a four-man crew: the left layer for traverse (at the gunsigh), the right layer for elevation, the third a loader and the fourth an ammunition bearer between gun and caisson, ‘A 4mm thick armor plate shield protected the crew. Traverse and eleva lon was fast; 2° for each turn of the handwheels. The traverse angular speed was $2000 and elevation 16000. ‘The Deport’s split trails allowed greater traverse without resetting the legs, a time-consuming operation.” ‘They also displaced the recoll moment offorce over a wider area, as single trail guns tended to dig thelr own furrows after repeated firing. Ball joints al- lowed smooth swing movement, and a “T" traverse gave support to the gun cradle assembly. Of course, the trails folded together for towing. Set stakes were provided should the surface terrain (usually sand or soft earth) de- mand thelr use. ‘The only tool Jounal of Miimry Ondwcecarried on the gun was a sledge ham- mer for the stakes, which had one steel face and the other covered in green leather. Twenty five strokes were re- quired to set the stakes. ‘The Deport’s brake cradle was an innovation worth inspection. Normally, a period gun had a single long recoil cradle with a run of 1.8m. ‘The Deport had two recoil systems that worked in concert with each other. ‘The horizontal cradle for the carriage, ‘whose brake supported the trunions, had a one meter run. The vertical cradle could be elevated with the barrel up to 50® from the horizontal cradle, but only had a .36 m run. ‘The two joint buffersadapted auto- matically o the required elevationangle ‘without any connection between them. During ordinary firing (up to 15° above the horizontal line) the two acted in conjunction normally. ‘The Deport had an automatic breech with eccentric screw. very siml- lar to the well-known ‘French 75’. To ‘open and close required only a 1/3 tum. ‘The extractor cam kept car- tridges in place at any elevation until the breech was closed. This also pre- vented premature firing until the breach was fully closed. ‘wwil COMBAT ORGANIZATION Early in the war, infantry and militia divisions had one battery of 100/17 US GF's examing a captured 75/27, ‘presumably tn Northern Italy. The cen- ‘sorhas deliberately mutilated the near- est soldier's unit patch, but this gun was probably taken from the Germans. US ‘Army Signal Corps Sepember 1996 ‘The samegun [serial # 15491] was sent to APG and eventually disposed of on May 22nd 1952, scrapped along with tons of other ordnance. For decades, this was rumored to be part of a ‘raw materials’ scrap drive during the Korean War. Dr. Atwater has found no evidence confirming that this was anything other than a eduction in ihe museum's holdings. AOM Technical Specifications Caliber Length of Tube overall (travelling) Length. fring (legs extended) Length (gs elsd) Height ‘Muzzle Height (0°) Width (Traveling) Width (Trails Extended) ‘Track Weight, traveling ‘w/ caisson and limber Welght, firing Elevation ‘Traverse “Towing Speed, TM. ROF Ammunition 75mm 2.132m 85m 412m 445m 17m 851m Lom 3.465m 165m 1.9 tons (4190 Ibs) 1,076 tons (2972 Ibs) 15° to 65" 52.9° (alt. source - 54°) 12-18 km/hr 19/26 rpm: ‘The M1911 could fire the entire range of, 75mm projectiles, using a seml-fixed case. 502 m/s (1647 fps) 6.35 kg (14lbs) 8.100m uv ‘Shell Weight Max Range Shell Projo Wt Charge Wt ke) M/V (m/s) 75/27 M32 tal 75 63 Wtal 75/27 6.24 Ital 75/13 - 18 6.35 (6.42) tal 75/27 AP 6.2kg Wal 75EP 45 526 ‘Armor Penetration (EP:effetto pronto = Prompt Eifect: Hollow Charge) 70mm at 60° Ital 75/13 EP 5.2 Wal 75EPS 5.3 Ital 75 EPS M425.3 Ital 75 Smoke 6.4 Mtal75 WP 5.265 6.36 502 10.24 (11202 yds) 490(2) 10.385 (2) 23