Category Archives: US Army

Getting Greasy

Posted on by Leave a comment

Just 40 years ago this week.

Official caption: “Private First Class (PFC) Jose Ledoux-Garcia of Company C, 5th Battalion, 77th Armor, guards his M60A3 main battle tank during Central Guardian, a phase of Exercise REFORGER ’85. He is armed with an M3A1 .45-caliber submarine gun. Base: Giessen, West Germany (FRG), 22 January 1985.”

How about that open bolt on the M3! Note the short receiver M85/T175 (M19) .50 caliber machine gun in the tank commander’s copula, as identified by its crimped flash hider. It was distinctive for being one of the most unreliable machine guns ever adopted by the U.S. DF-ST-85-13234

It is hard to believe that only 40 short years ago, M60 Pattons and M3 Grease Guns were still on the front lines of the Fulda Gap. Both would linger on through Desert Storm.

As for the “Steel Tigers” of the 77th Armor, formed originally as the 753rd Medium Tank Battalion on 25 April 1941, they trained at three different bases in the south that have all been renamed since then and, receiving their first M4A1 Shermans in early 1943, shipped out for North Africa attached to the 45th Infantry (“Thunderbird”) Division.

Just missing the end of the Afrika Corps in Tunisia, they were soon fighting in Sicily (Operation Husky) under Patton’s command and their tanks spearheaded the first Allied unit into Messina, losing six tanks to 28 enemy tracks claimed. They fought for Naples and Rome, earned a French Croix de Guerre for the liberation of the Vosage in 1944, and continued on into Germany through the Ardennes and the Rhineland for VE-Day.

The Sherman-equipped 753rd fought in Sicily, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe, typically in platoon and company-sized elements spread out through the 45th ID. 

Post-war, they were redesignated as the Japan-based 77th Heavy Tank Battalion, equipped with M-26s and M4A4E8s, and saw much service in Korea, earning six campaign streamers with the 7th ID.

Then came eight campaigns in Vietnam with M48s in 1969-70, equipped with M60s, continued Cold War service first with the 5th ID and then with the 4th ID, including deployments back to Germany.

Eventually upgrading to the M1 Abrams, they deployed to Bosnia and Kosovo, then moved heavily from Schweinfurt, Germany in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2012 to the sandbox in support of the 1st Infantry Division and then the 1st Armored Division.

They are one of the few Army armor units to carry a Navy Unit Commendation, on the recommendation of the Marine Corps Commandant, earned during Operation Iraqi Freedom VI-VIII in support of I MEF.

Today, the Steel Tigers remain as part of the 1st ID’s 3rd BCT at sunny Fort Bliss, Texas, but, in true globetrotter fashion, they are currently on a rotational deployment to Poland, getting some snow time in.

Their official unit motto is Insiste Firmiter (To Stand Firm) and their battle cry is “Blood on the Axe” for obvious reasons.

CMP Raises Gun Limits

Posted on by Leave a comment

Official caption: “Group of men surround the last M1 .30-caliber rifles off the production line. Col. Hurlbut stands on the left. Lt. Col. Septfonds stands second from left. John C. Garand stands second from right and he holds the last rifle.” (Springfield Armory National Historic Site Photo 12808-SA.1)

Apparently, the CMP is either (A) not getting the same sort of demand for M1 Garands as they have been in the past or (B) is super flush with guns that fewer people want and is running out of space because they have just all but abandoned the rationing of rifles to its members.

I’m betting they are getting a lot of old Garands (along with smaller lots of Krags, M1917s, and M1903s) turned in by local VFW and similar units that are closing their doors. Today’s vets just don’t join those groups as their dads and granddads did in the 20th Century. Plus, in this economy, not a lot of folks have even the modest $1,150 for re-barreled Expert Grade and $900 for Navy 7.62 NATO M1s to spare.

Of note, the previous limit was 8 Garands per year– but that was back when Field and Service grade rifles were available for $650-$750 just a few years back.

Via CMP:

  • Effective January 7, 2025, customers are allowed to purchase up to twelve (12) surplus rifles (any type) per year. This limit excludes .22 rifles.
  • Surplus Ammo Limit: 2,000 rounds per caliber per year.
  • Commercial Ammo Limit: None
  • Please note: The CMP strictly enforces the limits referenced above. The CMP, at its discretion, reserves the right to ban from all future sales any attempts made by customers to circumvent these limits

Touring Germany with a Chopped Down M1 Carbine

Posted on by Leave a comment

With personal space at a premium inside the tracked metal monsters of a World War II tank battalion, guns sometimes got unofficially smaller.

Check out this great image, snapped some 80 years ago this month, of two members of the 784th Tank Battalion at a railway marshaling yard in recently occupied Eschweiler, Germany on 23 January 1945, just after the Battle of the Bulge.

(Photo: W.C. Sanderson/ Signal Corps No. 111-SC-259409/ NARA NAID 276537211)

According to the official released wartime caption, the above shows Pfc. Floyd McMurthry (in the foreground) of Canton, Ohio, test-firing an M-3 Grease gun, while Pvt. Willie R. Gibbs (in the background) of Birmingham, Alabama, test-fires a sawed-off M-1 Carbine “which he shortened with his light tank to make it easier to handle.”

Let’s zoom in on that M1 a bit.

Judging by the size of the 8.5-inch handguard on the M1 Carbine, Pvt. Gibbs seems to have whittled this gun down to about 24 inches overall, with most of the 17.75-inch barrel abbreviated. The standard M1 Carbine went 35.6 inches overall.

No word on how the performance of the short-stroke piston action Carbine was affected in the above instance, although it is known that, some 20 years after the above image was captured, American advisors in Vietnam were often chopping down their M1s to more pistol length versions. Meanwhile, “Enforcer” pistols from Iver Johnson and Universal were marketed in the 1970s-90s with barrel lengths in the 9.5 to 10.25-inch range.

But that’s a different article.

For reference, the 784th Tank Battalion, a segregated unit equipped with a mix of M4 Sherman medium Tanks and M5A1 Stuart light tanks, entered combat in Europe in December 1944 and fought its way into Germany with the 104th “Timberwolf” Infantry Division.

Company B, 784th Tank Battalion at Sevelen, Germany on March 5, 1945. The two tanks to the left and right are M5 Stuarts while the vehicle in the center of the image is an M3 half-track. Note the extensive use of M3 Grease Guns, which remained prized by American armored vehicle crews through the 1990s. (U.S. Army Photo: SC 336785)

The 784th later linked up with advancing Soviet troops on the Elbe River and spent several months on occupation duty in Germany after the war. The 700-member battalion suffered nearly 200 casualties during its WWII service.

Looking back on the XM204 Swamp Howitzer

Posted on by Leave a comment

Mark Struve over at the U.S. Army Sustainment Command delves into the time the Army wanted a pair of 105mm and 155mm howitzers capable of being used in swampy ground that was the consistency of bubble gum. These would be CH-47 capable, with two carried per lift. 

An artist’s rendering of the XM204 howitzer. The XM204 was designed to replace both the M101 and M102 howitzer. The XM204 was designed with two artillery size variants: 105- and 155-mm.

The XM204 underwent a large amount of testing. This took place on the ground and in the air. As one of the first soft-recoil systems, it was a prime candidate for airborne deployment.

Concept of a CH-47 in a gunship configuration for airborne artillery support. This drawing shows the carriage being stowed within the helicopter, allowing both XM204s on the winglets to be removed, placed on their carriages, and then ready to use on the ground.

The year was 1966, and for several years the Soldiers in Vietnam had been using the same howitzer that their fathers had used in World War II. The M101 (known in World War II as the M2) was a 105-mm howitzer that was known for its accuracy and destructive power. So, why, in the middle of a war in the jungle, was the Army changing these well-known and tried-and-true fire-breathing monsters with a lighter M102?

More here.

Winning hearts

Posted on by Leave a comment

80 years ago today. 25 December 1944, Philippines. Original wartime caption: “Left to right: Pfc. Philip H. Dunbar (Worcester, Massachusetts) and Pvt. Si Gerson (New York City) giving Christmas candy to Filipino children in San Jose, Mindoro Island.”

Photographer: Pvt. Ben Gross, Signal Corps image 111-SC-377725, National Archives Identifier 148727530

For the record, the rations, “Candy, Pan Coated Disks” were M&Ms– which were introduced to the commercial market in 1941– and were often regarded at the time as “Air Crew Lunch.”

Of note, Simon W. “Si” Gerson was a longtime member of the CPUSA and editor for The Daily Worker. He passed in 2004, on the day after Christmas, aged 95.

The Greatest Generation included Americans of all kinds.

Merry Christmas, guys.

Fiends on Mindoro

Posted on by Leave a comment

80 years ago today. 20 December 1944. Lockheed P-38 Lightnings of the “The Flying Fiends” of the 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, parked along the runway on the Hill Fighter Strip near San Jose, Mindoro Island, Philippine Islands.

U.S. Air Force Number 74227AC, NARA 342-FH-3A30104-74227AC

Formed during the Great War as the 36th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field, Texas, in June 1917, Quentin Roosevelt, the son of Teddy, was one of the squadron’s first commanders.

During WWII, the Fiends flew P-40, P-39, P-47, and finally P-38 fighters in several Pacific Theater campaigns. These included the defense of New Guinea (Distinguished Unit Citation for Papua, Sep 1942–Jan 1943), New Britain (Distinguished Unit Citation, Dec. 1943), and the battle for the Philippines (Distinguished Unit Citation, Dec. 1944). The unit ended the war with 11 Campaign Streamers (East Indies, Air Offensive Japan, China Defensive, Papua, New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Western Pacific, Leyte, Luzon with Arrowhead, Southern Philippines, and China Offensive.)

While the 36th didn’t produce any aces, they did chalk up 96 aerial victories against the Japanese, trading no less than 16 aviators killed or missing, some still MIA to this day.

They moved to Fukuska, Japan at the end of the war, then flew a weird transition of F-80 Shooting Stars, F-51 Mustangs, and F-86 Sabers during Korea, and F-105s and F-4s during Vietnam before moving to the Viper in August 1988.

They still operate Block 40 F-16/C/Ds out of Osan, ROK, where they have been based since 1971.

Sit back and drink in a Big Picture 3-pack

Posted on by Leave a comment

A few interesting “new” (to me) additions to the AP Archive on YouTube.

The Big Picture – The Atomic Soldier. Operation Desert Rock tactical nuclear blast, Frenchman’s Flats, Nevada, January 1955 (28 minutes)

The Big Picture: Marksmanship. December 1959. (28 minutes)

The Big Picture – Airmobile – The New 1st Team. 1st Cavalry, Ia Drang, Vietnam, November 1965 (28 minutes).

Tiger Tamers

Posted on by Leave a comment

80 years ago this week. Stavelot, Belgium. 21 December 1944. “Men of the 823rd Tank Destroyer Battalion are responsible for knocking out four attacking King Tiger German tanks.” The image comes as the men are working to reduce “The Bulge” in the Ardennes while attached to the 30th “Hickory” Divison.

Dig the Tanker boots and varied mix of uniforms. U.S. Army Signal Corps Photo SC 334902

Left to right: Pvt. Robert H. Grout, Columbia, South Carolina, Pfc. Raymond Clements, Indiantown, Florida; T/5 Clarence West, Lilly, La.; Cpl. Buel O. Sheridan, Sheridan, Texas; Sgt. Clyde Gentry, Tucson, Arizona; and S/Sgt. Oron Revis, Klamath Falls, Oregon.

The 823rd Tank Destroyer Bn, 30th Infantry Division, with their newly-issued M10 Wolverines. (Photo courtesy of 30th Infantry Division Association)

Via Tank Destroyer.net an abbreviated history of the 823rd:

Activated on 25 July 1942, at Camp Carson, Colorado. Arrived in England in April 1944. Landed at Omaha beach on 24 June with towed 3-inch guns. Supported drive on St. Lô. Fought at Mortain in August. Passed through Belgium and Holland, entered Germany on 17 September. Fought along Siegfried Line in October, including encirclement of Aachen.

Converted to M10’s beginning in November 1944. Shifted to the Ardennes in late December and fought to eliminate the Bulge in January 1945. Crossed Roer River on 24 February and Rhine on 24 March. Raced eastward to Elbe River at Magdeburg in April. Began military occupation duties on 21 April.

Tokyo Terror

Posted on by Leave a comment

Some 80 years ago today. 13 December 1944, in San Jose, Mindoro, Philippines, a Skysoldier of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry, covers an area with his M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle. Note the gun’s nickname on the buttstock.

At some four feet in length and with an unloaded weight pushing 20 pounds, the BAR was not jumped often with paratroopers, with paratroopers instead relying on M1919A4/6 light machine guns that could be broken down and dropped among sections then assembled on landing.

Our para, of course, may have just “acquired” Tokyo Terror once on the ground.

2-503rd would earn a Presidential Unit Citation for jumping atop Corregidor and is remembered as “The Rock” to this day.

And the above BAR operator was likely there. At least one was. 

A M1918 BAR man of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment firing at the Japanese after the jump on Corregidor, Philippines, 20 February 1945. SC Photo 364533 by Pfc. Morris Weiner.

They are currently part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based at Caserma Del Din, Vicenza, Italy.

Yuletide CBI Warhawks, Complete with Cranberry

Posted on by Leave a comment

Official wartime caption: “While still on alert duty, S/Sgt. J.A. Muller, Cpl. John W. Coleman, and Cpl. L.B. Thomas of the 16th Fighter Squadron, 51st Fighter Group, consume their Christmas Dinner on the field at a base ‘Somewhere In China,’ 25 December 1942.”

At the time of this image, the 16th was flying out of Zhanyi, China, and had a detachment in Yunnanyi.

U.S. Air Force Number 74184AC, NARA 342-FH-3A02359-74184AC

Constituted as 16th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940, the “Flying Wall” flew Curtiss P-40 Warhawks from the beginning. Deployed to the CBI in March 1942 as part of the Tenth Air Force, the squadron operated from India’s Assam Valley before moving into KMT-controlled China in October 1943 as part of the Fourteenth Air Force.

The squadron defended the Chinese end of the “Hump” route and harassed Japanese shipping in the Red River delta of Indochina, then later supported KMT ground forces in the 1944 drive along the Salween River.

Reequipped with P-51D Mustangs in 1945, they eventually returned to India and was inactivated on 13 December 1945. They earned four campaign streamers for WWII: New Guinea; India-Burma; China Defensive; and China Offensive.

Post-war, they were reactivated for Korea where they flew first P-80s then F-86s. They then served as an interceptor squadron with F-102s before switching to the F-4 Phantom in 1965. Since 1979, they have been operating F-16s and have been based at Nellis AFB, Nevada as the 16th Weapons Squadron (“Tomahawks”) since 2003.

« Older Entries Recent Entries »