Category Archives: US Army

Old Ammo plants coming and going

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Two interesting pieces of news concerning WWII-era War Department ammunition plants.

The old Milan Army Ammunition Plant (MLAAP) in Tennessee, established in 1941, is finally gone. It made everything from 40mm Bofors rounds to mortar and artillery projectiles over the years.

Employees at the Milan Army Ammunition Plant inspect 81mm mortar rounds produced at the plant in this photo from the 1960s. (Photo Credit: Joint Munitions Command Public Affairs)

Closed as part of BRAC in 2005, its remaining lines were shifted to the Iowa Army Ammunition Plant by 2009, while most of its land was transferred to the Tennessee National Guard to become the Milan Volunteer Training Site.

MLAAP was formally deactivated as a federal installation on 10 April and its colors cased.

Brig. Gen. Ronnie Anderson Jr. (right), the Joint Munitions Command’s commander, Tom Nowell, the Milan Army Ammunition Plant’s commander’s representative, and Command Sgt. Maj. Christopher Reaves, JMC command sergeant major, secure the plant’s flag as the “casing of the colors” is executed bringing the ceremony to a close and formally deactivating the installation. (Photo Credit: Joint Munitions Command Public Affairs)

Meanwhile, in the Sooner State this week, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced that a major ammo maker will create 350 new jobs.

CBC Global Ammunition, which owns the brands Magtech and MEN, among others, and made something like 2 billion cartridges last year in Brazil and Germany, is opening a plant on 550 acres of the former Oklahoma Ordnance Works, which was used by the Army for munitions production during World War II.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the $300 million plant is expected in late 2025.

Magtech has been popular on the U.S. market for 20-30 years and is finally going to be made in America.

USMCR Tankers get the Green Weenie, again

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Back in 2020, the Marine Commandant elected to dispose of the Corps’ four tank battalions, three active and one reserve, some dating back to 1941. That meant divesting the service of all of its heavy tracks (M1 Abrams and recovery vehicles). While most of the active duty tankers switched their MOS to other specialties, often to motor T or LAV units, those in the reserve were painted into more of a corner, with MCR units few and far between.

This led to at least 39 reservists switching branches, moving from the MCR to the Idaho National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, which also has armories in Montana, Nevada, and Oregon.

The Marine Corps Reserve’s Company C, 4th Tank Battalion, deactivates at Idaho National Guard Base Gowen Field, Aug. 14, 2020. More than three dozen of the former Marines enlisted in the Idaho Army National Guard on Sept. 13, 2020. THOMAS ALVAREZ/U.S. ARMY

The 116th, one of just five armored brigade combat teams in the Guard and one of just 16 in the Army as a whole, has often taken its armor abroad, fighting in Iraq twice (OIF III, New Dawn), then sent battalions to Southwest Asia from 2021 to 2023 and trained recently in both Poland and Morocco.

Abrams Tanks from A Company, 2-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, Idaho Army National Guard, conduct exercises on the Orchard Combat Training Center in the final exercise before deploying in support of Operation Spartan Shield. Photo by Thomas Alvarez/IANG

An M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank crew assigned to the Army National Guard’s 3-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, conducts live-fire operations June 10, 2023, in the Tan Tan Training Area as part of African Lion 2023. Eighteen nations and approximately 8,000 personnel are participating in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual combined, joint exercise is occurring in Ghana, Morocco, and Tunisia from May 13 to June 18, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jeffrey Brenchley)

Well, fast forward a bit, and the 116th, which has been an armored regiment since 1949, is losing its armor. Trading them in for (not kidding here) GM pickup trucks.

From the Army: 

The U.S. Army announced today that the Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team is among the first of the U.S. Army’s armored BCTs selected to transform to a Mobile Brigade Combat Team as part of the Army Transformation Initiative.

ATI is a strategic modernization effort by the U.S. Army designed to strengthen the military’s capabilities in response to emerging global threats by adapting fighting formations and integrating new technologies to prepare units and Soldiers to fight on the modern battlefield.

The transition will see the unit exchange its Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles for Infantry Squad Vehicles as the Army becomes more mobile and lethal to focus on future threats.

The Idaho Army National Guard’s 116th is among three other armored BCTs across the National Guard selected to convert. The 30th ABCT (North Carolina) and the 278th ABCT (Tennessee) will also undergo this transformation into a lighter, more agile fighting force.

For reference, the M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) is a slightly upgraded Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 light pickup truck, with zero armor.

The Green Weenie sometimes strikes twice.

The 5,000-pound GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle was uniquely engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability.

Army on the Logistics of an Island Campaign

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“Effective sustainment operations in an island chain campaign demand innovative planning, meticulous coordination, and adaptability to overcome unique logistical challenges. The concept of echeloned sustainment, while rooted in traditional overland operations, must be reimagined to address the complexities of distance, strategic transportation limitations, and environmental factors inherent to island warfare.

Sustainment planners must prioritize the design of a robust and agile task force, balancing competing priorities such as fuel, transportation, and mission-critical equipment.”

More here. 

CMP just reset their 1911 program for the better

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While CMP may be circling the drain when it comes to M1903s and M1 Garands, it looks like they have 1911s stacked deep, having recently finished out their Round 4 lottery fulfillment.

Related: I got mine and it turned out to be a RIA National Match (see above photo)!

Moving forward, the good news is that you don’t have to go through the drawn-out (it took me 16 months to get my Round 4 gun) process and can just jump right into the process. Further, you can now get four guns rather than two, and they plan on having three events where you can go and pick out your gun from a lot of 400 that they brought!

The presser:

With the completion of Round 4, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is excited to announce we have begun the processing of new orders for our surplus U.S. Army 1911 Pistol Program!

Through a partnership with the Army, the CMP offers these genuine, military-issued and field-tested M1911A1 pistols to consumers. A true piece of American history, these are the perfect addition for competitors and enthusiasts alike to enhance their firearm collection.

CMP staff members have already received over 4,000 new orders and will continue accepting more, utilizing an updated ordering process.

Who can order during the new round?

Anyone – even if you have just received a 1911 from Round 4, all those who fill out an application will be eligible to purchase during this upcoming round. We’re also excited to share that the Department of the Army has increased the lifetime limit from two to four pistols per person. Orders will be processed in the order they are received.

What’s new?

The CMP has introduced a new eStore payment method for 1911 pistols to better serve our customers.

Why the change?

The change addresses the difficulty we face reaching customers during the day while they are at work and the challenge customers experience trying to reconnect with our sales team once we’ve moved on to assist others. This new method allows customers to complete their purchases at their own convenience, anytime, without the constraints of business hours. Additionally, it significantly speeds up the overall purchasing process, ensuring a smoother and more efficient experience for everyone.

How does it work?

  • When the CMP 1911 sales team reviews a customer’s order packet, they will identify and note any discrepancies.
  • An email from 1911orderstatus@thecmp.org will then be sent to the customer detailing the specific information required to complete the packet. This process puts control back into the hands of the customer, allowing them to quickly address any issues and return the corrected order packet without unnecessary delays.
  • Once all required documentation and attributes have been satisfied, the customer will receive another email containing a secure link and a unique code. This will grant them access to the CMP eStore, where they can conveniently purchase their pistol by selecting the desired grade and quantity.
  • The entire transaction is conducted through a safe and secure purchasing process, offering customers the flexibility of 24/7 access to complete their orders at their own convenience.

NEW STOREFRONT FOR IN-PERSON 1911 SALES!

Entry to each 1911 sales day will be available to individuals that have purchased tickets (open to those registered for either Talladega D-Day or the National Matches, respectively), with a maximum of 20 customers per 50-minute time slot. The sale will feature approximately 400 pistols – organized and displayed by grade (Service, Field, and Rack) as well as by specialty categories that include select items normally reserved for auction.

Along with online ordering, individuals may now purchase CMP’s 1911 Pistols at one of three in-person sales events at our CMP Store locations! These one-day events will be held during the upcoming Talladega D-Day event at Talladega Marksmanship Park in Alabama and during the National Matches at Camp Perry in Ohio.

Dates include:

  • Friday, June 6 – Anniston, Alabama (CMP South Store)
  • Tuesday, July 15 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)
  • Saturday, August 2 – Camp Perry, Ohio (CMP North Store)

Ticket sales for our upcoming in-person events will go live within the next week. Be sure to check your email for an announcement with exact dates and registration details. Not on our Sales email list? Click here to sign up and stay informed!

Upcoming CMP Auction Highlight: 1911s

Keep an eye out for a select few 1911s that will be featured on the CMP Auction site in the coming weeks. A few “specialty categories” will be highlighted for our Auction page. Visit https://thecmp.org/cmp_sales/guns-on-auction/ for more details and to view current auction items.

See more on the CMP’s 1911 Program, including how to purchase, on the CMP website at https://thecmp.org/sales-and-service/1911-information/. Specific questions may also be sent via email to cmp1911@thecmp.org.

Chopping it up along the Verde Trail

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It happened 80 years ago.

8 May 1945. Caballero Mountains, Luzon. While peace of a sort had come to Europe, WWII continued to roar in the Pacific.

Here we see a M15 Combination Gun Motor Carriage “Special” that, in lieu of the standard M1 37mm gun/. 50 cal combination normally seen, was modified with a 40mm Bofors. It is also shown with an M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, which is essentially an M3 half-track chassis carrying an M45 Maxon “Meat Chopper” quad .50 cal.

A closer look at the M15. During Korea, this modification was solidified in the M34 with 102 M15s converted in Japan in 1951. The M34 mounted a single 40 mm Bofors gun in place of the M15’s combination gun mount. This was due primarily to a shortage of 37 mm ammunition, which was no longer manufactured. M34s served with at least two AAA (automatic weapons) battalions (the 26th and 140th) in the Korean War.

And a close-up of the M16/50 Quad.

M16 firing on Japanese position on the Villa Verde Trail in the Caballero Mountains, Luzon, PI, May 8, 1945

All of the above tracks are assigned to A Co, 209 AAA (Aw) Battalion of the 32nd “Red Arrow” Infantry Division, and are being used on Yamashita Ridge during the Battle of Villa Verde Trail.

As noted by the Army’s CMH, “In brief, the battle for the Villa Verde Trail became a knock-down, drag-out slug fest.”

The 32nd– which logged 654 days of combat during WWII, more than any other U.S. Army division– suffered 4,961 casualties in the Luzon Campaign.

Army’s (Don’t Call it a) Light Tank Albatross Reappears

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The U.S. Army has had problems with not wanting, but still needing, a decent light tank for generations.

World War II showed the lesson of having a decent light track in the form of the 15-ton M3/M5 Stuart, which, armed with a 37mm gun, swathed in 50mm of armor, and capable of hitting 35 mph, still proved effective if used correctly (i.e. not in fights with Tigers) in Europe and excelled in the Pacific.

A Marine M3 Stuart on Guadalcanal, 1942 “MOP UP UNIT– Two alert U.S. Marines stand beside their small tank, which helped blast the Japanese in the battle of the Tenaru River during the early stages of fighting on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. Those well-manned, sturdy machines readily mopped up strong points of enemy resistance.”

This was true enough for the Army to order the M24 Chaffee, which was a 20-ton light tank with a 75mm gun and 38mm of armor that could hit 35 mph on the road, in 1944 and then replaced it post-Korea with the M41 Walker Bulldog (23 ton, 76mm gun, 31mm of armor, 45 mph) which was replaced by the M551 Sheridan, an air-droppable 16 ton track with a weird 152mm gun/Shillelagh missile launcher tube, enough armor to stop small arms rounds, and a 40+ mph road speed.

A soldier from Co. A, 3rd Bn., 73rd Airborne Armor Regt., 82nd Airborne Div., lays out equipment for an M-551 Sheridan light tank prior to the 82nd Airborne Division live-fire exercise during Operation Desert Shield.

Sheridan, which entered service in 1969, was an oddball, but at least it gave the 82nd Airborne a battalion of tanks (err, “Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicles”) that could be Fed-Ex-ed overseas in a hurry.

Well, Sheridan grew obsolete and needed replacement, which led to the canceled M8 “Buford” armored gun system (AGS), the Stryker M1128 mobile gun system (MGS) of which 142 were build and quickly withdrawn from service, and now the Mobile Protected Firepower (MPF) program which fielded the M10 Booker “combat vehicle.”

PD1 – Delivery of First Production Vehicle M10 Booker Combat Vehicle

Booker is a big boy, at some 37 tons, and mounts a 105mm M35 low-recoil tank gun (designed for and formerly carried by the M1128). Actually, it reminds me of the size and capability of the old M60 tank.

And with that, Booker, too heavy and too expensive, is out. The last of three (so far) vehicles that were going to replace the Sheridan, which itself was a cranky platform that nobody really liked.

But still, at least folks got paid…

Can we just pay Rheinmetall for the data set to make a modernized Wiesel here in America?

Drones Give and Take in Unusual Ways These Days

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A few interesting stories that help add color to what warfare is in 2025.

In Poland, Soldiers of the 15th Giżycko “Zawiszy Czarnego” Mechanized Brigade have been “testing new technologies for MEDEVAC procedures, notification systems, and modern teleinformation tools for planning and managing medical evacuations during both operations and emergencies.”

This includes using a large quadcopter UAV with a Stokes litter slung underneath for casevac.

Looks fun unless you are in the litter…

The Poles, who are continually keeping active tabs on what is going on in Ukraine, are all in on drones moving forward.

Drone troops are the future of the Polish army, the future of all types of armed forces. They will have hundreds of thousands of drones: flying, ground, surface, and underwater – said Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defence Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Wednesday during the annual task and settlement briefing of the management of the Ministry of National Defence and the command staff of the Polish Army.

Now, flash to the Sinai along the Israeli-Egyptian border, where the IDF recently intercepted and captured a UAV entering Israeli airspace. After downing the drone (which still looks intact, so it was probably via a soft kill ECM device) 10 M-16 style rifles and ammunition were recovered, no doubt being smuggled to Palestinian militant groups.

The rifles appear to be ChiCom Norinco CQs, which have been widely used and are available for sale in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Libya. The Iranians even make a variant of the CQ domestically (as the Sayyad 5.56) for the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

And from the wastes of the Mojave Desert, where the 11th “Blackhorse” Armored Cavalry Regiment has been routinely beating the tracks off folks as the OPFOR at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin for the past 30 years, drones are well in hand to shake things up.

According to the Blackhorse’s social media team, they have been integrating FPV drones of the type often seen in use as simple munitions droppers and unmanned kamikazes in Ukraine and Syria, drone-deployed minefields, and their own legacy systems to lay waste to visiting units and making it look easy.

Bataan Cyclone

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It happened 80 years ago this month.

Philippines. Soldiers from the 38th Infantry “Cyclone” Division’s 152nd Infantry Regiment use a 57mm M1 anti-tank gun against Japanese positions on Luzon near “Woodpecker Ridge” in Marikina, 11 May 1945. Note the shell cases piled in the foreground.

US Army Photo 173-12

Raised in Indiana, the 38th was a National Guard division that was ordered into federal service on 17 January 1941, nearly a full year before Pearl Harbor. Finally sent overseas on 3 January 1944 after much reorganization and retraining, they warmed up in New Guinea and then hit the beaches at Leyte, landing in the Philippines in December 1944, only to respond to one of the last Axis parachute assaults of the war.

They remained in close contact with the Japanese for the next eight months and continued taking prisoners well into October 1945, ultimately collecting 13,000 of the Emperor’s troops.

Pfc. Elmer S. Pitlik, Air Sect., 139th F.A. Bn, lights a cigarette for one of the Japanese guards. 22 August 1945. On a mountain top in the Sierre Madres, Northern Luzon, eight Japanese officers and five American officers met to discuss surrender arrangements. The American officers, accompanied by twenty enlisted men, made a two-hour march over difficult terrain to the area marked by a Japanese flag on a bamboo pole. The ranking American officer was Maj. Richard F. Jaffers, Artillery Liaison Group, 38th Inf. Div. The ranking Japanese officer was Lt. Col. Shizume Sushimi. SC 211603

The 38th suffered 3,464 battle casualties in the PI, earning the Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and the nickname “Avengers of Bataan,” for obvious reasons.

There are 35 soldiers of the 38th Infantry Division from World War II still listed as missing in action.

The 38th remains the principal combat unit of the Indiana guard, with its members drawn from across the Midwest, and is headquartered in Indianapolis.

The Everlasting Jiggs

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It happened 95 years ago today.

Rockwell Field, near Coronado, California, 29 April 1930. Hollywood actresses Winnie Lightner, 31, and Irene Delroy, 29, clown for the camera as Lt. (later Maj. Gen.) William C. Kingsbury of the U.S. Army Air Corps’ 11th Bombardment Squadron looks down from the forward navigator/bombadier position of a rare Keystone LB-7 light bomber.

Of note, Winnie Lightner was known as Broadway’s “Song a Minute Girl” at the time because she could belt out a song in less than 60 seconds.

A sample of her work:

The Keystone LB-6/LB-7, dubbed the “Panther” by its maker, was never made in great numbers, with just 35 production models delivered to the Army for use by its six bomber squadrons in the late 1920s.

Armed with five light machine guns in assorted mounts, it could carry up to a ton of bombs out to 600 miles, lumbering along with its open crew compartments at a canvas-flapping 95 mph. They were replaced by monoplane bombers by 1934.

Keystone LB-7 aircraft at Patterson Field, Ohio, in September 1929. (U.S. Air Force photo)

They were also stars of the silver screen, appearing in Howard Hughes’ 1927 aviation epic, Wings, filling in as German Gotha bombers.

The insignia seen on the side of the LB-7 at the top is “Jiggs” of Sunday newspaper comics fame. Drawn by George McManus, Jiggs is a wealthy top-hatted rogue who attempts repeatedly to escape his dish-hurling and bread-pin-wielding wife, Maggie.

The unit adopted a bomb-toting Jiggs as the 11th Aero Squadron when it was flying DH-4s over the Western Front out of Maulan Aerodrome in France in 1918.

The 11th is still active today and flies B-52Hs out of Barksdale.

And Jiggs is still on their insignia, spats and all. .

Mindanao Doughboys

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It happened 80 years ago today.

Infantry troops of Company B, 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry “Victory” Division, marching towards the Mindanao River in pursuit of Japanese forces retreating near the Fort Pikit Ferry, Mindanao Island, Philippines. 22 April 1945. During the PI campaign, the 19th carried the radio call sign “Doughboy.”

Photographer: Pfc. Mack Gould. Signal Corps SC 270579

A closer look at the above image shows that every third or fourth man in the columns are local Philippine guerrilla force, often barefoot and very ill-clad, serving apparently as porters. Make no mistake, though, the Filipino forces got plenty of action in 1945 and were increasingly better outfitted.

As for the 19th Infantry (Regulars who earned the title “Rock of Chickamauga” during the Civil War), they had fought at Hollandia for months before landing at Leyte with as part of  X Corps of the Sixth Army in October 1944, with the regiment’s 2nd battalion the unsung “Lost Battalion” of WWII.

As the rest of their division moved up the Leyte valley, the 19th was carved off and assigned to the Western Visayan Task Force, landing at San Jose on Mindoro on 15 December 1944. They then assaulted Romblon Island and Simara Island in March 1945 before moving onto Mindanao in April.

Following a half-decade of garrison duty in the PI, in 1950, they would see much service in Korea during that war, keeping their “Doughboy” call sign.

19 September 1950. L-R: M/Sgt. Albert R. Charleton, Salem, Ill., and 1st Lt. Harry J. Lumani, Cumberland, Md., both of the 19th Inf. Regt., 24th Div., put up welcome sign for the newly-arrived Philippines combat troops at Pusan, Korea. SC 348885

Part of TRADOC today at Fort Benning, the colors of the 19th Infantry are decorated with the streamers of 30 campaigns, and the regiment has participated with distinction in 86 battles and engagements. Eight of those streamers are for Korea, while nine are from the Philippines including three for WWII (Leyte, Luzon, Southern Philippines) and six for the 1899-1901 Insurrection.

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