B-17s had up to THIRTEEN .50 cals.Pretty cool! But why not get a P-47 and have 8 of them! Or, better yet, a B-17 and have 10!
Just kidding. A F4U (in fact it was from the Black Sheep Squadron) landed at the local strip 1.5 miles from the house about 15 years ago - man it was impressive - shook the ground when it took off!
Riposte
Why I will never own a .50 BMG
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Up until recently, the Marines were always last to get every new thing. That is except for the Army Reserve / National Guard who were dead last in getting anything. We actually got Vietnam era flak vests for body armor in 2003 prior to our deployment to the desert..
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Yes 2nd photo is a straight M60, on the ammo pad on Range 42, Grafenwöhr, Germany January 1974. The M48A3 is RVN in 1969. The only M60 chassis based vehicles used in Vietnam were the M728 CEV and the AVLB. Some 20 miles across the Cambodian border (May 1970) you can see the AVLB minus the bridge. My loader took the picture.
551’s were good for racing as one could adjust the governor on the 6V-53 and get +-45 MPH provided the tracks were right.
551’s did provide some fire support with the 152 mm gun but no good against RPGs or large mines. The missile was never used in RVN, if and when it did work,lol
Had one come in that was minus the turret, all road wheels and maybe 3 1/2’ high. Ran over a “ mine” made from UXO bomb the vc put in a road. Have alway wondered if there were any tank battles between ARVNs and nva? Never looked it up…
Inside of 551 turret pics..
551’s did provide some fire support with the 152 mm gun but no good against RPGs or large mines. The missile was never used in RVN, if and when it did work,lol
Had one come in that was minus the turret, all road wheels and maybe 3 1/2’ high. Ran over a “ mine” made from UXO bomb the vc put in a road. Have alway wondered if there were any tank battles between ARVNs and nva? Never looked it up…
Inside of 551 turret pics..
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Wanna know why most tankers didn't think much of the Sheridan? Here's an outside picture of one the 11th ACR lost in Cambodia. It did not tolerate an RPG very well.
I pretty much agree with most of your comments. All of my 1911's are 10mm because it's just a superior cartridge. I also agree on the Walther P38. It's a beautiful, historical firearm. Back in the 1989's I bought a Walther PPK/s for the same reason. But, I later sold it because the D/A trigger pull was ridiculously long and super heavy. But, the accuracy was great for a small pistol because of the fixed barrel.
Here's my Walther P38. I paid $1,400 for it. I'd also like to get a nice condition Luger P08 for the same reasons, but, a good one will run $3,000 and up.
But Both of the tanks in the original posting look like they have 105mm canons on them and that canon was not fitted to M48s until the M48A5 variant which was not even started until 1975-76. It has the distinctive offset bore evacuater about 2/3 of the way back down the barrel towards the turret. That's a 105mm cannon, Not a 90mm Cannon.Yes 2nd photo is a straight M60, on the ammo pad on Range 42, Grafenwöhr, Germany January 1974. The M48A3 is RVN in 1969. The only M60 chassis based vehicles used in Vietnam were the M728 CEV and the AVLB. Some 20 miles across the Cambodian border (May 1970) you can see the AVLB minus the bridge. My loader took the picture.
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So if the one with the shirtless tanker is in Vietnam, it is an M60 tank in Vietnam.
Yea, sad sight. 113’s were no better, in fact worse with the large flat sides. IIRC about 99% were junk after a RPG hit. We had a 557 we used for “ alerts” during the spring offensive, as it would have helped against a T-54.
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Look again! The bore evacuator is NOT in the middle of the tube like on a 105 gun. Notice the vision block ring on the TC's side, a feature of a late block M48A3. The the swinging driver's hatch is another distinctive feature of the M48, not all like the sliding hatch the M60 series used. Here's a little better picture of the muzzle end of the 90mm gun.
The shirtless tanker in the one picture was my gunner. I am pretty sure that despite my advancing years I remember what tank we were on. He paid his dues.
Arlington National Cemetery , Section 60
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