Army Heritage Day - Page 2

**birder** · #11 05-20-2008, 08:54 PM

you have some really cool stuff there and a good time had by all it appears. Nice to respect the memory of the veterans of this great country, and the cool stuff we like to make models of! The restored jeep is the prettiest Ive seen (ambulance), you need to get some planes in there I think though. We have lots of planes around here that would qualify, traners mostly, but a nice L-19 red+ white too, and lots of navy stearman. One blue and yellow army one, but has been upgraded to a 450 p+w.
Congrats on the recognition of service of your family, Okinawa was not a nice place from what I see. I know little about the Korean war but the vets I've spoken with said it was tough and COLD.

**Don Boose** · #12 05-20-2008, 09:04 PM

I agree, Glen. I'd love to see one or more Army fixed wing aircraft on display at AHEC, especially an L-19, since I was a 1st Cavalry Division aerial observer in 1963 in Korea and have a lot of back seat time in L-19s, flying PAT (position-altitude-time) Flight recon and photo missions along the DMZ and some artillery shoots as an aerial forward observer. But I'd be glad to have any of the L-birds on display.

Come to think of it, an L-20 (U-6) and a companion M-37 3/4-ton truck would be nice.

Don

**birder** · #13 05-20-2008, 09:13 PM

That's an idea!, No really is nice already, just I have this fascination with warbirds, I think it's some kind of disease.

**dansls1** · #14 05-21-2008, 05:24 AM

Cool pictures - thanks for sharing

**RyanShort** · #15 05-21-2008, 05:45 AM

Any shots of that M18 Hellcat you mentioned? That was a sweet little tank destroyer.

Ryan

**Don Boose** · #16 05-21-2008, 06:24 AM

Ryan --

Here are some photos of the M18.

Incidentally, as you may know, the M18 chassis was used for several other vehicles, including the M39 Armored Utility Vehicle: an open-topped personnel carrier that was used throughout the Korean War as an artillery prime mover, command vehicle, and armored personnel carrier. Six of them were assigned to each tank battalion headquarters and service company. The rifle squad of the tank battalion reconnaissance company was mounted in an M39, and they were assigned in small numbers to other units. During the 1952-53 "stalemate" phase of the war, they were used to evacuate casualties and to resupply the front-line positions, most famously at Pork Chop Hill. Eventually they were replaced by T18E1 Full-tracked Infantry Vehicles (armored boxes on tracks that entered full production as the M75 Armored Personnel Carrier).

It was a neat-looking vehicle -- along the same lines as the topless Sherman and RAM Kangaroo APCs used by Commonwealth forces in World War II -- and I wish we had one.

Don

**Don Boose** · #17 05-21-2008, 06:31 AM

Here are three more shots that I had included in the earlier version of this thread that disappeared into the ewigkeit when the site went down.

The first is another of those "disconnects in the space-time continuum" in which a Revolutionary War era British grenadier looks over the M18. The others are of our M4A3 75 Sherman and the opposing German PaK-43 88mm antitank gun.

In the earlier thread, someone -- I think it was Charlie C. -- said he had seen Internet pictures of a PaK-43 being restored and asked if this was the same one. The museum curator, Roger Durham, tells me that it might have been. The gun, which used to be on the Army War College campus near the statue of Frederick the Great (there's another story), was restored by a group of conservators who may have posted the Internet photos.

Don

**CharlieC** · #18 05-21-2008, 07:07 AM

Went digging - the PaK-43 restoration site is still around. It is the Carlisle PaK-43. http://www.mckaylodge.com/pakrestore/PAGE_01.html
The restoration must have been an expensive exercise - I find it a bit surprising that the gun is outside in the weather.

Regards,

Charlie

**Don Boose** · #19 05-21-2008, 07:13 AM

Thanks for this additional information, Charlie. The outside display may be temporary (for a couple of years) until the museum building is constructed. Or it may be a case of assuring public access to the exhibit. I'll ask Roger the next time I see him.

Incidentally, there are two other pieces of military equipment on display near Carlisle Barracks, but not associated with AHEC. The 1st Battalion, 108th Field Artillery, 28th Division, Pennsylvania National Guard (http://www.dmva.state.pa.us/paarng/c...p?a=3&q=441199), has an M4A3 (76) HVSS (W) Sherman (more commonly known as the M4A3E8, or "Easy Eight") tank and an M1 155mm howitzer serving as gate guardians. Both are maintained in excellent condition. I drive past them every day, but for some reason, have never taken photographs. I will do so soon, however.

Don

**KCStephens** · #20 05-21-2008, 11:23 AM

What a great event - we enjoyed it very much. We already have our calendars marked for next year. I have a few pictures of my own that I'll post here in the near future. Right now I'm having PC issues at home so my access is limited to my wifes laptop and my computer at work. I hope to be back up very soon.

Kevin