Comments for Ooo! Bright, shiny!

Ooo! Bright, shiny!

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:03:14 -0600

Now and again, as I'm surfing the web waiting for the Muse to get done doing her nails and start doing her job, I stumble upon stuff that just catches my eye. This is one of those things. Anyone want to take a stab at what caught my eye here in this picture of C66, a 1-77th Armor tank serving with the 5th Infantry Division in Vietnam, fording the Can Lo river in 1968? What made me do the double-take?

Comment from Eric on 2008-08-27

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 14:06:55 -0600

With out a view of the back deck, cant tell if this is a M48A2(AVGS-1790) or M48A5 (AVDS1790) power pack. This model of Patton tank came standard with a daylight optics and active IR night sight. The range finder was a Stereoscopic rangefinder acording to the information the commanders weapon was the turret varent of the M2HB. Acording to my older brother (11ACR), it was popular to remove the gunners sight and other stuff inside the turret and run with a 3 man crew. ('48's did not react well ti the VC/ NVA' B40/RPG2 rockets) with all that stuff not in the way, there was lots of room for ice chests and stuff.

Comment from Hunter on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:52:13 -0600

Olaf, I'm still laughing at the bumper number, C66. Usually one of two vehicles, the best maintained and least driven vehicle, or the motor pool queen that donates parts to everyone. Depended on the CO.

Comment from BillT on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:05:31 -0600

Aha! The Fifth was at *Cam* Lo, not *Can* Lo. jorb got it!

And good one, John! Even *I* had to Google it to make sure.

Ummm -- what?

Comment from BillT on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:51:26 -0600

Heh. I just did a double take.

I thought something clicked when I read the caption -- the Can Lo is in the middle of the Delta -- there's no high ground within forty miles of it.

Comment from BillT on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:40:30 -0600

The "high water mark" is bleed-off from badly-removed white paint -- maybe stateside unit striping or platoon ID numbers. If it was from river-water, the residue would be well-defined uppermost and fading toward the bottom. And it'd be *brown*.

Of course, knowing John, the star on the glacis being off-center probably jumped right out at him, too.

*koff*

I *still* think nobody's in the driver's seat. That sure looks like muddy water reflecting in the viewing prisms, rather than somebody inside peering out...

Comment from SangerM on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:55:41 -0600

gotta be the home made pedestal mount on the 50 cal, everything else looks right, though I am curious about the high water mark--most tanks could use the internal pressure pump to over pressure the interior so water would not leak in the hatches (good for short duration dunkings, assuming plugs in place and a working pump, BUT all hatches have to be closed, and there needs to be an air breather set-up on the back deck for the engine... I can't see if this one had one, but given the set-up, I'm going to guess the driver may have got wet in deeper water, but popped the hatch on going upslope. I'd guess that's the loader in the CVC and the gunner is inside, still, unless the guy in the steelpot is the loader and that CVC guy is the loader....

Anyway, this look pretty serene to me, no shooting an issue, since there are workers on the far shore, and guys loading or unloading in the 2.5T up the hill. Rear area swim test? Photo Op? Most likely, or there'd be more tanks--these guys liked to travel in packs of 5, y'know.

Just my 2 cents....

Comment from AW1 Tim on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:27:55 -0600

John,

Might it be the barrel of that 8" gun sticking out of the cammo netting in the background? Looks like it is one of those SP types, judging from the hight of the barrel above the ground.

Respects,

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:22:17 -0600

BTW: Go Tigers! (77th Armor!)

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:20:29 -0600

TC's side frog eye: check
gunner's sight doghouse: check
loader's side frog eye: that's a lifting ring you're seeing by the loader's boot (resting his hand on it)
two antennae: check (goes with the bumper number)

i got it! it's the loader side sponson box handles. they're turned inward, therefor the sponson would be bouncing open (follow that vehicle to make up any equipment shortages you may have!)

Comment from Blake Kirk on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:13:18 -0600

Yeah, nice to be back. The job at5 Fort Campbell was going to go "poof" in November, so I'm now working at First Army HQ at Ft Gillem, in the G3 Movements Cell. Couple steps up the rank ladder and a 5% pay increase. And no deployments. Not too shabby. But have been a bit tied up moving to Atlanta.

For Olaf and Eric,

The tank is an M48, obviously, so the 90mm cannon is nominal. So is the ~~small~~ tiny doghouse for the gunner's periscope (which is visible on the turret roof just below the M85-less hole in the TC's coupola,), as night vision sights (let alone thermal imaging,) for tanks were still a pipe dream in 1968. The M48A5's with the M68 105mm cannon were not fielded until well after we pulled out of 'Nam.

Comment from OlafTheTanker on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:49:40 -0600

My take..
Since this particular model seemed to have been equipped with that oddball cupola that carried the Ma Duce and the M-85? (which is missing along with the search light), it would have to be your shock that not only did the CO's tank (66) actually make it out of the motor pool in running condition, but the driver dared to get it dirty.

That or it's still sporting a 90mm main bang bang.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:48:56 -0600

BTW, Blake - good to see you back!

Comment from Heartless Libertarian on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:46:43 -0600

Well, it does illustrate the idiocy of the big white "Aim Here" star on the front glacis (and the door of the 2.5 ton in the background.

It also looks like there's a guy in a grunt helmet over the shoulder of the loader.

Comment from fdcol63 on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:18:37 -0600

Thanks ..... I now see the other one next to the other guy's boot.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:12:25 -0600

And if you guys are talking about what I think you're talking about - that "muzzle brake" on the left of the vehicle is actually the right optic for the coincident range finder of the tank.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:08:02 -0600

Vietnam being Bill and my father's war, I'm dependent on the caption that came with the pic for location and date. Unit and vehicle, that I can handle myself!

Comment from Eric on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:07:29 -0600

AHH HAAA, the lack of a gunners periscope, not to menchen the missing flashlight, and the MWO of the pintel mount for the M2 HB welded to the commanders cupola

Comment from jorb on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:04:44 -0600

I'm pretty sure thats actually the Cam Lol River id thats '68. Just sayin.

Comment from jorb on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:03:04 -0600

I'm almost positive thats actually the Cam Lom River if thats '68. Just sayin.

Comment from Justthisguy on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:57:33 -0600

The guy on the right looks like he's wearing one of those huge naval telephone-talker's helmets.

Comment from fdcol63 on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:56:16 -0600

The muzzle break peeking out on the vehicle's right side, below the TC? From some kind of SP howitzer behind the tank, possibly a short tube M109?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Self-propelled-howitzer-vietnam.jpg

Comment from Katherine Optima Maximae on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:42:17 -0600

Huh. Looks dangerous to me. Is it the other tank driving up this one's bonzai?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:34:56 -0600

Nope. Those are just the center guides sticking out of the spare track links they've got hanging on the turret.

Comment from Katherine Optima Maximae on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:30:56 -0600

What are those punji stick looking things on the outside? With the square boxes around them? Is that some sort of ballistic armor like the Russians use?

Comment from Blake Kirk on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:53:18 -0600

Naw, there's a driver: you can just see his face (well, his eyes, anyway,) in the center periscope. He's keeping his head down to avoid getting shot at. (It's those turtle genes they infect tankers with, doncha know.) The driver's hatch is open so that if the tank does hit a hole and sink, the driver has a half-a-chance of getting out of the damned thing before he drowns. Note that the turret is traversed so that the gun isn't over the driver's hatch during this evolution.

Comment from JimC on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:59:07 -0600

I agree with the .50 comment.

Comment from Boquisucio on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:40:06 -0600

Me seez a healthy bathtub ring around the main turret. Did they come in with snorkles for fording rivers?

Comment from BillT on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:18:15 -0600

Ain't nobody driving.

Comment from Blake Kirk on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:59:45 -0600

I dunno. Mebbe it's the Browning .50cal M2 on a pedestal welded to the mantlet on the commander's couola where the manual calls for a ~~POS~~ M85 .50 cal in the coupola?

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:39:10 -0600

(the one just down slope from the OPEN driver's hatch!!!)

Comment from RetRsvMike on 2008-08-26

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:37:46 -0600

the half-sunken weight class sign that looks like a happy face?