United States
They were spread out over a wide territory, mostly in the southern part of Germany and Austria and with the later reorganization of the occupation zones, the US Forces stationed in West Germany came into a single command, the USAREUR, first designated The European Theater of Operations, U. S. Army (ETOUSA), then USFET and EUCOM. It was commanded by for logistics and administration was Major General John C.H. (“Court House”) Lee. After may 1945, the HQ was moved from Versailles to moved to the I.G. Farbenindustrie Building in Frankfurt, then Heidelberg and with the merger later between the British and US zones of occupation, the HQ was moved again to Stuttgart in 1949. With the following events which raised tensions with USSR (the Berlin blockade, the communist coup in Czechoslovakia, first Soviet nuclear detonation, and invasion of Korea), the Seventh U. S. Army was activated at Stuttgart in late November 1950, comprising five full armored divisions.
When the Berlin wall was erected in august 1961 by soviet troops, the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment was deployed to Europe along with additional support units to protect the flow of refugees, while the 1st Battle Group, 18th Infantry (Reinforced) was also sent to west Berlin. By 1962 when the crisis was at the highest, no less than 277 342 personnel were stationed in Germany. The former US-British zone of occupation was further extended when the French occupation zone was evacuated due to De Gaulle’s decision of a NATO withdrawal in 1967. By 1961, US Forces in Germany were the first to receive the new M60 tank, but also the M113 armored personnel carrier, M151 truck, M14 rifle and M-60 machine gun. However, due to economic problems, the command started rotating battle groups and battalions to Europe to short tours.
The LVTP-5 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel) is a family of amphibious armored fighting vehicles used by the Philippine Marine Corps and formerly, the United States Marine Corps. It was designed by the BorgWarner company and built by FMC (Food Machinery Corporation) along with a few other companies. It was first accepted into service in 1956. Some 1,124 basic units were produced, plus the specialist variants, and many saw action in the Vietnam War.
It was an evolution of the LVT-1 to LVT-4 World War II era Landing Vehicle Tracked series, but was considerably larger and could carry 30-34 combat-armed troops. A smaller design based on the M59 APC was also produced as the LVT-6, but only a handful built. The LVTP-5 was replaced in service by the LVT-7 family. The most common type was the LVTP-5, an armored personnel carrier, with mine-sweeper, command, recovery and fire support variants, the latter mounting a 105 mm howitzer. An anti-aircraft version was prototyped, but never saw service. As of the mid-2010s, the sole remaining state user of the LVTH-6 was the Philippines, who used 4 of them for their naval infantry force.As of 2013, Philippine LVTH-6s came in a "digital"-style camouflage pattern.
Variants
LVTP-5 (Landing Vehicle Tracked, Personnel) - armored personnel carrier.
LVTC-5 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Command) - command vehicle.
LVTH-6 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Howitzer) - fire support variant armed with M49 105 mm howitzer. 210 units built.
LVTR-1 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Recovery) - recovery vehicle. 65 units built.
LVTE-1 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Engineer) - mine-sweeper. 41 units built.
LVTAA-X1 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Anti Aircraft) - anti-aircraft variant, to be fitted with the turret of the M42 Duster. Only prototype built.
- LAV-25
- LAV-AT
- LAV-C2
- LAV-M
- LAV-R
- LAV-Log
During the 1980s, the U.S. Marine Corps began looking for a light armored vehicle to give their divisions greater mobility. They chose the Light Armored Vehicle design from GM Defense. It entered service with the Marines in 1983. The U.S. Army was interested in these vehicles at the time, but did not order any—although they did later with the introduction of the Stryker family of vehicles. The Army did, however, borrow at least a dozen LAV-25s for use by the 82nd Airborne Division, 3-73rd Armor for a Scout Platoon during the Gulf War. These LAV-25s were later returned to the Marine Corps after the conflict. The USMC ordered 758 vehicles of all variants. LAVs first saw combat during the Invasion of Panama in 1989, and continued service in the Gulf War, Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan.
The table of organization and equipment for an USMC light-armored reconnaissance battalion includes 56 LAV-25s, 16 LAV-ATs, 12 LAV-Ls, 8 LAV-Ms, 4 LAV-Rs, 4 LAV-C2s, and an unknown number of LAV-MEWSS vehicles.
The LAV platform is planned to remain in service with the Marine Corps until 2035.[5] The Marines aim to have prototypes for the LAV's replacement, dubbed the Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV), by 2023. The ARV is planned to be a networked family of wheeled vehicles capable of performing various mission sets, with 500 to be procured.
The M46/47 Patton was an American medium tank designed to replace the M26 Pershing and M4 Sherman. It was one of the U.S Army's principal medium tanks of the early Cold War, with models in service from 1949 until the mid-1950s. It was not widely used by U.S. Cold War allies, being exported only to Belgium, and only in small numbers to train crews on the upcoming M47 Patton.
The M46 was the first tank to be named after General George S. Patton Jr., commander of the U.S. Third Army during World War II and one of the earliest American advocates for the use of tanks in battle.
M46 (with & without sand-shields, late muzzle brake, MG, searchlight)
M46 is a rebuilt Pershing with a new engine deck/rear hull.
M47 is a revised M46 with a new turret and hull front. (Only Pershing bits left are the wheels...)
M47M with 105mm will be included with M48, since it shares that vehicle's engine deck.
The M163 Vulcan is a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun of US origin. Also known as the Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS), it was developed to replace the M42 Duster in US service. The M163 was complemented by the Chaparral self-propelled surface to air missile system in US service. The M163 packs powerful armament that is only of limited use against aircraft due to the lack of automated fire control.
The M48 Patton is an American first generation main battle tank (MBT) introduced in February 1951. It was designed as a replacement for the M26 Pershing, M4 Sherman variants and M46 Pattons used in the Korean War, and as the successor to the M47 Patton.[8] Nearly 12,000 M48s were built, mainly by Chrysler and AlCo, from 1952 to 1961. The M48 underwent many design modifications and improvements during its production life. This led to a wide variety of suspension systems, cupola styles, power packs, fenders and other details among individual tanks. The early designs, up to the M48A2C, were powered by a gasoline engine. The M48A3 and A5 versions used a diesel engine, however gasoline engine versions were still in use in the US Army National Guard through 1968 and through 1975 by many West German Army units. Numerous examples of the M48 saw combat use in various Arab–Israeli conflicts and the Vietnam War. Beginning in 1959, most American M48A1s and A2s were upgraded to the M48A3 model.
The M48 Patton-series saw widespread service with the United States and NATO until it was superseded by the M60 tank as well as being widely exported. The tank's hull also developed a wide variety of prototypical, utility and support vehicles such as armored recovery vehicles and bridge layers. Some M48A5 models served into the mid-1980s with US Army National Guard units, and were used as targets for weapons and radar testing into the mid-1990s. Many M48s remain in service in other countries though most of these have been highly modified and had their firepower, mobility and protection upgraded to increase their combat effectiveness on the modern battlefield. The Turkish Army has the largest number of modernized M48 MBTs, with more than 1,400 in its inventory. Of these, around 1,000 have been phased out, placed in storage, or modified as armoured recovery vehicles.
The M109 has a crew of four: the section chief/commander, the driver, the gunner, and the ammunition handler/loader. The chief or gunner aims the cannon left or right (deflection) and up and down (quadrant).
The British Army replaced its M109s with the AS-90. Several European armed forces have or are currently replacing older M109s with the German PzH 2000. Upgrades to the M109 were introduced by the U.S. (see variants) and by Switzerland (KAWEST). With the cancellation of the U.S. Crusader and Non-Line-of-Sight Cannon, the M109A6 ("Paladin") will likely remain the principal self-propelled howitzer for the U.S. until the new M1299 enters service.
The Bradley is designed for reconnaissance and to transport a squad of infantry, providing them protection from small arms fire, while also providing firepower to both suppress and eliminate most threats to friendly infantry. It is designed to be highly maneuverable and to be fast enough to keep up with heavy armor during an advance. The M2 holds a crew of three: a commander, a gunner and a driver, as well as six fully equipped soldiers.
M2A1 Bradley
M3A1 Bradley
Choice of turret with missile launcher raised or retracted.
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