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TrevorLarkum · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 11:32 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Thanks for the help, guys. So far I have updated the text, location and photo's for just the cutaway one, I hope to get to the others tomorrow.

Unique ID 1320: Cutaway M47, RMP Fort Knox

- Doug_Kibbey

Approximately when was the whole sequence of pics taken? Or does that vary?

During my only visit, covering the last week of June and the first week of July in 1983.

Dontos · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 10:26 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Today I spent some time in RMP. I did a photo comparison of the 3 T47s that are actually now quite close to each other.

Here are a few notes:

'Cutaway' is SN 20.

Each of the 3 M47s mounts a different muzzle break.

The Belgian M47 RN painted on plate is 53892. I did locate a 'plate' on the rear with same RN.

Regards
Don

Tichenor · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 7:54 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

- Tichenor

Just checked the two wrecks here in Brasschaat and they are both lefthand drives.

I have to correct myself, seems we had left and righthand drives in the Belgian Army.
Found this picture from a M47 with righthand drive and ammunition stowage on the left site:

Source: M47 from 1ste Gidsen

Doug_Kibbey · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 4:13 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

- Dontos

The M1 is in Potts Motor Pool.

I was there in 85, it was the only place M-1's were 'housed' at that time.

Funny thing is, I may have done my Basic Armor Training on those tanks. I'll have to look at my old OSUT photos to see if there is any ID marking visible.

Don

Hey, I did MY basic armor training in Potts Motor Park! Of course, you already knew this, and mine was on M48's. Rolling Eyes

Dontos · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 3:51 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

The M1 is in Potts Motor Pool.

I was there in 85, it was the only place M-1's were 'housed' at that time.

Funny thing is, I may have done my Basic Armor Training on those tanks. I'll have to look at my old OSUT photos to see if there is any ID marking visible.

I think that cutaway M47 might be at Boatwright, since they would have done the work.

Regards
Don

Doug_Kibbey · Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2010 12:24 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Trevor,
If pictures 2 and 3 were same place, it wasn't Heard Motor Park. Number 3 definitely not, and number 2...very unlikely.

Approximately when was the whole sequence of pics taken? Or does that vary?

TrevorLarkum · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 11:02 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Here's a better picture of the location containing the cutaway M47 - is this RMP?

It was open and straightforward to look around in 1983.

This place was closed so all photo's were taken through the fence, including the M47s '3' and '4' above - is this Heard MP?

This is maybe the same place?:

OT, here's a small selection from lots of other photo's I took around the base, these may or may not be the same locations as above but are not for the purpose of working out where preserved vehicles were, these are pictures of in-service vehicles just for nostalgia:

And finally, a 'drive by shoot':

Tichenor · Posted: Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:56 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Don

Just checked the two wrecks here in Brasschaat and they are both lefthand drives.

Tichenor

Dontos · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:49 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

In the above photo of the 'Belgian' M47, notice the aux fuel tank mounts. That should help ID it as the other M47's don't have such a feature.

I have located a number of shots of the 'cutaway' M47, before it was cut up. It seems it was on display for a number of years around what looks like Serio Hall.

The more I think about #3 & #4, the more I'm convinced that they were Range bound hard targets. Just a thought.

Regards
Don

TrevorLarkum · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 10:30 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

I can see this is going to take some untangling - I'll scan and post some more pictures as soon as I can.

Dontos · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:30 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Here are shots of all 4 current M47's 'on post, that I am aware of....

SN 2947 with the Belgian RN painted on the front slope:

The 'Cut-Away' tank. RN 30186153(?):

The Stithton Circle Tank (SN 2796):

This is the 'Siezure' tank (SN 3400) Has an Italian Rebuild plate on the rear:

Regards
Don

Doug_Kibbey · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 4:23 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

- Joe_D

Trevor,

In '83 Richardson MP was still very busy training US Tankers on M60A3's. Those pictures sort of look like they were taken at Heard Motor Pool, They had a lot of strange stuff there in the 80's, to include some cast off M60A2's for a while. Doug is much more familiar with the place though, maybe he can shed some light on it.

The series that I thought looked most like they might have been taken at Heard MP was this one:

preservedtanks.com/Pro...queID=1323

...though the angle is narrow and I can't be sure. Looks like back fence area of Heard.

Joe_D · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:43 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Trevor,

In '83 Richardson MP was still very busy training US Tankers on M60A3's. Those pictures sort of look like they were taken at Heard Motor Pool, They had a lot of strange stuff there in the 80's, to include some cast off M60A2's for a while. Doug is much more familiar with the place though, maybe he can shed some light on it.

Dontos · Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:03 am Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

Trevor

I think the RN is there but obscured by dust.

As for #3 & #4, those don't appear to be in RMP. I'm told it is identical to how it was in the late 60's & 70's.

Those may have been range targets that are not part of the museums collection but gone to the range.

My reasoning is one of the current M47's in the collection was part of a vehicle siezure back a few years ago. It is a former Italian Army vehicle. That was not here in 1983.

So during your visit, we may have only had 3 M47's in the collection.

Regards
Don

TrevorLarkum · Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 11:54 pm Post subject: Re: Focus on the M47

I've now uploaded my M47 entries. I saw four in 1983, the first two I considered part of the museum collection. The other two I found in a compound on the edge of the post - I didn't know its name or purpose then, but now I suspect it may actually have been the 'legendary' Richardson Motor Pool.

Unique ID 1320: Cutaway M47

Unique ID 1321: Belgian M47

Unique ID 1322: M47 '3'

Unique ID 1323: M47 '4'

Thes entries are straight from my original manuscript. It's late now so I'll update them with the new locations, notes from this thread, and Don's latest photographs, tomorrow.

- Tichenor

- TrevorLarkum

I saw and photographed a number of M47's at Fort Knox when I visited in 1983, including this one. Oddly, though, it had no registration painted on it then, which I'm at a loss to understand.

If the R/N has been applied after 1983, it shouldn't look like that, we have
a M47 here with the markings on it from the fifties and they look far better than those.
Tichenor

Exactly my thoughts - take a look at the photo's and see what you think. I wonder if the registration is actually there, but hidden under a layer of dirt, or a temporary coat of paint.

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