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Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum

#1: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: ddoyle,

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:30 pm
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Until recently (or perhaps even currently), there was a Bradley Fighting Vehicle in front of the Ordnance Museum building at Aberdeen. The signage on the vehicle said it was an M2, the USA AFV list shows it as a M3 - and my personal notes have it both ways.

Anyone know for sure what it is/was?

Thanks,
David Doyle

#2: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: bsmart, Location: Central Maryland

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:16 pm
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I was told by the Curator of the Museum several years ago that it was an M3 and that was the way I presented it on all my tours

#3: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: ddoyle,

Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:29 pm
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Thanks Bob - now it is starting to get really confusing, as an hour or so Ed Heasley told me it was an M2!!! Ed was at one time the Deputy Director/Curator of the Ordnance Museum - and is now with Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum.

The vehicle appears to have the blanked firing ports one would expect to see on an M3, however........

Anyone else care to way in on this?

Best wishes,
David Doyle

#4: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: armyjunk2,

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:35 pm
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Does a pic help??

#5: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: bsmart, Location: Central Maryland

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:00 pm
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- ddoyle

Thanks Bob - now it is starting to get really confusing, as an hour or so Ed Heasley told me it was an M2!!! Ed was at one time the Deputy Director/Curator of the Ordnance Museum - and is now with Aberdeen Proving Ground Museum.

The vehicle appears to have the blanked firing ports one would expect to see on an M3, however........

Anyone else care to way in on this?

Best wishes,
David Doyle

Well Ed was the person that told me it was an M3 Confused

!!!!!!. I'm going to have to call him. I haven't talked to him in a while. When I first met him he was the Curator, He later became Deputy Director but didn't want to move to Ft Lee. We'll get this straightened out. I probably won't be able to reach him til the beginning of the week

#6: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: JimWeb, Location: The back of beyond

Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:42 pm
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- armyjunk2

Does a pic help??

Its a very early M3 and without an image of the roof hatch at the rear - the clue is the screen on the front. On M3 the vertical slots almost reached the raised portion covering the headlights. On the M2 there were shorter vertical slots and they reached about halfway to the headlight mouldings.

M2

#7: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: ddoyle,

Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2011 2:01 pm
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Thanks guys!

To add to the confusion (I've not mastered posting photos, or I would) - this machine does have a hatch over the rear area, and it does have firing ports in the rear door. The side firing ports are present, but have plates bolted over them blanking them off.

My understanding was/is that only M2 variants have the firing ports in the rear doors, and only M3s have the side firing ports blanked out. It has periscopes in sides of the crew compartment. FMC donated this machine after restoring it - so I suppose it could be a hybrid, either an ex-test vehicle, or "restored" by using whatever components were handy.

Any further thoughts?

David Doyle

#8: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: JimWeb, Location: The back of beyond

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 1:36 am
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Has the roof hatch the rear looking periscopes in it (M3) or are they in the hull roof between the hatch and the rear hull plate (M2)?

As far as firing ports in the rear door go the early M3 appeared to have a single firing port (as opposed to the two firing ports on the M2) but they were quickly eliminated AFAIK.

Your right it could be a bitsa machine in which case this conversation is moot!

#9: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: Neil_Baumgardner, Location: Arlington, VA

Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 2:48 am
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This gallery may help
www.flickr.com/photos/...474291167/

Neil

#10: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: tanker2010, Location: Kansas City, Mo.

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2011 5:54 pm
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The gate guard and the pic captioned as a M2 are both pre-production M2s. The pic captioned as a M3 is in fact a M2 . It says Bradley on the side and has his 5 stars. This is one from the intial fielding of the M2 at Ft. Hood. At that time the M3 was still known as the M3 Gen. Devers. There was no difference in the trimvane ( so called screen) on production M2/3s. The extenal difference in production M2 and M3s where that the firing ports on the side, while present, were blanked off on the M3.

#11: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: JimWeb, Location: The back of beyond

Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 2:32 pm
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- tanker2010

The pic captioned as a M3 is in fact a M2 .

Oh crap wrong image Rolling Eyes

Well the point is moot now anyway. Didn't know about the General Devers. designation though....

#12: Re: Bradley formerly in front of Ordnance Museum Author: Sabot, Location: Kentucky

Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:06 pm
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The TOW loading hatch for the CFV didn't change until the M3A1. As far as I know, the "plain" hatch on M2 was the same as the M3. As pointed out, the firing ports on the sides and ramp were present on the M3 but blanked off.

I am not sure when the ramp firing ports were deleted (as opposed to just blanked off) on the M3 series, but probably on the M3A1. I know they are gone on the M3A2 and later.

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