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Hi everyone,

Been a little while since posting pictures. I took these over a week ago when I went to Fort Riley. Sorry, no "Camera Pole" shots since the trip was short notice.

First group are from the Cavalry Museum display.
M36
Serial Number, Yugo ?
M16 GMC #1
M16 GMC #2
M3 Halftrack
M8
M20
M24
M113A2
M113A2 SN
Sherman
Sherman SN 4875
M75

Next are the Vehicles on display at MPRC, or Tank Gunnery North as some call it.

M1
M1 SN D1156
M41
M41 MWO Plate
M60
M60 SN 1374

Here is the very recently displayed M60A3 in front of Range Management. I was told she was put there 3 weeks ago. A very nice example of a new produced Detroit A3 with no rebuild.

M60A3
SN 955, RN JJ03UX

Here is an unusual find, an AMX-30 located at Range 18C, or Tank Gunnery South. Was told she was gift from France to the 1st Division after Desert Storm.
AMX-30
Tag/Registration # ?

Here are two M47's in front of 2nd "Dagger" BDE HQ's. Both have crossed my path before.
M47 SN 3137
Serial Number
She's still sporting the paint job we gave her in the fall of 2001. The RN is bogus and was copied from the previous paint job. Used to belong to 1-34 AR and was in front of the line barracks.
M47 SN 8694
Serial Number
She sports a 4th Cavalry Crest. This tank used to belong to 1-63 AR which became 2-34 AR in 1987. She was a runner back in '86 and sat in our motor pool. Was a rescue from a lot of hard targets dropped of at Camp Funston. She had French markings inside at the time. Both these tanks have the plinth on the rear that typically designate a rebuild in either Italy or France. Unfortunately the plates are missing.

As with previous posts, please correct any errors I might have made. I have more I will post later.

Yes Doug, I now have internet access at my house

Joe, many thanks for the pictures.

- Joe_D

Sherman

This is an M4A3(75)W

- Joe_D

Sherman SN 4875

If this SN relates to the previous vehicle above, then the SN is incomplete or incorrect. Fisher built some M4A3(75)W in the 48615 - 50325 range, so we could be missing the last digit number of the serial.

- Joe_D

M16 GMC #2

I've never seen an M16A1 GMC with such a gun shield !!

Pierre-Olivier

I didn't realize they had made 'new' M60A3's. Just assumed they were all rebuilds.

Did you get pics of the M48A3 MOD B and the M4A3E8 in front of 2/34 AR?

Yes I did along with others,

2-34 AR BN HQ's,

M4A3E8

Sorry, couldn't find any SN

M48A3 SN 067W

Don't have a picture of the rear hull SN since they didn't turn out readable and I sure wasn't going to damage the paint job to get one. The deck does not match the hull (1034). Upon close inspection she appears to be one of the rebuilds from Sagami Japan before being returned to Vietnam. The external M2 .50 cal mount welded to the cupola is the standardized type applied at the Depot there near the end of the war.

T55 At the beginning of Normandy drive, been there forever.
T55
SN ?
Rebuild Data ?

This one is in front of 1-63 AR BN HQs. Nice to see 1-63 back at Riley.
M24

1-18 INF BN HQs
M3 Halftrack

1-4 CAV SQD HQs (Formerly 1st BDE HQs)
M20

5-4 CAV SQD HQs
M3 Scout Car

Museum Storage lot had only two vehicles left.

M20

M728

I was told a lot of stuff was sent away, they did have a lot of former Iraqi equipment which I didn't see.

Here is a shot of the M114 at Frontier park just outside the Marshal Field Gate in Grandview Plaza.
M114

The MATES site at Camp Funston had these two along with an M1 and M110A2. Didn't get a picture of the latter.
M60A3 and M114

There was also an M578 in front of one of the orderly rooms across from the Burger king/ old PX complex, sorry no picture.

The M60 is still in front of the National Guard HQs in Junction City.
M60
SN 1723
RN 9B5085

I also took these when passing through Baxter Springs KS.
M60
SN 746

Helle Joe,

What is the fourth character in the number of the T-55? Or do you have a high resolution picture for me of the number?

Regards,
Lesley

Joe,

Nice stuff. I'm glad to see the vehicles at the Cav. Museum are accessable again. Last summer I was down there and there was a construction zone and the majority of the vehicles were behind orange fences.

That M20 at the Cav. Museum is interesting. Note how the superstructure sides aren't anything like the other M20s shown. I wonder if this was a de-turreted M8 that somebody mocked up for display? In that case they should drag the "proper" M20 out of the storage and display it instead.

Can a civillian get to the vehicles on Custer Hill? It looks like some interesting pet vehicles are up there.

Thanks for sharing the photos and info.

Gary B.

Gary,
No problem getting to the stuff on Custer Hill. They just sit in front of units.
Gary O.
Joe,
The museum storage area use to have the following: ZSU-23-4, 2S1 122MM SP, BRDM-2, M60 APC (Yugo), and a ChiCom ARV based on the Type 69. Last time I was down there, a year or so ago, the ZSU and 2S1 were down at Maits in Funston. The ZSU is supposed to go to the KARNG Museum at Forbes Field Topeka. No idea what happened to the rest of the stuff.

Lesley,

Here is a close up of the T55 SN

Gary B,

Here's a rear shot of that M20 ?

I'm not very familiar with WWII equipment other than the basics. 48's and 60's are my strong points along with their predecessors. Should've brought the Camera Pole to get a top view but I was just happy to have time to take the pictures I did.

Gary O,

I remember all that equipment, a lot was stored at Bldg 8100 on Custer Hill (DS/GS shop) shortly after Desert Storm. Was kinda weird being at Riley again, been over 8 years since leaving. Many, many changes. I got a feeling I'll be back again this year, and next time I'll get better pictures and hopefully document more M60's from Kansas.

Pierre-Olivier
I believe the shield on the second halftrack is for the 37mm gun with twin 50cal MG's on either side. A rare vehicle...

Joe,
I believe that is the only AMX-30 in the United States...

Neil

Joe,
Thanks very much for the updated Fort Riley info!

A few questions as usual:

Any sign of an M48 or T-72 at the Cavalry Museum/1st Infantry Division Museum display area? The M48 was reported to be in "bad shape."

No sign of the 2S1, M577 or ZSU-23-4 at MATES?

Finally, can you give any cross streets for anything beyond the museum display?

Neil

- Joe_D

Here is an unusual find, an AMX-30 located at Range 18C, or Tank Gunnery South. Was told she was gift from France to the 1st Division after Desert Storm.
AMX-30
Tag/Registration # ?

The number 2940073 is the French Army Registration number for that tank. I don't know yet if this code means something (i.e. if 294xxxx identifies a unit or a batch of X-30s, or something like that).

Usually, I take some information and numbers at the same place on each AMX-30 tank. It is for sure not the Serial Number, but given that it is a unique number, it allows me at least to be sure that 2 tanks are different ones and not the same one at another location and with a new paint. Here is the location, behind/above the headlight and in front of the driver's hatch :



P-O

I believe the shield on the second halftrack is for the 37mm gun with twin 50cal MG's on either side. A rare vehicle...

The first one is a M16, the second one is a M16A1 converted off a M3. The shields, know as "Bat wings" were used quite a bit on M16s in the `50s starting in Korea.

Many, many changes.

You think, Joe? lol. I spent a lot of time at Riley from `93 to `04. I was down there about a year ago, it'd been a couple years since I'd been down there, and about the only thing that looked the same to me was Maits. They've built the hell out of the place. How about all the new barracks down by and on Funston. The Ogden gate is big time now. And the Mega motorpools up across from the old PX. It's like a whole new post.

No sign of the 2S1, M577 or ZSU-23-4 at MATES?

Since Joe found that AMX-30 on 18C, I think I'm gonna have to run down there this week and get shots of it. I'll check on the ZSU and 2S1. As far as M577s, there are dozens of them down there.

Thanks Joe!
It ''translates'' as 911G355. Soviet built vehicle.

regards,
Lesley