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Smashy · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 05, 2010 Posts: 112

- Neil_Baumgardner

Its probably a museum piece simply due to the fact that its a base M3 Bradley model rather than an M3A3, or M3A2 or even an M3A1...

OK lets put that one down to Neil's failing eyesight Wink

Neil_Baumgardner

Okay, that's fair I guess. I wasnt seeing the forest for the trees. I was basing the identification off the SN, which starts with 3AA (indicating it is a base M3).

Here is what Geoff Walden posted on the subject four years ago

- Geoff_walden

2AA = M2 (basic), 3AA = M3 (basic), 4AA = M993 (basic).

2AD = M2A2, 3AD = M3A2.

2AB = M2A1. Since all A1s were (theoretically) converted to A2s, if there are any out there, they would be few and far between.

2AC = M2A1(-). There weren't very many of these to start with, and they were all later converted to full-up A1s (and theoretically later to A2s).

2ADR = an M2A2 converted or reconditioned at Red River Army Depot. There may be some Brads out there with a "M" in the S/N - this would be a vehicle that was converted from A1 to A2 at Mainz Army Depot.

I don't know if the M993A1 changed S/N prefix, but it might be 4AC.

There were also some onesy-twosy Brads produced with oddball S/Ns, like 3MM00001 - this was an M3A1 produced for Martin-Marietta in June 1986. There may still be some of these oddball vehicles stashed around somewhere.

Geoff Walden

But it does clearly have add-on armor, no side gun-ports, etc. So its an M3A?

Neil

vagabond

Massimo -

Regarding "I am pretty sure this is a 100/22, not a 100/24" from Ft Sill.

I've posted the museum placard to the gallery and linked it here:

You are probably correct about the ID - what's the difference between the 100/22 and 100/24? Please post and I'll be glad to forward it on to the museum. Correct info is always a good thing!

Neil - the Bradley is part of the collection and according to the curator is:
"It is a Bradley Fist vehicle which has the artillery optics and communications package instead of the TOW missiles."

Cheers!
VB

Massimo_Foti

The difference between the 100/22 and 100/24 it's in the length of the barrel. See:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...tillery%29

This gun was based on the 100/17 build by Skoda for the Austo-Hungarian Army in WW I. After the war Skoda evolved the design with a longer barrel and sold the gun to a few countries.

Italy used the gun as well, both in its 100/17 and 100/22 incarnations. I wrote about it in the past (sorry the original pic is gone):
www.com-central.net/in...ic&t=11453

The ultimate evolution of the gun, 50 years later, is visible here (same as the one in Cecchignola):
www.flickr.com/photos/...6071703458

The Italian Army called it 100/22, that's for sure. But it, must be noted that italians used to measure the length of the barrel *after* the breech block. So it's possible that what's measured as "22" in Italy was measured as "24" in another country.

Hope it will help

Massimo

bialy-r

Th M65 Atomic Cannon is from United States Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland ?

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...&k=NGjcXmn

it has the prime movers.

The original M65 from Fort Sill haven't got any prime movers.

pics.livejournal.com/s...c/0013gwd4

Where exactly is it now ? in Artillery Museum or in other location at Fort Sill.

Neil_Baumgardner

VB,
I was wondering if the "F" at the end of the SN was for "FIST."

That makes this an M7 Bradley FIST - probably modified from an old base M3 Wink

Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Bialy! Hi Folks!

- bialy-r

The M65 Atomic Cannon is from United States Army Ordnance Museum, Aberdeen, Maryland ?

www.vgbimages.com/AFV-...;k=NGjcXmn

it has the prime movers.

The original M65 from Fort Sill haven't got any prime movers.

pics.livejournal.com/s...c/0013gwd4

Where exactly is it now ? in Artillery Museum or in other location at Fort Sill.

This is just a guess on my part but I would think sense Fort Sill already had a M65, the APG weapon system would have went south (I can't remember the name of that post) with the other Ordnance items. That is large system and it would be cheaper to keep it with the Ordnance collection rather that ship it all the way out to Fort Sill. That one at Fort Sill has been there for as long as I can remember. I wonder if Sill has the tranporters stored away some were. Those guys did have a M3 Stuart no one know about until it showed up here at Fort Bliss.

My 2 cents which could be total wrong again.
Sgt, Scouts out!

bialy-r

- Roy_A_Lingle

This is just a guess on my part but I would think sense Fort Sill already had a M65, the APG weapon system would have went south (I can't remember the name of that post) with the other Ordnance items. That is large system and it would be cheaper to keep it with the Ordnance collection rather that ship it all the way out to Fort Sill. That one at Fort Sill has been there for as long as I can remember. I wonder if Sill has the tranporters stored away some were.

A after close looking:

You could be right ?

The Sill prime mover have on the cabin the number: 60146753
The Aberdeen prime mover have on the cabin the number: 6014789

But those are only our theories what are the facts ?

Rick_Eshleman

This Spring I'm planning an Aberdeen trip, to see if anything else has been shipped in or out. I think the Atomic Cannon was still there late last summer when I stopped in. There was a surprising number of tanks and artillery still there, but they seem to ship in groups of 60 items. I didn't know they were shipping items to Ft. Sill verses all items going to Ft. Lee, VA. Is that same for Ft. Knox, some items are not going to Ft. Benning, but rather sent to other bases? Rick

Garry_Redmon

Rick.
That's basically right. I don't know where each and every thing went, but things artillery related, like the Hummel and Munitionswagen 38(t), went to Sill. Some stuff was going to go to Aberdeen, but they ran out of money for transportation, so I heard, and it was shipped to Benning anyway.

Rick_Eshleman

Garry,
Thanks for the information. And typically, they ran out of money for transportation. But wait! BRAC is going to save millions of dollars, so they'll soon have more money to build museums and restore everything (of course I'm being sarcastic, sorry). I left the Defense Industry years ago, due to consolidation and down sizing. It was to save money. It didn't save a dime.
We can all only hope that some of the Ft. Knox and Aberdeen vehicles are still around in a hundred years for future generations to examine. All they need is a building, restoration, and maintenance.
There was a lot of the artillery still there late last year, so probably it awaits funding for transport? Rick

Garry_Redmon

Artillery at Fort Knox? All the field pieces either went to other posts or to Benning. We still have the 8" in front of the museum, two recently acquired 105s that are completely demiled and the Priest. We also have a Rev. War 6 lber in the foyer. Unless there are some ceremonial pack 75s squirreled away somewhere or some other artillery piece on a concrete pad, that's it for artillery at Fort Knox, a post named after Henry Knox, chief artillery officer of the Continental Army.

vagabond

Guys -

I asked the museum curator about the M65 at Ft Sill.
He said the two tractors had been part of the collection, but were only recently restored and put on display alongside the cannon itself.

He says the M65 from Aberdeen went to Ft Lee.

Massimo - I forwarded on your info to him. Much appreciated!! He plans on checking the measurement of the barrel.

Cheers,
VB

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