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toadmanstankpictures · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 704

This is the other M60A3 at the Naval Air Museum Barbers Point, Hawaii. All pics were taken in Aug 2012. I couldn't get a registration number off of the glacis as the paint and rust made it difficult to see anything.

Front tow lug:

Engine deck number:

Turret interior plate:

The turret also had pintle mounts at the loader's position. Was this seen mainly on vehicles deployed in South Korea?
Side pintle:

Front pintle

And finally, is this part of a dozer blade assembly?

Cheers!

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

Hi Chris "toadman" Hughes

I’m new at this! I'm unable to upload the 18 or so supporting photo's! See Below, my youngest Daughter took pitty on this old fart & helped him out!

This M60A3 tank is equipped for a Mine Roller. It was equipped for a Mine Roller kit (NSN 2590-01-133-9217) and was built at the Depot with the Mounting Block on the lower front slope and the 2 posts on the upper front slope. The turret’s loader Machine Gun mounts were also Depot added as a carryover from the M48A5’s we were turning in. These Machine Gun mounts were used only in Korea and never issued to units in Germany or the States. Please Note: The side of the vehicle is in relation to the Driver’s position.

And now for the rest of the Story….

I signed for this M60A3 TTS equipped Tank from the M60A3 NETT Team while serving with Charlie Company 2d Battalion, 72d Armor (2d Tank), 2d Infantry Division at Camp Casey, South Korea in late June or early July 1984. It was the only Mine Roller equipped A3 in Korea. The Bumper Number finally became C23 after we converted from H Series to J Series (Division 86). Our TO&E carried over our old loaders M60 Delta’s from the M48A5’s we turned in. Camouflage paint was standard MERDC. There is a 2X4 mounted between the 2 headlights. The Rope was for lifting the track off the ground & putting it back on the Sprocket if we ever hand to “Break Track.” C23 came with the All Steel (M88A1) Road Wheels. It did not have any of the M60 Aluminum Road Wheels while I was signed for C23. In some of the pictures you will see a white stick or Ruler… it’s been almost 28 years, I believe it was an 18” ruler. Hope this helps out the modelers….

The Rollers were stored on a Trailer and moved to the Field by the Support Platoon in HHC 2d Tank. To remove the Roller from the Trailer, we used an M88 Recovery Vehicle to lift & put the Rollers in place on the ground. When possible, the M88 Crew would lift the Roller up and we would drive forward and hook up, one roller at a time. In some of the later photos, you can see where my crew mounted the Rollers while in the motor Pool (yes it is dirt with concrete pads). We were a Division Asset and there was fear that the Rollers could not move across an AVLB Bridge. I was never able to take pictures of this while in the field…

I hope these pictures and descriptions are of interest.
The USA or Registration Number should be located in the left hand side of the Drivers Compartment on the Data Plate. When I left C23 in November 1985, the Registration Number was also painted on the underside of the Sponson Box

Chris, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! I really appreciate the fact that old C23 is in a museum and not part of some stupid artificial coral reef program! You brought back some Great Memories!

Andy Oertig

vagabond

Andy -

Welcome to the forum!

Welcome

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

My Youngest Daughter Helped me Post this... I'll post more after she Photo Shops the picts again to the required size! Here's proof I'm not on Drugs!

Bear in mind these are 28 year old photo's printed on Korean & not Kodak paper!

toadmanstankpictures · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Jan 24, 2006 Posts: 704

Hi Andy,
As VB said, welcome aboard! I'm glad you like the pics. Thank you for the information about the vehicle. Contact me offboard, toadman @ toadmanstankpictures . com and I'll send you a few more pics. Plus, I'd like to pass your info onto the museum as they do not have too many details about this tank.

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

Here are some more Pictures

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

Here are some more Pictures

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

The following Pictures were taken after Charlie Company and “Old C23” received the Mine Roller system from the old M60 “A Nothing” that was turned in by the 2d Engineer Battalion at Camp Castle.

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

Here are pictures of C23 with the Mine Roller attached.

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

Here are Pictures of Charlie Company "Proofing" that the Mine Roller Mounted on C23 could cross an AVLB Bridge during Field Operatins or Combat.

NOTE: I accidently posted this Photo 111 above as Photo 11. It is the WRONG Caption. My apologies… I’m not the brightest Christmas Tree Light on the Tree ( Wink

) and you’re here to see some odd photos! YES, Life is too short and I can laugh at myself!

IF I failed to Post all the Photo's, "I'll be Back!" Otherwise I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did Displaying them! I want to Thank my daughter Amanda for helping me with these Photos. I could not have done it without here!

"See you on the High Ground!"

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

I missed 2 that were worth seeing!

TrevorLarkum

Fascinating!

Doug_Kibbey

Welcome to the forum, Andy. That's a great story and it must be a hoot to know where your old mount is. Thanks for the history and the pics!

D.

oreob69 · ***Power User*** Offline Joined: Aug 25, 2012 Posts: 12

HI All

Thanks, but I don't see my picts....

Can someone give this old DAT/CDAT step by step procedures on how to post pictures!

Thanks
Andy

Joe_D

Andy,

Those are great pictures of the roller system for the M60A3. Very hard to find any anywhere. Your tank C-23 went into storage the summer of 1990 when 2nd tank transitioned to M1IPM's. Most of the A3's from Korea were eventually transferred to countries like Thailand and Taiwan, but not all. Some were transferred to Camp Carol (Blade Tanks) to be used by the KSC (Korean Service Corps) engineers in the event of war, since the M1's didn't have blade kits and the retirement of the M728 CEV left a gap in capabilities 8th Army needed filled. Their main mission was to clear the "Rock Drops" that would've been blown to defend the western corridor, but needed to be cleared once US/ROK forces conducted counter offensive operations to re-establish the DMZ. Others ended up hard targets or display vehicles at Casey or Camp Red Cloud. I'm pretty sure your tank here was parked in the junk lot in the valley up the road from 2nd BDE HQ's along with a couple others. By 2002 one ended up as a 2nd BDE display vehicle by the tennis courts, replacing their M46. The M46 went to the Division Museum at Camp Red Cloud along with the "Other" roller tank that belonged to First tank (eventually they got one too), which to my knowledge are still there. The CAV also kept an A3 as a mascot and it was operational until they cased their colors, no idea where she ended up.

The Irony would be if you are the same SFC Andy Oertig that was in 1st tank around 94-95 since your tank may have been sitting in that lot while you were there and didn't know it. There's a reason why she looks so rough, out door storage without a tarp with the extreme Korean climate. It's just unreal that you were able to find your old tank. Pretty hard to establish provenance for post war US tanks, nobody seems to care once they are turned in. Like Chris Hughes said, I'm sure the Museum would love to get some background on this tank. Adds a personal touch to it that folks can appreciate. Notice they re-installed to bilge pump for turn in that was removed for the roller kit. Those M60's had to be brought up to 10-20 standards for turn in back in 90. I envy you. Still looking for my old M60A3's from Germany (SN 998 or 1020), but odds are they were transferred to some NATO country, made hard targets, or dumped at sea.

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