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Doug, when you tested these, how did they perform?
The increased space between the bogies on this M4A6 is similar to that found on the M4A4. The weld line showing where the cast upper front hull was attached to the rest of the hull is apparent as it slopes downward and forward from behind the drivers' hatches, just in front of the applique armor welded over the sponson ammunition rack. The bulge on the rear deck can be seen just behind the guard for the fuel filler cap. The 75mm gun on this tank is secured in the travel lock. (Picture from Development of Armored Vehicles, volume 1: Tanks.)



Seriously, (I hope you're laughing) what kind of history does the Armor Board have? Is it still around in some capacity? Do they have a building there dedicated to you with your name on it?

Jeff,
I was mostly AWOL during that project.

I have two partial histories I've lifted from other online sources that touch on the Armor Board (which was expanded to be the Armor and Engineer Board, but was typically referred to as the Armor Board for short). For all the organizational detail below, there are pics on file attributed to the Board at Knox dating back to the 20's (but some clearly taken at Aberdeen), though the name was obviously something else.

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"The Engineer and Combat Support Test Directorate had its beginning in the early days of the U.S. Army Test Boards. Shortly after the end of World War I, an Engineer Test Board was established on an informal basis just outside Washington, D.C., at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. As a result of fiscal constraints at the time, there were very few materiel systems developed and testing was therefore limited, but continued for a number of years at that location. Historical documents make little mention of either additional Engineer testing or the Engineer Test Board until just after World War II.
On 1 October, 1945, the mission of Engineer Systems testing was incorporated into the U.S. Army Ground Forces (AGF) Board Number 2, located at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In March of 1948, AGF Board Number 2, as well as the other AGF Boards, were redesignated by the US Army as Army Field Forces Boards. Two year later, on September 15, 1950, Engineer Systems testing was separated out from the AGF Boards and a U.S. Army Engineer Test Unit was reestablished at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
Testing continued at Fort Belvoir until 1964 when this Engineer Test Unit was combined with the Transportation Board and Quartermaster Field Evaluation Agency to form the new General Equipment Test Activity at Fort Lee, Virginia.
In 1965, the Engineers were once again relocated to Fort Knox, Kentucky, and designated the Engineer Board. Together with the Armor Board (also located at Fort Knox) these two Boards formed the U.S. Army Armor and Engineer Board (ARENBD). As the U.S. Army ARENBD, it was subordinate to the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (TECOM), headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, which was a subordinate organization of the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC), headquartered in Washington, D.C.
On April 1, 1976, the Army's Test Boards were split out from under TECOM/AMC and assigned to the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). U.S. Army ARENBD then became known as the TRADOC Armor and Engineer Board. At the same time, a testing unit located at Fort Hood, Texas, known as Project MASSTER, was also being placed under the command of TRADOC and was redesignated as the TRADOC Combined Arms Test Activity (TCATA). One of TCATA's many missions was an Engineer Equipment testing mission, which was part of its Training and Support Systems Test Directorate. This directorate was one of three TCATA test directorates located at Fort Hood, Texas.
On October 30, 1980, a formal relationship between TCATA and each of the various TRADOC Test Boards was established by the TCATA Commander assigned staff responsibility for TRADOC test activities, including the TRADOC Army Armor and Engineer Board. Then on October 1, 1987, TCATA was provisionally redesignated as the TRADOC Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) and the TRADOC Armor and Engineer Board became part of the newly established organization and designated as the TEXCOM Armor and Engineer Board, and continued operation at Fort Knox, Kentucky.
On November 8, 1990, TEXCOM was once again separated from its parent command and reestablished as a major subordinate command of a newly formed U.S. Army Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC), located in Alexandria, Virginia.
On November 20, 1991, as part of a further reorganization of TEXCOM, the TEXCOM Armor and Engineer Board was split into two separate Boards and transferred from Fort Knox, Kentucky, to Fort Hood, Texas. The Armor Board was established as the Armor Test Directorate and the Engineer Board was combined with elements of the TCATA Training and Support Systems Test Directorate to form a new organization designated as the Engineer and Combat Support Test Directorate.
On October 1, 1999, TEXCOM was renamed the United States Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC) and the Engineer and Combat Support Test Directorate is part of this newly named organization. We are currently located on the first floor of Henson Hall, on West Fort Hood, Texas (see photo above)."

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And, there's this:

"HISTORY OF THE CLOSE COMBAT TEST DIRECTORATE
The Close Combat Test Directorate traces its roots through the Infantry Board, the Armor and Engineer Board and the Mobile Army Sensor Systems Test Evaluation and Review (MASSTER) Ground Combat Directorate.

The Infantry Board was established on 31 March 1903 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, under the command of the General Service and Staff College, now known as the Command and Staff College. The Infantry Board was dormant from 1911 to 1919 when it emerged at Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1931, it absorbed the Tank Board, which had been stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland. In 1940, tank testing was removed from the Infantry Board and placed under the control of the Armored Force Board at Fort Knox, Kentucky. In June 1940, the Airborne Test Platoon was formed under the control of the Infantry Board. It later became the Airborne Board and was moved to Fort Bragg in 1945. On 1 October 1945, the Infantry Board was redesignated the Army Ground Forces Board Number 3, and remained at Fort Benning. On 1 January 1957, the U.S. Army Infantry board was established. On 2 October 1988, the board was redesignated the Test and Experimentation Command (TEXCOM) Infantry Board. On 21 March 1991, the Infantry Board was closed at Fort Benning and the mission was assumed by the new TEXCOM Infantry Test Directorate at Fort Hood, Texas.

The Tank Board was created in 1920 at Fort Meade, Maryland and in 1931 was incorporated into the Infantry Board. It remained there until 1939 when it was transferred to Fort Knox, Kentucky. On 16 July 1940, it was redesignated the Armored Force Board and later redesignated as the Army Ground Forces Board Number 2, remaining at Fort Knox. On 18 March 1948, it was redesignated Army Field Forces Board Number 2, with no change in mission or structure. On 1 January 1957, it changed to the U.S. Army Armor Board, and in 1965 merged with the Engineer Board at Fort Knox. On 2 October 1988, it was redesignated as the TEXCOM Armor and Engineer Board. On 21 November 1990 it was deactivated at Fort Knox and reactivated as the TEXCOM Armor Test Directorate at Fort Hood, Texas.

The MASSTER Ground Combat Directorate was formed in October 1969 and merged with the Air Combat Directorate in July 1975 to form the MASSTER Combat Directorate.

In April 1976, MASSTER was redesignated as the TRADOC Combined Arms Test Activity (TCATA). In August 1976, the Combat Directorate was redesignated as the Combined Arms Test Directorate. TEXCOM was formed from the command and staff of TCATA and was officially designated as a TRADOC major subordinate command on 2 October 1988 and later merged with the Operational Test and Evaluation Agency to form the Operational Test and Evaluation Command (OPTEC). In 1990, the Combined Arms Test Directorate was split into several separate directorates to include the Infantry and Armor Test Directorates. The Infantry Test Directorate and the Armor Test Directorate merged on 31 July 1992 and was redesignated as the TEXCOM Close Combat Test Directorate. In 1999 the Test and Experimental Command was redesignated the United States Army Operational Test Command (USAOTC).

During the 1990's, the Close Combat Test Directorate has been the operational tester of weapons systems and support equipment that now equips Armor and Infantry units with systems like Javelin, the M2A Bradley, the M1A2 Abrams, the Improved Recovery Vehicle, the Close Combat Tactical Trainer, the Thermal Weapons Sight, and others. Systems tested by this directorate have seen action in Haiti, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan and numerous other parts of the world.

The Close Combat Test Directorate plays and will continue to play a vital roll in Army Transformation and Soldier Enhancement. Every element of the Directorate has provided personnel and resources for tests involving Stryker IAV variants. With the ongoing Stryker effort and upcoming tests for Land Warrior, the XM8 Future Combat Rifle and The Precision Guided Mortar Munition within the next five years, the Close Combat Test Directorate maintains a leading role in providing the US Army the most modern and lethal weaponry in the field."
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I knew there was a test command here by me on west Ft Hood. I drive right by it's gates daily. I didn't relize they were the decendents of the old Armor Board. I might have to make my way in there sometime and see if they have some sort of display, hall of pictures, or something of the sort, (Kibbey Conference Room has a nice ring to it). If they do, I'll definitly let you know and when you get here, we'll get you a V.I.P. tour of the place, (more incentive for you to come here!)

- SFC_Jeff_Button

I knew there was a test command here by me on west Ft Hood. I drive right by it's gates daily. I didn't relize they were the decendents of the old Armor Board. I might have to make my way in there sometime and see if they have some sort of display, hall of pictures, or something of the sort, (Kibbey Conference Room has a nice ring to it). If they do, I'll definitly let you know and when you get here, we'll get you a V.I.P. tour of the place, (more incentive for you to come here!)

I was aware that what had constituted the Board had relocated to Hood, but wasn't sure what might still be there.

All the significant structures that constituted the Armor Board at Ft. Knox still exist, but put to other uses. I didn't get out to CTA or Cullen Maintenence Facility during my visit, but it's still out there.

I've gotta' get to Hood just for all the great stuff you've already found..they have a great and varied collection there!

Grab Roy on the way for a mini 11th ACR reunion, post tour. It's not just the display vehicles you'd enjoy. There's MLRS, Wolverines, etc, 7 miles of motor pools three deep. We could go out West Range road and see the MPRC complex's, the MATES facility. My motorpool consists of nothing but Hummers and LMTV's so there's nothing there worth seeing.

hey jeff, you say the "kibbey conference room". pssttt... (whisper) i think you should make it the kibbey conference center.... just having a room named for oneself isnt very flattering...
but it would beat the kibbey kennels or the kibbey kitchen (i trust it would be a fine, 5 star dining establishment, plenty 'o jack and coke?)

- SHAWN

hey jeff, you say the "kibbey conference room". pssttt... (whisper) i think you should make it the kibbey conference center.... just having a room named for oneself isnt very flattering...
but it would beat the kibbey kennels or the kibbey kitchen (i trust it would be a fine, 5 star dining establishment, plenty 'o jack and coke?)

I probably shouldn't talk about it, but I have it on good authority there's a move in the works regarding renaming a latrine.

...and Shawn, my drink'd be "Jack and Ginger"....

Just as long as it doesnt have a fan and it and a Sergeant York is around!

Man that was a geeky armor joke...

Neil

- SHAWN

hey jeff, you say the "kibbey conference room". pssttt... (whisper) i think you should make it the kibbey conference center.... just having a room named for oneself isnt very flattering...
but it would beat the kibbey kennels or the kibbey kitchen (i trust it would be a fine, 5 star dining establishment, plenty 'o jack and coke?)

I thought they'd already named a cat food after him?

i believe i am familiar with the latrine of which you speak doug.