OPFOR tank at Ft Hood in 1959...

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Oh right, I totally missed the fact that the pic is from 1959 - I thought it was WWII for some reason. Helps to read!

Neil

[Roy_A_Lingle]

Hi Jeff! Hi Folks!

- SFC_Jeff_Button

Do you suppose that is a jeep or scout car under the mock-up?

I think the 1959 date is way to late for any scout car type vehicles. I have to agree with Jim because my guess is a M38A1 4x4 jeep based on the sizes of the tires, look of the front axle and the front bumper.

I am sure everyone knows that US Army Field Manuals (FM) are military 'How to' books. However back in the mid 1950s, or so, though the late 1960s the Army had two FMs that were 100% works of fiction.

My 2 cents,
Sgt, Scouts Out!

[bsmart]

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Jeff! Hi Folks!

... , though the late 1960s the Army had two FMs that were 100% works of fiction.

My 2 cents,
Sgt, Scouts Out!

Which ones?

[Roy_A_Lingle]

Hi Bob! Hi Folks!

- bsmart

- Roy_A_Lingle

Hi Jeff! Hi Folks!

... , though the late 1960s the Army had two FMs that were 100% works of fiction.

My 2 cents,
Sgt, Scouts Out!

Which ones?

It was a set of FMs that layed out the TOE for the OpFor and operationly history of campaigns all acrossed the U.S. For example if a unit was going to be in an FTX at Ft. Hood, you could look up the TOE for the OpFor and the unit history for that area. While the TOE book was not that exciting, the one on campaign history was very interesting (to me anyway).

Each base a set of those things for the helmets and uniforms with rank to issue to units playing the part of the OpFor. If I remember right, the enemy of that time was called the 'Circle Tri-Gone' forces or something like that. I remember my Dad coming home a number of time wearing the Circle Tri-Gone uniform.

By the time I was in the Army, the helmet mod and the uniforms where gone, but the Circle Tri-Gone symbol was still used to mark OpFor vehicles.
Of course, all of this is pre-NTC.

Some of my very old history!
Sgt, Scouts Out!

[bsmart]

Any idea what the numbers for the campaign history was? That was probably the same series that encouraged the use of Esparanto as the language for Aggressor forces

- I think I just answered my own question. Following the another thread I looked at the FM Library for the 1945-1960 era at the 'Army Heritage Online' site. The FM 30 series covers aggresor operations. I haven't found the campaign history (or scenario) volume yet but the TOE and Esperanto Language volumes are there.

[Roy_A_Lingle]

Hi Bob! Hi Folks!

- bsmart

Any idea what the numbers for the campaign history was? That was probably the same series that encouraged the use of Esparanto as the language for Aggressor forces

I just remember there was two FMs. It's been to long sense I last saw a set, have no idea what the numbers were.

Sorry Bob.
Sgt, Scouts Out!

[bsmart]

While you were writing that I was stumbling around the Army Heritage site. BOOKMARK IT! It looks like the FMs and TMs are just the beginning you can browse by era so you can get different versions of the same manuals.

[MarkHolloway]

I'm thinking the bumper number is 1st Armored Division, 81st Reconaissance Squadron.

[palic]

This story is for OPFOR guys who, I believe, will enjoy it:
It happened long, long time ago when I was relatively „fresh-from-the-school“ Lieutenant just about to complete the first year of service with recce (armoured cavalry) battalion of former CSLA…. There was a one-to-one scale LANCE BALLISTIC MISSILE (towed) mock-up „stored“ (means left without any attention of our Battalion Armament and Transport Adjutant) in the rear corner of BN motorpool. This trailer was fully equipped with indicators and brake system and „the missile“ could be semi-erected to the launching status. It was left really without any attention except of so called season maintenance, there were no unit markings on the trailer. Bumper code had to be added, if necessary, made of white adhesive tape.
One day I decided to use this „LANCE“ during the field exercise to make it more „realistic“. I have to add we had conscript system in our armed forces and 85-90% of our guys were conscripts.
Certainly I did not ask anybody of my supremes for permission to „rent“ that MISSILE with trailer for use outside of either motorpool or barracks fences. I simply ordered section corporal to take a lorry with driver, hook that beast and to move that to the area where exercise was planned… What I expected them to do will be explained later…
He repeated my order without any sign of misunderstanding and diappeared… The rest of my coy with their tracked vehicles were „in the area“ split into platoons under command of their sergeants in the different areas and ready to ambush and destroy enemy „Nuke“ moving on the road….
So I made some phone calls, had a brief talk to BN chief of staff and a.s.a.p. hurried to take my transport and to go to the spot just to give next orders, start exercise and observe action of patrols ambushing OPFOR vehicle… I left the barracks through BACK GATE and entered garrison training area. But that is not the story as you can guess.
Meanwhile corporal and lorry driver hooked the trailer with missile, immediately filled the transportation order and went to the MAIN GATE of barracks. They were stopped by guard (conscript again, belonging to our infantry neighbours) and told to cover the missile by tarp just not to show the load to anybody during the transport, so they did immediately. Then they were released and left the barracks.Unfortunately no officer was around to pay attention to the lorry with trailer leaving the gate…
So story continues – they left the gate, turned right and were speeding 3 km downhill on public road to town suburbs. I say they were speeding so that was the reason tarp not very well fixed on the trailer ended in a ditch and the MISSILE was TOTALLY UNCOVERED… They drove through town without any accident and continued to the training area – FYI they were on the road to the neares BXP (CSR-West Germany border)…
During their rush on public roads they attracted interest of some western turists driving their cars inlands (we were garrisoned approx. 20-30 km from the state border) and some of these turists turned their cars back to the border and finally they were stopped by Police patrol…
Briefly said in a couple of minutes lots and lots pictures were taken by passing by turists ( I am slightly afraid our CI chaps were extremely busy taking all the films out of their cameras), OC battalion was informed and lorry towing missile trailer was (after throughout check) returned back to the barracks…in a convoy under flashlights.
Can you imagine the speech of OC he held to me? I was getting smaller and smaller and… It was pretty impossible to explain that the aim was good and we did not want to cause any international incident …