Com-Central.net

Here is the second orphan I took home, a very nice Sheridan foto with a finisher stamp from 1972. Clearly, two happy German civilians get a good look at a Wunderpanzer but is there anything more to be learned from the foto? I cannot make out the bumper markings on the image, there is an odd shield insignia on the tea cup - shield lined in green, black hawk or eagle figure against a yellow background. In the background is a German town so that, to me, lets out the MTAs. Also in background, nice line of A1s in tarps, so probably a regimental cav location. The triangle II, is that 2 AD forward??

Since it hasn't been painted camo my guess would be that it might be a training vehicle at Vilseck. That's the only place I remember seeing OD green Sheridans.

Yeah ... good idea although I do not recall either the railhead or any of the hardstands being that close to the town. 1972 in pure green - maybe the M551 is being handed off to a gaining unit. However, that unit crest ( for lack of a better term ) on the tea cup still seems odd for a tank fresh out of depot.

Nothing like that new tank smell.

- MarkHolloway

Since it hasn't been painted camo my guess would be that it might be a training vehicle at Vilseck. That's the only place I remember seeing OD green Sheridans.

Were they doing camo in the '71-'73 timeframe in Germany? I don't know, since I never served there. I know everything at Knox was OD then and we were just testing some camo patterns at the Armor Board in the '72-'73 timeframe.

The triangle denotes the company and the II denotes the platoon. It's been a while but I think A Co. was a square, B a circle, C triangle, D diamond. Platoons are I, II, III

it's been a while, but that should be close.

Notice the crest or shield painted on the TC's coupla side armor, is that the German Eagle

Front bumper # is barely visible. Perhaps better on the original photo? ( Kinda looks like 'CAV' to me.)

Don

Some researching on the internet leads me to believe that the M551 belonged to 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cav Regiment.

I present, as evidence, web site links and photographs with circles and arrows drawn all over them.

This is the unit crest of 2nd squadron Looks kinda like that emblem on the TC's coupla.

2nd Squadron was based at Daley Barracks, Bad Kissingen. Here is a web page about Daley Barracks with the unit emblems of 11th Armored Cav at the top:

Eaglehorse



This web page shows maps and photos of all the Armored Cav units in Europe:

Armored and Cavalry Units in the European Theater


Last but not least is the obligatory Google Earth photo with circles and arrows drawn on it. (Hey, I'm paying extra for it, might as well use it!)

It shows the empty lots where Daley Barracks used to be. It looks to me like Geazergoaler's photo was taken from the motor pool just to the west of the barracks. The red lines shows the section of Bad Kissingen that is visible in his photo:

Dennis, I think you solved the mystery. Also, 11th ACR is a place that would have had Sheridans and M-60's.

Then this would have been immediately, and I mean immediately, after the 2/11th ACR left Vietnam (and Roy and I behind to do other things). I left the 2/11th in Vietnam in either March or April of '72 (I'd have to check, it was just before the Spring Offensive got going real good, I got home on DEROS leave just in time to watch it on TV) and went back to Knox. It's likely there were a coupla' guys in the unit we knew (if any went to Germany after they reformed and went there as Eaglehorse).

Roy....where'd you go, anyway, after DEROS?

Hey Doug, you might like this web site. It has your old unit as well as lots of cold war info. Grenzer.com

- Dennis_Smith

Hey Doug, you might like this web site. It has your old unit as well as lots of cold war info. Grenzer.com

Interesting stuff. Sadly, I never had a posting to Germany. Closest I got was some of the wonderful baked goods that could be found in the post bakeries at Knox, prepared by the frauen of G.I.'s that had married locals and brought 'em back to the U.S. Mmmm-mmm, good!

Here's a view of that town from the tank park of the old Daley barracks, probably showing the area in both the original pic and the overhead. Big panoramic taken in '03 after a lot was torn down and closed up:

www.eaglehorse.org/6_t...k_park.htm

Guys:

I think that there may have been a mistake in the interpretation of the banner on the Eaglehorse web page. I believe that the graphic that is pasted here — a black eagle on yellow background with red beak and feet — is a German national symbol of some sort or another (OK, its a coat of arms: see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...of_Germany ), as opposed to being the unit crest of 2/11 ACR. Two German flags also appear on the banner: West Germany and East Germany (the latter being the flag with the stuff in the middle: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_germany )

The 11th ACR insignia that appear on the web site banner are the 11th ACR Unit Crest (on the far right), and the [unofficial] 2nd Squadron unit patch on the far left — this is the winged, rearing black horse (Pegasus) on the cavalry shield. When I was with the unit (1979-1981), you didn't see the winged horse on a lot of stuff, and the wings were usually black when you did (although a quick look in my "very-old-clothes-that-I-want-to-keep-drawer" reveals that our PT t-shirts had the Pegasus . . . I also seem to remember that one of the Commo Sections' M577s — SP4 Curran's track — had one, and was also named "Pegasus").

For more views of these emblems & insignia, see also: www.tioh.hqda.pentagon...avalry.htm

Pegasus is the equivalent of Eaglehorse, if you think about it . . .

That having been said, the insignia on the side of the M551 Crow's Nest looks a lot like that German Coat of Arms, but with different colors (a green background, yellow beak & feet). I blew the photo up in Photoshop, but alas, the picture is too grainy to make out the unit markings. It certainly could say "7A11CAV" (if you squint a bit that starts to really suggest itself), but it could just as easily say "7A2CAV", which of course would also fit the profile of vehicles we see here.

(See also www.com-central.net/in...ight=alpha for more on 11th ACR markings & fun stuff . . .)

In looking at the GoogleEarth image, I had to strain to recall the lay of the land at Daley Barracks. I think that the vehicle park (aka "the upper hardstand") would have been one "block" to the right in that overhead photo. If that is the case, then additional roads have been added to the Kaserne area since 1981 . . . which really changes the look of the place. Can anyone confirm that we're looking at the right place? In my memory, I don't think that there is any place vehicles would have been parked on Daley Barracks that would have civilian houses in such close proximity (in reference to the original photo). Have I gone wacky?




Mark Neukom

Got a question?

Where's the search light and the cable? Looks too stripped to be a "Border Tank" with the alert requirements unless she was just down loaded from a train/truck. I noticed if you look to the Gentleman's left you can make out hints of the USA number in black. I also see hints of the belly armor mounting bolts but can't tell if it's mounted. If it is one of the ACR's (2nd or 11th) the M60's would give a hint to the time frame since they still have the old T97 track and what seems to be the earlier searchlights under the tarps. Those units always got the newest before anyone else.

Rob,

The way I remembered the marking system was "A" tri-Angle, "B" Block (or square), "C" Circle, and "D" Diamond. For the life of me I can't remember HHC's, if they even had one. We had them centered on the bustle rack so the could only be viewed from the rear.

Joe D

Hi Doug! Hi Folks!

- Doug_Kibbey

Then this would have been immediately, and I mean immediately, after the 2/11th ACR left Vietnam (and Roy and I behind to do other things). I left the 2/11th in Vietnam in either March or April of '72 (I'd have to check, it was just before the Spring Offensive got going real good, I got home on DEROS leave just in time to watch it on TV) and went back to Knox. It's likely there were a coupla' guys in the unit we knew (if any went to Germany after they reformed and went there as Eaglehorse).

Roy....where'd you go, anyway, after DEROS?

I went to Ft. Ord and full time TDY down to Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. Made it to Schweinfurt Germany around May of 1974.

I notice the paint is rubbed off the front towing points which happiens went a tow bar is used. My guess is that maybe one of the first Sheridans to get shipped to Germany after production was started.

If I remember right, the Sheirdans in the 3rd of 7th Cav, 3rd Inf Div had mine plates installed.

Some of my old history and some 2 cents,
Sgt, Scouts Out!