Com-Central.net

It was the short-lived "Pentomic" division structure that had Battle Groups of five battalions, but one thinks that the bumper code should have a division number then the BG number, but somebody may have thought that it took too much effort and shortened it to "1st Battle Group, 66th AR".

Still an neat photo that shows the use of the "arm" for an external MG mount on the cupola. The mounting pad for the arm is why there are square pads on the sides of early cupolas and the external mount is why early M60 turrets had stowage brackets for .50 cals on the rear. The use of an M1919A4 is interesting. Maybe they needed to shoot blanks for a maneuver or demo - the .30 caliber was much easier for blank firing than the .50 cal.

Gary B.

On the "snub nosed" .50 caliber. We are all used to seeing the common 45-inch Heavy Barrel on ground .50s, but there was a 36-inch barrel according to some sources. I though t that the 36-inch barrel was for the aircraft version, but was there also a 36-inch heavy barrel? I know the cavalry had shorter .30 caliber guns (M1919A2) for horse packing, did they also have some shorter barrel .50 caliber weapons?

Gary B.

On the original photo:
The short barreled .50 is a stumper, don't know that I've ever seen one quite like that. The blank firing barrel idea does make sense.

Note also the .30 calibre barrel from the right hand turret, it looks normal, with no BFD.

I also note that the tank is named. On the forward diagonal hull plate you can make out the name "WILLIAMS" and traces of an insignia.

Interesting photo, thanks for posting.

Robert

- toadmanstankpictures

- Doug_Kibbey

- MarkHolloway

I've been looking at the 'snub nose' .50 cal. What the heck is it?

Definitely a .50 reciever/barrel combination, but I've never seen a snubby like that.

That cavalry plaque on the turret side looks way too ornate for a typical service vehicle. I'd guess this is some kind of sale-of-concept image for army in-house use or as a proposal from a vendor.

Somebody here is selling something. Either that, or this is some extremely vain senior officer's vehicle.

It's actually a M1 or M1A1 Combat Car. The cavalry plaque was a standard fit during the inter-war period. Tanks belonging to the infantry had plaques with crossed rifles.

It's a combat car M1. The first 58 of these were fitted with a flat-faced, D-shaped turret. The remainder (and all combat cars M1A1) were fitted with an octagonal turret.

The shorter MG barrel may have been standard. Compare the left-hand gun in this combat car M1:


...with the one in this combat car M1A1:

I looked at my 1940 TM for the M1 and M2 series tanks and the short cal. .50 barrel is certainly standard. In the M2 MG TM of the same era it refers to the 36-inch barrel as "old type" and the 45-inch barrel as "new type".

KL

Mystery solved,

Thanks Kurt

- Kurt_Laughlin

I looked at my 1940 TM for the M1 and M2 series tanks and the short cal. .50 barrel is certainly standard. In the M2 MG TM of the same era it refers to the 36-inch barrel as "old type" and the 45-inch barrel as "new type".

KL

Thanks. I'm always learning new stuff here!