M60A2 CBSS finished

Now I got ya. If you are not logged in, or when looking at someone else's account, it wont show the edit features, etc.

Let's talk a little about the M60A2 in USAREUR. I was assigned to A/1-32 Armor (slash and hyphen are proper for the time. / indicates subordination to active headquarters, hyphen indicates the next higher is in name only, so A Company was part I of 1st battalion, an active headquarters, but the regimental affiliation was not an active hq.). I arrived in July of 1975. B Company had just picked up M60A2s, the first unit in USAREUR to do so. We went to Vilseck to train for several weeks in the new tank. We spent a couple days in the motor pool doing maintenance and applying modification work orders, among them too-loading air cleaner boxers and external phone boxes on a brace mount ABOVE the right rear fender. The tanks were dark olive green and remained so for some time. Bumper markings were initially white, but we're changed to black very soon after. Small black stars were were applied to the turret sides. A rotating amber warning light was added after returning to home station on the left rear corner of the turret basket. Unfortunately, the wire was run through an antenna mount. If the stabilization system was on, keying the radio would cause the gun and turret to jink in elevation and deflection, a very inconvenient occurrence. Wiring was redirected. The tanks remained dark olive green for some time. No USAREUR camo, no MERDC for 3rd Armored A2s for some time, although I have seen pics after my time in Friedberg in MERDC, so they were camo'd eventually. I went next door to 3-32AR in 1976 and we painted our A1s MERDC in 1977. 1-32 likely did theirs at the same time. I don't remember. 3rd AD did NOT USE SAND COLOR in the MERDC pattern.telia 3rd AD got T142 track in 1977, as well. There were six battalions of A2s in USAREUR: 1-32AR and 3-33AR in 3rd AD; 1-37 in 1st AD; 5-68AR in 8th ID, and 2 battalions in 3rd ID. To the best of my knowledge,four battalions, certainly those in 3rd AD, we're pure, and it appears 3rd ID traded around so that all armor battalions had an M60A2 C Company. 1-37 did not install the MWO for the infantry telephone box, so their boxes were directly on the right rear fender, as evidenced in numerous photos published. The M60A2 served in USAREUR for five years, a term limited by reliability issues, rate of fire, and system limitations. The M60A3 brought better optics, thermal sights, and ammunition developments, and the A2s were quickly withdrawn.

OK, thanks for the info.  But you do realize this is a thread from 2005, almost 14 years ago?  Just as you did over on Missing-Links, you have resurrected a long-dead build thread with info that is no longer really relevant to the builder.  If you have info to share, it is much better to start a new thread.

Panzergator, clearly you are new to this FSM forum but have military experience so with respect please be advised. The man you are taking issue with is also a veteran, a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, an Artillery Officer with combat experience. Many if not most of the members in this forum are military veterans of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France and German.

It is appropriate to ask questions about an older posting, but caution should be exercised if you disagree with what was posted especially when you see the posting is fourteen years ago. Like Gino said start a new posting and state your question or raise your issue, there is literally hundreds of years of combined military experience amongst the members of this forum.

Harold

 

Castelnuovo served in the Yugoslavian Navy.

Sergeant

Panzergator, clearly you are new to this FSM forum but have military experience so with respect please be advised. The man you are taking issue with is also a veteran, a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, an Artillery Officer with combat experience. Many if not most of the members in this forum are military veterans of the United States, Canada, Great Britain, France and German.

It is appropriate to ask questions about an older posting, but caution should be exercised if you disagree with what was posted especially when you see the posting is fourteen years ago. Like Gino said start a new posting and state your question or raise your issue, there is literally hundreds of years of combined military experience amongst the members of this forum.

I have no issues with him (or anyone) questioning a build.  Who I am shouldn't matter either.  I'm not sure he is asking a question, pointing out an inaccuracy, or taking issue with anything.  What he posted was just a constant stream of info, I think.  My issue is why post to a 14 year old thread.  Start a new one.

I‘m always amazed how new members can dredge up these old threads. Especially when the forum’s current search function is so terrible.

But yes, a new thread with that sort of information would be much more helpful. At least now I know which battalions in USAREUR used the A2 for when I get around to buying and building one. 

Yes, on it's own I found it pretty fascinating.

To the guy who did the resurrection post, I only looked at it because I thought Gino had a new model to show. I don't even remember the original thread because I wasn't around here in 2005.

So, advice in a positive way, you could put up a new post titled "M60A2 in Germany 1976-1978" or whatever is appropriate. BTW if you do that and have any pictures, I would love to see them.

And thank you all for your service, we who didn't lace them up can still have a say if we think before we open our mouths too.

I saw a Starship once, I wish I had a photo.

My neighbor up in ranch country was Jacques Littlefield. I designed a bunch of stuff for him like a tank restoration shop and a pipe organ gallery, beyond that I can only say he was a serious collector of AFV.

After he died, his family sold off/ donated the collection.

One afternoon I was driving home and was waved aside when a lowboy was let through with a -A2.

Later, here's me with some of his other armor.

Point being, anything like personal history by the

A2 crewman beats the crap out of reiterating whats known.

Hey Stik i would start a new thread but building my A2 is kinda way down the list right now. if i do decide to start it i will start a new post.

Yes i know this thread was originally from 2005. yes i was an A2 platoon leader in C/3-33AR in Kirchgoens with 1st BDE. we were the second BN after 1-32AR to get A2s and we never called them STARSHIPS when i was there.

the BN set up a dedicated paint station and we painted ours as soon as we got back to home station after picking our tanks up and training for a month in Vilseck (July '75).  4 color pattern including the lower hull and green or brown road wheels based on the pattern. old style chevron track, bore evacuator. we never painted the plastic shrouds on the main gun or M-85 (in 3-33AR).

the early model AFV CLUB looks good and has decals for 3-33AR but no C-16 which was my tank. it also has the newer T-142 rubber band track which was not what we had so hopefully i can find someone to swap it out for the older chevron track though i have a set of AFV CLUB AM track which has almost as many parts as the real track.

 

 

Welllll, I noted this post was from 2005. but I posted to this thread because I came upon it in a search I did for the M60A2.  Assuming others would search and find the thread, it seemed like the place to post it.  "Sergeant," no disrespect was intended to the modeller.  I don't always paint a realistic camouflage pattern either.  However, it seemed to me that I could provide SOME (not all) information for those looking for info on the A2.  Our tanks were not painted immediately because as we picked them up in the last half of 1975, we followed up our new equipment training by roadmarching to Hohenfels, then provided evaluation teams to REFORGER, then prepared for gunnery, and went to Graf for gunnery.  That pretty much took up the last half of 1975.  The info provided was from personal experience and research and I thought it might be useful to some.  I realize experiences might be different in other battalions - the info about infantry phone boxes in 1-37AR was gleaned from two books published and available from Amazon.  SOME info out there is incorrect - for instance, the posted pics of the Littlefield collection reflect bumper markings on an M60A2 as belonging to 3-32 Armor.  I served in both battalions during 1975-1978 and know for a fact that 3-32 Armor was not ever equipped with M60A2s.  Because of the time period A2s were active in USAREUR, USAREUR M60A2s were not painted in the earlier USAREUR sand/green/brown/black pattern, but were issued in dark olive and when camouflaged, received the MERDC pattern.  I wish I had pictures.