[raketenjagdpanzer]

So, briefly, here's the write-up for the M59A1.

From 1996, as stocks of M2s, LAVs, and even the venerable M113 began to dwindle and production ramp-up was still lagging behind, the US Army was authorized to break some nnn M59 Armored Personnel Carriers out of long-term storage for use on the battlefields of Europe and the mideast. Some nnn were considered too damaged to rebuild and use, leaving conservatively some nnn for refurbishing at Anniston Army Depot, Fort Knox, and other locations.

The battlefield environment had changed radically since the M59's introduction, and subsequently the vehicle was deemed largely unsuited to anything other than support roles. M59s began their second lives fulfilling ammunition haulers, ambulances, command vehicles and other rear-echelon duties. Some n were deployed to Europe, with another n going to the mideast.

The Thanksgiving Day Massacre left the United States with very little sealift capability, and what airlift was left was concentrated on relief effort and executive relocation in the CONUS. Consequently, the bulk of the M59s remained in the US.

Modification of the M59 brought the units up to the new designated M59A1 standard:

Passive IR vision for driver and commander
Overpressure A/C system for N/B/C environment
Cage or Slat type applique armor for protection against shaped charges.
Inclusion of new MIL-STD 1553 data bus systems for onboard electronics (-A2 command variants and -A3 tank destroyer (see below) only).

The M59A3, despite being a near post-TDM design based on a half-century old armored vehicle represented an ingenious technological leap. Already, vehicles were using systems like IVIS to coordinate fire and maneuver, and a wireless data-link system was build into the data bus which could be plugged in to the Tankbreaker siting system (now built into the hull of the M59A3) via standard IEE-488 data connection. This allowed local hand-off of sighting data from vehicle to vehicle: if one vehicle had line of sight and another with a ready round didn't, the sighting vehicle could push data to it's local companion who could then fire a "cold" shot which would track and acquire after launch.

If the -A3 had serious disadvantages they were this: the gunner had to stand in the commander's cupola and fire the Tankbreaker while exposed, as the missile launcher and gunner's sighting system were mounted on an M175 rail. This led to Soviet sniper teams being dispatched for "Boar hunting" missions ("Boar" or "хряк" was the Soviet nickname for the large, ungainly but dangerous M59A3) where Tankbreaker gunners were targeted immediately when the M59A3 would appear. Additionally, due to the location of the commander's sight for the Tankbreaker, the Rhino was poor in ambush, as the sight was low enough on the hull to restrict use in enfilade.

Despite the continuation of the war in the European theater, there was still a need for armored vehicles stateside as well: Division Cuba was a serious threat in Texas, and Soviet divisions were still trying to push through Alaska. N M59A2 "Rhino" tank destroyers were deployed to great effect in both theaters; one account is that a pair of Rhinos, along with three LAV-25s from the 1st Texas Brigade engaged a Soviet/Cuban motor rifle company at full strength and achieved a 4:1 kill ratio, holding a key bridge near Arlen, Texas. Commander Henry Rutherford Hill received the Texas Star and the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions; his gunner, William "Wild Bill" Dauterive personally dispatched the MRC's command platoon, getting off six Tankbreaker shots in just over ninety seconds.

(N=I don't have actual numbers in mind yet)