M59 APC?

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by copeab

The US Army lost this in the woods for 30 years, so anything is possible

Actually, the story is even more funny...

What you are looking at is the Number 3 pilot model of the T-95 Gun Motor Carriage...as the Allies were closing in on Germany back in WWII, the was a great deal of concern about the German West Wall fortifications so the Ordnance Department designed an "American Uber Tank". Design work kicked off in April 1944 and the first model was completed in September 1945. With the surrender of Japan, the production order was cut back to two pilot models (wait for it). Testing of the pilot models ran through October 1947 with the Number 2 pilot model being destroyed in a fire during a trial run.

The T-95 GMC was the largest American AFV design of the war, with a combat weight of 190,000lbs! It was to carry a eight man crew (TC, driver, co-driver and five man gun crew. Length overall was 36ft 6in, with a height of 9ft 4in and a width of 14ft 5in. Each of the track units is 19.5in wide.

Armament is the T5E1 105mm gun with a secondary M-2HB machinegun. Armor Thickness ranged from 300mm to 25mm, with the mantlet of the gun, a whopping 12 inches thick!.

The engine is a Ford V-8 gasoline engine developing 410hp, giving the T-95 the blazing top speed of 8mph and a road range of 100 miles.

One of the unusual features of the T-95 is that each track assembly was atwin unit of HVSS supension, the outer set could be detached and removed to reduce the vehicle's weight and width for transportation. The two detached units could then be linked together and towed behind the vehicle.

Now for the rest of the story...

The official records list two pilot models, one destroyed by a fire at Aberdeen Proving Grounds and the second being scrapped. Back in 1973 an old set of warehouses was being torn down at Fort Knox, when a bulldozer knocked down one wall, the driver was amazed to come face to face with the muzzle of the tank cannon. It turns out that a third pilot model had been built and had been shipped to Fort Knox for troop training. It had been parked in the warehouse and in the mass confusion of de-mobilization after the end of the war...had been quietly forgotten....

[TiggerCCW UK]

That would make an awesome find for a group of PC's - "Lets loot this warehouse, probably nothin in it but...."

[Abbott Shaull]

Well you know like you and other said time and again one would be surprise how much equipment use to be stored at various warehouses on the bases, and off various bases. Include caches they all West Germany too. How would it be to go through some of the warehouse at the closed bases to see what one can find...lol

[Matt Wiser]

Has anyone considered another possible vehicle to be encountered in CONUS: namely, the M-103 heavy tank? They were retired as the M-60 came into service, but were still in storage up until the '80s. It's possible that some were...forgotten, and were found post TDM.

[HorseSoldier]

The M103s got pooled at Anniston Army Depot when retired, with a bunch getting passed out for static displays in front of area VFW halls and National Guard armories and such in the area. Could make for MilGov or New America in the area fielding them on at least a limited basis.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Matt Wiser

Has anyone considered another possible vehicle to be encountered in CONUS: namely, the M-103 heavy tank? They were retired as the M-60 came into service, but were still in storage up until the '80s. It's possible that some were...forgotten, and were found post TDM.

A couple of problems right off the bat...the M-103 750hp powerplant was a gasoline engine and was a source of endless problems (as well as the occasional fire). The 120mm main gun IS NOT compatiable with the 120mm cannon of the M-1A1. The T53 120mm cannon is a modification of the WWII 120mm antiaircraft gun, the round for this is actual some 8 inches longer than the M-1A1s round.

On the other hand, the M-47 and M-48 designs are still present in various stockpiles and the 90mm ammunition is still produced for foreign sales.

[dragoon500ly]

Originally Posted by Abbott Shaull

Well you know like you and other said time and again one would be surprise how much equipment use to be stored at various warehouses on the bases, and off various bases. Include caches they all West Germany too. How would it be to go through some of the warehouse at the closed bases to see what one can find...lol

There were always stories of older, underground warehouses on most major military bases. These held stockpiles for equipment, weapons and ammunition, intended for resupply of the base in the event of a nuclear war. These were supposed to have been emptied out in the 1970s-80s and officially deactived. Still, one wonders....

[raketenjagdpanzer]

I'm going to try and sketch up a (non canon obviously) "M59's in action". Heck there might even be enough to get down to help the JMC in Central Florida

[Abbott Shaull]

Originally Posted by dragoon500ly

There were always stories of older, underground warehouses on most major military bases. These held stockpiles for equipment, weapons and ammunition, intended for resupply of the base in the event of a nuclear war. These were supposed to have been emptied out in the 1970s-80s and officially deactived. Still, one wonders....

LOL. Yeah that has always been an unspoken worry of some of the families in places like K.I. Sawyer AFB.

We both know with the keeping of record on paper, things got lost way too easily.

I often wonder about the stories of small undisclosed caches that one could find on either side of the Iron Curtain. In the case of West Germany, it could be small cache for either side, since it was quite common for Soviet/Pact Officers to pose as truck drivers making deliveries or picking up goods in areas they would be expected to lead troops in. Diving the same roads they might one day move troops over. Many of the ones I have heard stories were small affair in West Germany, maybe able to resupply a cut off Platoon or Company. For the NATO side this was done for troops who were cut off from supply lines.

While on the Pact side many of these cache would of been put emplace by Commanders who felt they may have encounter or two before they got to the border or shortly after crossing it. These forward supply caches would mean their forward units wouldn't have to entirely rely on supplies coming from their bases. Or once they had been dropped off their first supply to front line units, they would go to these points for prompt turn around of replacement.

Just some thoughts.

Abbott