Military-Vehicles: [MV] M151 mods in combat RVN

[MV] M151 mods in combat RVN

David C. Decker (campdeck@infomagic.com)
Wed, 15 Oct 1997 22:40:44 -0700

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I have a slide (soon to be on disc!) which is of a M151 with a pedestal mounted M60.
Slight problem, it is all burned up by catching an RPG while escorting a convoy on
Thunder Road (Highway 13, RVN) in 69. It did not have any armor on it, but had the
modification of sandbags on the floor to help absorb the shock of mines. As an aside,
almost all of the fuel caps in RVN had the mod which prevented unauthorized opening.
Seems the bad guys would put some rubber bands around the handle of a grenade, pull the
pin and put it into the fuel tank IF IT WAS UNLOCKED!! If you were lucky enought to hear
a strange noise under your butt, you MAY stay alive. Plus, of course, the unknown time
it would take for the rubber bands to deterioate made it inpossible to fish the grenade
out. I saw one get blown up that way on the Lai Khe airstrip only a minute or so after
the driver left it parked. That local mod was one of the first one done to a new
M151. Another was the addition of a 'wire catcher' on the front bumper to keep the jeep
occupants from getting 'clothes lined.' All is fair in love and war. Dammit. Tying the
long antennna down was another trick to keep from tripping aerial strung booby trap
wires.
I will have the pic available as soon as the local copy shop gets their slide to
photo capability fixed, sometime next week. I will post a message then so anyone who
wants it can have it privately.

Dave in Flagstaff, AZ.,USA
M715
M274

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From: "Stephen W. Thrasher" <swtv9m3i@sirinet.net>
To: <mil-veh@skylee.com>
Subject: [MV] Armed Jeeps and trucks
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 22:56:05 -0500
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There is an armored M151 parked in front of the 89th MP Brigade
headquarters at Fort Hood, TX. It has what looks like .25" steel plate
welded in a rough box shape around the passenger compartment. Vision for
the driver/passenger is through slits in the armor about 1"x8." Don't
remember if there are sliding covers for the vision slot, like on WWII
scout cars/half tracks.

Steve Thrasher

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