Re: [MV] Cutvee vs. HUMMV?

Chief William von Zehle (ChiefvonZehle@wiltonfire.org)
Fri, 20 Nov 1998 14:20:58 -0400

Never drove the M151 in "anger", but I did love the unit. (Loved them so much
I got a '62 for myself!) In the Army Reserve CA company I was in at the time,
we had M151s and M35s. We towed a trailer behind the M151s which carried all
the "stuff" we didn't need on a daily basis. When we got to our deployment
location, we dropped the trailer and had a small, highly maneuverable vehicle.
Now, with the M998s (HMMWV), we carry the extra size around all the time, since
we have to carry everything in the truck. If I had my way, I'd go back to the
M151 and trailer.

The Brits have got it pretty close with their Land Rover 110s. Being
hard-topped, they pile on the gear up top and can still seat up to seven in a
small vehicle. Used one frequently while I was deployed to Bosnia in '96.
Other than having the wheel on the right ("wrong") side, it was a great truck.
(The RHD was no problem since I own a UK-delivered Triumph TR6, but passing a
large truck on a two lane Bosnian mountain road increased the "pucker factor"
since one couldn't see oncoming traffic until well into the other lane.)

All in all, the M151s were great vehicles, especially the later, improved
models. Unfortunately, they got a "bum rap" by the "Naderites". If trucks
have souls, the last M151s with the full roll cages and safety netting must
have been mortified to be seen in public!

Bill von Zehle
Ridgefield, CT USA
'53 M42

Amikesomm@aol.com wrote:

> Thanks SFC, that was very interesting. Can you (or any other listers ot
> there) give us this sort of comparison between the HUMMV and the 151 series?
> I got to drive the various tactical vehicles in the Corps and liked the 151s
> best for plain old fun, but never drove any of them in serious combat
> situations and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to read these kinds of
> comparisons. mike in VA

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