Friday, January 17, 2020

the other M16 A2... was a 1943 White half track in the US Army who used it in WW2, then used in Korea, then given to the French Army for use in Nam, but instead, the French sent it to the FFL in Djibouti Africa, (between Ethiopia and Yemen) and abandonded it in WW2 defensive positions the Italians had created in '39, guarding some useless airfield


As found above, even with its M45 Maxson Quad Mount Gun Turret in 2005 - to the post restoration in Wisconsin below


a 33 year vet of the Army was out running around the airfield, as Army types seem to find some thing useful about running in circles for exercise (instead of something useful like tactics, strategy, combat wound and surgery training (you can win a war simply by injuring soldiers so the other soldiers are left to help the wounded, it's been proven throughout human history)) and spotted this M16A2 beached like a whale, stripped of anything that would unbolt, but with it's powertrain still intact due to stripped headbolts, having laid in the desert for 45 years.

Who ever thought that a cool old WW2 beast like this would keep the power train because scrappers wouldn't have a drill and a bolt extractor? Huh! I read somewhere the engine was good for 150ish hp, and 40 mph

So, the Army Lt Col gets permission from the local French Army hmfic to take it, and then gets some fellow soldiers to help him drag it back to base, then puts in into an out of the way motor pool for safe keeping until he can figure out how to get it back to the states.

Immediately the rumor mill is in full swing, and word gets out of the WW2 half track that belongs to no one in particular (the vague Property of the French Army is de facto out the window now that it's on an Army base, and because Army desk pirates are often out to snatch and grab anything they can pull rank over (see the B 25 story I posted https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2014/07/everyone-has-story-some-are-found-in.html or the Lyon Museum possibly (USAF General "collected" aircraft)) quite fast some JAGoff  was trying to claim it.

A fast 100 dollars for a receipt of purchase from the French hmfic and the half track was now private property (no pun intended, there just is no other way to say it) and bound for the states in a shipping container for restoration after retirement to Korean War era configuration, including original working radios, the turret generator, the gun site, new tracks, spare .50-caliber barrels, original tombstone ammo cans, tools, field gear, and more.

Put a snowplow on that as needed in the Wisconsin winters, and you truly would be happy.

https://www.hagerty.com/articles-videos/articles/2020/01/17/lieutenant-colonel-kolocs-1943-white-m16a2#

1 comment:

  1. Good Stuff. I've always wanted an M3 or an M4, but I could be happy with this. Good find.

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