It's a mine sweeper. They were more common on the M151 series over there. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Nov 19, 2010 Posts: 107 Location: ITALY - TUSCANY
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 1:41 am Post subject: M38A1 - MINESWEEPER - CAN'T SEE THE PHOTO
I'd like to see the photo, but get "session expired" and a request to log in, but I am not a registered user of the site. Can you post the photo here? David _________________ David Manning
1952 M38A1, 1953 M38A1, 1954 M38-A1, 1952 M100
Photos on Page 10 of Members Albums.
Joined: Mar 26, 2012 Posts: 189 Location: Lexington Park Maryland (Southern Maryland)
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:01 am Post subject:
Pretty much the same concept that is being used today to combat IEDs on the MRAPs. Saw these guys going out in Iraq all the time and have seen pictures of the aftermath of hitting an IED. Not sure how I would feel driving in an A1 doing that!! Although I guess they didnt know any better back then. Wonder when MRAPs will hit the surplus market
Joined: Jul 18, 2008 Posts: 642 Location: Melrose, MA and Santa Fe, NM
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:38 am Post subject:
We had the exact same vehicle and set-up when I was in Iraq 2009-10 with the 101st EN BN. We did route clearance and ground assault convoys (GAC) with these leading the way. We also had "Buffalo's" which look kind of like a road grader with articulated arms and sniffer devices on the front. They would smell out IEDs, pick up the command or det wire, and push the explosive aside.
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:44 am Post subject: I worked on a minesweeper project in Vietnam
I worked on a minesweeper project in Vietnam - 46th Eng Battalion, Long Bien, 1969. Ours was much like the pictured truck of the current army, sets of rollers (discarded truck wheels and tires) on the frame ahead of drive vehicle with shear pins - we tried a 10 ton semi tractor, armored, a deuce and a half, armored and a 290 Clark earth-mover. I wish I could find that M38 photo to see if it was like ours, which I was under the impression rollers were our invention. The reason for rollers was the Cong were using what today are called IUDs that were explosives triggered by a dry-cell with a simple switch - 2 boards with aluminum foil - when the weigh of a tire mashed the top board down on the bottom board - BOOM.
There used to be in those days, magnet detecting minesweepers mounted to jeeps - real high tech things, but that weren't worth a tinker's ass finding homemade IUD's
If this picture of yours is a M38 it will confirm M38s were in Vietnam - so far I heven't seen a picture of one there - There were Japanese and Indian jeeps - Mitsubishi's and Mahara's, which sort of look like a M38 _________________ 1952 M38
It's a PDF file and overstamped with the Army Historical unit logo so not a real great photo. The M151 was also modified for that role and Chet Krause had one in his collection at Iola.
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:19 am Post subject: thats the magnetic one
thats the magnetic one - there was quite a control system in the jeep - for the minesweeper and a remote control for driving the jeep from a long ways behind. _________________ 1952 M38
Joined: Jul 18, 2008 Posts: 642 Location: Melrose, MA and Santa Fe, NM
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:35 am Post subject:
I think that rollers have been used since WWII, in various forms. And I even think I remember seeing a picture of a WWI tank with some sort of anti-mine device on the front.
I remember WWII photos of tanks with a scarfer like thing mounted ahead - as I said I haven't seen any rollers till ours - not that the idea is anything wild. I designed a roller system with segments on springs - if one segment blew, if it wasn't damaged, it would re-set (unlike the original shear pin design) also the small segments were independently suspended and would conform to the roadbed. That Afgan era one pictured is somewhat like my design only it only has 2 segments - it appears to be an automatic re-setting design. _________________ 1952 M38
Joined: Jul 18, 2008 Posts: 642 Location: Melrose, MA and Santa Fe, NM
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:13 pm Post subject:
Correct, and I think there is a version with one roller followed by two - modern-era machines of course. Also, they rollers are able to be steered. As the driver turns the wheel, the rollers articulate to also turn on the road, like a road wheel. These are also coupled with the ECW systems, like CREW - our electronic countermeasure systems. Makes for a pretty good way to forestall IED's, EFP's, etc.
In Iraq we saw a gradual trend away from command wire to remote det via cell phone or PIR, and then back to some combination of command wire or cell phone det with PIR, especially for the EFPs.
I prefer the system often illustrated with a nite vision view of the IED planting crew followed quickly by a mini-gun shot that makes the IED crew vanish rapidly in many small parts. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
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