Wire cutter

Cacti_Ken · Post by **Cacti_Ken** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:21 pm

Looky here, M38's with wire cutters.

Post by **wesk** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:32 pm

Any idea where and when the photo was taken?

Post by **Ryan_Miller** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:42 pm

I found it on an auction website, there was not info provided. I put it on the historical photos album here on the website.

Cacti_Ken · Post by **Cacti_Ken** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:00 pm

Do you see that Duece and a half in the back ground with the squared off fenders. When did they hit the scene?

dv3468 · Post by **dv3468** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:20 pm

I just saw that myself last night on the historic photos album. I was amazed to see wirecutters/anti-decapitation devices on an M-38! I thought that was only a WWII problem!!

Cacti_Ken · Post by **Cacti_Ken** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:46 pm

The photo paper looks just like the paper that photos I took in Vietnam were printed on. It has that white border surrounding the photo.
Well, heck that don't mean nothing. I just checked, I got some made in states prior to going to VN that have the same thing

Post by **wesk** » Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:55 am

They look like 5 tons in the background. The bumper markings should help. Do we have any grunts from the 60/70's that can ID the
TCA516-S

I did a little searching and found what may make sense of this.

Berlin's Templehof Central Airport was operated by the Army from 1945 thru 47 then Air Force took control with Army units as tennants. Since this was part of the transportation corridor between Berlin and West Germany the jeeps had to traverse a lot of barbed wire areas and the East Germans had a habit of throwing up no notice road blocks with barbed wire. The TCA can stand for Templehof Central Airport, Transportation Corridor Authority or Transportation Corridor Agency.

jeepers52 · Post by **jeepers52** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:51 pm

Wire cutters were even on the M151 A2s. When I was in the Army I drove one with a wire cutter on the front bumper, I hated that thing.

Post by **wesk** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:51 pm

You go crosseyed trying to drive. Has the same effect as a big crack in the windshield right in front of you.

captw · Post by **captw** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:44 pm

I have one on my M38, but have it mounted on the bumper just inside the right headlight...I don't find it so ditracting there...W

BBDE · Post by **BBDE** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 3:56 am

Hello, I am not so new here on this board but this will be my first posting.
This picture I think was not taken at Tempelhof Central Airport.After the Berlin Airlift 1949 until 1954 the Air Force 7350th Base Complement Squadron served on TCA. The Bumper markings are different. In Berlin we do not have those hills like in the background of this picture. Looks more than Japan or Korea.
The Ford Mutt`s used for the wall patrol´s where the only trucks together with the Willys MB and Ford GPW after the war I know with wire cutters in Berlin. The M38 and M38A1 do not.

sincerely

Frank
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whydahdvr · Post by **whydahdvr** » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:01 pm

Got to thinking about this use of wire cutters on jeeps. I wondered if the North Koreans ever used this method, stringing wire or cable across the roads during the Korean War. Any one know? It would be interesting to learn if wire cutters on vehicles were still needed/used during the Korean War.
In Iraq we had issues with this still (as of 2010), trying to take out the turret gunner. The Haji's would leave wire dangling strung under bridge overpasses, especially at night but also during the day when you pass out of the sunlight. We didn't use wire cutters but had our turret gunners in eye-ball defilade as SOP. That way they were at or below the level of the turret armor.

doughboy · Post by **doughboy** » Mon May 28, 2012 8:47 am

My Dad served in Korea (1951). I heard him speak of the wire cutter mounted on his jeep. So they were without doubt used in this era also.

Phil4280 · Post by **Phil4280** » Tue May 29, 2012 2:56 am

I know Australian Army Landrovers had them fitted in sth Vietnam

Phil...

Post by **wesk** » Tue May 29, 2012 8:57 am

The principal jeep during the Korean War 1950 thru 1953 was the WWII MB/GPW. M38's were not introduced to Korea until August 1952 (M38A1 introduction was JUL 53 two months before the Armistice) and were in the majority of cases kept at higher headquarters due to their being 24 volt required additional logistics support. In all likelihood the wire cutter's use on an M38 would have been extremely rare. Since the M38 served very little in Vietnam and even those that did they were mostly the odd vehicle and usually already owned by the S. Viet. Army.