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Can you ID? - Part 1


Proud Kraut
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Hi over there,

 

first of all, thanks for your help with the wrong colors. Here is the next call for your help (yes, one more "Can you ID" posts). I posted some patches that I aquired over the last years. I would like to know more about units designation, maybe exact period of wear, everything you know.

This is what I can add:

#1 German made, Bevo Like

#2 Japanese made

#3 ASMIC Motto List says (for DUI): Army Mountain School Japan?

#4 Anti Tank Hammerhaed Squad, What unit?

 

Thanks a lot!

uk01.JPG

uk02.JPG

uk03.JPG

uk04.JPG

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I am very familiar with # 4 which is the program patch for the Improved Tow Vehicle, circa 1982.

 

This was a stopgap vehicle with mounted two TOW missile launchers on top of a modified M-113. It was designated the M-901

 

See:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M901_ITV

 

You have to remember back in the height of the Cold War the Warsaw Pact had numerical superiority when it came to tanks and other armored vehicles. Most of the budget on the US side was going to the USAF for stategic weapons and the USN for ships. Rather than building tanks, we built these things.

 

While two launchers were up top, the gunner could sit in the relative safety of the track below. Extra rounds were also maintained in the track. This also solved the problem of how to rapidly move the launcher.

 

Personally I thought this contraption looked more like a GI Joe vehicle than a real combat machine.

 

The black symbol at the bottom is for Emerson Electric, the manufacturer of the rig and the firing optics. A number of these vehicles were fielded in 1982 and 1983 to the 8th Inf Div, including Baumholder, which I assume from your address you are familiar with.

 

One of the initial problems was that between the two launchers there was an optical sight that relayed the image down to the gunner. The early versions tended to scratch easily which produced sparkly lines on your targeting sight... not good. They eventually had to come up with a coating that was resistant to the dust and wear of the field.

 

An interesting patch from the Cold War.

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REMF stands for Rear Echelon Mother F@cker. A derogatory word used by frontline soldiers in Vietnam to name the admin and support troop soldiers who were not upfront fighting the enemy.

Hope it helps.

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Manchu Warrior
REMF stands for Rear Echelon Mother F@cker. A derogatory word used by frontline soldiers in Vietnam to name the admin and support troop soldiers who were not upfront fighting the enemy.

Hope it helps.

The word REMF is still being used and most likely always will be used to describe anyone that is not out in the field.

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