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Davey Crockett Nuke System "Port a pack" XM 2


Corpl. Cleaver
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Corpl. Cleaver

Last month I picked up a "Port a Pack XM 2" made to carry the launching tube for the Davey Crockett nuclear warhead.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

http://nuclearsecrecy.com/blog/2012/07/20/king-of-the-wild-frontier/

 

 

How rare is something like this? I have never seen another one like it anywhere.

Also any ideas of what this could be worth? It doesn't really fit my collection and I would like to pass it on to someone who will enjoy it more than I do.

 

I also have 4 NOS retaining straps that came attached to it. The picture below shows 5 tho.

 

 

 

Here you can see Pack B XM 2 in the center. You can see the added shelf and small wooden piece across the middle of the frame.

FM23-30-Davy-Crockett-port-a-packs-figure-18-500x451.jpg

 

 

 

There were 2 holes drilled thru the shelf and pack frame so that they could be bolted together.

Also a wooden cross piece I believe was added to support part of the launcher.

 

316658_428165300583278_1840070276_n.jpg

579025_428165337249941_376889351_n.jpg

 

Close up of markings.

68395_428165347249940_2084141233_n.jpg

 

 

Tyler

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How about that, a man portable squad level nuclear weapon! Probably one of the worst things ever concieved by the military mind.

 

Be glad you were not assigned to carry Pack A, with what appears to be the warhead.

 

Value? First off, how many people even know what this is, let alone collect Cold War items and would even want this.

 

There are probably more of these out there, with people having no idea what they are.

 

I will let the field gear gurus come up with a dollar value on this one.

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Here's the wiki and a cool NON wiki site dedicated to the Davy Crockett. It was a weapon that was issued to Combat Support Companies of Infantry Battle Groups. Platoons were formed for it in the CSC Companies.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

 

http://www.guntruck.com/DavyCrockett.html

 

the Above site even has a guide to bulid a 1/35 Scale ealy 60s Davy Crockett Jeep using the Tamiya jeep kit.

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There was also a Jeep designed to deploy the Davey Crocket system using a short range rocket system. the Jeep was the M38A1D and they're quite rare themselves. Most don't have any of the original equipment but there is at least one restored with a mock-up of the rocket and warhead. Imagine seeing that driving down the road. I bet most people wouldn't know there was a tatical nuclear weapon in the next lane...sort of. I also remember in one of David Hackworth's books he mentioned that his unit in Germany was supposed to deploy the Davey Crocket to slow down the communist hordes, but nobody ever told him where to get the nuke or who was supposed to authorize the use.

http://www.vintagemilitarytrucks.com/M38A1D_Davey_Crockett.htm

Tom Bowers

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Very interesting!

 

Interesting, and possibly unusual for the US Army, that they just took a wwii packboard for this application and did not design a complete new carrying system for the Davey Crocket.

 

A

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Corpl. Cleaver

Yea, it's just one of those weird odd ball items you come across in this hobby.

Something that lots of people don't know exsisted during the Cold War.

 

This has got to fit in someones collecting area more than it does in mine, I'd like to see it go.

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Manchu Warrior

And to think GIs got nervous about walking around with a flame-thrower strapped to their backs!! :o

I was nervous with soldiers walking behind me with loaded M16's. With that said. I may have had an actual nervous breakdown around one these things.

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Here's a 7th Inf Div Davy Crockett platoon pocket patch, posted by Kurt A awhile back, South Korean made I suppose, as the 7th Inf Div was in South Korea in the early 60s.

 

post-34986-0-31935900-1354828366.jpg

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Here's a 7th Inf Div Davy Crockett platoon pocket patch, posted by Kurt A awhile back, South Korean made I suppose, as the 7th Inf Div was in South Korea in the early 60s.

 

post-322-1259524603.jpg

 

Nothing like keeping your unit mission a secret... except for the patches you wear! Too funny!

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I pulled a lot of Guard Duty in Bamberg, Germany [1963-66] guarding the Davey Crockett Storage bunkers in our Ammo Dump. Not anyone could guard them. You had to have a SECRET Security Clearance to pull the duty. Not everyone had those clearances, so those of us that did pulled a lot of it. What a pain in the BUTT! Danny

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  • 4 weeks later...

I spent an entire day last year, with a Blackhawk, looking for the expended training tubes to the DC at the main impact range at Ft. Riley. I was "told" that the poor bastards that shot these were on the edge of the kill radius. Nothing like taking the enemy and yourself out with your weapon.

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SergeantMajorGray

I spent an entire day last year, with a Blackhawk, looking for the expended training tubes to the DC at the main impact range at Ft. Riley. I was "told" that the poor bastards that shot these were on the edge of the kill radius. Nothing like taking the enemy and yourself out with your weapon.

I dont think that they were in the kill radius but I saw on the history channel that they were in the range of the fallout and radiation.

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Seems the fatal dose of radiation was 1/4 mile and the best range of the system was 1.7 miles and normally 1.2 miles. Still, only having 3/4 mile buffer between being safe and lethal dose isn't very good odds.

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