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The M60A1E2, Questions on this AFV.


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Model by Tamiya :D

post-34986-0-67123500-1362548559.jpg

 

I would like more info on this, the M60A1E2, there doesn't seem to be any real info on this tank, it as far as I have found, doesn't even have any seperate sites that discuss it ( maybe I missed them?)

 

Anyway, how long where these in the inventory? in example I never seen the type either in the 1st Cav Div nor the 2nd Armd Div when I was in the Cav at Hood in 1980-81. When it was in first line operation what Armored Divisions or Brigades Seperate, Armored Cavalry Regiments used them, all of them? or only select units? and where did they fall in in an Armored Battalions, Armored Cavalry Regiments T&O, like where they in the Armor Companies as whole platoons, or in say the Battalion Combat Support Company.

 

Thank'you much

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Looks like a Sheridan on steroids! :D

Ian, not too far from the truth.

I took armor crewman training on the M60A1 tank in 1972 at Fort Knox, after completing the 8 week training, I was selected with some others to take 3 weeks of Sheridan tank training, because they were going to send us to a unit with the new M60A1E2, but was never going to happen, they sent me to a regular M60A1 Battalion, but I made PFC through that training before shipping out to Germany. (PFC = Personal Freind of the Colonel)

Here's an interesting article; The Nevada Daily Mail

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In service, this tank was called the M60A2. The 3-33 Armor had them in 1st Brigade, 3rd Armored Division at Kirchgoens FRG when I was there from 79-81. I was in a sister battalion of M60A1's but did get to ride in one as a safety officer during their tank gunnery on Range 79 at Graf. 1st Bde had 2 M60A1 battalions, 1 M60A2 battalion, 2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions and an Artillery Battalion.

 

The gun system was the same as the Sheridan and could fire cannon ammo and the Shillelagh missile. The turret had a lot of maintenance issues and 3-33 struggled trying to keep them green.

 

3-33 Armor was organized the same as our A1 Battalions, 17 tanks per company, 3 companies in the battalion. There was no mixing of tank types in our brigade. I think there were other A2 battalions in other brigades, but am not certain.

 

The last Brigade Commander I served under in 1st Brigade was COL Gordon R. Sullivan, later GEN and Army Chief of Staff.

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In service, this tank was called the M60A2. The 3-33 Armor had them in 1st Brigade, 3rd Armored Division at Kirchgoens FRG when I was there from 79-81. I was in a sister battalion of M60A1's but did get to ride in one as a safety officer during their tank gunnery on Range 79 at Graf. 1st Bde had 2 M60A1 battalions, 1 M60A2 battalion, 2 Mechanized Infantry Battalions and an Artillery Battalion.

 

The gun system was the same as the Sheridan and could fire cannon ammo and the Shillelagh missile. The turret had a lot of maintenance issues and 3-33 struggled trying to keep them green.

 

3-33 Armor was organized the same as our A1 Battalions, 17 tanks per company, 3 companies in the battalion. There was no mixing of tank types in our brigade. I think there were other A2 battalions in other brigades, but am not certain.

 

The last Brigade Commander I served under in 1st Brigade was COL Gordon R. Sullivan, later GEN and Army Chief of Staff.

Small world, Ltc Sullivan took over the 4/73rd Armor after I left in 1975, I don't know if it was '75 or '76, but I heard he really straightened things out, it was a mess back then. :(

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I was impressed with the amount of room in the A2 turret. The short gun meant lots of room behind the breach. The A1 M68 gun took up a lot of the turret.

 

After Germany, I went to Sheridan's at Bragg. The 152mm gun system was the same. we had problems with the circuit boards in the turret because the recoil would lift the Sheridan up to the second road wheel and jar the boards loose or cause board to short. Had a crew drill to drop down in the turret, about face, open the board container cover, swap boards, close it up and hope for a 'ready' light. We used to use the rubber covers that came on ammo to pack under the board container cover to try and keep the boards in place.

 

System also had a rupture plug designed to leak if the gun recoil hydraulic pressure got too high. It was mounted on the turret wall above the gun, I guess to make sure that when it blew, it sprayed hot hydraulic fluid every where. My crew blew one on a multiple target engagement. I saw the gun in recoil not return to battery, felt hot wetness on my legs in the turret and heard the rest of the crew swearing and yelling. Everyone was ok, we wiped up the oil, got help to get the gun back in battery, refilled the hydraulic fluid and were back in action in an hour. not optimal.

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Thank's gents, so theM60A2 could be seen equiping an entire Armor Battalion, interesting. Thank's for the Video Ian, very vintage, I recognize the narrator's voice, a familar one, he did alot of Army recruiting spots, maybe Navy too, also Service Intructional films back there in the 70s that were still shown when I got in in early 1980, come too think of it he might be same guy who narrated the weekly AFL-NFL highlights, it was a pro football T.V. show I watched religiously back when I was a kid in the 1970 to 1973 period. Anyway keep it coming guys I,m sure there still more first hand service stories and other info to be had.

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IMHO the only good thing about the A2 was the hull,engine and transmission, on the 551 it was the fact one could "adjust" the govenor of the 8V 71 and get about 50 MPH out of it. The cooling fans on the 551's kept us busy. 503rd HEM Ft Bragg, 73.

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  • 4 months later...
Tom Dinackus

The M60A2 was fielded in very limited numbers. There was one battalion at Hood, 1-67 Armor in 2 AD. There were six battalions worth in Germany, 2 each in 1 AD and 3 AD, one each in 3 ID and 8 ID. However, some of these units deployed them in battalion strength, others fielded them in company strength within mixed battalions of M60A1's and M60A2's. One of the M60A2 battalions in 1 AD was 1-37 Armor, I don't know the designation of the other battalion. In 3 AD, 1-32 Armor and 3-33 Armor had M60A2s, however, 1-32 Armor was a mixed battalion at one point in time. In 3 ID, they were fielded in mixed battalions and 1-64 Armor, 2-64 Armor, and 3-64 Armor each had one company of M60A2s. I believe 4-64 Armor was pure M60A1. I don't know anything about the fielding of M60A2s in 8 ID. The only other unit that ever had them was Co H, 2-6 Cav at Fort Knox. If anyone has any additional information, I would love to hear it.

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The M60A2 was fielded in very limited numbers. There was one battalion at Hood, 1-67 Armor in 2 AD. There were six battalions worth in Germany, 2 each in 1 AD and 3 AD, one each in 3 ID and 8 ID. However, some of these units deployed them in battalion strength, others fielded them in company strength within mixed battalions of M60A1's and M60A2's. One of the M60A2 battalions in 1 AD was 1-37 Armor, I don't know the designation of the other battalion. In 3 AD, 1-32 Armor and 3-33 Armor had M60A2s, however, 1-32 Armor was a mixed battalion at one point in time. In 3 ID, they were fielded in mixed battalions and 1-64 Armor, 2-64 Armor, and 3-64 Armor each had one company of M60A2s. I believe 4-64 Armor was pure M60A1. I don't know anything about the fielding of M60A2s in 8 ID. The only other unit that ever had them was Co H, 2-6 Cav at Fort Knox. If anyone has any additional information, I would love to hear it.

 

To the best of my knowledge, we never had A2's in the 8th. A1's and then went to A3's. We were the last unit in Germany to get M1's!

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HILLBILLY-06

That's a cool looking Tank, and I must add... that I thought for years the Tank sitting outside one of the Local VFW's was an M60, but a good friend of mine (Tank driver/loader) told me it isn't an M60. It's some experimental version, that proudly displays the larger 120MM gun on the turret.... I thought that was way more cool than if it were a standard M60. Sorry I don't have any pics, and they moved that tank in the years past, I'll have to ask my buddy where they put it. It's still in town I think, but I don't get down that way much, so I forgot where it sits now. There was a crap load of highway road and interchange/ off ramps/ bypass work going on right there, so they moved lots of stuff during this process, some places even closed down over there.

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  • 4 months later...

Tom, you missed C-1-1st Training Brigade, at Fort Knox. They ran the enlisted 19J (the MOS for A-Deuce tankers) OSUT program. I used to know the 8ID A2 battalion, but time and too much Licher beer has caused me to forget.

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  • 9 months later...

My knowledge of this vehicle comes from my employment at The Chrysler ATAC plant in warren Micigan. I worked in the G & C area for 10 months. At the time this project was labeled SECRET. The G & C area was a large fenced off area at the right front of the facility near Van Dyke Ave. We wore red badges with photo and the word SECRET across the front. I personally inspected the gun turrets and the cannon on each of the 320 first run vehicles. It was my job to "sell" of the completed specs for the firing and range system to a Government Inspector on my shift.

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My knowledge of this vehicle comes from my employment at The Chrysler ATAC plant in warren Micigan. I worked in the G & C area for 10 months. At the time this project was labeled SECRET. The G & C area was a large fenced off area at the right front of the facility near Van Dyke Ave. We wore red badges with photo and the word SECRET across the front. I personally inspected the gun turrets and the cannon on each of the 320 first run vehicles. It was my job to "sell" of the completed specs for the firing and range system to a Government Inspector on my shift.

Very interesting rogeo, thanks for relating your experiences.

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  • 3 years later...
  • 1 year later...

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