Cobrahistorian Posted July 11, 2013 Share #1 Posted July 11, 2013 Hey all, I figured I'd share our new arrival here. She just arrived today from Ft. Lee and is already on exhibit next to her stablemate, the M19. The addition of the M39 completes our Korean War ADA vehicle exhibit and I'm rather excited to have it on display. While there were thousands of M39s made, only six are left. This one is in very good overall condition. She was stored outside at some point, so there is some rust damage, but she's been maintained indoors for at least the recent past.Why an M39 you say? Well, while not a purely ADA vehicle, the M39 served as a prime mover for FA and ADA pieces in WWII and Korea. During the Korean War, two M39s were assigned to each HQ section in an AAA Automatic Weapons battalion, and the 52nd AAA Bn took it one step further and cut out the ring .50 cal mount and dropped a quad-50 turret in for added firepower. I'll post more soon, but here's the first pic: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
78CARg Posted July 11, 2013 Share #2 Posted July 11, 2013 Wow, that thing is amazing! I have a few family members who were Anti Aircraft Artillery crewmen. So I have a soft spot for anything AAA related. I cant wait to see more pics. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkdriver Posted July 11, 2013 Share #3 Posted July 11, 2013 nice looking babe you got there, Jon. Not as sexy as a helo, but she will do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insigina Hunter Posted July 11, 2013 Share #4 Posted July 11, 2013 I love the look of that, cant wait to see more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted July 11, 2013 Share #5 Posted July 11, 2013 This is a variant based on the M18 Hellcat as far as I know. The M-39 Armored Utility Vehicle. Limiited use in WWII but mainly used in Korea. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share #6 Posted July 11, 2013 Erwin, You're exactly right. M18 Hellcat, minus the turret and ammo stowage. I've got some more pics that I took of the offload, but I'll shoot some good walkaround pics tomorrow. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeeper704 Posted July 11, 2013 Share #7 Posted July 11, 2013 Yes please, I'd love to see detailed pictures of the interior if possible. Erwin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabrejet Posted July 11, 2013 Share #8 Posted July 11, 2013 That's a rare beauty Jon. A great prime-mover for your wheeled 85mm (?) AA gun...when it's fixed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted July 11, 2013 Author Share #9 Posted July 11, 2013 Here's a shot of the HQ/52nd AAA M39 in Korea. I was hoping to do this with ours, but it turns out the ring mount is welded in place, not bolted. We'll have to do some restoration work on the .50 mount, but I think we can get it done. You can just make out the 8A52AA bumper code on this vehicle. It was the only one so-modified, but apparently it worked extremely well according to the AARs and Antiaircraft Journal articles I've found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsakers85 Posted July 11, 2013 Share #10 Posted July 11, 2013 Great addition to the museum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plick27 Posted July 11, 2013 Share #11 Posted July 11, 2013 Jon, you have got to have one theeeeeeee coolest jobs on the planet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted July 12, 2013 Author Share #12 Posted July 12, 2013 I shot about 40 pics of it yesterday. Gotta upload them to my photo bucket account and then I will get them up here. Lots of welds to bust on it so we can get hatches and stowage bins open. Driver's compartment is all there though! Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Bibliotecario Posted July 17, 2013 Share #13 Posted July 17, 2013 Is this the ADA museum at the old commissary at Ft Bliss? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobrahistorian Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share #14 Posted July 17, 2013 No sir, the ADA Museum and the ADA branch moved to Ft. Sill in 2009. The 1st Armored Division Museum is now at the old PX building at Bliss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Bibliotecario Posted July 18, 2013 Share #15 Posted July 18, 2013 Thanks for the update. I knew the ADA branch moved to Sill, but my Ft Bliss visits usually take me no further onto main post than the Class VI store, so wasnt sure about the musuem. I foolishly believed they wouldnt spend the money to haul all the junk to Oklahoma. Silly me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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