History, Politics And Current Affairs

This is for artwork and pictures of the Third World War and the following conflicts.

No memes, please.

To start off the thread, here's Guru and Goalie's aircraft as it appeared after arrival at NAF El Centro to fly patrols over Baja Post-Armistice, complete with Red Stars on the side.

And Guru's mount at the start, and what he was flying when shot down:

Kelly Ray's bird when flying in Baja with the 419th: she made ace in this aircraft...

Kara's bird when flying with the 366th in Baja:

Goalie's bird as CO of the 366th:

Some photos from Calumet that were found in a Captured Soviet Army Field Propaganda Unit's archive; though "acquired" in 1987 in the Pueblo Pocket, the photos themselves date from 1985:

Cadillac Stingray Light Tank fresh from the factory, freshly assigned to the 5th "Light Armored Battalion," 5th Marine Division, at Camp Pendleton. Picture was taken in May 1986.

(5th Armored Battalion was officially on TO&E, had somehow gotten equipped with the last M60A2s at Sierra Army Depot. Needless to say, they were stuck at Pendleton until they got M60A3 turrets.

The less said about the USMC M60A4 fiasco (beyond Christopher Darden's "If the turret does not fit, you cannot acquit" at the racketeering and fraud trial of the Brewster Car & Foundry C-suite), the better.

The prototype M-60A4-120 going through its paces...

Poohbah wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:16 am Cadillac Stingray Light Tank fresh from the factory, freshly assigned to the 5th "Light Armored Battalion," 5th Marine Division, at Camp Pendleton. Picture was taken in May 1986.

(5th Armored Battalion was officially on TO&E, had somehow gotten equipped with the last M60A2s at Sierra Army Depot. Needless to say, they were stuck at Pendleton until they got M60A3 turrets.

The less said about the USMC M60A4 fiasco (beyond Christopher Darden's "If the turret does not fit, you cannot acquit" at the racketeering and fraud trial of the Brewster Car & Foundry C-suite), the better.

stingray_light_tank_l3.jpg

At least two universities are using it as an example of what not to do. One law school has it as "find the felony" test. Current record 18 in one hour.

jemhouston wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 11:00 am

Poohbah wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:16 am Cadillac Stingray Light Tank fresh from the factory, freshly assigned to the 5th "Light Armored Battalion," 5th Marine Division, at Camp Pendleton. Picture was taken in May 1986.

(5th Armored Battalion was officially on TO&E, had somehow gotten equipped with the last M60A2s at Sierra Army Depot. Needless to say, they were stuck at Pendleton until they got M60A3 turrets.

The less said about the USMC M60A4 fiasco (beyond Christopher Darden's "If the turret does not fit, you cannot acquit" at the racketeering and fraud trial of the Brewster Car & Foundry C-suite), the better.

stingray_light_tank_l3.jpg

At least two universities are using it as an example of what not to do. One law school has it as "find the felony" test. Current record 18 in one hour.

Probably the best popular account of the whole mess was Brewster's Billions by Patrick Tyler.

Matt Wiser wrote: ↑Tue Nov 22, 2022 5:59 am The prototype M-60A4-120 going through its paces...

GDLS did a damn good job, but it was going to be a little while before the upgrade kits were available, and we needed new turrets immediately. (The Starship was an absolute kludge with VACUUM TUBES for the Shillelagh fire control system.) Someone at HQMC in Philly got some extra cash in return for introducing the Brewster sales team to the Armored Vehicle Programs chief, and within two weeks BC&F had a firm fixed fee contract to produce an M1 turret and M60 turret basket. Easy-peasey. Officially, it was the M60A4E2.

And then everything went to hell because BC&F only knew how to make certain specialized cars and other equipment for Kansas City Southern, and their customer had just gotten vaporized.

Turns out making tank turrets is complicated. Even if it's just assembling a turret from GDLS onto a turret basket for an M60. GDLS could do it in their sleep. Brewster Car and Foundry, not so much.

The M105 ADGS: the SPAA version of the M-1 Abrams. Two 35-mm cannon and 12 ADATS missiles capable of engaging both aerial and ground targets. Standard in all U.S. Army and ANG heavy divisions since 2000.

Miss Buffy on an ultra-low level flight: this was taken from an A-4 Skyhawk as the Buff was coming back from an EASTERN EXPRESS mission.

U.S.S. Iowa (BB-61) in drydock at Norfolk Naval Base, 1986. She wasn't damaged, but needed hull and propeller shaft maintenance.

Say whatever you want regarding the technical merits of the Iowas as battleships, they certain were some of the best-looking capital ships ever built.

Poohbah wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:04 pm Say whatever you want regarding the technical merits of the Iowas as battleships, they certain were some of the best-looking capital ships ever built.

Amen, Poohbah.

Wolfman wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 4:58 pm

Poohbah wrote: ↑Mon Nov 28, 2022 2:04 pm Say whatever you want regarding the technical merits of the Iowas as battleships, they certain were some of the best-looking capital ships ever built.

Amen, Poohbah.

ditto

1988: the Raid on Kamchatka. A VA-155 A-6 prepares to launch from U.S.S. Ranger (CV-61) on a mission to lay mines between the Kamchatka Peninsula and the Northernmost of the Kuriles.

Nice shot. Where’d you get it?