Armor in the 1960s-70s Retired LTC James Olmstead

Armor in the 1960s-70s Figure 1. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, conduct afield refueling on an M48A1 at Fort Riley, KS, in 1963. Text and photos by retired LTC James Olmstead The 1960s and 1970s saw many transitions in Armor. The near-term World War II aftermath in Europe morphed into a deeper Cold War, followed by a shift of focus to Vietnam. U. S. Army Armor equipment changed markedly. The M41 light tank was phased out; the M48- and M60-series tanks and the M551 Armored Reconnaissance Air borne Assault Vehicle (ARAAV) evolved, matured and waned. The MBT-70 development program with Germany started, sputtered and died. It was followed in the United States by the XM- 803 program, which met a similar fate. As an interim replacement, 500-plus missile-launching M60A2s were fielded but withdrawn shortly thereafter, principally due to reliability and mainte nance issues. Following these cancel lations, the M1 Abrams was designed and developed. Figure 2. A 1st Battalion, 4th Cavalry (1st Infantry Division), M41 tank at Fort Ri ley, KS, in September 1963. The photographer’s tank ran over its own gun tube when crossing a steep stream bank at night.

Evidence of this equipment turbulence was seen at the Armor School. The school trained turret mechanics for multiple models of tanks (and one combat engineer vehicle) with various combinations of optical and laser rangefinders, mechanical and solid-state ballistic computers, active and passive night illumination and sights, stabilized and unstabilized turrets, and 76, 90, 105 and 165mm conventional cannons/guns and 152mm missile/gun launchers. Much of this training occurred simultaneously because all tur ret components were fielded at the same time. Of course, crews moving among units with different tank mod els faced similar challenges. While the continental United States and U. S. Army Europe (USAREUR) received the full range of tank developments, U. S. Army units in Korea and Vietnam were focused on the M48-series tank and the M551 ARAAV. In Europe, the stand-off between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact forces intensified with the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1961. USAREUR armored vehicles were fully uploaded with ammunition, fuel and rations, even while in garrison and adjacent to family housing areas. Periodic alerts, generally at night, could be “muster only” or “move-out” – the latter sometimes re sulting in downed gates and fences as units moved to nearby dispersal areas within the two hours allowed. Extend ed field exercises would routinely find armored columns on the autobahns and tanks in small German villages. In winter, maneuvers across farmers’ fro zen fields were common, as were claims for maneuver damage from tanks sliding on icy village cobblestones. Rail travel of armored vehicles to major training areas was routine but strictly managed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn. Enlisted soldiers were identified in their service numbers as either “RA” (Regular Army, voluntary enlistment) or “US” (draftees, like Elvis Presley). Family housing and barracks were gen erally available and comfortable, many of them holdovers from German forces in World War II. Travel to and from Europe was either by charter air (frequently making necessary fueling stops Figure 5. A soldier from 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, 1st Infantry Division, washes an M48A1 after afield-training exercise at Fort Riley, KS, in September 1963. Figure 4. A T34 tank is displayed at the Old Patton Museum facility opposite Boudinot Hall, U. S. Army Armor School, Fort Knox, KY, in 1963. The museum was in a World War II-era wooden frame building. The museum moved and the building was torn down in the late 1970s. Figure 3. An M48A1 belonging to 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor, sits ready in afield-training exercise at Fort Riley, KS, in 1963.

in Newfoundland, Greenland and Ire land reroute) or via ship (USNS Patch and Rose.) For families in Europe, the Non-combatant Emergency Order included mandatory briefings of evacuation procedures to embarkation ports (and, for a time, “leave your pets behind” was an unpopular instruction). Family cars were required to carry a three-day sur vival kit of water and blankets. Travel to and from West Germany to West Berlin was generally only by air or the duty train (with closed curtains over the windows.) In the early 1960s, West Germany was a pleasant duty assignment. Most war damage had been repaired. Tiny cars (and massive Mercedes) shared the au tobahns with tank columns, German polizei in convertible Porsches and an occasional, but authorized, Soviet “military liaison” officer taking notes and pictures. Chain restaurants had not yet populated the country, so a norm for a dinner out was the local gasthaus for schnitzel, pomfrits, salad and the local wine or beer. Seasonal fests were al ways fun, and the military recreation areas in Bavaria were available for relaxation or skiing in the Alps. By 1966, the buildup in Vietnam began to impact forces in Germany as individual tours were curtailed and unit strengths were greatly reduced. How ever, USAREUR missions remained the same. RA officers had active service ex tended via “stop loss” actions neces sary to meet requirements for Vietnam – many of them going to infantry as signments when they arrived there. Retired LTC Jim Olmstead retired from the Pentagon after assignments on the Army and Joint Staff. His active-duty service also included tank units at Fort Riley, KS (M48), Fort Knox, KY (M48) and Germany (M60s). He was the ex ecutive officer of a mechanized infantry battalion at Fort Hood, TX; tank-gunnery instructor and branch chief in the Weapons Department of the U. S. Army Armor School (M60s and M551s) from 1971-1973; later chief of research and evaluation in the Weapons Department; and assigned to an aviation-sup port unit in Vietnam. His military schooling includes the Armor Officer’s Basic and Advanced Courses, Motor Figure 6. Armored cavalry platoon (3rd Battalion, 68th Armor) field-train ing exercise in Germany, 1964. Figure 7. An M60 from 4th Tank Battalion, 68th Armor, in Germany, 1964, with M2HB on the pintle mount of the commander’s cupola. The M85 machinegun was not issued. The bat talion was withdrawn from Germany later in 1964. Figure 8. Sign of the times: Check point Charlie, West Berlin, 1965. Figure 9. 3rd Battalion, 68th Armor, conducts rail-loading of M114s in the Baum holder training area, 1965. Rail travel of armored vehicles to major training areas was routine but strictly managed by the Deutsche Bundesbahn.

Officer’s Course and Armed Forces Staff College. LTC Olmstead holds a master’s degree in logistics management. Acronym Quick-Scan ARAAV – Armored Reconnaissance Airborne Assault Vehicle RA – Regular Army USAREUR – U. S. Army Europe Figure 10. Annual tank-gunnery qualification for 3rd Battalion, 68th Armor, in M60 and M60A1 tanks, Grafenwoehr, 1965. Note previous-year yellow qualification silhouette on turret. Figure 11, right. M114A1 swimming practice (3rd Battalion, 68th Armor) in the Rhine River estuary north of Mannheim, Germany, in 1965. Note marginal freeboard, but toned-up driver, yellow buoy with rope and engi neer World War II-era DUKW safe ty vehicle. Figure 12, right. Armor demonstra tion, Fort Knox, 1968. From left, M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle, M60A1 and M48A2C tanks, M114A1 Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle and M113A1 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle. Figure 13, above. Repairing a track thrown to the inside of the sprocket when navigating a narrow path in Germany in 1965. No fun, as the other track was thrown, too.