Currahee Chris
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 4,776
Hello all:
Kind of a spinoff from Brad's "Top Ten Tanks" I would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the "Top Ten workhorses" in military history. Of course, I don't have the benefit of the History Channel behind me. Here is my submission. Please note it is mostly US material as that is what I am most familiar with- I am not meaning to slight any other countries submissions at all- more a reflection of my own ignorance.
1.) US Liberty ships- transported all sorts of men and material to and from and across the Atlantic in support of the invasion of Europe;
2.) Deuce and a Half- US Army 2.5 ton cargo transport truck- a solid, solid workhorse through the ages- variants of this beast have transported men and materials from WW2 to Iraq and Afghanistan.
3.) US Jeep- M151 series- a favorite of most troopers and even broke college students- transported everyone from the mess crew to Generals like Patton (both him and his son in Nam), Mac, Ike and Bradley. Very versatile vehicle and could sport many different packages- water fording, .30 cals, etc. Also could perform other missions besides transportation like recon and insertion and extraction.
4.) Douglas C47 and C130 cargo planes- need to move a city?? Call in one of these beasts!! The C47 moved men all over the place and took a beating and kept on ticking. To me, they were the Sherman's of the sky. C130- well, when you can skylift some Abrams tanks you have one big bad ugly workhorse on your hands.
5.) M113 tracked APC. A tough little fighting machine. Can be outfit with many different packages- I was in an ADA battalion and they used the Vulcan's on these little tracks. Though becoming more difficult and costly to maintain, they make excellent training vehicles and other static position defenders. Seeing duty in Nam and the Persian gulf, these vehicles have proven themselves time and again.
A buddy of mine was in the First AD when he went to Kuwait- ran over a landmine while he was driving his 113. It went off directly below him and blew the track off and destroyed the forward sprocket but he got up out of the drivers hatch without a scratch. Most likely an AP mine but I wasn't going to go out and scour the desert to find out
6.) Draft horse and cart- don't laugh- this combo has probably moved more men and equipment in the history of warfare than all the other vehicles combined;
7.) M998 Hummvee- a bigger, tougher, meaner version of the 151 jeep.
8.) Chinook- I have actually heard that the Chinook is the fastest chopper in the American arsenal- if this bird isn't carrying a load and has little wind resistance those twin props get it going faster than an Apache- full throttle in a straight line- it obviously cannot manuever like an Apache. Can anyone lend any support to that claim?? Anyway, it is the helicopter version of the C130.
9.) Huey- main troop mover in Viet Nam. Steady workhorse and pretty reliable. Served as a troop transport and medical evac ship and gunship when necc. Really revolutionized rapid response.
10.) Blackhawk- same as the Huey just far more sophisticated with advanced electronics and avionics.
Well, that is my non-scientific, non-academic opinion. Any others?
STANDS ALONE!!
CC
Kind of a spinoff from Brad's "Top Ten Tanks" I would be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the "Top Ten workhorses" in military history. Of course, I don't have the benefit of the History Channel behind me. Here is my submission. Please note it is mostly US material as that is what I am most familiar with- I am not meaning to slight any other countries submissions at all- more a reflection of my own ignorance.
1.) US Liberty ships- transported all sorts of men and material to and from and across the Atlantic in support of the invasion of Europe;
2.) Deuce and a Half- US Army 2.5 ton cargo transport truck- a solid, solid workhorse through the ages- variants of this beast have transported men and materials from WW2 to Iraq and Afghanistan.
3.) US Jeep- M151 series- a favorite of most troopers and even broke college students- transported everyone from the mess crew to Generals like Patton (both him and his son in Nam), Mac, Ike and Bradley. Very versatile vehicle and could sport many different packages- water fording, .30 cals, etc. Also could perform other missions besides transportation like recon and insertion and extraction.
4.) Douglas C47 and C130 cargo planes- need to move a city?? Call in one of these beasts!! The C47 moved men all over the place and took a beating and kept on ticking. To me, they were the Sherman's of the sky. C130- well, when you can skylift some Abrams tanks you have one big bad ugly workhorse on your hands.
5.) M113 tracked APC. A tough little fighting machine. Can be outfit with many different packages- I was in an ADA battalion and they used the Vulcan's on these little tracks. Though becoming more difficult and costly to maintain, they make excellent training vehicles and other static position defenders. Seeing duty in Nam and the Persian gulf, these vehicles have proven themselves time and again.
A buddy of mine was in the First AD when he went to Kuwait- ran over a landmine while he was driving his 113. It went off directly below him and blew the track off and destroyed the forward sprocket but he got up out of the drivers hatch without a scratch. Most likely an AP mine but I wasn't going to go out and scour the desert to find out
6.) Draft horse and cart- don't laugh- this combo has probably moved more men and equipment in the history of warfare than all the other vehicles combined;
7.) M998 Hummvee- a bigger, tougher, meaner version of the 151 jeep.
8.) Chinook- I have actually heard that the Chinook is the fastest chopper in the American arsenal- if this bird isn't carrying a load and has little wind resistance those twin props get it going faster than an Apache- full throttle in a straight line- it obviously cannot manuever like an Apache. Can anyone lend any support to that claim?? Anyway, it is the helicopter version of the C130.
9.) Huey- main troop mover in Viet Nam. Steady workhorse and pretty reliable. Served as a troop transport and medical evac ship and gunship when necc. Really revolutionized rapid response.
10.) Blackhawk- same as the Huey just far more sophisticated with advanced electronics and avionics.
Well, that is my non-scientific, non-academic opinion. Any others?
STANDS ALONE!!
CC
