"Actual 1970-80s Veterans -- Help Needed" Topic

One serious frustration for Cold War gamers is trying to ascertain what units got the spiffy new tanks and IFVs and when. There is very little information available in published sources, so it occurred to me to simply ask folks who actually served in combat units in the 1970-80s.

So…

What unit(s) did you serve in?

When did you serve?

What major equipment were you equipped with?

Any other info that you think might be useful?

194th Armored Brigade 4/37 & 5/73rd AR. Ft. Knox KY. 1982-1984…
Started with M60A1, did the last active army unit gunnery qualification with the M48A5.
Went through M60A3 (TTS) transistion.

1984-1986 2nd BDE 1st AD (Erlangen FRG, (also known as WEST Germany!)… HHC and C 3/34 AR.
M60A3 (TTS) to M1 Transistion

Arrival to 3rd ACR Ft. Bliss in 1988 unit was just field the M3 Bradleys for the scouts and had just recently gotten the M1A1 so I got a chance to play briefly on the M1A1, even though I was a MI weenie by then.

You don't state which country in particular,if any, you are looking at so I'll dive right in here;

British Army 1977-1988 (Royal Corps of Signals); served in Task Force Echo / 33 Armd Bde HQ & Sig Sqn 1979-82, 1 Black Watch 1982-84 and 244 Signal Squadron (Air Support) 1984-88.

I was with the 1 BW when they did their pre-BATUS training around June 1984 at Soltau and saw the first CHALLENGER tanks in Germany undergoing training while we were there.

Hope that helps !

US Army 1985-86: 2nd Infantry Division, 1-17(M) Infantry in Camp Casey, ROK.

(a) Battalion redesignated as 5-20(M) in spring '86.
(b) Much more importantly, spring '86 battalion lost its jeeps and replaced them with HUMMVs. Sad faces all around – the trade rate was one HUMMV for every two jeeps relinquished, so a lot of errands and fun trips had to be consolidated. Also, an M151 jeep could do a 3-point turn around on a typical Korean country lane or even the wide dikes between rice paddies, but if you were in a big clumsy HUMMV you'd have to go all the way to the next village to turn around, if you found out you were going the wrong way.

Sorry that I can't answer your question re combat vehicles; I know 2nd ID's heavy brigade (two tank battalions, one mech battalion) did receive M1s and M2s, but not by November '86.

Entering service on 28 May 1980 as a 19 Delta Armored Cavalry Scout, and completed Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in B-6-C-1.
M113, M901.

First assignment was to Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion 13th Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized), in Mannheim Federal Republic of Germany, as a scout observer and scout driver from September 1980 – September 1982. M113, M901.

Next assigned to Combat Support Company, 1st Battalion 18th Infantry Regiment, and B Troop 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized), at Fort Riley Kansas from October 1982 – August 1984. As a scout driver and Squad Leader. M113, M901.

Assigned next to C Troop 3rd Squadron 4th Cavalry Regiment, and A Troop 5th Squadron 9th Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division (Light), Schofield Barracks Hawaii from September 1984 – January 1988. As a Squad Leader and Section Sergeant. Air Mobil Scout in UH-1's then we had Gun and TOW Jeeps, the we had M60 MG Hummv and TOW Hummv's

Returned to Fort Riley, Kansas being assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company 2nd Battalion 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division (Mechanized) being assigned as a Section Sergeant from March 1988 – February 1989. M113, M901.

Next assignment was to the Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 63rd Armor Regiment, 177th Armored Brigade, (32nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, 60th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, Opposing Forces), Fort Irwin, California from March 1989 – February 1990. As a Section Sergeant, Completing 13 force on force rotations. (Hummv vismod BRDM-2 and M551 vismod BMP-1)

Returned to Germany and was assigned to A Troop 1st Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fulda Federal Republic of Germany as a Section Sergeant and Platoon Sergeant from March 1990 – February 1993. During this tour he was a Bradley Gunnery Trainer for Camp Colt Federal Republic of Germany to train Individual Ready Reserve Scout Platoons for Operation Desert Shield/Storm, and as a member of Operation Positive Force, Doha Kuwait, also completing the Combat Life Savers Course. M-3A1 in Germany and M2A! in the Gulf our Tankers were using M1A1's

Returned to Fort Irwin California, and was assigned to the Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company 1st Battalion 63rd Armor Regiment, 177th Armored Brigade, and the Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, (32nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment, 60th Guards Motorized Rifle Division, Opposing Forces) from March 1993 – June 1996. As a Section Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and S-2 Intelligence Operations Sergeant Completing 39 force on force rotations.
(Hummv vismod BRDM-2 and M551 vismod BMP-1)

Next assignment was to the 4th Region, Reserve Officers Training Corps, Fort Lewis, Washington. With duty at the University of California at Los Angeles, as a Military Science Instructor. Assigned July 1996 – May 2000.

And retired from active Duty 1 June 2000.

USMC 2nd Battalion 6th Marines 1985-1988. When I returned to Camp Lejuene from Okinawa in October 1986 where we still used M151 jeeps; there were these new strange vehicles called HMMV's in the parking lot for air alert. When I deployed to the Med 9/87-3/88 We still deployed M60A1s. We were the first deployment of AV8Bs on a Med float. They were aboard the USS Nassau. LVTP7's were the amphibious tractors still in use.

2/83rd Field Artillery, Babenhausen, Germany, '84-'86. The unit had 6x gun batteries of 8" howitzers (M110A2), nuke capable. All our wheels were old: M151, M35, M54 series and even the damn Gamma Goat.

HEY McKrok I was in C battery 1//83rd in RVN, 69-70
175mm Sp

USMCR 1988-1992. H Battery, 3rd battalion, 14th Marines, 4th MarDiv. The unit transitioned from 105mm to 155 mm towed guns just before I got there and are, I believe, still using the same guns we used in Gulf War One.

As I understand it, 4th Tanks (USMCR tank battalion) got the M1A1 just before shipping to Saudi Arabia in 1990 while the rest of the Corps still had the M60.

2nd Bn 6th Infantry Regiment, Berlin Brigade '79-81

The brigade contained:
3 Infantry Battalions
Co. F 40th armor w/ all M-60s
A Platoon of 5 M113's for use by the inf platoon on QRF duty.
A battery of M109 Howitzers

Due to the large number of Soviet & East German Divisions stationed just around the city the running joke was that if the balloon went up the Russians would ride around the wall perimeter putting up "world's biggest POW camp" signs.

8th Cavalry, 8th ID (79-80) We had turned in M551's for M60A1s just before I arrived and turned those in for M60A3s just as I left.

3rd ACR in 1979 transitioned from M-551 to M-60a1's that summer. Also lost their M-114's at the same time, replaced with M-113's.

1-13 Armor, 1st AD, 1981, transitioned from M-60a1 RISE passive to M-60a3 (TTS) in December 81. Gamma Goats removed around 1983?

1-34 Armor, 1st ID. Entire Division was M-60a1's at the time (many were not even RISE passive models). My battalion had been an infantry unit and changed to an Armor Battalion way before I got there, so we had the newest tanks in the Division (M-60a1 Rise Passive). Local National Guard units had M-48a5's stored on post. Armor Battalions started to transition to M-1's in 1988.

E Troop 151st Armored Cavalry, Arkansas Army National Guard, 1981-1984.

Armored Cavalry troop with Sheridans, M113 Scout and Infantry Squad tracks, and M106 4.2" Mortar carriers.

Admin vehicles were Jeeps, Deuce and a Half trucks, 5 ton Trucks, and GOER cargo and fuel carriers.

5/77 Armor, 8th ID Mech, West Germany, 1985 to 1988.

Tank battalion with M60A3 main battle tanks, M106 4.2" Mortar carriers, M113 and ITV Scout platoon, and M577 TOC vehicles.

Admin vehicles were Jeeps, Deuce and a Half trucks, 5 ton Trucks, and HEMTT cargo and fuel carriers.

3/68 Armor, 4th ID Mech, Ft Carson Colorado, 1989-1992.

Tank battalion with M1IP main battle tanks, M106 4.2" Mortar carriers, M113 and ITV Scout platoon, and M577 TOC vehicles.

Admin vehicles were HUMV's, Deuce and a Half trucks, 5 ton Trucks, and HEMTT cargo and fuel carriers.

3-187 INF, 101 AB Div. Ft.Campbell, KY ('80-83') ; 1-31 INF(M), 2ID, Cp Howze ROK ('84-'85) ; 1-58 INF(M), 197 INF Bde(Mech)(SEP), Ft. Benning, GA '85-'90. In the 101 we transitioned from UH-1Hs to UH-60s around '82-'83 and AH1s to AH-64s about the same time(?). All Mech units I served in used M113s. Traded the M151 Jeep for HUMMVs about '87-'88 …

11th ACR you where ROTC when I was recruiting in the same place. Saw more people shot there than in the Gulf war. Only time I treated a sucking chest wound, front door Belmont High School.

1982-1984 2/37th FA Ft Sill Oklahoma. M109A3 with M%$* ammo carriers.
1984-1986 2/27 FA 3rd BDE 3AD FRG at Ray Barracks. I was in the S-3 shop so a HG puke rather than a real soldier. Unit had M109/M548s as well.
1985-1986 Ft Lewis WA. 1/11 FA. M198 Towed Howitzer. Total peice of crap gun. Trannsitioned from gunbunny to FDC.
1987-1990 6/41 FA # ID Rock of the Marne!. M109/ FAASV ammo carriers. Unit send to Operation Desert Storm as part of 2nd ACR.
1991-1994 3/11 FA FT lewis WA. M198. Still crap but better to deal with as FDC
1995-1998 US Army Recruiter Los Angeles. In many ways worse place I ever was.
1999-2003 Ft Lewis WA. 1/37 FA M109 Paladins. Then transfered to 2/8 FA M119
Retired 2003.

Used gamma goats, horrible peice of gear. Total crap. Traded Jeeps for Humvee, mostly not a good trade. And within a few years we where overloading the Humvee as well. Saw one break an axle when they jacked it up to change a tire. Typical Army though.

Owen

Bravo Company, 2/68 Armor, 8th ID(M), Baumholder, West Germany, 1986-88. We had M60A3's and M151A2 jeeps and M113 APC's.

Charlie Company, 3/77 Armor (later transitioned to 4/35 AR) 5th ID (M), Fort Polk, La., 1988-89. We had M60A1's, then shortly after transitioned to the M1IP Abrams, and from M151A2 jeeps to the Hummvee's. Trained on the M1A1's at Fort Polk, but we did not get them. Bummer! Having extensively driven and evaluated the Hummvee's once we got them, I can honestly say it was the best thing the army ever bought, along with the P38 can opener!

C company 1/37th Armor 1st Armored Division. Katterbach FRG. 81 to 83 M60A3 blade tank Gunner/tank commander , 2 weeks with the 304th Panzer battalion, 10th Panzer division , Leopard 1 A4 gunner. 83 to 85 HHC 3/37th 1st Infantry Division. Ft Riley Ks. M60A1. S-2 driver M577

50th Armored Division, New Jersey National Guard
Started with M48A5
1990 M60A3
I left in 93 and they had not upgraded yet

Oh yeah – YSU ROTC '75-'79 … To add to my "legacy" – 3 deployments with the 101 to the CZ Panama ; 2 tours on the DMZ ROK with the 2ID ; Cdr: B/1-58 INF (M), 197th Mech Bde, REFORGER '88 and 2 Rotations to NTC, once as a BDE BMO and once as a MECH(M113) Co Cdr … Then USAR – 2 weeks with 104th ID as Asst. S-1, then Bn S-2 with 475th QM Bn '91-'92 …

C Troop 7-17 Cavalry, & B Troop 5-17 Cavalry, 6th Cav Brigade (Air Combat), Ft Hood, TX 1981 – 1985. Flying OH-58A & C, UH-1H, & AH-1S Cobra Mods & Prods with TOW, rockets and a chin turret with a 40 mm grenade launcher and 7.62 mm mini gun.

D Troop, (Air), 2/1 Cavalry, 2 AD (Fwd), Garlstedt, Germany 1985 – 1990, flying OH-58C & AH-1F Cobra with TOW, Rockets and a 20 mm in the chin turret. The rest of the Squadron back at Ft Hood had M1 tanks & M3 CFV.

R Troop, 4th Squadron, 3rd ACR, Ft Bliss, TX with a six month stint in WW Persian Gulf I 1990 – 1996 flying AH-1F Cobras & OH-58C. We also had UH-60A & EH-60 in the lift and headquarters troops. Ground Squadrons had M1 but upgraded to M1A1 once we got to Saudi Arabia. There was an observation platoon of 6 OH-58D attached to us primarily for fire support coordination. The regiment had an additional Artillery Battalion attached for Desert Storm; they had some form of M109 155mm SP, but I never saw them, only the results of their work!

I primarily flew Scouts per my SN.

Great contributions all.

Need the same from the WP side now? :)

1/320 Field Artillery 82nd Airborne Division 1985-1986
we had M151s, Gamma Goats and Viet Nam era 2-1/2 ton trucks.

In 1987, we became 2/319 Airborne Field Artillery Regiment and traded in the old vehicles for HMMWV and turbo diesel trucks.

We had the M102 105mm Howitzers at least through 1988 when I transfered to a LRS Company. As a LRSU, we didn't have .

I will be pleasantly surprised and very interested if you get much in the way of replies from the Warsaw Pact side !

Here's hoping !

Don't know if any former WP forces are members here ? It would be interesting … to hear from other Cold War Warriors from the other side …

You would thing Warsaw Pack soldiers could be here. Enough hobby material coming out of Russia to support the idea at least. Perhaps we need to do an outreach.

In 2002 I met a Mig-31 driver. He was retired from Red Army and was brushing snow off of sidewalks at the WWII museum in Kiev. He wanted to know what the hell I was doing. I was brushing snow off of BMDs and other vehicles I wanted to see! We made fast friends.

This is from an image of a Barracks in 3 Shock Army, good in that it is not an opinion etc it is read from what was there in a BMP MRR, 2 BMP-1 Bns and one BMP-2 Bn:

Shed one – Arty Bn
16 2S1
6 MTLB (Blade)
5 1V12 series
PRP3
PRP4
loads of SSVs

Shed 2 A/Tk
8 9P148
5 MT12
4 MTLB Blade

Shed 3 BMP-1 Bn
5 Gaz 66 (Mortar Pln)
1 BMP-1

Shed 4 BMP-2 Bn
3 Gaz 66
7 BMP-2

Shed 5 BMP-1 Bn
4 x Gaz-66
14 x BMP-1

Recce

3 x BRM-1
2 x BMP-1
3 x BMP-2

Shed 6 Tk Bn recently converted from T-64
9 x T-80

Shed 7 AD
8 x BMP-2
3 x 2S6
1 x Dog Ear

Shed 8
Engr Kit

Div Recce Vehicles

Around camp
1 x T-80
12 x BMP (Under Tarp)
10 x BMP-1
2 x BTR-60
8 x BMP-1 + MTP

odds and sods everywhere
Think this was about 1987

Tally Ho!

In 33 (UK) Armd Bde 86-88 we had 1 QLR, RS and the RHD/G who were converting the CI. Main inf APC was still the 432, Spartan MCT had entered service. The QLR trialled 4 Warrior on one exercise and if I remember managed to break them!

Tally Ho!

2420 Sqn, Airborne Tactical Commandos 1985-89. 12x No.4 .303 DP, 3x No.8 .22, 20x SLR (Cutout, Wooden), 1x 66mm LAW (no ammo), 1x 84mm MAW (no ammo), 20+ x Rambo-knives, 1x RA Commando Major Retd (lethal after a whisky).

Good intel !! The 2420 sounds down right "deadly" …

Nick – any chance of a link, copy or source for the photo of the Sov Barracks please ?

BTW I served in 33 Armd Bde myself – 202 Signal Sqn 1979-82.

Incidentally, although we in the west loved to call it 3rd Shock Army, it was in fact 3rd Red Banner General Army (3rd OA in Russian shorthand)- and had been since the late 1950's when it had been renamed.

Strange they never called it a Tank Army even when it had 4 Tank Divisions for a while, or a mix of 3 Tank and 1 MR Div.

Canadian Army 1977-1994 including stints in 4CMBG (our NATO Mech Brigade in W Germany)

I used to drop by the Canadian base at Lahr (iirc), picked up a couple good pumpkins for Halloween there when the Germans weren't selling any..

Formerly, good gang 202 and a good bar! The image is not in my hands since my old laptop crashed and burned and I had no back up! It was an old corridor image that was used at the Joint School of Photographic Interpretation as Exercise First Look a good few years ago,

Tally Ho!

tuscaloosa I was up the road at Baden. Most of the Brigade was based at Lahr, but one Bn ( 3RCR and later 2PPCLI then 3 RCR) was up there with the figther wing (CF 104's in my day and later CF 18s)

I think we(US 197th Mech Bde) "engaged" the 4CMBG during REFORGER '88 …

Oops !! Double post !! Must be a ghost or gremblin in the machine … again …

I was in the 3/185th Armor of the Cali National Guard from 78-82. I was an 11C. We were in M106 Mortar carriers. The tanks were M48A5s. All Jeeps. Weekends were at Fort Irwin, as was the summer training 3 years out of 4. One year we flew on C-130s to Ft. Carson and used the same NG equipment there.

Guard Artillery unit
1985-1987
first year: 122 mm howitzers M30,

160 mm mortars
link
pulled by GTT-3, with GAZ command/recon units


second year 122 mm howitzers D30,

and BM-21 Trumpeter
link

"I think we(US 197th Mech Bde) "engaged" the 4CMBG during REFORGER '88"

Summer of 88 I was an acting Pl Comd at the "school of cool(not)" The Infantry School at the Combat Training Centre in Gagetown and wishing I was in Germany.

For some strange reason a lot of CENTAG didn't like going up against us on Ex on REFORGER, something about us not always following the rules or plans.

Sean Maloney in his book on the Canadian in Europe during the Cold War period War Without Battles link (an excellent read and good source of some CWGH scenarios etc) notes some CENTAG commanders first question during prep for the Corps FTX was on whose side the damned Canadians were on and hoping it was theirs because we tended to not play fair.

Nice post, Barin1. :-)

MH

Very nice to hear from the "other side" Barin1, nice pics ! Yes, RJ Smith, we talked about REFORGER'88 here – TMP link

Good to here from my contemporary's, but the only thing anyone let me drive and play with was a MJ-1 bomb loader.
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