"M113 TOW. How many?" Topic

The M113's upgraded to carry TOW's. In a company, how many would be upgraded in this way?

It was designated M150. Which nationality? I seem to remember that the US had two per mech company, plus more at Bn level, while the Canadians had a very large AT platoon of 16 or so at battalion level. The US replaced theirs with M981 ITVs from the early 80s onwards, while the Canadians replaced theirs with M113 TUA in the late 80s/early 90s.

Was thinking American and Canadian yeah, thanks for the quick answer.

So they were dedicated anti-tank support rather than regular transports then?

Huh. I seem to remember TOWs being segregated into a single company in the mech inf battalion. Other companies were M113s and D or E was TOWS, weren't they?

Note: This is my bad memory of Ft Polk in 1989 timeframe and we transitioned from APCs to Bradleys about 18 months after that.

I was in the 5bn/16th Inf 84-86 – part of the 1st ID mech – we had a section of 2 M901 ITVs (Improved TOW Vehicles) for each of the 4 line companies A-D and E Co was the AT company with 12 ITVs

Weasel,

Yes, they were dedicated AT vehicles with ammo racks replacing the passenger space. They also carried tripods for dismounted action. The ITVs and TUAs weren't dismountable, however.

Sorry, getting my numbers mixed up. M901 was the ITV. M981 was the FIST-V, which looked the same, but was an arty OP vehicle.

I was in the 5bn/16th Inf 84-86 – part of the 1st ID mech – we had a section of 2 M901 ITVs (Improved TOW Vehicles) for each of the 4 line companies A-D and E Co was the AT company with 12 ITVs

Yep, that's the way it was with the 197th Mech Bde at Benning. When I was there, '86-'90 … The Bn Scout Plt had 3 ITVs and 3 M113s also. Shout out to another Mech guy !!

Okay, so I'm not losing my mind. I was in 4/6 Infantry and this link shows Echo company was were the TOWs lived. By 1989, we had zero TOWs in the 11B companies and the 11Hs were all in Echo – at least in 5th ID.

link

Much appreciated guys!

Two changes occured in the 1980's. The US went from the "H" series TOE to the "J" series which monkeyed with where certain equipment went. Also, the organization of certain companies were changed. An example was in a tank battalion under "H" series there was a CSC Company to oversee the administrative needs of the Scout, Mortar and Support Platoons. In "J" series CSC became D Company, tank platoons went from 5 tanks to 4 tanks each and all the former members for CSC were attached to HHC for all admin needs. Similar changes occured in the infantry.

The second change was the fielding of the M-901 to replace the M-150. The M-901 still retained the ability to dismount the launcher (they had a tripod, T&E mount, and IIRC a control box. The sight IIRC was taken off of the hammerhead, but I could be wrong.) Under H series, IIRC every company had two M-150's and the scout platoon also had two or three M-150's for providing overwatch. Under J series, the TOW's were taken away from the companies and formed into E Company. With an eye to the future deployment of the Bradley, TOWS would eventually be back at the company level, and the M-901 ITV's in E company would still have the ability to dismount. By cross attaching, E company could become a 5th maneuver company and dedicated M=901's could provide long range overwatch as Bradleys brought troops closer to the enemy.

I remember the H to J conversion … I was an S4 with a Mech Bn in the ROK … lots of paperwork, juggling vehicles, etc., etc. … I liked the J MTOEs much better than the H … I later commanded a Mech(M113)Co. at Benning, the 197th Mech Bde/18th ABN Corps … The J MTOE was a much better, more modern and effective use of assets, IMO …

When I was in a mech battalion 78-81, 3/10 Inf, we were still under the H-series TO&E. There were 2 M150's in each of our line companies. The Combat Support Company had an AT platoon of 12, and a Scout platoon that had 4 (out of the 10 tracks in the platoon).

Don't forget to mix in the FIST-V or three with your units to keep the OPFOR guessing