Short Trip Interesting Find ..

Hardly qualifies as a road trip, I had to work out of the Traffic Operations Center in Elmwood Park for 2 weeks instead of the Hanover Yard, HOWEVER, in the course of scouting for important things .. like the Dunk'n Donuts I found an interesting lawn ornament at the Elmwood Park Recreation Department

An M56 Scorpion, self-propelled anti-tank gun. During the selection trials in the late 50s, the Army selected this instead of the Ontos. The Marine Corps, always looking for "more bang for the buck" selected the Ontos.

No armor, no protection for the crew, 90mm gun caused recoil problems, but it was air-droppable for airborne units. One of the few tracked vehicles with inflatable instead of solid rubber road wheels.

Always nice to see something green saved from the scrap pile.

Looks like it's in good condition. Someone should buy it and park it on the border.

He he. Amen, brother!

There's a Scorpion at the VPW in Culpeper, VA where I used to live - the people at the VPW haven't taken care of it, and it looks like garbage. Rust, spray paint from vandals, beer cans shoved down the barrel, etc. The rust was starting to get bad last time I took a look at her...

kcimb-

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Matt

Re: RE: Short Trip Interesting Find ..

maddawg308 said:

He he. Amen, brother!

There's a Scorpion at the VPW in Culpeper, VA where I used to live - the people at the VPW haven't taken care of it, and it looks like garbage. ...

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I'll have to check it out next time I visit the folks (Syria, Madison County...). Considering how many times I've been to Culpeper in the last thirty years, I've never noticed it...

Thanks for letting us know of it's existance...

RE: Re: RE: Short Trip Interesting Find ..

We have an M56 SPAT here in Duluth Ga, right off of 120. I've never heard them called Scorpion, I've always heard them called a SPAT (Special Purpose Anti-Tank) from a guy who used to command one in Vietnam.

Jason

RE: Re: RE: Short Trip Interesting Find ..

Opps, I ment Self-Propelled Anti-Tank

RE: Re: RE: Short Trip Interesting Find ..

Opps, I ment Self-Propelled Anti-Tank

There is one of these sitting at the Combat Air Museum in Topeka, KS at Forbes Field. Not restored.

VMMV has one as well.

How about that, we found 5 ..... of the 325 that were made. I saw two in a back corner at Picatinny Arsenal, NJ many years ago but they went away I know not where. One looked restorable the other looked like a parts machine ... but who knows how they ended up.

How about this for a modification:
Dump the 90 mm gun which is dead weight and a bit top heavy, soup up the engine and take it to the dunes! Beer and ice in the ammo racks ... and yes, hehehehehe, it has been done on armored vehicles before (the beer and ice).

There is more to life than just crushing things and blowing things up ... there is beer!

ONTOS66 said:

Dump the 90 mm gun which is dead weight and a bit top heavy, soup up the engine and take it to the dunes! Beer and ice in the ammo racks ... and yes, hehehehehe, it has been done on armored vehicles before (the beer and ice).

There is more to life than just crushing things and blowing things up ... there is beer!

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Oh yes, of course there is beer! Why else do you think us Steel Soldiers like getting together every month or so?

That's the only real purpose for a Mermite container - beer cooler! What does the military call them - "Container, Food, Insulated"? Heck no - BEER COOLER!