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Honest John Rocket Launch Truck

rdixiemiller

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Here are some pics of an old Honest John launcher. This one has been slowly going back to nature in the edge of the Eglin AFB reservation for the last 20 years or so. 6602 gasser, rebuild tag from Mittelwerke germany in the early '60's. The launch rail assembly and C frame are truly huge on this thing.
 

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Recovry4x4

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Here's an interesting tidbit of information on the Honest John trucks, the diffs had 10.26 gears.
 

rdixiemiller

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Good picture of the truck. This has been a static target for recce missions over Eglin for years and years.
The cab is pretty rusty, but the rest of the truck could definately be restored.
Midnight snatch and grab.......
 

slash79

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that is a big shame that it is just rotting away in the woods. you reckon someone would be able to nab it and restore it?
 

rdixiemiller

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You would need a 5 ton wrecker, a full set of rear tires, and be able to get in and out in 10 minutes or less. This area is only 75 feet off the road through part of the Reservation. Heavily patrolled by AF Security Police. I was technically breaking the law walking around taking pics, but I have been doing things like that for years and years.
There is an old M37, a M38, a Deuce tractor, an M151, and all manner of late '50's and early '60's civvy vehicles stuffed in those woods. When I was a kid, I drove all over those woods in my Jeep truck. There are M135's, M211's, WW2 halftracks, AA guns, 40mm quad Bofors guns, aircraft, tanks, and God knows what else in those trees. If you ever saw the movie "The Green Berets", it was filmed in a section called "Little Viet Nam". The Son Tay prison camp rescue mission was practiced out there, matter of fact, they built a replica of the camp for that mission.
The area was just about abandoned in the late '70's. Then, in the early Eighties, Project Underbrush was established out there. I believe it was counterinsurgency and recce training. Large areas of the reservation that had been accessible for years to hunters and kids were suddenly off limits. A series of advanced sensors were placed in the woods, as several of my friends found out when trying to sneak in and deer hunt. A couple were arrested and interrogated before being released and told to "never try that sh** again, boy!"
 

slash79

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the government ought to be willing to sell stuff like that that is just in the woods rotting away. i really doublt anyone has some old rockets sitting in mothballs in the attic waiting to get their hands on one of these.
 

vtdeucedriver

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Vermont
Well thats depressing, dont see many of those. Pretty neat truck, always liked the looks of them. Would not mind having that in the collection. Espically now that I know of a museum that has 2 Honest John rockets, one laying on the ground.............bet they dont need both!!
 
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