Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Military Trader

The United States is home to many fine military vehicle museums, but thanks to the generosity and efforts of philanthropist Dan Starks, the U.S. now has one of the largest such museums in the world, perhaps only exceeded by those operated by European national governments. Through the investment of $100 million, Starks has created a world-class museum containing 500 vehicles, primarily U.S. Army MV’s of WWII, most of which are still operable, although in static displays, in a 140,000-square-foot (almost four acres!) state-of-the art building. The museum’s collection was assembled in large part from the acquisition of the MV collections of the late Carl Smith and Jacques Littlefield. The National Museum of Military Vehicles (“NMMV”) is located in the picturesque Wind River Valley, just outside of the town of…

Staying Straight Placing gaskets tail light, parking light, or side marker light housings and keeping them straight can be frustrating. A gasket has a tendency to wander as you tighten the lens. To eliminate the gasket’s wandering, rub some paper glue stick on one surface. This allows you to align the gasket on the housing. If you don’t like placing the glue directly to the gasket, it can be brushed on the housing with a small, course brush. Staying Cool, Or Just Playing Cool? Q: I’ve seen many old pictures of British Army vehicles in the North African desert during World War Two that have parts of their grilles removed or cut out. I assume this was done to improve cooling but I wonder if it really helped much, especially…

Until the early 1920s, most cars, trucks and military vehicles had magneto ignition systems. Since a magneto is a self-contained device that functions as a distributor while generating its own electricity, most vehicles didn’t have batteries, and their engines were started by a hand crank, though some vehicles had small dry-cell batteries that supplied power to the ignition system for start-up. Many farm tractors and construction machinery retained a no-battery magneto system well into the 1930s. It was also favored in light aircraft because there was no extra weight of an electric starter, a battery, and a generator to keep the battery charged, and the engines were started by pulling-over the propeller by hand. Even when many cars and trucks were fitted with electric starters and lights, they often retained…

The Meiji period of Japan (1867-1912) saw a cultural and economic revolution as Japan changed from a post-feudal and isolated country to an Eastern world power. Clothing, building materials, military equipment, armaments, consumer goods and many other items were not only purchased from the West, but manufactured on the islands as the Japanese eagerly sought to replicate the products and technology produced in the other countries. In 1895, during the middle of this new-age revolution, a state-of-the-art prison was built on the edge of Tokyo, influenced heavily by European designs. The building featured a large administration center with six long wings of holding cells; five twostory and one single-story in height. Accompanying this were service areas, exercise yards, an execution building, a laundry and a smaller building for women. Through…

At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Great Britain soon realized that a large number of men had to be recruited to supplement the existing standing army of 700,000, of which only 250,000 were regular soldiers. Although in August 1914 30,000 men were spontaneously volunteering each day, Secretary of State, Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, officially called for “New Armies”. Advertising was printed, much of it now iconic, and recruiting teams were sent to every town in the UK. The initial request for 100,000 was soon exceeded with 1,186,337 men being recruited by the end of 1914; henceforth these new formations were called “Kitchener’s Army”. With over a million men volunteering in just four months there was an acute shortage of all types of equipment and kit. This included…

A few months ago on these pages we mused about what military figure would be the ultimate collector target — the “Babe Ruth” of military memorabilia, at least for American collectors. We opined that perhaps Audie Murphy was the top of the ladder. He led an amazing, heroic life, and his Hollywood career made him even more famous than he would have been had he returned to a quieter civilian existence. There is enough Audi Murphy memorabilia still in circulation — particularly autographed publicity photos from his movie days — to make him a prized subject for collectors. Another fun guy to collect, and certainly a worthy subject, is fellow Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Desmond Doss. Doss, of course, was the famed “conscientious objector” who was ostracized early on in…

Photos of the Cadillac Gage V-100 most often show the vehicle on convoy escort duty in Vietnam. However, a more common, albeit less glamorous, role was that of base security vehicle. First tested in June 1962, the Cadillac Gage V-100 used many components “borrowed” from other military vehicles. The Chrysler 361 V-8 that powered it was also used in the M113. The axles beneath this armored 4x4 were similar to the axles used on M35 cargo trucks, with the addition of locking differentials. The 14.00-20 tires, however, were of a special type, with special tread and of a run-flat design. “Commando” was even molded into the sidewalls of the tires. A 10,000-lb. capacity hydraulically operated winch was mounted internally at the front of the vehicle. The fenders on the pilot…

Special collector’s opportunity – Giant Grab Bag of 200 used US stamps includes obsolete issues as much as 100 years old. Also historic airmails and commemoratives. Each Grab Bag is different and yours is guaranteed to contain at least 200 used stamps – and your satisfaction is guaranteed. Perfect to start or add to a collection. Strict limit of 1 Grab Bag per address. Send $1 for your Grab Bag today and also receive special collector’s information along with other interesting offers on approval.…

Often forgotten, the importance of the support of a well-equipped military engineering force to successful combat operations cannot be overstated. Wartime circumstance often mean at the least that existing infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, and at most infrastructure must be put in place in wilderness, mountains, swamp or other rough terrain. One important tool for such operations was versatile power shovel with a wide range of accessories. As early as 1936, the Quick-Way Truck Shovel Co. of Denver, Colorado, began purchasing trucks made by Coleman Motors of Littleton, Colorado, and mounting their cranes on them, with at least some of these vehicles seeing use by the Forest Service. A few years later, when the German armed forces had conquered much of Europe, the U.S. Army Engineers suddenly saw the…

MILITARY COLLECTOR SHOWS Nov 16-18 SC, Ladston. Charleston Militaria Expo. Exchange Park-9850 Hwy. 78, 843-305-6191 (Auction Friday Night) www.charlestonmilitariaexpo.com Nov 19 IL, Rockford. Military/Train Show. Cliff breakers - 700 West Riverside Blvd. 100+ tables dealer setup 6am. Jeff Bries 815-218-0228 Nov 24-25 TN, Nashville/Franklin. TMCA Military Show. Tennessee Military Collectors Association. Marriott Hotel 700 Cool Springs Blvd, Franklin, TN. Friday noon-5pm, Saturday 8-3. 325+ tables, always sold out. 615-661-9379, www.tmcaonline.org. Dec 1-2 OH, Zanesville. National Road Military Antique Show. Held at the Muskingum County Fairgrounds, 1300 Pershing Rd. nrmilitaryshow.com or call Mike @740-277-9744 or Monica @740-891-8637. Dec 3 PA, Upper Chichester. Militaria Show. Upper Chichester Community Center - 1950 Market Street, 8am to 1pm,$5 admission, Ken Tanner 610-592-7487 Dec 6 IN, Newburgh. Evansville Military Collectors Club 1st Wednesday Swap & Sale. American Legion…