A gun truck is an armored vehicle with one or more crew-served weapons , typically based on a military truck . Gun trucks often have improvised vehicle armor , such as scrap metal, concrete, gravel, or sandbags , which is added to a heavy truck.
106-596: When the prospect of a German invasion of Britain seemed likely, the British Army designed and built an improvised armored vehicle, the Bedford OXA . It was based on the one and a half-ton OXD truck and was upgraded with armor plate, and armed with a .55 in anti-tank rifle and a Bren gun . Slightly less than a thousand were built by 1941, and they were employed by the British Home Guard . Other British examples from
212-434: A 100/17 with full rotation in the back. In 1942 the 90/53 on Lancia 3Ro entered service, still based on the same truck as the previous one, but equipped with the excellent Cannone da 90/53 , dual role high velocity gun; 30 were produced in 1942, another 90 were built on a different chassis as 90/53 on Breda 52. The 75/27 CK on Ceirano 50 CMA was instead already produced during the late 1920s to provide anti-aircraft support to
318-520: A German invasion of England would be a matter of life and death for the British, and they would unhesitatingly commit their naval forces, to the last ship and the last man, into an all-out fight for survival. Our Air Force could not be counted on to guard our transports from the British Fleets, because their operations would depend on the weather, if for no other reason. It could not be expected that even for
424-735: A M915 and Heavy Equipment Transporter with cab armor kits from Iraq, and a "Frankenstein" cab armor kit for the M939 5-ton truck. The Airman Heritage Museum also preserved a Hill Billy armor 5-ton gun truck from Iraq. The 1st Cavalry Museum brought back the last MRAP of the last convoy to cross the border from Iraq. The Colombian Army have several guns trucks based on the M35 2-1/2 ton cargo truck , locally named as "Meteoro", which are trucks with indigenous armour and two M2 heavy machine guns . Other models of trucks are modified to similar specification. These gun trucks are used for convoy protection and checkpoints against
530-571: A brief period our Air Force could make up for our lack of naval supremacy. On 13 August 1940, Jodl, Chief of Operations in the OKW ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht ) wrote his "Assessment of the situation arising from the views of the Army and Navy on a landing in England." His first point was that "The landing operation must under no circumstances fail. A failure could leave political consequences, which would go far beyond
636-526: A broad front", irritating the Kriegsmarine . On 13 July, Hitler met Field Marshal von Brauchitsch and Halder at Berchtesgaden and they presented detailed plans prepared by the army on the assumption that the navy would provide safe transport. To the surprise of Von Brauchitsch and Halder, and completely at odds with his normal practice, Hitler did not ask any questions about specific operations, had no interest in details, and made no recommendations to improve
742-549: A complex undertaking. The invasion was to be on a broad front, from around Ramsgate to beyond the Isle of Wight . Preparations, including overcoming the RAF, were to be in place by mid August. Grand Admiral Raeder sent a memorandum to OKW on 19 July, complaining about the onus placed on the navy in relation to the army and air force, and stating that the navy would be unable to achieve its objectives. The first joint services conference on
848-452: A desperate situation, but which we have no reason whatsoever to undertake at this moment." The Kriegsmarine invested considerable energy in planning and assembling the forces for an elaborate deception plan called Operation Herbstreise or "Autumn Journey". The idea was first mooted by Generaladmiral Rolf Carls on 1 August proposing a feint expedition into the North Sea resembling
954-478: A driver, two gunners, a non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), and sometimes a grenadier armed with an M79 grenade launcher . In October 1968, the factory-made hardening kits arrived to replace the sandbag and wood gun trucks. On November 24, 1967, during an engagement in "Ambush Alley", a group of gun trucks managed to thwart an ambush. The convoy lost six transport trucks and four gun trucks damaged or destroyed, and several drivers were killed and wounded, but
1060-561: A first wave of nine divisions from the 9th and 16th armies landing along four stretches of beach – two infantry divisions on beach 'B' between Folkestone and New Romney supported by a special forces company of the Brandenburg Regiment, two infantry divisions on beach 'C' between Rye and Hastings supported by three battalions of submersible/floating tanks, two infantry divisions on beach 'D' between Bexhill and Eastbourne supported by one battalion of submersible/floating tanks and
1166-644: A mobile role similar to a conventional armoured vehicle. During the war in North Africa all contenders made extensive use of portees and gun trucks. In particular, the Italians adapted and used seven gun trucks based on heavy trucks Fiat 634 and equipped with an 102/35 su Fiat 634N anti-aircraft gun in 1941-1942; initially intended for anti-ship and anti-air defense, they proved to be very effective against British tanks. Another sixteen gun trucks, still between 1941 and 1942, were based on heavy trucks Lancia 3Ro mounting
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#17330928405901272-420: A number of German General Staff members. After the war, Admiral Karl Dönitz said he believed air superiority was "not enough". Dönitz stated, "[W]e possessed neither control of the air or the sea; nor were we in any position to gain it". In his memoirs, Raeder, commander-in-chief of the Kriegsmarine in 1940, wrote: [U]p until now the British had never thrown the full power of their fleet into action. However,
1378-523: A particularly devastating attack killed seven drivers, wounded 17 and destroyed or damaged 30 trucks. To remedy the obvious vulnerability of the supply convoys, a "hardened convoy" concept was implemented, protected by a new type of security vehicle. This gun truck, as it became known, was based on the two-and-a-half-ton cargo truck , protected by a barrier of sandbags , and armed with two M60 machine guns . Hardened convoys were smaller than previously, being composed of only 100 trucks, and their security detail
1484-703: A precondition for the invasion of Britain , Hitler demanded both air and naval superiority over the English Channel and the proposed landing sites. The German forces achieved neither at any point of the war. Further, both the German High Command and Hitler himself held serious doubts about the prospects for success. Nevertheless, both the German Army and Navy undertook major preparations for an invasion. These included training troops, developing specialised weapons and equipment, modifying transport vessels and
1590-494: A report presented on 30 June, OKW Chief of Staff Alfred Jodl reviewed options to increase pressure on Britain to agree to a negotiated peace. The first priority was to eliminate the Royal Air Force and gain air supremacy . Intensified air attacks against shipping and the economy could affect food supplies and civilian morale in the long term. Reprisal attacks of terror bombing had the potential to cause quicker capitulation but
1696-513: A second company of the Brandenburg Regiment, and three infantry divisions on beach 'E' between Beachy Head and Brighton . A single airborne division would land in Kent north of Hythe ; with the objective of seizing the aerodrome at Lympne and bridge-crossings over the Royal Military Canal , and in assisting the ground forces in capturing Folkestone. Folkestone (to the east) and Newhaven (to
1802-624: A single-page letter in which he stated, "[A] combined operation having the objective of landing in England must be rejected. It could only be the final act of an already victorious war against Britain as otherwise the preconditions for success of a combined operation would not be met". Germany's swift and successful occupation of France and the Low Countries gained control of the Channel coast, facing what Schmid's 1939 report called their "most dangerous enemy". Raeder met Hitler on 21 May 1940 and raised
1908-543: A small number of slow and vulnerable Heinkel He 115 floatplanes. The Luftwaffe made 21 deliberate attacks on small torpedo boats during the Battle of Britain, sinking none. The British had between 700 and 800 small coastal craft (MTBs, Motor Gun Boats and smaller vessels), making them a critical threat if the Luftwaffe could not deal with the force. Only nine MTBs were lost to air attack out of 115 sunk by various means throughout
2014-508: A surprise "river crossing" was dismissed by Raeder, and the navy could not complete its preparations by mid August. Hitler wanted the air attack to commence early in August and, if it succeeded, the invasion was to start around 25 August before weather deteriorated. Hitler's main interest was the question of countering potential Russian intervention. Halder outlined his first thoughts on defeating Russian forces. Detailed plans were to be made to attack
2120-464: A troop convoy heading for Scotland, with the aim of drawing the British Home Fleet away from the intended invasion routes. Initially, the convoy was to consist of about ten small cargo ships fitted with false funnels to make them appear larger, and two small hospital ships . As the plan gathered momentum, the large ocean liners Europa , Bremen , Gneisenau and Potsdam were added to
2226-652: The Kanalkampf , which forced RAF Fighter Command into defensive action. In addition, wider raids gave aircrew experience of day and night navigation and tested the defences. On 13 August, the German Luftwaffe began a series of concentrated aerial attacks (designated Unternehmen Adlerangriff or Operation Eagle Attack ) on targets throughout the United Kingdom in an attempt to destroy the RAF and establish air superiority over Great Britain . The change in emphasis of
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#17330928405902332-619: The 22nd Air Landing Division had been captured (subsequently shipped to Britain as prisoners of war ), around 250 Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft had been lost, and several hundred elite paratroops and air-landing infantry had been killed or injured. Consequently, even in September 1940 the Luftwaffe had the capacity to provide only around 3,000 airborne troops to participate in the first wave of Operation Sea Lion. The Battle of Britain began in early July 1940 with attacks on shipping and ports in
2438-635: The Battle of Britain , nine months after the start of the Second World War . Following the Battle of France and that country's capitulation, Adolf Hitler , the German Führer and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces , hoped the British government would accept his offer to end the state of war between the two. He considered invasion to be a last resort, to be used only if all other options had failed. As
2544-560: The Fall of France . At the time, the only forces with experience and modern equipment for such landings were the Japanese, which they used during the Battle of Wuhan in 1938. In September 1939, the successful German invasion of Poland infringed on both a French and a British alliance with Poland and both countries declared war on Germany. On 9 October, Hitler's "Directive No. 6 for the Conduct of
2650-638: The Hipper to operate alone. National Route 19 (Vietnam) National Route 19 ( Vietnamese : Quốc lộ 19 [QL19] or Đường 19 ) runs across Vietnam roughly in line with the 14th parallel north . The route includes two segments: National Route 19 begins at Qui Nhơn and ends just short of the Vietnam- Cambodia border, while National Route 19B begins on the Qui Nhơn peninsula and joins Route 1 east of Phu Cat Airport . National Route 19 runs through
2756-621: The House Armed Services Committee , despite the reluctance of some Army superior officers. Developed with the help of Vietnam veterans by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , the resulting armored box (dubbed the "Hunter box") was intended for use on five-ton trucks. Their armor protection was composed of high-grade steel plating, fiberglass and ballistic glass , while the armament consisted of two to four heavy machine-guns. The first prototype
2862-582: The Humvee light utility vehicles were arriving in quantity by the end of 2004, and the cab armor kits for fleet of 5-ton trucks, M915 tractors and Heavy Equipment Transport Systems began arriving the next year. Priority of the M1114s went to Iraq-based escort units while the Kuwait-based truck companies that had to drive all across Iraq received the add-on-armor kits until more M1114s arrived. The soldiers appreciated
2968-616: The Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe . The paper outlined an assault on England's eastern coast between The Wash and the River Thames by troops crossing the North Sea from ports in the Low Countries . It suggested airborne troops as well as seaborne landings of 100,000 infantry in East Anglia , transported by the Kriegsmarine , which was also to prevent Royal Navy ships from getting through
3074-620: The M939 five-ton truck and the HMMWV . The Palletized Load Systems were also converted to gun trucks because fully loaded with cargo they could not keep up with the other trucks. The minimum requirement for gun truck escort was two gun trucks and each unit experimented with different gun truck designs and procedures. On April 5, 2004, the cleric Muqtadā al-Ṣadr called for a jihad against coalition forces and beginning on Thursday night, April 8, his Mahdi Militia destroyed eight bridges and overpasses around
3180-466: The Royal Air Force . In the event of a surprise, airborne attack, Bisons would deploy a short distance from the key points of the airfield and probably fight from static positions, positions where fixed defenses often could not be constructed as they would impede aircraft movement during day–to–day operations. The Armadillo's mobility, while poor, was better than the Bison's and it was intended they would take on
3286-524: The SPA AS.37 were equipped with an autocannon Breda 20/65 mod.35 for the protection of convoys. Likewise, many captured enemy vehicles, for example the Ford F15A , were equipped with the same weapon. Another English vehicle, the light truck Morris CS8 , was equipped with a 65/17 howitzer, about 30 were fitted. There were then numerous vehicles equipped with the 47/32 gun: the scout vehicles SPA-Viberti AS.42 ,
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3392-498: The Second World War . Only nine destroyers were sunk by air attack in 1940, out of a force of over 100 operating in British waters at the time. Only five were sunk while evacuating Dunkirk , despite large periods of German air superiority, thousands of sorties flown, and hundreds of tons of bombs dropped. The Luftwaffe ' s record against merchant shipping was also unimpressive: it sank only one in every 100 British vessels passing through British waters in 1940, and most of this total
3498-484: The quadmount .50 cal. machine guns were also used until 1969 when the truck companies had three to six gun trucks each. The gun truck design evolved with a four-sided gun box bolted on the outside of the truck bed, then an inner steel wall was added, with a space between each layer, to provide protection against anti-tank rockets . Because of the shortage of steel kits, the M113 armoured personnel carrier hulls were mounted on
3604-559: The special forces of the Brandenburg Regiment , controlled by the Abwehr . This initial plan was vetoed by opposition from both the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe , who successfully argued that an amphibious force could only be assured air and naval protection if confined to a narrow front, and that the landing areas should be as far from Royal Navy bases as possible. The definitive order of battle adopted on 30 August 1940 envisaged
3710-492: The 724th Transportation Company. Keith Matthew Maupin was listed as the only American soldier missing in action for several years until his body was finally discovered. After that, Brigadier General James Chambers, Commander of the 13th Corps Support Command , standardized the ratio of gun trucks per convoy and convoys should not exceed 30 vehicles. In April 2004, Leaders of the US Army Reserve 375th Transportation Group and
3816-635: The 812th Transportation Battalion formed a special provisional unit - the 518th Transportation Company called "Gun Truck" Company. Based in Camp Navistar (located on the Kuwait side of the border Near Safwan, Iraq), this company acquired 35 humvees and five M939 five-ton trucks, and modified them with improvised armor and .50 calibre machine-guns. With many Reserve and National Guard combat arms units already converting and performing Convoy Security Escort service while deployed to Iraq, as companies arrived to perform
3922-522: The Berghof conference on 31 July, the Luftwaffe were not represented. Raeder said barge conversions would take until 15 September, leaving the only possible 1940 invasion dates as 22–26 September, when weather was likely to be unsuitable. Landings would have to be on a narrow front and would be better in spring 1941. Hitler wanted the invasion in September as the British army was increasing in strength. After Raeder left, Hitler told von Brauchitsch and Halder that
4028-461: The Channel on the night of S-Tag plus two, having been moored for three full days off the South coast of England. The Army had sought to have the third echelon cross in later separate convoys to avoid men and horses having to wait for as long as four days and nights in their barges, but the Kriegsmarine were insistent that they could only protect the four fleets from Royal Navy attack if all vessels crossed
4134-560: The Channel together. A total of 138,000 men would have been landed in the first two days, rising to 248,000 within the first fortnight. In the summer of 1940, the headquarters staff of the British Army's Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces tended to consider East Anglia and the East coast to be the most likely landing sites for a German invasion force, as this would have offered much greater opportunities to seize ports and natural harbours, and would be further from naval forces at Portsmouth . But then
4240-488: The Channel, while the Luftwaffe had to control airspace over the landings. The Kriegsmarine response was focused on pointing out the many difficulties to be surmounted if invading England was to be a viable option. It could not envisage taking on the Royal Navy Home Fleet and said it would take a year to organise shipping for the troops. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring , head of the Luftwaffe , responded with
4346-454: The Conduct of Air Warfare", which argued for a counter to the British blockade and said "Key is to paralyse the British trade" by blocking imports to Britain and attacking seaports. The OKW ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or "High Command of the Armed Forces") considered the options and Hitler's 29 November "Directive No. 9 – Instructions For Warfare Against The Economy of the Enemy" stated that once
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4452-683: The Convoy Support Center Scania, the last truck stop before entering the Sunni Triangle, thus severing the supply line from the south, and then began large scale ambushes. Up until that night, the ambushes involved no more than seven ambushers with kill zones no larger than 100 meters. The next day the Militia ambushed any convoy heading into or out of Baghdad International Airport with kill zones several hundred meters long. The worst ambush killed eight KBR drivers and three US Army drivers of
4558-466: The English Motherland as a base from which the war against Germany can be continued, and, if necessary, to occupy the country completely." The code name for the invasion was Seelöwe , "Sea Lion". Hitler's directive set four conditions for the invasion to occur: This ultimately placed responsibility for Sea Lion ' s success squarely on the shoulders of Raeder and Göring, neither of whom had
4664-786: The Fiat-SPA AS43 and the light truck SPA AS.37. During the Vietnam War , it was the mission of the US Army Transportation Corps to ferry supplies from the coastal ports of Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay to inland bases located at Bong Son , An Khe , Pleiku , Da Lat and Buon Ma Thuot . The logistical requirements of the MACV were huge, and 200-truck convoys were not uncommon. These convoys were tempting targets for Vietcong (VC) guerrilla groups, who often sprung ambushes in remote areas. One unit that often fell victim to such attacks
4770-469: The Germans could not have gained air superiority before the weather window closed. Others have said that it was unlikely the Luftwaffe would ever have been able to destroy RAF Fighter Command. If British losses became severe, the RAF could simply have withdrawn northward and regrouped. It could then deploy if the Germans launched an invasion. Most historians agree Sea Lion would have failed regardless because of
4876-489: The Germans hoped. During the Dunkirk evacuation , few warships were actually sunk, despite being stationary targets. The overall disparity between the opposing naval forces made the amphibious invasion plan extremely risky, regardless of the outcome in the air. In addition, the Kriegsmarine had allocated its few remaining larger and more modern ships to diversionary operations in the North Sea. The fleet of defeated France, one of
4982-576: The Italian Air Corps ( Corpo Aereo Italiano or CAI), to assist in the Luftwaffe ' s aerial campaign over Britain in October and November 1940. The most daunting problem for Germany in protecting an invasion fleet was the small size of its navy. The Kriegsmarine , already numerically far inferior to Britain's Royal Navy, had lost a sizeable portion of its large modern surface ships in April 1940 during
5088-666: The Military Police - that the V-100 was a death trap if the armor was penetrated. Furthermore, the V-100 had problems with its power train. So the gun trucks continued to serve until the last American truck company was inactivated in South Vietnam in 1972. With the end of the Vietnam War, the need for such vehicles disappeared and most were either scrapped or returned to cargo carrying. One truck, an M54 named by its crew " Eve of Destruction ,"
5194-519: The Norwegian campaign, either as complete losses or due to battle damage. In particular, the loss of two light cruisers and ten destroyers was crippling, as these were the very warships most suited to operating in the Channel narrows where the invasion would likely take place. Most U-boats , the most powerful arm of the Kriegsmarine , were meant for destroying ships, not supporting an invasion. Although
5300-582: The Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and US Special Forces began to build a chain of bases in the Central Highlands to interdict the flow of men and material from North Vietnam . In August 1965 the 1st Cavalry Division established Camp Radcliff at An Khê. Route 19 became a vital supply artery to these bases and the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) conducted frequent ambushes along the road. As part of
5406-524: The Royal Navy could not bring the whole of its naval superiority to bear – as most of the fleet was engaged in the Atlantic and Mediterranean , and a substantial proportion had been detached to support Operation Menace against Dakar – the British Home Fleet still had a very large advantage in numbers. It was debatable whether British ships were as vulnerable to enemy air attack as
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#17330928405905512-471: The Soviet Union . Raeder met Hitler on 25 July to report on navy progress: they were not sure if preparations could be completed during August: he was to present plans at a conference on 31 July. On 28 July, he told OKW that ten days would be needed to get the first wave of troops across the Channel, even on a much narrower front. Planning was to resume. In his diary, Halder noted that if what Raeder had said
5618-469: The VC lost 41 killed and were forced to withdraw. This was the first ambush against gun trucks. Despite the increased security, transportation units still came under attack, forcing the gun truck units to improve the design of their vehicles. The two-and-a-half-ton trucks were underpowered, and the addition of armor and weapons slowed them down, leading to their replacement by M39 series 5-ton 6×6 trucks that formed
5724-515: The War" planned an offensive to defeat these allies and "win as much territory as possible in Holland, Belgium, and northern France to serve as a base for the successful prosecution of the air and sea war against England". With the prospect of the Channel ports falling under Kriegsmarine (German Navy) control, Grand Admiral ( Großadmiral ) Erich Raeder (head of the Kriegsmarine ) attempted to anticipate
5830-713: The accumulation of invasion barges in French ports from late August 1940 rather indicated a landing on the South coast. Consequently, the main Home Forces mobile reserve force was held back around London, so as to be able to move forwards to protect the capital, either into Kent or Essex. Hence, Sea Lion landings in Kent and Sussex would have been initially opposed by XII Corps of Eastern Command with three infantry divisions and two independent brigades and V Corps of Southern Command with three infantry divisions. In reserve were two more Corps under GHQ Home Forces; located south of London
5936-423: The air attack was to start around 5 August; eight to fourteen days after that, he would decide on the landing operation. London was showing new-found optimism, and he attributed this to their hopes of intervention by Russia, which Germany was to attack in the spring of 1941. On 1 August 1940, through Führer Directive No.17, Hitler instructed intensified air and sea warfare to "establish the necessary conditions for
6042-556: The air, and specifically asked the Luftwaffe when this would be achieved. On 4 July, after asking General Erich Marcks to begin planning an attack on Russia, Halder heard from the Luftwaffe that they planned to eliminate the RAF, destroying its aircraft manufacturing and supply systems, with damage to naval forces as a secondary aim. A Luftwaffe report presented to the OKW at a meeting on 11 July said that it would take 14 to 28 days to achieve air superiority. The meeting also heard that England
6148-458: The basis for larger gun trucks. The improvised nature of these vehicles meant they varied considerably in appearance. They were given colourful nicknames such as "Ace of Spades", "Deuce is Wild", "Cold Sweat", "Iron Butterfly" or "Pandemonium" that were often painted on the sides in large letters. Their armament consisted of various combinations of weapons including M60s, .50-calibre machine guns , and XM 134 miniguns . Anti-aircraft weapons such as
6254-495: The beaches on S-Tag itself, preferably at daybreak around two hours after high tide. The barges used for the first echelon would be retrieved by tugs on the afternoon of S-Tag, and those still in working order would be drawn up alongside the transport vessels to trans-ship the second echelon overnight, so that much of the second echelon and third echelon could land on S-Tag plus one, with the remainder on S-Tag plus two. The Navy intended that all four invasion fleets would return across
6360-499: The bed of a five-ton truck, thus providing all-round protection for the crew. The last design of gun box had the steel wall mounted inside the bed of the truck instead of outside. Despite their aggressive names, gun trucks were strictly defensive weapons, being used only for convoy escort and perimeter defense duties. Gun trucks suffered from several drawbacks. The added weight of armour, weapons and ammunition increased fuel consumption, as well as creating maintenance problems and reducing
6466-501: The bombing from RAF bases to bombing London , however, turned Adlerangriff into a short-range strategic bombing operation. The effect of the switch in strategy is disputed. Some historians argue the change in strategy lost the Luftwaffe the opportunity of winning the air battle or air superiority. Others argue the Luftwaffe achieved little in the air battle and the RAF was not on the verge of collapse, as often claimed. Another perspective has also been put forward, which suggests
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#17330928405906572-521: The channel on barges, would consist of the vehicles, horses, stores and personnel of the division-level support services. Loading of barges and transports with heavy equipment, vehicles and stores would start in Antwerp nine days before the first day of Operation Sealion ("S-Tag" minus nine); and S-Tag minus eight in Dunkirk, with horses not loaded till S-Tag minus two. All troops would be loaded onto their barges from French or Belgian ports on S-Tag minus two or S-Tag minus one. The first echelon would land on
6678-418: The coast had been secured, the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine were to blockade UK ports with sea mines, attack shipping and warships, and make air attacks on shore installations and industrial production. This directive remained in force in the first phase of the Battle of Britain. In December 1939, the German Army issued its own study paper (designated Nordwest ) and solicited opinions and input from both
6784-454: The collection of a large number of river barges and transport ships on the Channel coast. However, in light of mounting Luftwaffe losses in the Battle of Britain and the absence of any sign that the Royal Air Force had been defeated, Hitler postponed Sea Lion indefinitely on 17 September 1940. It was never put into action. Adolf Hitler hoped for a negotiated peace with the UK and made no preparations for amphibious assault on Britain until
6890-469: The convoy security mission, the 7th Transportation Group disbanded the unit in April, 2005. The use of improvised fighting vehicles, protected by the so-called " Hillbilly armor ", quickly became a political issue, with the Bush administration coming under criticism for having sent the U.S. military to fight without adequate equipment. The idea of producing a standardised gun truck was instigated by Representative Duncan Hunter ( R. - Calif. ), chairman of
6996-450: The convoys would head west towards Scotland before turning around at about 21:00 on the following day. In addition, the only heavy warships available to the Kriegsmarine , the heavy cruisers Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper , would attack the British armed merchant cruisers of the Northern Patrol and convoys inbound from Canada; however, the Scheer' s repairs overran and if the invasion had taken place in September, would have left
7102-399: The divisions, but by 1939 it was completely outdated, both in terms of mobility and firepower. In general these gun trucks proved to be quicker to position and open fire than normal artillery and they were valid if well hidden and protected, but the excessive height and mediocre mobility always remained major limitations. Numerous normal trucks such as the SPA Dovunque 35 , the Fiat-SPA 38R and
7208-476: The durability of the truck frames. Also, the personnel assigned as crew to the security vehicles were no longer available for transport duties, thus reducing the lift capacity of each unit. Despite this, they were generally regarded as a success. In all, an estimated 300 to 400 trucks were transformed in this way. Senior officers saw the 5-ton gun truck as a temporary solution until enough V-100 armored cars arrived. However, by 1970 it became obvious to all - except
7314-590: The effect on morale was uncertain. Once the Luftwaffe had control of the air and the British economy had been weakened, an invasion would be a last resort or a final strike (" Todesstoss ") after the UK had already been practically defeated, but could have a quick result. At a meeting that day, OKH Chief of General Staff Franz Halder heard from Secretary of State Ernst von Weizsäcker that Hitler had turned his attention to Russia. Halder met Admiral Otto Schniewind on 1 July, and they shared views without understanding each other's position. Both thought that air superiority
7420-467: The final conquest of England". From 5 August, subject to weather delays, the Luftwaffe was "to overpower the English Air Force with all the forces at its command, in the shortest possible time." Attacks were then to be made on ports and food stocks, while leaving alone ports to be used in the invasion, and "air attacks on enemy warships and merchant ships may be reduced except where some particularly favourable target happens to present itself." The Luftwaffe
7526-401: The first wave landing forces was divided into three echelons. The first echelon, carried across the Channel on barges, coasters and small motor launches, would consist of the main infantry assault force. The second echelon, carried across the Channel in larger transport vessels, would consist predominantly of artillery, armoured vehicles and other heavy equipment. The third echelon, carried across
7632-507: The following towns and cities: Route Coloniale 19 or RC19 was constructed by the French in the early 20th century and was the main road connecting the Central Highlands with the coastal region of Vietnam. The Battle of Mang Yang Pass took place along RC19 between An Khê and Pleiku from 24 to 30 June 1954. In the early 1960s as the Vietnam War began to increase in intensity, the Army of
7738-458: The guerrillas. Operation Sealion Luxembourg The Netherlands Belgium France Britain 1941–1943 1944–1945 Germany Strategic campaigns Operation Sea Lion , also written as Operation Sealion ( German : Unternehmen Seelöwe ), was Nazi Germany 's code name for their planned invasion of the United Kingdom . It was to take place during
7844-488: The insurgents turned to IEDs as their primary weapon of choice. The appearance of the explosively formed projectile required additional fragmentary armor added to the M1114s, which over-taxed their power trains and suspension systems. The improved M1151 Up-armored HMMWV became the escort platform of choice along with the 5-ton gun trucks until the MRAPs began replacing them in 2008. The Heavy Equipment Transporter proved to be
7950-540: The invasion-scare period were the Armadillo armoured fighting vehicle and the Bison concrete armoured lorries . Both were conventional trucks fitted with improvised armour, in the case of the Bison, a concrete fighting-compartment was carried, essentially making a mobile pillbox . The Armadillo used two walls of wood, with the space between filled with gravel. Both vehicles had poor mobility and were employed for airfield defense by
8056-547: The invasion. At a meeting with the army, the navy proposed delay until May 1941, when the new battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz would be ready. A navy memorandum issued on 30 July said invasion would be vulnerable to the Royal Navy, and autumn weather could prevent necessary maintenance of supplies. The OKW assessed alternatives, including attacking the British in the Mediterranean, and favoured extended operations against England while remaining on good terms with Russia. At
8162-449: The list. These were organised into four separate convoys, escorted by light cruisers, torpedo boats and minesweepers, some of which were obsolete vessels being used by naval training bases. The plan was that three days before the actual invasion, the troopships would load the men and equipment of four divisions in major Norwegian and German ports and put to sea, before unloading them again on the same day in quieter locations. Returning to sea,
8268-554: The main invasion forces. The same airborne tactics had also been used in support of the invasions of Belgium and the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. However, although spectacular success had been achieved in the airborne assault on Fort Eben-Emael in Belgium, German airborne forces had come close to disaster in their attempt to seize the Dutch government and capital of The Hague . Around 1,300 of
8374-493: The manpower or equipment to secure the whole highway. Other military combat units only controlled the stretch of road within their designated checkpoints and could serve as a reaction force; so for much of the way, it fell onto the transport units to provide themselves immediate security. At first, they did this with armed jeeps , but these rapidly proved inadequate in the face of improved VC and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam weaponry and tactics. On September 2, 1967,
8480-407: The military ones." He believed that the Luftwaffe could meet its essential objectives, but if the Kriegsmarine could not meet the operational requirements of the Army for an attack on a broad front with two divisions landed within four days, followed promptly by three further divisions irrespective of weather, "then I consider the landing to be an act of desperation, which would have to be risked in
8586-486: The most powerful and modern in the world, might have tipped the balance against Britain if it had been captured by the Germans. However, the pre-emptive destruction of a large part of the French fleet by the British Attack on Mers-el-Kébir on 3 July 1940 ensured that this could not happen. Those who believed that, regardless of a potential German victory in the air battle, Sea Lion was still not going to succeed included
8692-497: The most survivable vehicle on the road because of its height, so Kuwait-based units began sending them out ahead of the convoy looking for IEDs. The Army Transportation Museum preserved several examples of Iraq and Afghanistan gun trucks. It has a Hill Billy armor 5-ton gun truck from Iraq, HMMWV with prototype add-on-armor kit, M1114 that survived an IED blast in Afghanistan, a LLNL 5-ton gun truck "Ace of Spades" from Iraq, two MRAPs,
8798-634: The much needed armored protection but the extra weight of the add-on-armor kits reduced the Humvee's acceleration and speed substantially. The suspension and power train wore out quickly. The modified heavier vehicle's sluggishness could not match the maneuverability of the insurgent's vehicles. By the Palm Sunday Ambush (see Lee Ann Hester ) on March 20, 2005, all vehicles on the road had some form of armor whether improvised or factory built. After suffering high losses during this ambush, with no Americans killed,
8904-516: The obvious next step that might entail and instructed his operations officer, Kapitän Hansjürgen Reinicke , to draw up a document examining "the possibility of troop landings in England should the future progress of the war make the problem arise". Reinicke spent five days on this study and set forth the following prerequisites: On 22 November 1939, the Head of Luftwaffe (German Air Force) intelligence Joseph "Beppo" Schmid presented his "Proposal for
9010-495: The plans; instead, he simply told OKW to start preparations. On 16 July 1940 Hitler issued Führer Directive No. 16, setting in motion preparations for a landing in Britain. He prefaced the order by stating: "As England, despite her hopeless military situation, still shows no signs of willingness to come to terms, I have decided to prepare, and if necessary to carry out, a landing operation against her. This operation aimed to eliminate
9116-587: The proposed invasion was held by Hitler in Berlin on 21 July, with Raeder, Brauchitsch, and Luftwaffe Chief of Staff Hans Jeschonnek . Hitler told them that the British had no hope of survival, and ought to negotiate, but were hoping to get Russia to intervene and halt German oil supplies. Invasion was very risky, and he asked them if direct attacks by air and submarine could take effect by mid September. Jeschonnek proposed large bombing attacks so that responding RAF fighters could be shot down. The idea that invasion could be
9222-527: The seafront at Brighton, perhaps supported by a second airborne force landing on the South Downs. Contrariwise, the Kriegsmarine (fearful of possible fleet action against the invasion forces from Royal Navy ships in Portsmouth) insisted that the divisions enshipped from Cherbourg and Le Havre for landing on beach 'E', might be diverted to any one of the other beaches where sufficient space allowed. Each of
9328-562: The slightest enthusiasm for the venture and, in fact, did little to hide their opposition to it. Nor did Directive 16 provide for a combined operational headquarters, similar to the Allies' creation of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) for the later Normandy landings, under which all three service branches (Army, Navy, and Air Force) could work together to plan, co-ordinate, and execute such
9434-429: The third wave. The order of battle defined on 30 August remained as the agreed overall plan but was always considered as potentially subject to change if circumstances demanded it. The Army High Command continued to press for a wider landing area if possible, against the opposition of the Kriegsmarine ; in August they had won the concession that, if the opportunity arose, a force might be landed directly from ships onto
9540-455: The topic of invasion, but he warned of the risks and expressed a preference for blockade by air, submarines and raiders . By the end of May, the Kriegsmarine had become even more opposed to invading Britain following its costly victory in Norway ; after Operation Weserübung , the Kriegsmarine had only one heavy cruiser, two light cruisers, and four destroyers available for operations. Raeder
9646-679: The war, did the Iraqi insurgents begin attacking convoys with regularity, which led to the re-invention of the gun truck. The truck units initially used sandbags and plywood as outlined in FM 55-30, but experienced the same problems as encountered in Vietnam. By definition a gun truck was any wheeled vehicle with a crew-served weapon regardless of whether it had any armor or not. Initially, the truck drivers mounted armor and machine guns on any and every wheeled vehicle in their inventory but settled on two primary platforms,
9752-790: The weakness of the German Kriegsmarine compared to the Royal Navy . The record of the Luftwaffe against naval combat vessels up to that point in the war was poor. In the Norwegian campaign, despite eight weeks of continuous air supremacy, the Luftwaffe sank only two British warships: the light cruiser HMS Curlew and the destroyer HMS Gurkha . The German aircrews were not trained or equipped to attack fast-moving naval targets, particularly agile naval destroyers or motor torpedo boats (MTB). The Luftwaffe also lacked armour-piercing bombs and their only aerial torpedo capability, essential for defeating larger warships, consisted of
9858-425: The west) were the only cross-channel port facilities that would have been accessible to the invasion forces; and much depended on these being captured substantially intact or with the capability of rapid repair; in which case the second wave of eight divisions (including all the motorised and armoured divisions) might be unloaded directly onto their respective quaysides. A further six infantry divisions were allocated to
9964-508: Was achieved using mines. Had an invasion taken place, the Bf 110 equipped Erprobungsgruppe 210 would have dropped Seilbomben just prior to the landings. This was a secret weapon which would have been used to blackout the electricity network in south-east England. The equipment for dropping the wires was fitted to the Bf 110 aeroplanes and tested. It involved dropping wires across high voltage wires and
10070-579: Was brought back intact and is on display at the Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis , Virginia . During the Iraq War , the vulnerability of American supply convoys became apparent as soon as March 2003, when a maintenance unit was ambushed in Nasiriyah , with eleven soldiers killed and five taken prisoner, including Pfc. Jessica Lynch . Not until June 2003 during the post-invasion phase of
10176-694: Was completed in March 2004, and shipped to Iraq in July 2004, after which production began at a slow rate, with 35 units in service by July 2005. As of September 2007, a total of 100 kits had been produced for Iraq, and 18 for use in Afghanistan . The "Hunter boxes" apparently proved popular with U.S. troops, but were criticized by senior officers for their lack of overhead protection, and for being top-heavy. However, few cases exist to prove their doubts in this equipment. Fully armored M1114s and factory-built add-on-armor kits for
10282-512: Was discussing an agreement with Russia. On the same day, Grand Admiral Raeder visited Hitler at the Berghof to persuade him that the best way to pressure the British into a peace agreement would be a siege combining air and submarine attacks. Hitler agreed with him that invasion would be a last resort. Jodl set out the OKW proposals for the proposed invasion in a memorandum issued on 12 July, which described operation Löwe (Lion) as "a river crossing on
10388-493: Was increased until there was one gun truck for every 10 transport trucks. In the event of an ambush, their role was to drive into the kill zone during the first few minutes of the attack, and saturate the attackers with their firepower . Early designs proved flawed, as the sandbag protections quickly became waterlogged in the frequent rains, weighing down the whole vehicle. They were later replaced with ad hoc steel armor plating , salvaged from scrap yards. The crew consisted of
10494-411: Was needed first, and could make the invasion unnecessary. They agreed that minefields and U-boats could limit the threat posed by the Royal Navy; Schniewind emphasised the significance of weather conditions. On 2 July, the OKW asked the services to start preliminary planning for an invasion, as Hitler had concluded that invasion would be achievable in certain conditions, the first of which was command of
10600-415: Was probably as dangerous to the aircraft crews as to the British. Upon hearing of Hitler's intentions, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini , through his Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo Ciano , quickly offered up to ten divisions and thirty squadrons of Italian aircraft for the proposed invasion. Hitler initially declined any such aid but eventually allowed a small contingent of Italian fighters and bombers,
10706-518: Was strongly opposed to Sea Lion, for over half of the Kriegsmarine surface fleet had been either sunk or badly damaged in Weserübung , and his service was hopelessly outnumbered by the ships of the Royal Navy. British parliamentarians still arguing for peace negotiations were defeated in the May 1940 War Cabinet Crisis , but throughout July the Germans continued with attempts to find a diplomatic solution. In
10812-606: Was the VII Corps with the 1st Canadian Infantry Division , an armoured division and an independent armoured brigade, while north of London was IV Corps with an armoured division, infantry division and independent infantry brigade. See British army anti invasion preparations . The success of the German invasion of Denmark and Norway , on 9 April 1940, had relied extensively on the use of paratroop and glider-borne formations ( Fallschirmjäger ) to capture key defensive points in advance of
10918-574: Was the 8th Transportation Group, based in Qui Nhon. Two dangerous stretches of Route 19 between Qui Nhon and Pleiku became the VC's favorite kill zones, the "Devil's Hairpin" in An Khe Pass and " Ambush Alley " below Mang Yang Pass as incidents occurred there on an almost daily basis. Providing security for convoys proved virtually impossible, as the Military Police units whose task it was did not have
11024-453: Was to be organised into two army groups drawn from the 6th Army , the 9th Army and the 16th Army . The first wave of the landing would have consisted of thirteen infantry and mountain divisions , the second wave of eight panzer and motorised infantry divisions and finally, the third wave was formed of six further infantry divisions. The initial assault would have also included two airborne divisions under Luftwaffe command, and
11130-416: Was to keep sufficient forces in reserve for the proposed invasion and was not to target civilians without a direct order from Hitler in response to RAF terror bombing. No decision had been reached on the choice between immediate decisive action and a siege. The Germans hoped the air action would force the British to negotiate and make invasion unnecessary. In the Army plan of 25 July 1940, the invasion force
11236-435: Was true, "all previous statements by the navy were so much rubbish and we can throw away the whole plan of invasion". On the next day, Halder dismissed the navy's claims and required a new plan. The Luftwaffe announced on 29 July that they could begin a major air attack at the start of August, and their intelligence reports gave them confidence of a decisive result. Half of their bombers were to be kept in reserve to support
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