Photo By Claudia Neve | A Combat Tank or "Sherman" is shown at Equipment Park at Fort McCoy, Wis., on Oct. 17,...... read more read more
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The Korean War started on June 25, 1950, and ended on June 27, 1953, with the signing of an armistice. During most of those years, then-Camp McCoy was also home to training Soldiers for fighting in that war as well, and Soldiers training on post then and those fighting in the war used a unique mix of Army vehicles and equipment.
Some of those vehicle types and equipment can be seen at Equipment Park inside the installation’s historic Commemorative Area.
The Equipment Park is an outdoor display of historic and present-day equipment representative of the types used on the installation. The design of the park allows for display of 70 pieces of equipment, ranging from helicopters and howitzers to trucks and trailers. The Commemorative Area also consists of five World War II-era buildings set aside to help tell Fort McCoy’s unique story.
These facilities are representative of the types found in the cantonment area when it was constructed in 1942.
The Equipment Park was established in the mid-1990s to complement the Commemorative Area’s historical representation, said former Fort McCoy Public Affairs Officer Linda Fournier, who was responsible for the Commemorative Area from 1992 to 2015. What began as an initial outdoor display of five pieces of equipment (“macro-artifacts”) increased over time to what is today a display of 70 different items of equipment and vehicles.
“All of the items on display in the Equipment Park specifically were selected in keeping with our Commemorative Area mission statement: to present pieces of military equipment that are representative of what was used here on Fort McCoy,” Fournier said in 2015.
Public Affairs Officer Tonya Townsell with the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office who now leads the public interaction with the Commemorative Area and Equipment Park, said the park offers a great spot for picnicking. “The Equipment Park is always open for those who have Fort McCoy access, and there are picnic tables available to use on the outer edges of the park for people to use,” Townsell said.
Among the 70 items in Equipment Park is an M3 Personnel Carrier (Half-Track). This carrier was available during the Korean War. According to Army facts about the M3, it was first manufactured in 1941 by White Motor Co., and later produced by Autocar Co., and Diamond T Motor Co. The M3 was used to transport cargo and personnel in combat zones.
“It used the same chassis and mechanical components as the M2 half-track car, but the rear-armored body was 10 inches longer and featured a door in the rear to ease entry and exit from
the vehicle,” the Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook states. It had a crew of three, could carry six passengers, and its top speed was 45 miles per hour (mph).
According to numerous online sources as well, the M3’s use in the Korean War was extensive, but after the war it was no longer considered as effective as more heavily armored vehicles like tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Another item from the Korean War-era at Equipment Park is the famous “Sherman” tank, or M4A3 Combat Tank.
The Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook states the version in the park was first built in 1942 by Ford Motor Co.
“The M4A3 provided firepower, mobility, and crew protection for offensive combat,” the guidebook states. “It was the principal U.S. combat tank in all combat zones for most of World War II.”
Versions of the Sherman were also used during the Korean War along with newer armored tanks such as the M46 Patton. The Sherman has a crew of five — a commander, gunner, loader,
driver, and assistant driver — and can go a top speed of 25 mph. Its main armament is a 76 mm main gun and .30- and .50-caliber machine guns.
For tracked vehicles from the Korean War-ear, Equipment Park also has the M42A1 Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun, Self-Propelled. According to the Fort McCoy Equipment Park Guidebook, this item was manufactured by Cadillac in 1951.
“The M42A1 deployed with armored divisions as a means of providing mobile anti-aircraft weapons,” the guidebook states. “Because of its rapid rate of fire, it also proved valuable as an infantry support weapon against ground targets.”
The M42A1 requires a crew of six — commander, gunner, sight-setter, two loaders, and a driver — and has an armament of two 40 mm guns.
And speaking of armament, the park also has the M114A2, 155 mm Howitzer from the Korean War-era. The guidebook states its “a towed weapon first produced in 1942 as medium artillery.”
“The M114A2 was used during World War II, and in the Korean and Vietnam Wars,” the guidebook states. The Howitzer required a crew of 11, had a range of 14 miles, and could have a sustained rate of fire of 40 rounds per hour.
In terms of troops transport, Equipment Park also displays a Korean War-era truck — the M37 Cargo Truck. It’s a 3/4-ton truck, and the initial version of this truck was developed in 1941 to replace the Army half-ton truck, the guidebook states.
“It was first manufactured in 1945 by the American Car and Foundry Co., and Cadillac Motor Car Division of the General Motors Co.,” the guidebook states. “It was used as a cargo and personnel carrier. The vehicle could be rigged on a platform for dropping in airborne operations.”
The vehicle would require a crew of three in the cab and six to eight people could be seated in box. Its top speed was 35 mph. Fording depth without special equipment was 42 inches.
“The area will be closed up for winter around mid-November,” Townsell said. People can still walk into the park from outside the driving area after November.
For more information, contact the Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office.
Learn more about the Army’s history in the Korean War by visiting the U.S. Army Center for Military History at https://history.army.mil.
Fort McCoy’s motto is to be the “Total Force Training Center.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin.
The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” and on Twitter by searching “usagmccoy.”
Also try downloading the Digital Garrison app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2023 18:16 |
| Story ID: | 457191 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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