Military Vehicle Quick Start

This Military Vehicle Quick Start page lists the key things you can do right away to get into the world of Military Vehicles. In addition to studying the extensive material on Olive-Drab.com, if you want to find out the 'who, what, when, where, and how' of MVs, this is how you do it.

Pfc. Jason Jenkins, from Provisional Reconstruction Team Farah, International Security Assistance Force, mans M2 Machine Gun atop his HMMWV during a mission to Kinesk in Farah Province, Afghanistan, 24 August 2005.

Today in WW II: 23 May 1943 Adm. Döntiz, commander of the German Navy, calls off the Battle of the Atlantic, recognizing that the U-boat is no longer an effective weapon. More ↓

23 May 1944 Allied breakout from Anzio beachhead.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

Getting Started with Military Vehicles

This list lays out the seven things you should do right away to get off to a good start with military vehicles:

1. Join the MVPA. The Military Vehicle Preservation Association is the leading world-wide organization serving the interests of people involved with military vehicles for any reason. At their web site you will find many valuable resources. They also have a magazine Army Motors and newsletter Supply Line. I have been a member since 1976 and I strongly urge you to join up now and support them!
2. Subscribe to Military Vehicles Magazine. Between this magazine and the publications you get as an MVPA member, you have the major bases covered. This is a "must have". [Another excellent choice, especially if you are based in Europe, is Military Machines International -- see the Olive-Drab.com page on magazines.]	Logo of Military Vehicles Magazine
3. Join a Military Vehicle Internet mailing list or forum. This is the quickest and best way to find out what is going on and to establish contact with experienced people who can help you get started.
4. Go to MVPA local chapter meetings as well as regional and national events. Click on this picture of a regional MVPA convention in Massachusetts to go to a list of events maintained on the Military Vehicles magazine web site. Check the MVPA web site (Upcoming Events section) and the magazines for more. Especially in the summer, there is something going on all the time. Sign up and go!
5. Get a Portrayal Press catalog. This publisher is the leading provider of military publications including originals and reprints of hundreds of manuals related to military vehicles.
6. Investigate GovernmentLiquidation.com, the source for direct sales by the U.S. Government. Full details on the Olive-Drab.com page on Government Auctions.
7. Check out Military Vehicle Dealers in the Olive-Drab.com Supplier Database and the advertisers who appear on the site pages. Photo: Courtesy White Owl Parts Co. Inc.

Through the Internet forums or mailing lists, MVPA chapters and events you can meet people who own and/or have worked on vehicles which match your interests. That is how you get the unbiased advice you need, from people who have no financial interest in selling you the vehicle, parts, or service. There are many good-hearted men and women who have been in this hobby for a long time and who can and will tell you what you need to know based on hands-on experience. Study the technical materials in the manuals and magazines, then with a little effort and an open mind on your part, these contacts will put you on very solid ground very rapidly.

Be sure to read Wanna Buy a Truck? on the linked page.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of military vehicles of all types at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup:

Trailer, Ammunition, M10 has been adopted for all calibers of artillery, 1943. All around are ample books for lashing the load or fastening the tarp (which should be used for protection from sun or rain). Wheels have individual hand brakes. For larger calibers, a frame or rack is bolted in to hold projectiles upright; capacity: 18 rounds of 155mm gun ammunition, 24 of 155mm howitzer, or larger quantities of cloverleaves for smaller calibers. A pintle permits the trailer to serve as a limber, in which case an electric cable (seen hanging by the lunette) transmits power to the piece's brakes.

USMC M-76 Otter, Carrier, Cargo, Amphibious, Marine Corps Amphibious Museum, Camp Del Mar, on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, CA. Built by Pontiac.

Ford GPW jeep with towed 37mm anti-tank gun, at the US Marine Corps Mechanized Museum, Camp Pendleton, CA.

2 1/2-ton truck (CCKW?) with what appears to be an SCR-299 transmitter and receiver unit mounted in the bed, near Camp Young, Desert Training Center, CA, 21 November 1942. Typical configuration for such radio trucks included PE-95 power unit installed in towed Ben Hur K-52 trailer.

M-41 155mm Howitzer Motor Carriage, from 999th Armored Field Artillery Bn., Korea, circa January 1951.

Find More Information on the Internet

There are many fine websites that have additional information on this topic, too many to list here and too many to keep up with as they come and go. Use this Google web search form to get an up to date report of what's out there.

For good results, try entering this: jeep military or army. Then click the Search button.