Today in WW II: 9 Jul 1940 Battle of Calabria [Battle of Punta Stilo, the toe of Italy] fought between the Italian Royal Navy and the British/Australian Royal Navies, 30 miles [48km] east of Punta Stilo. More ?

9 Jul 1943 US-British invasion of Sicily begins [night of 9-10 Jul].
9 Jul 1944 British and Canadian forces capture Caen from the Germans, a critical post-D-Day objective in Normandy, France.
9 Jul 1944 US forces reach the northern end of Saipan, finding thousands of Japanese civilian men, women, and children who commit suicide by leaping off the cliffs rather than be captured.
Visit the Olive-Drab.com World War II Timeline for day-by-day events 1939-1945! See also WW2 Books.

M-1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV)

In December 1995, the Cadillac Gage ASV 150 was selected to be standardized as the M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle (ASV) for the U.S. Army Military Police Corps. The M-1117 ASV was first fielded in Fiscal Year 2000, in order to provide the Military Police with greater protection and firepower.

The four-wheel drive vehicle features an all-welded steel armor hull that has been fitted with advanced ceramic armor. The armor package protects the crew compartments and ammo storage areas with a higher level of protection against heavy machine guns, armor-piercing rounds, shrapnel from conventional artillery, land mines and the effects of rocket-propelled grenades. The ceramic armor is mounted to the steel hull with a spall liner on the interior surfaces.

The M-1117 ASV is operated by a crew of three with an optional seat for a fourth passenger. The M-1117 has an independent axle coil spring suspension system, which will give it a significant increase in cross-country mobility vs the Up-armored HMMWV. A central tire-pressure inflation system is included along with other measures to reduce noise and thermal signatures.

Find additional photos and hi-res versions of the M-1117 Armored Security Vehicle at the Olive-Drab Military Mashup.

M-1117 Armored Security Vehicle Photo Gallery

M-1117 Armored Security Vehicle, Camp Liberty, Iraq, 5 April 2005.

M-1117 Armored Security Vehicle. Deployed with 527th and 615th Military Police Companies, 18th Military Police Brigade, Kosovo, 2000.