Asked this earlier as an add on question. Think it got lost. Anyhow ..... When did the BFA for the .50 cal come into use? From photos I'm thinking it is part of the MILES set up. If not, would it be accurate for a 82-84 Reforger M-1?

Looks like you can even do without :

REFORGER 1984 :



H.P.

Hello,
BFAs were used since the late 70's and were seen regulary on M60 MBTs and M113s in REFORGERS at this time.

M1s were not very often seen with BFA, since they appeared in Reforger, I have millions of "m1s in REFORGERS" pictures but only a handful shows them with BFA.

I hope I could help you.

That's kinda what I thought. Didn't see them on any photos ... M-1s, M113s, or anything from the time frame. But I know there are those out there smarter than me. Will be doing a NTC IPM-1 (when the kit shows from China. ) ... late 80s... Photos show it with the BFA and Miles sensors. That's why I was wondering if the adapter was part of the MILES.

I've used a .50 blank adapter as early as 1972. As you said, they were used in conjunction with MILES gear. But, not every tank or APC was issued a blank adapter that might have been equipped with MILES gear. MILES was not unit equipment, and was kept at a centralized Training Aid Support Center (TASC), or at a Theater TASC in the case of Units participating in Reforger. They would need to be arranged for and drawn in advance of use, and blank ammo would also need to be drawn, sometimes neither are available due to supply problems. Blank adapters were not always issued on the basis of 1:1 and a unit might be able to draw them from TASC on the basis of one adapter for every two or three vehicles depending on supply. In many cases, TASCs would need to order and move sets between posts depending on what was available. No doubt that's why the photos of some vehicles show blank adapters and some don't have them. You cannot fire blanks without one--well, you can fire ONE blank without one, after that you're jammed or broken. This equipment is expensive, so it's hand receipted to users and accounted for, and turned back into the TASC after use.
VR, Russ

Since you are building a NTC "drawyard" M1IP, then yes, the tank would have come with MILES and the BFA. All weapons had to provide a firing signature when used in the "Force on Force maneuver box. If you like, you could omit the BFA and pose the model as being in the Live Fire phase of the NTC rotation. All BFAs and blank ammunition are removed to allow the firing of live ammunition against the plywood OPFOR targets in Drinkwater Valley.

A NTC drawyard M1IP or the later M1A1s can offer lots of marking options as many units applied temporary markings with Green/100 MPH tape on various locations on the tanks skirts, which often left behind adhesive residue. Also, don't forget to add the .50 caliber MG's MILES transmitter, which would fit on top of the barrel support. The other add-on feature is the transponder antenna, which looks very similar to the AN/VRC 105D AKA DUKE antenna.


John

So are you doing an NTC M1 or a Reforger M1?

Both. M-1 4/64th Armor, Reforger 84. IPM-1 NTC.

And an M-1A2 77th Armor, Korea. Planning a USMC M-1A1. Debating between 1st Tank, Helmand Provnice (to go with my Shredder.) or one out of 29 Palms set up for amphib landing training ... to show off the wading gear.

If you are building them, please get the nomenclature right. There is no hyphen in any of them; M1, M1IP, M1A1, and M1A2.

Thanks Gino. (Like at the fire station I made the mistake of reffering to the rig as a "truck". Engineer chewed me a new one. "There's no big ass ladder on top! It's an ENGINE!") And just for the record, I thought it was M1IP, but had seen several sources say IPM1 .... which I thought looked odd.... but seemed to be in the majority . (Shoulda been suspicious. There was a Major involved.)

Just curious as to the best of my knowledge, 4-64 Armor did not exist in 1984. Perhaps 4-66 Armor from 3d BDE, 3ID 1-64 from 2 BDE 3ID, or 2-64 Armor or 3-64 Armor from 1st BDE?

I was going off the page from the Tankograd book on the early M1s in Reforger that shows the ID plaques on the back of the turrets. List says it is for the 82 - 86 time frame . It shows the 4th Batt. I picked that because I had a disc to make it in the spares box, without much fuss.

Well, looks like I was half right. 82 is OK, but 1st and 4th batts. were moved to Ft. Stewart in 84. (depending on timing 84 might be good too.) In 1963, the 64th Armor was activated as a parent regiment under the Combined Arms Regimental System. All 4 battalions of the 64th Armor were in Germany for over 20 years of distinguished service. In 1984, the 1st and the 4th Battalions, 64th Armor, redeployed from Germany to Fort Stewart, Georgia, while the 2nd and 3rd remained in Germany. The 1st Battalion was the 64th Regimental Headquarters and Fort Stewart was the home base.

Was there a regulation way to wireup the Hoffman device on the M1 . The Reforger ones (that I've seen had them clamped to the barrel aft of the fume extractor. Only photo I've seen of the wiring seems to show the wire running off the device, loosely looped around the barrel once or twice, looped around the bracket on the top of the mantle, along the left front edge of the turret, around the spare road wheel on the turret top,then down the left side of the top to the conduit for the left smoke grenade launcher.

Just check out TM 9-1265-373-10-1

H.P.