All,
I am planning to build an M1A1 that fought with 2ACR at the Battle of 73 Easting (ok...maybe not such an original idea...)

I havn't been able to find any good pics of any 2ACR tanks during the war.
What I need to know is the following:

1. Did the 2 ACR get M1A1HA's? I've seen many pictures of 3ACR tanks that are early M1A1's with the original doghouse and early tracks. But I've also seen pics of their later tanks that apparantly they received right before the war began that are Heavy Armor varients with the later tracks. Was the same true for the 2ACR? Early M1A1 or M1A1(HA)

2. I have Osprey's new M1 book and it has an illustration of one of the 2 ACR tanks but I don't know how accurate it is. What markings were the 2 ACR tanks carrying at the time of the battle? I've read that many tanks had their bumper codes painted over at the beginnign of the war. Of course, I would love to model Capt. McMaster's track, but I haven't a clue what markings it would have had.

Thanks in advance

Dave Lueck

I believe they had M1A1HA tanks. I served in the 8th Infantry Division and we were the lowest priority unit in USAREUR. We got initital M1A1s in 1989 and M1A1HA in 1990. The Berlin Brigade drew M1A1HAs right after us and they were supposed to be the last to transition.

2ACR was a high priority unit and would have been fielded Heavies before we got them.

Most stateside (maybe even all) still had M1IPs and drew M1A1s in theater. The 3ACR was a stateside unit. I know the 9 month old initial M1A1s I turned in in Sept 1990 went straight to stateside units already in Saudi or on the way there.

Did you ever learn what version M1 and markings are correct for CPT McMaster's tank during the Battle of 73 Easting?

I'm not a model builder, but I am seeking an experienced, but reasonably priced military model builder, here in the U.S., to built an out-of-box, historically accurate 1/35 model of the M1A1 commanded by CPT H. R. McMaster during the 1991 Gulf War Battle of 73 Easting (Feb 26-27, 1991).

Tim

I would read a book called "The Fires of Babylon" it focuses on Eagle Troop during Operation Desert Storm, and Battle of 73 Easting. Also Tom Clancy's Armored Cavalry book has an interview with now LtGen HR McMaster which focuses on the battle. Using what pictures you can come across and all the threads on Armorama about the differences between the Abrams Variants you can piece it together.

Derek

AFAIK, 2ACR went to war in M1A1s, not M1A1HAs. I just looked in the Book A Warrior's Rage, written by the 2nd Squadron S-3 Douglas Macgregor, and one of the pictures included in the book was of his tank, which is clearly a M1A1 with T-156 rubber chevron track, not the later T-158 track with replaceable pads, which was introduced with the DU armored M1A1 Heavy Armor. Multiple tanks battalions in Europe did receive M1A1HAs in 1990 but 2 ACR did not get any before before ODS. If they did have HAs, they were issued after the fighting as the Regiment returned to Germany.

3 ACR, which was the 1st unit equipped with M1A1s in 1986, traded out their 4(+) year old tanks for new M1A1HAs immediately before they crossed the berm. I believe that the Concord Brave Rifles book has information and pictures of the units swapping out the A1s for the new Heavies. 3ACR swapped those Heavies for Heavy Commons in the 93-94 timeframe and swapped those out for M1A2s 98-99 time frame.

The 3ACR Heavies from ODS went to Korea to equip 1st and 2nd Tank (72nd Armor) in the 2nd Infantry Division at Camp Casey. The 3d Cav skirt markings were visible under as the NATO-flage CARC paint started to wear during routine field problems and gunnery training.

HTH

John