Expanded M37 Section

The M37 3/4 ton 4×4 Cargo Truck and its siblings are a family of very tough light trucks, produced starting in the 1950s.  Though long replaced in the US military, they are remembered fondly for their rugged reliability and ease of maintenance.  Olive-Drab.com has had a few pages on the M37 for years, but now has an expanded section with much more information and photos.

It all starts here:  M37 Family of Trucks

Individual pages for specific trucks in the family include:

• M37 and M37B1 Cargo Truck
• M42 Command Truck
• M43 Ambulance
• M56 & M53 Chassis Truck
• V41 Maintenance Truck (M201)
• M152 Panel Utility Truck
• XM708 Dump Truck
• XM711 Wrecker

There is much more to explore. If you have any photos of some of the rare variants, please send them in.

 

Digital Camo Uniforms

New pages have been added to describe the digital camouflage uniforms adopted by the U.S. military in recent years.  Here is an index to the new material:

 Introduction: U.S. Armed Services’ Digital Camo Uniforms

Detail pages:

• Marine Pattern Uniform (MARPAT)
• Army Combat Uniform (ACU)
• USAF Airman Battle Uniform (ABU)
• Navy Working Uniform (NWU)

 

Happy Birthday Olive-Drab.com

Olive-Drab.com is ten years old, this month.  The domain registration record for the name Olive-Drab.com says that the record was created on 20-May-1998.  Starting with a few pages about military jeeps, the site has grown to cover a varied array of military topics with over 1500 pages, thousands of photos and many other features like the web’s largest list of military suppliers.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped add to the site content, making it much richer than I could do alone.  People who have taken the time to provide additional information or to correct errors are much appreciated as they have increased the value to all visitors.

What will the next ten years bring?  As they say, stay tuned!

Chuck Chriss
Editor
Olive-Drab.com

 

 

M*A*S*H 25 Year Commemoration 23 February 2008

Yesterday was a commemoration celebration marking the 25th anniversary of the last episode of the M*A*S*H television series.  The commemoration was held on the site of the M*A*S*H outdoor set, in Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu, CA.   Here is the Olive-Drab.com page that describes the festivities with photos:

•  M*A*S*H 25 Year Commemoration 23 February 2008

 

J8 Jeep

Since the M-151 jeep was phased out in the 1990s, there has been no new direct descendent of the WW II jeeps.  Now, Chrysler LLC has introduced the Jeep J8, a military version of the four door Wrangler Unlimited.  This vehicle will not be available in the U.S. due to regulations, but will be offered to government and military buyers internationally.

• Jeep J8 on Olive-Drab.com

 

Olive Drab Paint

In response to many requests, a page has been created on Olive-Drab.com reviewing the history of olive drab paint in the U.S. military.  Starting with Lustreless Olive Drab in 1940, there have been confusingly many shades and gloss variations of olive drab used for U.S. military vehicles.  If you are restoring a vehicle, it can be difficult to decide exactly what paint to buy to either match original paint or to repaint to represent a perticular point in time. 

For the whole story, go here:

• OD Paint for Military Vehicles

 

Happy New Year

To all visitors to Olive-Drab.com best wishes for Happy New Year and for all of 2008.  If you are in the military, the wish is extended to include a successful completion of your mission and safe return home.

 Happy holiday!

 

More Military Videos

More video is coming to Olive-Drab.com.  The vast increase in video available through Internet sources does include a lot of military content.  To harness this abundance, Olive-Drab.com is hooking into the resources of YouTube and other repositories to display a selection of related video where matching material can be located.

 Here are two pages already set up as a trial:

http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_m198howitzer.php

http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_online_videos.php

More videos will be added soon, especially for popular vehicles such as the HMMWV and jeeps.

 

Military Fire & Crash Trucks

The Olive-Drab.com section on Military Fire & Crash Trucks has been expanded with an overview of the vehicles, history, and pages for specific vehicles. 

It all starts on this page:

Chart of Military Fire & Crash Trucks

 

Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles

The Improvised Explosive Device (IED) has caused more castualties in Iraq and Afghanistan than any other threat. Soft-skinned vehicles were completely vulnerable and even up-armored vehicles were not protective against larger and newer forms of IED. The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles emerged by 2007 as the solution to this problem.

 Olive-Drab.com now has a section describing the family of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicles, including many photos.