Cavanaugh Flight Museum - Armor and Vehicles

Armor and Vehicles

The Cavanaugh Flight Museum Armor and Vehicle collection is one of the finest in the world. Use the links provided below to learn more about the collection!

Armor

Chrysler M50 Super Sherman

M50 Super Sherman

The original M-4 Sherman chassis was similar to the M-3 Grant but with the main 75mm gun now placed in a turret rather than a sponson. It was powered by a radial aircraft engine which required a high profile for the transmission housing. The M-4A1 through A3 used gasoline powered engines. Diesel powered M-4A4' s were used by the USMC and some allies beginning in late 1944.

The Sherman was rugged, reliable and easily maintained. During three years of production, it was manufactured with three different hulls, two different turrets, four different guns, two major suspension types, three transmission housings and five different engines. They saw service in every theater and with all Allied nations. The name "Sherman" was given the vehicle by the British who used it as their main battle tank.

Each tank had a crew of five: commander, driver, assistant driver, loader and gunner.

Following World War II the M4 medium tank was used by the US until the end of the Korean War. Many nations continued to use the tank in both training and combat roles into the late 20th century.

The Sherman tank on display, serial no. 17091 was built by Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal in December 1942 and left the factory as an M4A4, equipped with a 75mm (M3) medium velocity general purpose main gun and was powered by a Chrysler Multibank A57 5xL6 30 cylinder 20.5 liter gasoline engine. In late 1944, 17081 was delivered to Europe as part of the Lend-Lease agreement between the US and the UK. It fought in Europe until the end of the Second World War, and then was given to the French as part of their post war army supplies. In the late 1950s the tank was acquired by the Israeli army, and upgraded with the French CN 75-50 75 mm gun in the "old" turret fitted with a counterweight. In the late 1960s, the engine was changed from the Chrysler gasoline engine to a Cummins VT8-460 diesel engine. With the Israeli modifications 17091 received the designation of M50 "Super Sherman" . While in service in Israel, 17091 fought in the "Six Days War" (1967) and the "Yom Kippur War" (1973). It shows some battle damage on the turret and on the main gun. The Israeli Army sold 17091 as surplus in the late 1980s. The Cavanaugh Flight Museum added 17091 to its collection in 2007.

The US Army Ordnance Department designed the Medium Tank M4 as a replacement for the M-3 Grant. The M-4 in all variants was a pre-World War II design which was intended for manufacture in large numbers. American operational plans called for tanks to be used with infantry and artillery to provide firepower to support infantry exploitation. The prototype M4 was completed on 2 September 1941 and production began in October 1941. American industry built more M-4 medium tanks than any other single fighting vehicle; over 50,000 tanks were built between 1942 and 1945.

SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE		Cummins VT8-460 diesel engine; 955 cubic inch (15.5 liter), turbo charged, V8
WEIGHT		77,000 pounds (38.5 tons)
MANUFACTURED BY		Chrysler at the Detroit Tank Arsenal
ONOT CURRENTLY N DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

Military Trucks

AM General M818 Medium Truck Tractor

M818 Medium Truck Tractor

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		Cummins NHC-250 6-cylinder diesel
WEIGHT		20,075 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		AM General Division of General Motors
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

The M818 Medium Truck Tractor is part of the M-800 series of 5-ton 6x6 military trucks built for the United States Army. These trucks were specially built by AM General Division of General Motors to haul equipment across unimproved terrain.

General Motors DUKW

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		6-cylinder 269 cubic inch
WEIGHT		15,000 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		General Motors
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

The DUKW is an amphibious conversion of the standard Army 2 and a half ton 6x6 truck used during amphibious operations in World War II by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. It was used to ferry ammunition, personnel, supplies, and equipment from supply ships offshore to supply dumps and units on the beach.

The "Duck" as it is referred to, was the first military vehicle in which the driver could vary the tire pressure from inside the cab. The tires can be fully inflated for hard surfaces such as roads and less inflated for soft surfaces such as beach sand. This feature is now standard on many military vehicles.

For land operations the vehicle uses six driving wheels, powered by a six cylinder gasoline engine developing approximately 90 horsepower. For water operations the DUKW is driven by a 25-in, diameter, three-bladed propeller, driven by the engine through the transmission and a water propeller transfer case.

The carrying capacity is 25 fully equipped combat troops, or 5,000 to 10,000 pounds of cargo, depending on conditions of operation.

Although not considered an assault vehicle due to its relatively light skin, each DUKW has provisions for installation of a scarf-ring mount for installation of a .50 caliber machine gun.

The designation, "DUKW" is an acronym, the name comes from the model naming terminology used by General Motors; the "D" indicates a vehicle designed in 1942, the "U" amphibious, the "K" indicated all-wheel drive and the "W" indicated two powered rear axles.

AM General M816 Medium Wrecker

M816 Medium Wrecker

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		Cummins NHC-250 6-cylinder diesel
WEIGHT		36,000 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		AM General Division of General Motors
ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

The M816 Medium Wrecker is part of the M-800 series of 5-ton 6x6 military trucks built for the United States Army. These trucks were specially built by AM General Division of General Motors to tow medium duty equipment across unimproved terrain.

The M-816 has a revolving hydraulic crane with an extending boom that can extend from 10-18 ft and a maximum lift capacity of 20,000 lb.

AM General M35A2 Deuce And A Half

M35A2 Deuce And A Half

SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		Continental LDT-465-1D in-line 6-cylinder diesel
WEIGHT		13,530 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		AM General Division of General Motors
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

The M35 Series of trucks was developed for the US Army in 1949 to replace the M135 series of trucks and subsequently utilized by many nations around the world. The M35 truck is in the 2 1/2 ton weight class and is one of many vehicles in US military service to have been referred to as the "deuce and a half."

The basic M35 cargo truck can carry 5000 pounds across country or 10,000 pounds over roads, and have been known to haul twice as much as rated.

The M35 series was used by United States in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Many are still in use by US National Guard and Army Reserve Units but are being replaced by the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle.

Ford M151A2

M151A2

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SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		141 Cubic Inch 4-Cylinder in-line
WEIGHT		2,385 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		Ford Motor Company
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

During the late 1950' s, the U.S. Army searched for a replacement for the M38 Jeep, of which more than 100,000 had been produced. The M38' s replacement vehicle, technically, was not a Jeep at all, but rather a quarter-ton truck - the M-151A1. This vehicle, although physically similar to the older M38, was in fact an entirely new design. The M-151A1 had a lower silhouette and was a bit wider than the M38. The M-151A1 utilized a much different front-end arrangement than the M38 and the newer vehicle had horizontal rather than vertical slats in the grill. The M-151A1 was equipped with an independent front and rear suspension system based on a single A-frame with coil spring arrangement at all four wheel positions. This gave the M-151A1 excellent off-road performance, but made the vehicle very unstable during fast, tight turns. The M-151A1 was produced by both Ford and A.M. General starting in 1961.

The slightly heavier M-151A2 was introduced during the late 1960' s and featured a redesigned windshield and rear suspension. The alterations to the suspension helped the cornering difficulties, but did not solve the problem completely. This particular M-151A2 was built for the United States Marine Corps in 1970 by the Ford Motor Company. Marine Corps. M-151A2s differed from the U.S. Army version in that the Marines equipped their vehicles with a fording kit and a longer front bumper with " D" rings at either end. This vehicle was completely restored by Mike and Steven Linger of College Station, Texas. The M-151A2 was totally stripped inside outside and underneath and then rebuilt with original parts. The vehicle is displayed with a complete radio set in the rear compartment.

Willys M38A1

The M38A1 is a direct descendent of the famous World War II "Jeep" . During World War II there were 335,531 Willys MB and 281,578 Ford GPW Jeeps produced. In 1950, the civilian CJ-3A was upgraded with a stronger frame and suspension, a 24-volt electrical system and many small fittings to bring it up to GI standards, becoming the M38. These were produced from 1950-1952 for domestic use, and from 1953 to 1955 for export. A total of 61,423 M38s were produced.

The M38A1 sported a different body style called the "round fender" and would serve as the basis for the civilian CJ-5 model. The M38A! has a much stronger chassis than the CJ-5, revised suspension, GI instrumentation and a 24-volt electrical system. Total production of the M38A1 was 101,488 units, with 21,198 being foreign sales. The M38A1 served US forces into the 1970s, being replaced by the Ford-American General M151 starting in 1961.

SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE		134.2 Cubic Inch 4-Cylinder in-line
WEIGHT		2,660 pounds
MANUFACTURED BY		Willys-Overland Motors

Weapons

Bofors 40MM Gun

SPECIFICATIONS

BORE		40MM (1.575 inches)
CALIBER		56
LENGTH OF GUN		12 feet 4.8 inches
MAXIMUM RANGE		11,000 yards (5.5 nautical miles) at 42º
MAXIMUM CEILING		22,800 feet at 90º
MUZZLE VELOCITY		2890 feet per second
RATE OF FIRE		160 rounds per minute
MANUFACTURED BY		Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
The Bofors 40mm antiaircraft gun was designed in Sweden, and became the standard medium caliber anti-aircraft cannon for the Allies during World War II. The US Army tested the air-cooled Bofors in 1937, and Chrysler received a contract to manufacture the weapon to British drawings in 1940. Several of the Army model guns, M1 and M2, were deployed on US Navy ships and submarines. Water-cooled versions were deployed on most US warships and support ships during the war in single, twin and quad mounts. The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company built the museum' s example in 1942. It is a manually operated gun, with the two crewmen seated on the carriage, supported by loaders feeding four-round clips into the top of the gun. The crewman in the left-hand seat was the pointer, who controlled the gun's elevation by turning a crank. The other crewman was the trainer, who controlled the right/left movement of the gun with another crank. Both crewmen had rudimentary bead-and-ring sights to track the aircraft and estimate lead angles. If time permitted, the guns were tied into a director system so that multiple guns could engage the same target, increasing the probability of destroying the plane. The typical anti-aircraft engagement range was 4,000 to 5,000 yards.

Civilian Cars

1941 Chevrolet Special Deluxe

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SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		Inline 6-cylinder developing 90 h.p.
	1
MANUFACTURED BY		General Motors
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

In 1941 Chevrolet introduced the Master Deluxe and Special Deluxe. These models were fabulously good looking, substantially bigger and more impressive than before. For the third time it was fully restyled by Harley Earl's "Styling Section" of General Motors. Wheelbase of the 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe and Special Deluxe was stretched to 116 inches. Overall length was 1953/4 inches, an increase of 31/2 inches, and weight was up by a hundred pounds or so. Interior space was substantially greater, providing three inches of additional hip room. Running boards were concealed and headlamps were blended into the fenders. The engine of the 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe and Special Deluxe was heavily revised. A redesigned cylinder head and new pistons with a slightly higher (6.5:1) compression ratio raised horsepower from 85 to 90. Valves, rocker arms, and water pump were also reworked. The revised 1941 Chevrolet Master Deluxe and Special Deluxe engine was called the "Victory Six", Influenced by the nation's preoccupation with the war raging in Europe.

1935 Chrysler Airflow

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SPECIFICATIONS

ENGINE		323.5 cubic inch inline 8-cylinder; producing 130 horsepower at 3,400 rpm
	1
MANUFACTURED BY		Chrysler Corporation
NOT CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY AT		Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas

The Chrysler Airflow was the first full-size American production car to use streamlining as a basis for auto-body design. The Airflow was produced by the Chrysler Corporation from 1934 to 1937.