I watched a reg forces driver at Petawawa approaching a crest on a dirt road and get all the track clear off the ground except for a few feet at the rear, and keep it standing that way for a while as they rode down the other side of the crest, then it leveled out and they really took off with curly trails of dust flying off the tracks. Very cool.
Those petrol engines were converted to diesel in the Pakistan Army later. The manuals had its old fuel consumption written in it. I had to explain the reason :)
The vehicle was designed to carry troops into battle where they would dismount and fight as ground infantry. Its "armor" was to protect them indirect small arms and shrapnel as the were carried into battle. It certainly give more protection than riding a truck. But, it was not designed to fight. Hence the internal fuel cell. It was easily defeated by direct by fire from larger guns, rocket powered grenades, and mines. Shaped charges of rpg's would easily penetrate the hull, spraying molten aluminum inside which would them combust causing an internal explosion, obviously killing the occupants. That's why troops usually rode on top. The stand off protection added to the sides seems of limited value in a fighting situation. Its good points were its mobility and carrying capacity. A full squad of infantry with weapons and supplies protected from indirect fire made it worthwhile. It could also take the wounded to safer areas and first aid. The 113 could cross muddy ground, climb steep inclines, cover loose and sandy terrain, and float small bodies of still water. The large panel (trim vane) on the front would be tipped forward 60 degrees or so to deflect waves, and prevent flooding. The engine (same one used in buses), transmission, and tracks were very dependable. Numerous variants followed, including a command center and ambulance with standing up room, a reconnaissance vehicle with shortened height, and a 4.2" mortar carrier. The boys gave accurate narration. Just one item, first sit in the commanders seat, then pull the handle to rise up, and drop down. That's a much safer and easier to do while under way, and a faster way to seek cover. Seating is much more steady than standing, so less likely to get shaken off. Finally, when riding always wear a helmet. A combat crewmens helmet with commo is best, but anything that protects the top and side of the head. Occupants get rocked around at violently times from sharp turns, bumps and holes. Hard contact with walls, hatch covers and turret rings is likely, painful, and injurious. Thanks guys, it was good to visit an old acquaintance. JBSmall, USArmy, Armor 66-69.
Hey... I read that same book! Bet you lived in one also. B co 3/67 2AD Ft. Hood TX.80 - 82 Ret. 02. It was my Mechanic's van. Also a licensed M88 operater.
Spent my fair share of time in a M113A2 & A3 (1990-93 3/11 Armored Cavalry Reg.-58th Combat Engineer Company-Bad Hersfeld,Germany & 2/11 Wildflecken,Germany). Most the the time I was sticking out of the rear troop hatch with my M-60 mounted ready to take on all. Pretty close quarters inside, which always sucked during FTX's. Also always seemed like our heater would go out when we were in the field during the Winter. It was very similar to being in an icebox. I'm sure any of my bros that have spent time in an APC fully understand. ALLONS
@Jack Tangles Oh man I believe it brother! Hotter than hell in them when you're buttoned up during the warm months. I know exactly what you mean with frying an egg. When I was in Kuwait you could hardly touch the outside of the damn APC without getting burned,lol. Cheers
Enjoyed the video boys, thanks. Always thought the M113 was and still is a useful vehicle. It was designed as a "battle taxi" versus a fighting vehicle. Simple, straight forward, can hold a real section of 10 men and provides a proven, tracked platform for a number of specialty variants. Brought back memories.
Very cute to watch especially spending our lives in these off and on over the years in the US Army Calvary. The heaters were really popular with the Infantry especially my crews. Maintenance is easy and it's also easy to maneuver and operate. Big thanks for this elementary fun look at the M-113 armored personnel carrier.. she was a good work horse, go to Calvary!
I had the pleasure of driving an APC M113 in Vietnam in 1969 while serving with the 3rd Combat Security Police Squadron at Bien Hoa. Her name was "Fluffy." It was great fun to drive. We didn't walk on the floor because the floor was covered with ammo boxes. We had as I recall five different type of .50 ammo, a case of hand grenades and a case of flares. And we had beau coup 5.56 ammo. We had a .50 cal. machine gun, top, front center and two M-60 machine guns with butterfly grips on each side. Later, when I was in the hospital for a hernia operation, there was a guy who like me, had been a driver on an M113 and he was badly burned. He had patches on his eyes and the medics had to spoon feed him. They also had to walk him to the latrine and it was a slow agonizing walk. Charlie always aimed at the front with B-40 rockets because they would hit either the driver of the engine. Either way the APC would come to a stop. There were several weapons that could take out an M113 making us crispy critters in the process. One night during a rocket attack I had my head sticking out of the driver's hatch and a rocket landed so close I still don't know why I have a head on my shoulders. In spite of the dangers it was great fun driving that M113 and this video has brought back a lot of memories and to be honest I learned a few things. We had a total of five M113s and four of them were diesel powered and one was gasoline powered making it much more explosive. But we were just cannon fodder so it didn't matter. I drove the gasoline powered one. That plywood board (yes, it was plywood) in the front could be leaned forward with a lever so that when you hit water it wouldn't splash you in the face. Thanks guys, good video.
Great filming. Took me back to those days. Speedometer was in miles and maps in metric. Prior to GPS, used sun compasses and magnetic compass handy in pocket. Directing the driver to keep the hull of APC in right direction, while replying to the ever demanding compnay commander on radio, trailing behind ensuring him that we are not lost.
Drove track for three years (75-78) in Germany (A-Co, 1/26th), 1 year 3rd plt (A-31), 2 years CO's track driver (A-10). Damn good times, lookin back. Blue Spader
4:44. That is not exactly how you drive these things. The only way you apply power is with your right foot. The levers are simply brakes for each side, with a parking brake button on the top of each lever. To haul ass in a straight line, you mash the throttle and leave the levers fully forward. Then you pull a tiny amount on either side to maintain a direction. The hard part is stopping really quickly. You have to pull on both levers really hard and very evenly to (hopefully) stop in a straight line 👍.
This reminds me of the early days of RU-vid where most videos were filmed by amateurs with little editing, along with little mistakes here and there. That being said, I'm giving it a Like.
I loved this carrier in wich i was trained as a driver. After my training I became the driver of the m752, the launch vehicle of the Lance missie. I still do a few times a year, when the museum is open, as a volonteer driver.
Spent 16 months in Wildfecken West Germany 2nd/15 Inf. 3rd Div. Drove M113 for before promotion to E-5. Great job! Just a couple of comments. No discussion of Trim Vane deployed when forging river. We used 50 calibers as main gun, My track had a heater that worked thankfully, winter in Wildflecken was not for the faint of heart. Hydraulic ramp in rear was steel as I remember. I drove an M113 at near 40 MPH governed speed. M113 was a dependable vehicle with proper care.
In 1979 on a nice warm summer day I got a ride in a M113 (on my way to work.) Driver was sure to take 90 corners as fast as possible. I immediately knew what the loops on either side of my knees were for as I grabbed them and held on tight! BEST FUN I ever had fully dressed!!
You guys might be young but you did a great job showing us this vehicle. I thought you were more interesting than a lot of much older adults. Well done.
i drove one configured as an ambulance with the US Army in Germany 1970. those levers are not to make it go faster and slower, they are for steering and braking, you make it go faster or slower by applying more or less pressure on the throttle pedal
I had one hell of a scary night riding in a m-113 February 1969 my infantry unit was in a fire fight in a place called the hobo woods Vietnam with the north Vietnam army…NVA..as nightfall was approaching we were going to link up with a mechanized infantry unit which we did I remember there was no room for all of us to ride on the top..they opened that rear door hatch and about 6 or 7 of us got in..riding inside a m-113 in the middle of the night in the hobo woods was a death wish…many m-113 were taken out with RPG…in this area luckily we made it to our defensive night position…this video brings back memories…m-113 in Vietnam war had sand bags in the passenger area on the floor…I was a member of the 25th infantry division the unit we linked up with was the 1/5th mechanized infantry my unit 2/14th infantry…great video…also when I returned home I was stationed at fort Carson Colorado they were bringing home the 5th mechanized infantry so I was assigned to drive a m-113 for a short time they were fun to drive as long you were not in combat…
I lived in a Dessert in one of these... You need to do a service on that engine, too many oil leaks. Cleaning all the oil off it will help it run cooler, and fixing all the oil leaks will keep all the dirt off. Make sure you have all your belly seals serviceable before entering the water! Your ramp has a weak lift cylinder, poss. leak? Check under the floor plate in the very back.
we had 9 m113 apc in my plt. in vietnam, a very good tank. a .50 cal gum wil rip through the side. 4th inf. div. 1st plt. ankhe. ql-19 hwy. pleiku. da-thok. vietnam.
I am doing my military service as a apc technician in Turkish army. Turkish armed forces did many modernization this car. Now we will do a new modernization this car we won't use power plant more. the power unit change completely we will install hybrid engines. We use as unmanned apc this car. We can control with remote control unit this apc and we add new turret system. Turkish commanders dont give up this vehicles maybe we will do a few modernization more :))
Yes they float but, one good wave and you will sink. There was only about 10 inches above the water line. I drove one from 1981-1984. I would love to find C-22 again, that was my baby it never let me down plus, it would go in excess of 55 mph. That was a scary ride!! C-22 was last in Germany with C co 4/8th inf. I think about my track a lot these days. Thank you for keeping these running.
Thanks for the information, hope you enjoyed the video! Don't thank us though, thank the Ontario Regiment Museum, they're the ones keeping the vehicles rolling.
Well if you want to get back into one of these, you could consider going down to the Ontario Regiment Museum on one of their Tank Saturdays or Aquino Weekend. They sell tickets for rides on their M113. Another thing you could consider is getting involved with a local military museum. If you don't mind me asking, when were you in Germany? Were you one of the guys who would attempt to stop 3rd Shock Army from driving west?
Ik heb de M113 C&R gereden in 1966 tot 1968 bij 103CVBatBescadron, Seedorf, de "Bonvivant" genaamd, een heel snel en heel nieuw voertuig, zo snel dat zelfs een Munga van de KM mij niet bij kon houden.
Was a scout platoon leader in Germany and served in one of these. Never really adjusted the seat up to just "sit" - there was always much for me to do. Stood on seat in low position and hunched up or down as needed.
They could have found guys that know what they're talking about or know about the M113. To show the engine, all they had to do was drop the trim vane and open the engine hatch, instead of opening the interior panels. The big hatch is called the cargo hatch. The reason they relocated the fuel tanks to the outside on the A3 was to provide more interior space. There is no danger of explosion because it's diesel fuel, not gasoline. He even identifies the fuel cut-off as a choke... The track commander never raises the seat and sits in the hatch, he stands on the seat. He identifies the spare track mounts as footholds when climbing on the vehicle.
James Hahn Horseshit was my commentary listening to these guys. The tillers did not put power to the tracks for steering but applied brakes and slowed the track on that side. The only time I took the engine armour off was for an engine change, be great to see what these guys would do to check the diff and final drive oil levels. I don't know what you guys did but we always spoke each digit seperately i.e. one one three not one thirteen
I drove 113's for 4 years in the US Army, 1988-1992. It was no race car, and the "heater" was borderline at best in the winter, but I enjoyed it anyway. I did manage to top end ours at 42 mph a few times at NTC. It was interesting, but I wouldn't want to drive it that fast for very long.
Despite it is not a front line armour. Many countries like to use it that way. Blown my minds. Either way, I'm a dork from Warhammer 40k, and i love the direct adaptation of such a classic workhorse.
God i remeber being on a ruck march in basic at fort sill and seeing a convoy of these and one of these that looke like the m113s bigger brother just thunder down the road in between our roadmarch formation. It never dawned on me untill that moment how massive the machines we've made for war are compared to a measley human being..
We Americans called it the M one one three, not one thirteen. I drove the M113 and it’s variants, the M five seven seven (M577 - Command Post Vehicle) and the M nine eight one (M981 - Field Artillery Fire Support Vehicle or FiSTV) used by Forward Observer teams. Even with improved power they were slow, and eventually the FiSTV was replaced with the Bradley FiSTV and later a wheeled Stryker FiSTV, although I never drove any of those. I loved the M113 variants because I basically grew up using them. I would love to own one myself.
Always blow the horn when about to lower the ramp. Except in combat. Troops and especially civilians tend to get very close to the back. It gives them time to move. Same when going in reverse. The m114 (the half height version you mentioned) was built by a completely different company. They have no common parts and it was a failure. Command track is much taller. M557, but same company, and still in use.
Seems like a boy scout project. the ramp could be raised without power, not easy but any grunt realizes more than one way to do stuff. Many things anyone that spent time driving these learned especially the quill shaft.
Wow, that is one hella professional walk-around and talk-around! Great job. Sadly, not many of those become available for getting em into private owner's hands, so not many possibilities to check one out. I would still assume it's way better for the troops and crew than the BWP1/BVP1/BMP1. It is cramped but not very low with its roof also the way out/in for the infantryman is way better than the fuel-doors in BMP1.
@Chris Richardson I see you have a lot of knowledge about mentioned vehicle. Please shere some. You can start for example with pointing all mistakes in the video above. Then you can move to some other vehicles shown on this channel with everything said wrong by those two young folks. You can skip the part which you mention being in military service. 80% of grown man in my country did, still none could say a word about armored vehicles 5-7 years before joining the service. Kinda like me. Then you can cover your military industry background like experience in designing or manufacturing of such pieces. If not then maybe some historical knowledge, maybe some academic work or publications. Degree?
There are no generic "night vision goggles". There are light-amplifying systems and systems which allow to see in invisible spectrum. That IR-light (or blacklight) is actually just a lamp emitting radiation (mostly) invisible to human eye. If enemy has IR-detecting equipment it is very visible so it doesn't solve problem of being invisible. Still very neat feature as ways to detect IR-lights are not as widespread. After that nitpicking I say you did well. It is lacking polish, but certainly has expertise and dedication.
Dude that's an A2, it got raised suspension with two extra shock absorbers at the front, also got the radiator fan on the right side of the engine compartment, still great video, man I miss the sound of that beautiful two stroke diesel, sounds even cooler with the exhaust taken apart.
I really enjoyed this video. Awesome vehicle. You guys are so lucky to have it. Excellent presentation guys. Very well done. This is such an awesome vehicle. I love it.
Someone forgot to tell the cavalry units about the limitations. To the Cav it was the ACAV and deployed with a .50 in the front and M-60s on the sides. And though not an M-48 or a Sheridan it was deployed in line as both hammer and anvil. In Cambodia I had a break in flying and asked NCO in charge if I could take a ride. I wanted to see the ground level view, rather than the tree top view. He asked if I could handle an M-60 (most pilots had never fired one) and when I said I could, he told me to take the left side gun. There was no gun shield. There I was, standing on ammo cans, pointing a machine gun and looking at a green wall just beyond the flash suppressor. Fortunately for us all it was a quiet trip out and back. I pulled pitch and headed back to Quon Loi, but I never forgot those guys or the ACAV. The unofficial motto tells it all, "Find the Bastards and Pile On" -Scouts, Air Cav Trp, 11th ACR.
Aluminum helps it float in water? The Australian version had a Detroit 53 series 2-stroke V6 supercharged diesel engine, a far superior power plant to the Chrysler 440 Gasoline engine.
I wonder if there's enough space to the right of the roof hatch to bolt on a Ukrainian Stugna-P launcher. It's aimed and guided by a laptop-like controller on the end of a long cord, so the operator could stay seated inside the vehicle. The Stugna-P launchers that Ukrainians have mounted onto 4 wheel ATVs look compact enough, I think. But M113's would be amphibious and more stable on uneven terrain, I think.
With higher caliber auto guns, upgrades in armour and electronics such as APS, it is at par with recent advance armored vehicles but at a cheaper cost. Our country have more than 200 of them in various variants ....
Had one of these run over a 40 llb. anti tank mine near lz x-ray, blew off track and 2 road wheels, 6-v 53 detroit engine -45 mph -12 tons all alum. crew of 5 soldiers. 10 armored 1st plt. highlands, pleiku vietnam.4th divison 1969
I had a great time driving this vehicle back when I was in the US Army. Very easy to maintain and drive. The only thing I hated was replacing the quill shaft which is a one piece high grade steel shaft which is very hard to remove if it broke.
Hope you found this video at least somewhat decent! Thanks for your comment as well, it's always great finding out what the people who actually crewed the vehicles thought of them.
FMC offer the external fuel tank starting with the A2. Canada Took that option on their A2 but U.S. took it only on their A3. That's why this U.S. A2 model converted to Canadian with diehl track added doesn't have fuel cell. Also Canadian never add those kind of smoke discharger when you see those smoke discharger guard up front.
I drove the APC 113 from 1965-1698 in Bamberg Germany for the 54th. Mechanized Infantry 1st. Squad, 2nd. Platoon, Company C. 4th Armored Division United States Army Europe .A great and reliable Vehicle .Yes we did cross rivers with them very scary let the trim board down in front and went very slow .Yes only about 10-12 ins. out of water.We had a 13 man squad with the 50 cal on top.Our heater did work !!!
Those are not footholds. They are used to hold extra track shoes. On top of the deck is the radiator grill on the right and on the left is the fan tower! Those levers are called laterals which control the steering. Jeez, read the spec's son!
M113 has bulletproof armor, big firepower and M113 can win every fight with rebel infantry (usually with no guns). Can not win fight with Russian tanks, but there are no Russian tanks in the USA. Engage all 90.000+ M113 tanks.
you forgot the extra two lateral pivot arms attached to the disc breaks on the drive shaft. those are the half moon levers on the main drive levers, great for emergence stops which also allows you to virtualy tip it almost on its nose if you want. lol
We used to call those levers "lockers" because they lock up the drivetrain. Drivers have to use some discretion with them because the action is quite violent. Inside a compound they were handy for cranking the vehicle left or right in tight spaces. In the field you could end up rolling the vehicle with a sudden change of direction on a decline. Anybody with a 4x4 or ATV would know that. When training, we weren't allowed to touch them at anytime. There were plenty of other ways available to get in trouble with the commander anyway :)
I drove a 113 in '78 & '79 in Aschaffenburg. The laterals did not add power as he described either, they applied braking to the side that was pulled. The pivot steers in front of the laterals locked the side pulled allowing the 113 to spin on the locked side. This vehicle was also missing the side skirts as well as the extra tracks that were mounted next to the trim vane. Too many mistakes decribing this vehicle.
Someone should make a 2 piece unmanned, or single man tractor to pull a trailer full of soldiers. That way the unmanned/single man tractor/engine will set off any IED's or mines minimizing casualties! Plus they could drop off the ACP trailer so the soldiers can use it for shelter or a temp medical shelter until air rescue arrives.. There's countless advantages for such a platform IMHO..
I owned a M29c Weasel. Sold it a couple of years ago. Great little vehicle. The original tracks on them really sucked though!!! Would love to own a M113.
The M113 looks good and the US equipped ARVN with many of them but they were inferior to nva Pt-76 (has 76mm cannon). One hit from nva Rpg-7 would go through both side of M113 + gas engine =infernal. The US armed ARVN with M-41 light tanks to go against nva T-54/55 medium/heavy tanks. Yes there were small number of ARVN M-48s compared to very large number of T-54,Pt-76...sad.
I wouldn’t call them amphibious, they swim. Good for crossing rivers and small bodies of water. I wouldn’t swim one in rough water. When I had mine in the water there was about an inch and a half between the water and the top deck, and if you stopped moving the trim vain ( that panel covering the engine hatch) would stop pushing the front up and you sink.
Somehow it feels defenceless theese days.... of course I do realise it's not a fighting vehicle... just troops transport. Somehow I want to take the roof off... maybe arrangement for rain cover if needed... to allow the troops more visibility... that would allow more side protection... possibly thick steal...
I was a driver on a M113A1, but,.. the speed was much higher than 60 km, i reached a speed from about 90 km pro hour. But i did something with the box about the max rpm, that was very easy, but great fun. Even a 100 km was possible, but then is it getting to dangerous.
@Chris Richardson The engine was a Detroit two-stroke diesel, 6 cyl. A fine engine, easy to maintaine and very reliable. It was the fasted from the batalion, and my sargent was proud at me, because i kept my vehicle in best condition. and i pushed it many times to the limit, but no problems at all. But i have to say, in the Dutch army was a secret rule among the drivers,... and everybody knew it, do what you want, but keep it going, if you make a mistake in upgrade illegal your vehicle,... its your own risk. But i knew what i was doing, it was on the edge, but i have had a lots of fun for 14 months.
