M3A1 White Scout Car air defence - FINISHED - pic's pg.2

[zenrat]

Interesting.  One of those two fire engine half tracks has the front bumper on upside-down.

[crudebuteffective]

Interesting.  One of those two fire engine half tracks has the front bumper on upside-down.

if you look its to give clearance to to the front pump outlet

[NARSES2]

I'd forgotten this thread. Interesting combination. USMC ?

I'm now thinking of suitable Soviet heavy mg's or maybe even one of their big AT rifles ?

RAM (as mentioned in the 1st post) but with the US star on the bonnet to minimise the risk of US airmen shooting at them (I seem to recall the Brit's doing the same).

Ooops thought I'd checked  Yup a lot of British other Allied vehicles carried white stars visible from the air.

[nönöbär]

In Domburg, Netherlands, they use those vehicles to set up the beach cabins in April/May:




Would also be something nice to build....

[zenrat]

I bet that beach is desolate in winter...

A half track would make sense as a delivery truck on some of the construction sites i've worked on.
Hmmmmm, half track cement truck...

[RevSandy]

Quite a few years ago I lived by Lake Winnipeg in Manitoba, and in the winter the lake freezes.  I remember in the morning we would see Bombardier half-tracks heading out to the ice as they would take part in commercial ice-fishing.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6RJzZP-WTLM/maxresdefault.jpg

[zenrat]

Cool.  Its like an oversized skidoo.

[Old Wombat]

Almost there!


But, as I'm an idiot, I decided to move it up to the Phase 3 mod; so have been hacking & slicing & am about to fix the paint job up.

[Old Wombat]

I'm calling this done, for now. Photo's tomorrow.

[Old Wombat]

The story of this M3A1 White scout car is quite quirky & is designed to cover my heavy handedness with the weathering (I have far too much fun doing it ).



Vehicle #6074135 was, originally, destined for the US Marine Corps. However, an emergency order placed by the Australian government saw it transported to Australia, where it was supplied to the Head Quarters company of the Royal Australian Marines 27th Battalion in late 1941 (as opposed to the 2/27th Battalion AIF, which was still serving in North Africa).

Deployed to the Milne Bay landings during the New Guinea campaign #6074135 was accidentally dropped overboard next to the dock at Milne Bay. Spending a week on the sea floor before being salvaged it was not used during the following battles but it had the engine & drive train stripped down, cleaned out & rebuilt, & was given a bit of a rinse.

Its next deployment was to Western New Guinea, where it became bogged in the tidal mangrove swamps, & spent 3 days being submerged in sea water twice a day before being hauled out, having the engine, drive train stripped down, cleaned out & rebuilt, & being given another bit of a rinse. This time, however, it did serve as a recce vehicle. While on this campaign #6074135 became the recipient of a 20mm Oerlikon cannon stripped from a US Navy PT boat, that had been run ashore after being severely damaged by Japanese aircraft, & lost the middle 2 seats of the crew compartment.

After the Western New Guinea operations the crew compartment had 2 seats removed from the rear & a locker for 20mm Oerlikon magazines installed. Two machine guns, the .50 cal & a .30 cal, were also removed at this time to reduce the vehicle's weight.

Its third landing, on New Britain, saw the landing craft lodge on a sand bar, where it dropped its ramp, & vehicle #6074135 dropped into water up to the base of its windscreen. Somehow the driver managed to coax it up onto the beach without stalling. It was at this time that "it" became a "she", when the name "HMA Submersible Rusty Bottom" was given to her. During this campaign she was credited with the shooting down of 2 Japanese bombers, an Aichi D3A1 Val & a Mitsubishi G3M2 Model 21 Nell.

After this deployment Rusty Bottom lost her windscreen, doors & skate-rail, one of the remaining 2 crew compartment seats, the other being moved to on top of the access hatch between the front seats, & the .30 cal machine gun was moved to a mount in front of the front passenger seat.

Her 4th & final posting of the war was to Bougainville & the 2nd Battle of Rabaul. During this battle she was credited with 3 more aircraft kills; another Aichi D3A1 Val, a Kawasaki Ki-48 IIc Lily & a A6M5 Type 0 Model 52 Zero. By the end of the battle aircraft attacks were almost unheard of & she spent the last days of the war assisting the troops in the house-to-house fighting in the fringes of the city, using her 20mm as an anti-sniper weapon. The mixed Australian forces of the 3rd Australian Division & the 2nd Royal Australian Marines Division, numbering a total of approximately 15,000 soldiers & marines at any time, accepted the surrender of over 60,000 Japanese troops.

Curiously, despite her 3 dips in the ocean, Rusty Bottom suffered no damage, from either her immersions or from enemy fire, other than a tendency to rust.

At the end of the war she was brought back to Australia & scrapped.














Well, that's all, folks!


(For now, at least. )

[NARSES2]

That's come out really well  Nice little backstory as well 

[su27rules]

 

[TheChronicOne]

Alright!!   Great story... I was highly amused.    She looks like a beaut.   

[Old Wombat]

Thank you, gentlemen!

[zenrat]

A perfectly acceptable level of weathering IMO.

Good job on both the build and the story.