1943 White M3A1 Half Track

Here is our recently acquired White M3A1 half track. The troopers of the three line infantry squadrons of the regiment were transported in vehicles such as these. This vehicle is currently under cosmetic and mechanical restoration. The overall colour is correct however it does not have appropriate regimental markings. Pictures will be added as the project progresses.

Newly added heavy transport

Above is a picture of my Peterbuilt with Hyster low boy trailer. I quickly found out that when you own armour, you need something to transport it any distance. So in my infinite wisdom, I purchased a truck to haul my toy. So far I'm not divorced however.
I couldn't resist painting the truck and trailer OD green from it's original blue color. It just did not look right going down the road with the half track. If you ever see me rolling down the highway with armor in tow remember, I am not a professional driver. Give me a lot of clearance.

As you can see the M3A1 has now been painted. Here is a shot of the marking details of the rear of my M3. Sizing and placement of the insignia came from a mixture of the official regimental history, as well as some photos I've collected from various books.

A view of the interior with the WS-19 radio in place.

Here we see the frontal markings for the M3 to include the all important bridge weight marker.

The final side view shows two unique markings to help identify the vehicle. Firstly, the square shows that the half track belongs to the second squadron within the regiment. The C.O. inside the square means this vehicle belongs to the commanding officer of the squadron. Secondly, the word "pancerny" was the original squadron commander's personal name for his half track. Roughly translated it means "covered in armour."

Here is a look at two of the many motorcycles owned by our member Brian Neri. These are both BSA M-20's but with slight variations between the two. The M20 in the foreground made it's introductory appearance with our unit at the Wings Wheels and Tracks show in Cobleskill this year.

December 2008, Brian Neri proudly shows that are no wimps in the Dragoons. Astride his early war Indian Scout he is undaunted by the snow. U.S. ambassador to Poland Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle (1937 - 43) gave 20 of these machines, known to the British as Indian Mark I's, to the Polish army shortly after it's arrival in England. The 10th Dragoons received several of them as they were the reconnaissance unit for the fledgling 1st Armoured Division.

     In addition to his multiple motorcycles, Brian is also the proud owner of this 1944 Ford GPW. The markings are correctly placed for a jeep of the Dragoon Regiment.
      A rear view of the jeep. Notice the addition of a British five gallon "Jerry Can" instead of the standard U.S. fuel carrier. Between the half track, motorcycles and jeep I think we have one vehicle for every member of the unit.

Yet Another Motorcycle

Don't laugh. Against the better advice of his wife Sgt. Petronis has acquired a BSA M20.
     The hope is that it will be a little more enjoyable to drive than a half track. Here Brian Neri tries figure out
where to put the handlebars.Yes this restoration has a long way to go. We'll post pictures once it starts
to look more like a motorcycle again.

Here Brian removes the foot brake so that we could close the door. The good news for Petronis is that
the restoration must move quickly. Otherwise Brian can't get his other cars out of the garage. Anybody got a
good rear fender they want to donate? I'll trade you an antique Kentucky license plate for it.

Update 6/5 - Slowly but surely the M20 is coming along. Brian and I spent all day just working on the rear end. Here I pose next to the product of our labor. I know it doesn't look like much but putting on the tire and tube alone was a pretty big effort. Brian is the brains behind the operation, I was just there for manual labor.