New Vanguard 52 By R. Lathop & J. McDonald Color Plates by J. Laurier Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2002 ISBN 1-84176-415-9 48 Pages, Softbound
Here’s a nice reference for those interested in the Cadillac Gage armoured cars used in Vietnam. It gives the complete story of the Commando’s development, from the quite different Peacemaker which did not progress beyond prototypes to the V-100 itself, the improved V-150, and the M1117 introduced into US Military Police service in 1997 - 35 years after the first designs for the V-100 and still with the same mission requirements.
All the changes from version to version are covered, and its noteworthy that the real differences between the 100 and 150 were the use of stronger axles on the latter, with a 5-ton rating instead of 2 ½ ton. The Army’s turreted cars are here of course, with the story of the changes to turrets and armament, and so are the open-topped versions used by the US Air Force for airbase perimeter patrols. Foreign use is not neglected, with the first Commandos being sold to Somalia, Sudan and Oman and seven other countries buying them as well as the US.
The first mass user was the South Vietnamese Army, and their battle experiences in 1965 and 1966 produced a number of improvements to the car’s armament and hull. The US involvement in Vietnam from 1965 included Military Police tasked with convey escort, and repeated ambushes showed that their armed M151s weren’t up to the job. Noting the Vietnamese use of V-100s, their commander arranged to borrow some for trials. Success in these led to a demand for the car to be bought by the US Army, and in 1968 this was approved. The US Air Force had a similar need for armoured cars for base security, so the XM706E2 was produced for them as a turretless weapons carrier.
There’s plenty of detail about the combat use of the cars, and the photographs and colour plates show the successive changes from early to late production types of the V100. Anyone who has either of the old Verlinden kits of the V-100 and XM706E2 will welcome this book, and it’s a great reference for students of the Vietnam War or of armoured car development. Recommended.
