GROUND IMPACT SHOCK MITIGATION
by
E. A. Ripperger
FINAL REPORT
U. S. ARMY NATICK LABORATORIES
AIRDROP ENGINEERING LABORATORY
Project No. 1F121401D195
CONTRACT DA 19-129-AMC-582(N)
Kinda looks like an airdrop in which the 'chute didn't open!
Notice the headgear the soldier is wearing. I can remember when we could buy them in the clothing sales store and wear them with our fatigues. All the TIs at Lackland wore them when they weren't wearing their campaign hats. Of all the caps I have owned, it was my favorite..always sharp and spiffy looking. Why were they discontinued? Fidel Castro adopted it as his "trademark." After that it became associated with communism and was no longer authorized for wear.
Brett wrote:Thats an interesting read. It would be interesting to know what eventually happened to the m37 that was dropped 16 times.
Brett
Thats rather impressive in its own way - after sixteen times, the truck is still recognizeable as an M37. I don't think that would be the case with any of the modern trucks if put through the same test...
16 drops and only an engine mount broke. WOW.
I was currious what exaclty they meant when referring to "G" is that gravity? If so the truck withstood 30 times normal gravity when dropped? Consider also they had 1500 lbs of sand bags in the bed !!!
Thanks for posting the article Carl.
Lifer wrote:Kinda looks like an airdrop in which the 'chute didn't open!
Notice the headgear the soldier is wearing. I can remember when we could buy them in the clothing sales store and wear them with our fatigues. All the TIs at Lackland wore them when they weren't wearing their campaign hats. Of all the caps I have owned, it was my favorite..always sharp and spiffy looking. Why were they discontinued? Fidel Castro adopted it as his "trademark." After that it became associated with communism and was no longer authorized for wear.
I believe they used to call that a (M1961)"Ridgeway cap" named after General Ridgeway who started that look(?). Lifer, you are correct (not that you needed me to tell you that )in that the US Military really liked that cap until we noticed the Cubans wearing a very similar type of head gear. The Ridgeway was quickly done away with. Do you remember taking the large No.10 soup cans from the mess hall and wearing them down your pants legs to give your bloused fatiques a crisp edge?
Matt
Last edited by MikeOneSix on Wed Apr 20, 2011 8:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups
I used a piece of cardboard covered with OD duct tap that was bent in to a circle for making the pants blousing look good. Less rust than the number 10 cans.
Cuz
Did not know about that (plastic stiffeners for the pants blouse) I know that there was a similar stiffener made for the patrol cap. Turns any standard GI issue patrol cap into a "Ridgeway" or so I guess was the thinking of the time (1980s). It's funny the little tricks GIs will use to make themselves look "strack" like wearing the T-shirt backwards so as to have a straight line across that open top part of the BDU coat. Glad they did away with all of that stuff by the time I went in.
Matt
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups
Home
)in that the US Military really liked that cap until we noticed the Cubans wearing a very similar type of head gear. The Ridgeway was quickly done away with. Do you remember taking the large No.10 soup cans from the mess hall and wearing them down your pants legs to give your bloused fatiques a crisp edge? 
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