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Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71,

Osprey New Vanguard 52

 by Richard Lathrop & John McDonald; Illustrated by J Laurier

Soft Cover 7.25"X 9.75", 48 pages.

ISBN: 1841764159

"The story of Cadillac Gage Commando armored car makes print in Osprey's New Vanguard series. The 4X4 "V-100 Commando" manufactured by Cadillac Gage company (now a part of TEXTRON Marine & Land Systems), was used by the US Army in Vietnam as the XM706E1 and by the US Air Force as the XM706E2."

"What started as a website project on the V100 Commando history by Richard Lathrop, the book Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71,is the first that presents the history of the V100. Starting as a privately funded prototype design that was patented in late 1962. Continuing with its first military customer, the Republic of South Vietnam Army used it in combat. And the US Army would follow later, recognizing the need for protection and firepower in a mobile package for its Military Police. The US Air Force would order a different version for its needs to protect its aircraft and bases from enemy infiltrators."

There are 39 Black & White photos and 7 pages color illustrations in this latest Osprey, New Vanguard edition.
These images show the changes to the basic V-100 vehicle as improvements were made from lessons learned in combat.

The first photos are Cadillac Gage's first armored vehicle design that was called the "Peacemaker" built on a Dodge W-300 frame, that did not go beyond the prototype stage. These are followed by design patent drawings of the "Commando" vehicle, and photographs of the early production prototypes. One photograph is at Aberdeen Proving Ground and several more of another vehicle that that I had photographed on display the Fort McCoy Museum in Wisconsin in 2001.

The following photos would show the differences in production vehicles that were sent to Vietnam. Later subtle changes in detail to the vehicles can be seen in more photographs and explained in the text.

The V-100 has an inherent amphibious ability and this is show in several photographs of the Guatemalan vehicles in a lake. Other than two photographs of the V-100 with a prototype 40mm grenade launcher turret that are laid out in reverse,(the negative is reversed) the photographs in the book provide an examples of the V-100 that would be of interest to vehicle historians and modelers alike.

In a future publication it would be nice to see more photographs of the V-100s that were operated by the US Air Force, though there are several that are can be viewed on the internet. Perhaps the next installment would feature the V-100s in service after 1971, several are still in service with U.S. police forces, and the development of the V150 and other variants that were produced and exported to other countries in the world.

Osprey's "Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71" is definitely a book for those interested in US Armored vehicles, Vietnam, and the origins of the US Army Military Police new vehicle the M1117 Guardian. To paraphrase a coincidence mentioned in the book,"...the first US Military Police to receive the M1117 was the 720th Military Police Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. Almost 30 years to the day they received the XM706, ...the M1117 mission requirements mirrored that of the V-100."
Reviewed by Franz Tinio-Lopez, June 2002.

Back cover

Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71, can be ordered from:

AVA, PoBox 21104, Oxnard, CA, 93034, USA.
.
US$13.95; plus $4.5o shipping (USPS Priority Mail w/tracking)(or request bookrate)
Payment by Money Order only please.

E-mail: pmcmssr@yahoo.com

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