✅ SOLVED What is this Korean war jeep and tank in pictures taken by my Dad

[tamrock]

On my last visit to my moms, who is now 89. She asked that I pack home all the family photos and take them with me to Colorado. There are 6 large boxes of photo albums and hundreds very old pictures of my ancestors. The pictures I'm posting are ones I found that my dad took when he was in Korea. In the first picture my dad is in the front row to the left and he's also in the 3rd picture as he could be a clown at times and he's sitting on a Yak I think it is. That smile on my dads face sitting on that beast is one I came to recognized that he was in a fun mood and it was seen on him from time to time till the day he past. Other times he was a real bear and I knew that face very well. The clue to when these were taken is in the 2nd picture with a soldier standing next to a sign dated June 1951. My question is, what kind of jeep is that in the 4th picture. I find nothing like it used by the US in the early 50's? and in the last picture what kind of tank is that with no markings? My dad never spoke of his time in Korea to me. When I was young you had to jump back very quickly if you woke him up as he would fly out of bed. I also was woken up many times myself by the loud nightmares he would have when I was very young, I'd go upstairs to see if all was well and he and my mom would be sitting on edge of the bed and my dad was dripping in sweat not saying anything. My mom would just say everthing was okay and I can go back to bed now. Those nights were very scary ones to me. They did over time stop coming to him. My dad served with the US Army 7th Calvary in the occupation of Japan and was later called to serve in Korea.

 

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[kuger]

I like it,what ever it is!
Magnificent Dodge Weapons Truck | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I think the tank is a Russian T-34

 

[JOHUNT]

Is it a Willy's jeep?

 

[kuger]

Is it a Willy's jeep?

..no

 

[GaRebel1861]

Outstanding photographs! Go Army!

 

[laurenB]

Great story and excellent photos. Thank you for sharing your history :-)

 

[allen_idaho]

You are in luck. I know exactly what those are.

The tank is a Russian T-34

The Jeep is a Russian Gaz-67

 

[New Seeker]

Actually ---- The tank is a Chinese Type 58 Spot on on the "jeep" though.

 

[New Seeker]

And yes --- it is a variant of the T-34 design

 

[clovis97]

I agree.

The field car or "Jeep" is a Russian Gaz 67.

 

[pippinwhitepaws]

Russian Gaz-67 - Bing Images

 

[Panache]

The second one is a 40's era Korean Oxen.

 

[tamrock]

Checking on your response I bellieve Charlie P, allen Idaho & New Seeker have got this one dialed in. I need to ask you New Seeker what about this T-34 tank tells you its a Chinese tank and not Russain? You made an interesting observation and I sure would like to dig a bit deeper on China built military machines and the history of them. I have many more pictures I uncovered along with a small pile of letters sent to my mom from the time my dad was in Korea from 1950 to 1951 that I need to preserve in a way so others may review them in the future. The letters are old and tell much of the time in detail my dad was in Korea and the photographs are becoming old and curled up, as they are in small binder booklets. I can only wish my dad was around to maybe tell me how the Army got their hand on that Russain Car we now know is a GAZ 67. I would also ask what he knew of that giant of a man who is in that photo of the GAZ that is cut off on the right of the picture. That guy had to stand out among all the other soldiers. I can only guess whats all being said in these old pictures, but the fellow at the wheel of the GAZ sure looks like he's mighty proud of his new rig that no one else has. Next is to go through the letters as I've only briefly read a few. They tell what the Stars and Stripes say of what to expect on the movement of the Chinese, His camp life and the pets they have in their tent, a Dog, Duck and a Frog. How the rotation of men was going and how much he missed my mom. I havn't counted how many letters there are, but looks like mabe as many as 100.

I thank you fellas in your help. I'll mark this one "solved"

 

[BosnMate]

You are in luck. I know exactly what those are.

The tank is a Russian T-34

The Jeep is a Russian Gaz-67

Which explains why the Gaz-67 has a Model A Ford radiator grill. Henry sold all the stuff for making Model A's to the Russians.
Anyhow, I'm just joking, but it does kind of look like a model A radiator grill all rounded off like that on the top.

 

[BosnMate]

Checking on your response I bellieve Charlie P, allen Idaho & New Seeker have got this one dialed in. I need to ask you New Seeker what about this T-34 tank tells you its a Chinese tank and not Russain? You made an interesting observation and I sure would like to dig a bit deeper on China built military machines and the history of them. I have many more pictures I uncovered along with a small pile of letters sent to my mom from the time my dad was in Korea from 1950 to 1951 that I need to preserve in a way so others may review them in the future. The letters are old and tell much of the time in detail my dad was in Korea and the photographs are becoming old and curled up, as they are in small binder booklets. I can only wish my dad was around to maybe tell me how the Army got their hand on that Russain Car we now know is a GAZ 67. I would also ask what he knew of that giant of a man who is in that photo of the GAZ that is cut off on the right of the picture. That guy had to stand out among all the other soldiers. I can only guess whats all being said in these old pictures, but the fellow at the wheel of the GAZ sure looks like he's mighty proud of his new rig that no one else has. Next is to go through the letters as I've only briefly read a few. They tell what the Stars and Stripes say of what to expect on the movement of the Chinese, His camp life and the pets they have in their tent, a Dog, Duck and a Frog. How the rotation of men was going and how much he missed my mom. I havn't counted how many letters there are, but looks like mabe as many as 100.

I thank you fellas in your help. I'll mark this one "solved"

Go down to your local American Legion Post, and ask if there any Korean War Veterans that are willing to talk to you. There are several at our Post that would be glad to
share experiences and tell you what's in the photos. I remember news reels that showed a lot of those tanks being killed by aircraft dropping napalm on them. And as far as acquiring the
Gaz, the previous owner probably left it to them in his last will and testament. When looking at the photo of the t-34 look at the front of the turret, and the idlers on the
treads are different than the Chinese copy. You have some good stuff, and are very fortunate those were all saved.

 

[tamrock]

Go down to your local American Legion Post, and ask if there any Korean War Veterans that are willing to talk to you. There are several at our Post that would be glad to
share experiences and tell you what's in the photos. I remember news reels that showed a lot of those tanks being killed by aircraft dropping napalm on them. And as far as acquiring the
Gaz, the previous owner probably left it to them in his last will and testament. When looking at the photo of the t-34 look at the front of the turret, and the idlers on the
treads are different than the Chinese copy. You have some good stuff, and are very fortunate those were all saved.

Thank you BonsMate.
I will visit the Korean war fellows and I better do that before their all gone. My dad loved taking pictures till day he died. I have boxes and boxes of photos and slides. The Korean pics I think were taken with an old Argus known as the brick. I don't know where that camera went and maybe I took it apart when I was young, cause I did stuff like that to things I got my hands on. My sister told me 12 years after he died she had one of my dads cameras, it was an older Pentax SLR. I looked at it and found it had film in it. The picture were of my girls and his grandkids on the last time he ever saw them. They were just babies at the time he took the pictures. The letters have some very good stories and I've only glanced at a couple. I read one line he wrote my mother as it seems he was always telling her in a way he hoped to be home with her ASAP. He was telling her the Chinese were putting together a second go at an attack and he said to her if they take another beating like they gave them the first time the Chinese would surely give up the war and he could come home. He and my mom were just married before he was called back in. He also mentioned his thoughts on how Washington was handling the Korean situation and how that effected his departure from his new bride. I don't think he was much in line with what Wasington was doing but, I don't think he would put his true thoughts on paper and what he thought of the folks running the counrty at that time. I think most fellows over there were just about sick of war at the time of the Korean situation, but you can tell it seems, they made the best of it they could.

 

[BosnMate]

I joined the Navy and was in boot camp when the Korean War hostilities ended. Don't for a minute think the Korean War was popular, it wasn't. The public weren't jerks
like they did to Viet Nam vets, but the first soldiers that got called up were veterans of WWII, and were just getting their lives together when the hostilities started. They
did not want to go. There were armed MP's on the docks when the ships were being loaded. There was no patriotism like WWII. Truman was not popular, and when he fired
McArther that wasn't a real popular move on his part either, even though the General had it coming. Regarding talking to veterans, there's a member of the post I
belong to, that flew Corsairs off the Princeton. He was in a squadron that flew a top secret mission. The peace talks were going on, and intelligence got wind of the
communists planning on making one more big push, which was being planned in a hotel off the coast, I forget the name of the town it was close to. There were
Russian, Chinese and Korean generals in the building the attack. Six Corsairs, each with a napalm bomb, launched at night, no running lights, just a few feet
above the ocean in the pitch darkness. At daylight the coast and a mountain was where it was supposed to be, they popped over the mountain, and the hotel was
where it was supposed to be. Each airplane's target was a window in the hotel. The first three were the top story windows, and the back three had the bottom
windows. Owen was number two, and his napalm went through the proper window. Pulling out, he could see the soldiers on the ground running to their AA
batteries, but by the time the guns were manned, the planes were gone. The big attack never came off. Apparently they were successful,but nobody's talking,
to this day they will neither confirm or deny. You will love to talk to those guys. PS, There is a 1952 movie titled "Flat Top." The ship in the film is the Princeton,
and Owen is in the movie, the number on the Corsair is 214.

 

[tamrock]

From what little talk I've had with Korea vets, it sure does seem like a very sore subject. In the seventies I worked in a large underground mine in Colorado. There were fellows who served in WW2 to Vietnam and some times they would tell their war stories to us young guys. They had great stories and some you know you took with a grain of salt. I did one night long ago watch a movie like you described. I also saw a movie about the Korean war that started with a young like 8 year old Korean boy smoking a cig. He had no home and in the end a soldier fought to adopt the young lad and take him home to the US. Did you notice that young Korean boy on the other side of the Gaz rig in the photo? I wonder why that kid in the photo was hanging around that camp. I had a buddy in the mining biz out in Nevada that was very much involved in research on the Korean war and he would send me many emails on his research. He died maybe two years ago now. He was raised by a step father as his real dad was killed in Korea and he never got to know him. I've saved all his emails. I'll look up that movie Flat Top I'd like to watch it. Good stuff for us to remember BosnMate as you have seen so much in life at this time.... Thank you for the service you gave!

 

[unclemac]

Pa was in the first division sent overseas in WWII and was gone for more than 3 years...one time when he was back we were down by the river in the woods and he got kinda foggy and said to me..."what was it like for you the first time you killed a man?".....