Have you lived?

[Bird]

I don't know anything about the claim to fame during development, but my parents moved to Anchorage in '65 and sometime in the late 60s bought a Weasel for hunting and fishing trips. I don't guess I've ever actually seen one; just a number of pictures of theirs when they were using it. In other words, I know what it is and just a very little bit about it./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

 

[Mike_Dumond]

For those not familiar with one, here is a picture. It came with or without the floatation tanks. This is with. Designed and built by Studebaker, it was initially intended to support our Alpine troops in the invasion of the Scandinavian peninsula.

Bird, you really missed out not having the chance to play with one. We had one when I was a kid, and we used to drive it around town in the winter. The tracks had rubber blocks to keep the pavement from being damaged.

As for it's claim to fame. The Manhattan project was the highest priority secret project of WWll. The weasel was number two. It was conceived, designed and built in the second tightest security ever, up to that time.

Lightly armored, it's main advantage was it's ability to go through the deepest snows, where other machines wouldn't even think of going. Because of this, it was used extensively, after the war, in Artic and especially Antartic exploration.

Six speeds forward, two reverse. Carried 8 troops and driver, but it could pull 20 to 30 Alpine troops on skis, without even trying hard. This was one machine you could put on a 25 degree slope and not worry about it.

Keep the greasy side down.
Mike

 

[Bird]

Thanks for the picture and information, Mike. My folks didn't have the canvas (or any other) top on theirs, and they had told me it had a Studebaker engine; I didn't know the whole machine was a Studebaker. They said it was really great for going after caribou in Alaska.

 

[MossRoad]

Regarding your weasel.
http://www.autosite.se/MFHF/pict09en.htm
and
http://www.m29cweasel.org/

Don't see any of those on the streets here.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[Bird]

Very interesting sites, David. I didn't know whether any of them were still around or not.

 

[MossRoad]

There might be one in the Studebaker national museum here in South Bend. They have a huge Studebaker collection, including some of the military stuff they made. I believe they also made radial aircraft engines during WWII as well.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[Bird]

Yeah, MossRoad, I was doing a little surfing and found just lots of Studebaker stuff on the Internet earlier today, including the museum. And I even found some Weasels for sale.

 

[MossRoad]

It sure would be a cool toy to have around. My tops on the cool toy list is a Unimog.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

 

[glennmac]

Just catching up. Terrific thread. Very nostalgic.

Steve Allen was married to Jayne Meadows, who is the sister of Audrey Meadows, who played Alice on Jackie Gleason's Honeymooner sketches. The 50's were full of variety shows that I sorely miss. You would see the greatest live comedians and acts. Jackie Gleason. Red Skelton. Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Gary Moore, George Gobel, Arthur Godfrey, Ed Sullivan, Jimmy Durante (walking the spotlights), Jack Benny.

Edie Adams was one of my earliest dishes, too. The first may have been Princess Summerfallwinterspring on Howdy Doody.

 

[Jeff396]

Unfortunately, I don't think there are all that many comedians who could do their act on TV anymore. But you never know, TV's standards seem to be dropping more and more everyday. Oh, and is anyone else but me bothered by the fact that AMC and TMC seem to think movies as new as from the early 80's are classics. If it ain't black and white (with a few early color exceptions and many from the 60's) it don't belong!!!

Jeff