MGM-52 Lance Missile System

[army929]

LOVED IT. MY FIRST MOS. I KNOCKED MYSELF OUT PULLING OUT THE TRANSPORT LOCK PIN IT WAS STICKING, PULLED IT OUT CAUSE ON A MISSION BEING EVALUATED AND COLD KNOCKED MYSELF OUT. STATIONED AT HERZO 2/12TH CHARLIE COBRAS

[marv2482]

Served as a Lance crewman in West Germany a fantastic piece of kit !

[juuls26]

The helicopter at around 7:05 looks like a Russian Mi-8 but that can't be right is it a early model CH53, but thought only the Marines used them? Know the Germans have them too!!!

[Southerocker]

I was at the 83rd Det i Montabaur Germany from '86-'91, loved it there. Would've done my whole 20 years there if they would've let me.

[fischbach41st]

Farmer wound up in Dayton with theat old girl he was crazy about in the Det, dont know about Sartin. I pulled plenty of my duty later on down the road.

[fischbach41st]

Yeah, its me, been a long time. Still dont know who you are. Me and Neal were close as bugs

[fischbach41st]

farmer spent more time at my house than he did at the depot

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st LOL Yeah ... Farmer was a hell raiser. He didn't take crap from the ass kissers. I don't know if he got busted ... from what I understood a few people had it in for him. Welch was in Denny's squad, he seemed to be quiet & reserved ... I can't remember him ever pulling CQ or Guard Duty. It's interesting how I get the different duty stations mixed in my memories. Do you know what ever became of Farmer & Sartin?

[fischbach41st]

you remember jeff welch

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st Oh Yeah! I remember Welch ... he was on the 1st floor at the barracks.

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st Oh Yeah! I remember Welch ... he was on the 1st floor at the barracks.

[tampabayproductions]

This is what I did in my "other job". I miss deploying in the small German villages. 75th USAFAD in Flenburg 1981-87

[khofakyerself]

What unit are these guys from? It looks like the post barber shop must have burned down! They all have longer hair than Jimmy Page! They never would have passed inspection at my old unit, 1/333, Camp Pieri, Wiesbaden.

[BSmith2277]

@khofakyerself I agree with the hair comment. This would have never been acceptable in my unit, 2/42, McKee Barracks, Crailsheim.

[faffaflunkie]

This is the best evidence yet that during the "cold war" a noncom with an itchy finger could have given the order to start WWlll.

[Nater245689]

@faffaflunkie No, it isn't. Nuclear weapons (at least those of the United States) are secured with permissive action links. These presence of these devices means that possession of the warhead does not mean you have to ability to detonate the warhead.

[faffaflunkie]

@faffaflunkie The "permissive action link" is a relatively recent invention. Google "Davey Crocket Warhead" or "small atomic demolition munition (sadm) " and you will see what I mean. I guarantee you the (nuclear) warheads of the vintage of this film had no "permissive action link". There is a reason why the "permissive action link" was invented and terrorists "getting their hands on one" (a nuclear weapon) wasn't it.

[AHirschenhofer]

This has to be the slowest set up I have ever seen. I'm sure it's for training purposes...but dam...LOL. I was in the 3/79th FA in the Zoo, Germany A-Battery. If we did it this way...we never would have made live fire two years in a row in Crete! That was a fun TDY.

[bill2379]

@AHirschenhofer Hey Hirsch. We served together in A Btry 3/79 FA at Rivers. I was in Second Firing Platton.

You are right those missile away parties at Pop's in Crete were great. Had a great time serving in Germany.

Hope you are doing well.

Sgt D

[AHirschenhofer]

@bill2379 Holy cow...BILL! Yea, I remember you...still have some of your camera shots while we were there brother. Find me on Face Book OK? Let me know...want to talk more, very nice surprise to hear from you old friend;c) Ma Halo, Hirsch

[Legend813a]

@AHirschenhofer I never dreamed that the posting of this old film would cause people to reconnect with each other.

This internet thing is kinna cool.

[njneopatriot]

We did mods on the Lance in the mid 1980's in Germany. I was on the PDK (propellant drainage kit) team. The convoys were highly secured by MP's ... we had 2 to 4 platoons of MP's escorting our convoy. I remember giving the MP's their briefings & debriefs ... it was kinda funny how they responded to the potential dangers.

[spritz0]

@njneopatriot It wouldn't have been funny if things had got out of hand while we were there, we all thought the Russians would have attacked by '85. I didn't like MP's until I realized they really had our backs in terms of deployment security, etc... in the field.

[njneopatriot]

@spritz0 We were depot level maintenance; we did the mods & updates to the system. In the 2 years I worked at the depot level we went in the field once for 2 days & it was about 50 meters from our barracks. It was a big change for me since I started out as an 11 Bravo, Infantryman; as Infantry our homes were the field. It was certainly a good change to get the ASI of 55 Bravo. As individuals & teams we accomplished our objectives to bring about an end to the Cold War & the Soviet Union.

[spritz0]

@njneopatriot I was in Baden-Baden and Lahr W. Germany from 1986-1988, Airborne Infantry A-6- one of your N.A.T.O. allies from the "Great White North"!!!

[njneopatriot]

@spritz0 Combat arms & their support elements all contributed to the security & welfare of our nation. We had the term CYA (Cover Your Ass) and I always believed if we all did this in a unified manor somebody else would not have to cover for me. I was not conveying any disrespect or disdain for MPs.

[fischbach41st]

@njneopatriot I was 1st squad leader at the 41st in fischbach, I was also in charge of the PDK mission. Most of the time on the convoys I drove the wrecker. Get back with me.

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st What years were you in Fischbach? Were you a 27Lima, 55Delta or 55Bravo? I left the 41st in 1986 ... I heard the depot was decommissioned in August 1995. I bet it was a real challenge/nightmare clearing all the bunkers. SSG Denny?

[fischbach41st]

@njneopatriot I was there from 1983 till 1991. SSG Denny was my squad leader until he left. He lived in Pineville, KY, which is about 30 miles from my house here in Speedwell, TN. Some of the guys I remember are Corderro, Keener, Gaines, Big John, Neal, Gonzales and others I cant remember the names. I was a 27 Lima. We were part of Golden Python, which was the last mission before I left. I married Deb Freeman if that rings any bells.

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st You were there for awhile .... I don't remember any marriages taking place when I was there. I remember Elliss, Denny, Davis, Corderro, Neal, Bowers, Keener, Wheeler, Farmer, Okelly, Fritzke & Sartin. My mother was good friends of the Mcandless Family ... my older brother knew our CO. When you said you drove the wrecker ... I thought maybe you were one of the guys from the motorpool.

[njneopatriot]

@fischbach41st Wow! 7 or 8 years! That's too long for me & no room for promotions. Do you remember a SGT Jose Capati from the motorpool? He's a great guy! Funny as hell ... and the guy speaks more languages than I care to even know of. After I left Fischbach ... I went to school at Fort Eustis and became a crewchief on the AH-1 Cobra. Did you go PLDC in Germany or stateside?

[fudgedogbannana]

I was waiting for Radar O'Riley to start the count down while Hawk eye and BJ crack jokes.

[StiviGun1]

This missile takes simply TOO MUCH to be assembled and getting it ready to fire. Why didn't they automated the system, like the Russians did with the Tochka? Tochka & Lance date from the same period ( the '70s ) but the Tochka is superior, at least at this aspect.

[AHirschenhofer]

@StiviGun1 Hi, I was a Lance missile tech in the early eighties, this video is for training or a sales pitch. We had our system up and ready for fire before 1/10th of this video was played. Believe me, our crews were fast....any one cranking that slow would have been drug tested...LOL

[StiviGun1]

@AHirschenhofer Yeah, but I still think that the system should've been automatized, like the Russians did with the Tochka. & they should've used solid fuel 4 the missile which would've further reduced the emplacement & launching time of the missile. & what I don;t understand is why it took 10 years 2 develop this relatively simple missile. BTW, was this missiles used in any conflict? What was its maximum range when was using conventional warheads? & what type of conventional warheads were

[StiviGun1]

@AHirschenhofer available for the missile? Could it be fitted with a unitary warhead as well or just with a cluster warhead?

[Hausrmaddness]

hey dudek, I dont miss cranking that thing up either but I do miss firing that big ol lug out in the ocean. That is one hell of a bottle rocket.

[a13bdude]

I sure as hell don't miss cranking that thing up for a high angle mission.LOL

[tarmac2001]

Ah the 70's, were all the background music sounded the same as in a porn flick.

[boundtogetdown]

wow there just showing us how to use it

[AHirschenhofer]

@boundtogetdown It's out dated....and they never really showed you the important stuff...if they did...you'd be dead all ready;c)

[AHirschenhofer]

@boundtogetdown That was a joke...don't sue me plz...Oh what the hell...I'm broke anyways...LOL

[generalripper1964]

I think I saw this video at Ft. Sill OK during Field Artillery Officer Basic Course.

[matatan69]

OMG, the whole Soviet Atomic arsenal would be just seconds away from the US by the time these soldiers have finish the assembly of the bomb..

[robushly]

Lance kicked ass. Herzo, Giessen, Wiesbaden. Best time of my life.

[AHirschenhofer]

@robushly I was at the Zoo....3rd and 79th, A-btry...you?

[avrokneksok]

The neutron bomb, the worst bomb against all things that live, should be renamed the torture bomb. Poor Ali Abbas.

[xylofish1]

omg the blak guy looks like gjim kelly from the brucle lee movie,maybe he will do kunmg fu if u adk!!maybe he will karate the missle n hen drop kick all us enemies into submission or into outer fuckin space hahahaaahaahah

[Survivalist2theEnd]

Do you proof read before you post?

[drazdikjr]

If I were a deranged US Treasury Agent in Washington D.C. maybe I could trick the South Korean Embassy into beleiving trained people using people with Bio-Chemical weapons are just as dangerous when working together in units. Like a joke using the Honest John missile with Sceleraderma or BSE as bio-weapons warhead. Thank God I'm not a deranged US Treasury Agent!