The Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle (ACAV) was a derivative of the US Army's standard M113 armored personnel carrier. APCs such as the M113 were designed to ferry a squad of troops into battle and protect them from small arms fire. Once the vehicle came to a stop, a rear ramp would be lowered so that the troops riding inside the carrier could disembark behind the vehicle without being exposed to enemy gunfire. The ACAV was an upgunned variant that featured a .50-caliber machine gun and shield over the commander's hatch, plus two M-60 machine guns and shields near the rear cargo hatch for additional fire support.

Pictured here is a marvelous 1:43 scale diecast replica of an M113 ambulance. Like the other vehicles in the "Unsung Heroes" line, this M113 ambulance has been 'muddied' to give it a more weathered appearance. This particular vehicle was attached to the US Army's 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and nicknamed "Draft Dodger." Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Width: 2-inches

Release Date: April 2006

Historical Account: "Vietnam Bound" - With the war in Vietnam escalating, the Blackhorse Regiment was alerted for assignment to Southeast Asia on 11 March 1966. The Regiment began specialized training for combat in a counterinsurgency environment. Modifications were made to the organization and equipment (MTOE) with emphasis on the use of modified M113 armored personnel carriers (APCs). Two M-60 machineguns with protective gun shield were mounted at the port and starboard rear of the vehicle, and a combination circular & flat frontal gun shield(s) were added around the .50 caliber machine gun located at the commander's hatch. This lethal combination produced a deadly M-113 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle, or, in Vietnam more simply referred to as an ACAV by GI's in country, a name coined by 11th Armored Cavalrymen.

The regiment's modifications emphasized the use of ACAVs instead of the Patton medium tank and completely replaced the M-114 found in reconnaissance platoons, which may have existed in European and CONUS areas of operation. The M114 had been deployed to Vietnam in 1962, but withdrawn in 1964 due to its unsatisfactory, and often disastrous performance. Throughout the war, the tank companies, with their M48 Patton tanks, remained the same in each squadron. In 1968, Colonel George S. Patton IV (son of WWII General Patton), commander of the 11th ACR in South Vietnam recommended to General Creighton Abrams that one squadron from a division and the other from theater command be issued the army's new aluminum tanks (Sheridans) for combat testing. General Abrams concurred, and in January 1969, M551 Sheridans were issued to the 3rd Squadron 4th Armored Cavalry and the 1st Squadron 11th Armored Cavalry. Due to differences between the organization of Regimental Cavalry Squadrons and Divisional Cavalry Squadrons, in 1st Squadron 11th ACR, the Sheridans were issued to the ACAV Troops, replacing three M113 ACAVs in each platoon (the squadron's one tank company remained intact); in 3rd Squadron, 4th Cav, the Sheridans replaced M48A3 tanks throughout the squadron.