M113A3 Birdcage in Iraq (ICONS)
 

2nd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment


The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was activated in 1942 at Mount Currahee, Camp Toccoa, Georgia as part of the newly created 101st Airborne Division. The men of the 506 left camp on foot, marching 137 miles to arrive for training in Fort Benning. They would become the first Parachute Infantry Regiment to complete Airborne training as a unit.

In June 1944, it was the 506th that jumped into the skies over France, seizing the high ground directly behind Normandy beach to lead the D-Day invasion. The Regiment secured its objectives and was crucial in establishing the Allied base at the beach. The 506th would later invade and seize Hitler's famed "Eagle's Nest" in southeastern Germany, forcing the surrender of the German 82nd Corps.

For seventeen years, the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry was stationed two miles from the perilous DMZ in South Korea until it was called to duty in Iraq in late August 2004. Moving from an Air Assault unit in Korea to a Motorized Infantry unit, the 1/506th is now stationed in Ramadi.


http://www.murdocnet.net/pics/birdcagem113.jpg

U.S. troops from the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment drive atop of an armored personal carrier outside OP Hotel in Ramadi, Iraq, April 21, 2006. (AP Photo/Todd Pitman)

Re: M113A3 Birdcage in Iraq (ICONS)
 

Nice!

Re: M113A3 Birdcage in Iraq (ICONS)
 

Finally,they are much better protected than strykers.And definitely more mobile in urban warfare enviroment.

Re: M113A3 Birdcage in Iraq (ICONS)
 

Actually, I'd feel safer saying that with the RPG screens they're now about as safe. Neither the Stryker nor the M113 are particularly heavy in the armor department, and neither were designed to be. The Stryker is also far less likely to suffer the kind of mobility kills due to IEDs that an M113 would be. A thrown track stops an M113, 3 destroyed wheels doesn't stop a Stryker. Each vehicle has its pros and cons, but there is little evidence from the field to support what appears to be a "war on the Stryker" at home.

Re: M113A3 Birdcage in Iraq (ICONS)
 

Actually, I saw a special on The Military Channel about the Stryker and they had video of one hitting am IED. It flipped it on it's side. They said only one crew member had minor injuries and the were able to flip the Stryker on it's wheels and drive it out of the area. I saw it fly in the video, pretty hard.

I think that using the M113 upgrade is very smart. The HMMWV's are not ment to carry people into hot areas.

The M113A3's are also getting extra armor on the sides and bottom to help with IEDs and mines.