The M561-M792 Gama Goat Operation and Maintenance Comic - DA PAM 750-31 (1970)

The M561-M792 Gama Goat Operation and Preventative Maintenance Pamphlet from 1970 is another masterpiece by the famous illustrator Will Eisner that was responsible for a series of publications for the Army. This manual distributed with the six-wheel drive Gama Goat does not lack its typical combination of sex appeal and technical information.

The Gama Goat was a six-wheel drive semi-amphibious off-road vehicle originally developed for use by the US military in the Vietnam War. The Goat used an articulated chassis, so that from distance it appears to be a four-wheel drive vehicle pulling a two-wheel trailer, but it is a single six-wheel vehicle with a four-wheel steering arrangement with the front and rear wheels turning in opposite directions. It was famous for its ability to travel over exceptionally rough and muddy terrain.

The vehicle's nickname came from two sources; "Gama" from the name of the inventor of its powered articulated joint, Roger Gamaunt, and "Goat" for its mountain goat-like off-road ability. Its military designation was M561, 6×6 tactical 1¼-ton truck. There was also an ambulance version known as the M792. The Goat is prized among military vehicle collectors because it is so unusual design and small numbers of vehicles that have survived the times.