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steveo578

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Everything posted by steveo578

  1. I'd be more amazed if both texts didn't both mention that the scrapmen hadn't been there already:-(
  2. perfect:??? obviously lost something in the translation?
  3. The term Firefly was in the military lexicon prior to D. Day and as evidence richard harley -who reseaches AFVs has found evidence in War diaries of 93rd and 21st anti tank regt RA using M10C at Normandy called these 17pdr armed vehicles Fireflies. So considering that most units having awareness of the 17pdr armed tank by attending conversions courses at Bovington and limited firing training at the long ranges such as Kirkcudbright during the spring of 1944, the term could only be in general military use at that time. 17pdr armed tanks were secret from the public until well into the normandy campaign, to the extent that photos of 17pdr tanks were either cut from build up photos or their turrets were traversed away when cameras were around- a couple tanks were actually caught in the process of traversing. The terms Achillies and Archer (M10c and 17pdr Valentine) were coined at the directorate of tank design (MVEE Chertsey) in february march 1945 and these terms were picked up by researchers when limited documentation was released post WW2.
  4. I thought that was what was said when painting and sculpture was invented:cool2:
  5. There were 2 lunatics:nut: 4 forgers or debtors and an aristorcate deviant. so 7 in all.
  6. diver99 This is the only one i can find at the moment. thanks Dave, good enough shows the barrel is missing, but shows a pretty rare No20 hull machine gun mount -the type that was periscope aimed, confirming it was a Centaur -shame eddy can't get down there some useful stuff for his Centaur. Steve
  7. Any views of the front of the Cromwell/Cenaur as the barrel extraction plate is still in place:cool2:
  8. I just need to get my diary sorted, Judgement Day is May 21st (note to self, dry clean suit -have bath) that is that's nearly 4 months before the October 11th end of the world date, that gives me a lot time to be really bad :evil: if the meeting with the bearded man on the cloud doesn't go well- might as well start the list of things to do and people to....
  9. It's just you:D the shape of all the light tanks from the T5 combat car and T2 light tank through to M3A1 had the same basic toe plate, glacis, drivers/co-drivers plate configuration, including the MG casting, allowing for change of thickness of armour and details. It might look different because the bullet deflector bars are missing -possibly removed as the penguins had failed to develop an effective machine gun force:laugh:. The tracked vehicle shown at 1.48 in the movie was probably an M2A2 used at the West base which had wided track. There were supposed to two M2A2 at the West Camp. According to some reports the wided tracks were steel extensions welded to the standard track like wartime end connectors, although to me it looks more like a rubber track T27 trialed on the M1E3 -but could be anything really.
  10. I've been in the tunnel under the Church in Guernsey(indeed the church is named "sur l'eglise" but that has nothing to do with the tunnel) on several occasions in the 1960s and 1970s -it was always wet and the only field item that I saw was a small field kitchen -the type drawn by a mule -because of the amount of water bits and pieces such as personel harneses were well decayed certainly not worth recovery. Steve
  11. Armoured truck 4 x 4 15cwt CT15TA
  12. Poor old Americans they get blamed for everything, I sure rubber necking has always been around -people used to attend public exectutions probably well before America was discovered. During the Napoleonic Wars it wasn't unknown for well off people to take a carriage and a picnic for a day out watching a battle -a practice that still happened as late as the Ist Bull Run, but the "yanks" ended the practice they didn't start it. I'm pretty sure the rescue authorities would not allow civilian helicopters to get involved in rescues they aren't up to the job -even allowing for the fact that most pilots never trained for and could not be expected to carry out air sea rescue proceedures. Steve
  13. Not that much differenceOriginal Praga -Scania vabis 1664 had an output of about (120hp) the Swiss Sauer Arbon had about the same, obviously the torque would be better. Historically the Hetzer was approx 16ton against 10ton for the Pz38(t) although the road speed 25mph was the same, so probably the overall performance is sluggish compared to the Pz38(t). The Hetzer used the enlarged suspension system of the PzKfw38(t) Neuer Art (new model) which weighed 15ton and had it retained the Praga NR diesel (rated at 260hp) of this model the Hetzer would have had a very lively performance. Guderian as chief inspector of armoured vehicles wanted a 150-170hp version of the Tatra 928 be fitted- being a 90degree Vee motor it could have been fitted in the style of the Saurer Arbon -possibly the 60degree Vee Praga NR was too big to be used in the Hetzer which was very space limited. If I remember correctly a modernised Tatra 928 is the same motor as fitted to the OT64.
  14. They were purely training aids and those shown were during the Weinmar republic 1919 to 1933, when germany was legally forbidden to have tanks under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles 1919. The Wienmar Army had links with other countries and had developed some tanks, Leichter Traktor and Grosstratkor are examples and were tested at Kaznan in USSR. Economy the inter war period was extremely difficult the economy colasped (because of war reparations) even before the gobal economic crash of 1929. The Panzertrappe reflect the style of tanks either developed at the end of the Great War or were tested in secret in the Soviet union. most of these are based on LK3 which was developed in 1918 and was actually based on a heavy car chassis. LK3 was based on designs influenced by the Renault FT but were significantly different -The components to build LK2-3s were sold off to Sweden in 1920 after being hidden in railway trucks and moved around to stop the Allied commison finding them. These components were developed into the STRV m21/29 the first swedish tank. Some also found there way to Hungary -which was also under the Allied demilitrisation control and the components were again hidden in railway trucks until the Allies lost interest -but nothing seems to have been done to put the 10 or so tanks into service with the Honved Steve
  15. thanks for that tony -it saves me looking through back copies of track link for the reference, I think apart from the flame thrower version of the Char Bi bis the other B1 bis were standard battle tanks -the SPGs on the Channel Island were the Renault type the 4.7pak (t)auf Panzerjaeger Renault R35(f) -(it makes you wonder how the Germans managed anything with the convoluted designations) as shown in the Ist picture. while it's not impossible that something may still be knocking around in a deep tunnel or whatever -it is thought that the majority of the Renault SPGs were dumped off the open ramp of a LCT into the waters off the north coast of Jersey. There was some talk about the time when the guns were pulled up the cliffs at Les Landes? that some diver had found a "tiger tank" (well it always is) with a huge cannon pointing upward to the surface. Steve
  16. I thought it had gone a Chanel Islands museum while the building work was going on at Bovington but i could be wrong.
  17. I thought the Bovington B1 Bis was out on loan - has it come home? Alastair you might have "merged" the Bovington Somua S35 medium into thinking that there are 2 Char b1bis -they do have the same turret. there is also a B1 or B1 bis 75mm gun gun at Bovington probably was recovered from the Tog 1 prototype at some stage. Steve
  18. Hi Alastair, why do you think i've got these:cool2: Apart from Electrical testing what do you think I do when the authorities haven't ****ed up the economy, a few years ago I had to assist in putting up a library -in the attic:wow: for one of the retiring professors at one of our unis, it just as well we could use the engineering and architecture depts. to double check the calculations -needless to say -multiple steel beams - and a smaller version of those wind out shelving used in large libraries and government depts. but typically for a humanities prof he was more taken with the traditional pretty carpentry shevles around the walls. -G'd knows what will happen when it comes to the time to sell the house -I want to be there to hear the estate agent explain the "rail tracks" on the floor.:cheesy:
  19. steveo578

    Lent!

    Only if your wife/girlfriend catches you using your cell phone to access those late night "chat sites" or worse;). but we should be very careful or we will log on one day to find an E-Harmony sub forum probably between "tank museum" and "vehicles":undecided: Steve
  20. No worries it's only because I'm old enough to remember old magazines back to the 1990s and not old enough yet to have my brains turn to mush:shocked:. Unless you've seen an article about these ant-artic tractors the photo itself isn't good enough to give an ID as the suspension and rear idler isn't visible nor are the roof plates of the fighting compartment -so the generic term Stuart M3 is a good guess, at least the familly is right:D
  21. there are a few smallish photos of practically all inter war Panzertrappes in the book Panzerwaffe vol 1 which deals with the evolution of the Panzerwaffe from WW1 to the Polish war. The Panzertrappes went on many bases depending on the purpose. From fixed a/t targets to skidding targets and wheeled "vehicles" from twin bicycles -side by side to those mounted on light cars to give the impression of proper tank movements at least on the road. Unfortunately I can't upload anything as I have reconfigured the puter and the scanner won't work:computerrage:
  22. It's a M2A2 Light tank modifed and without its twin turrets (the M2A2 was called the Mae West tank after a well endowed vauderville actress of the pre war period). There are other converted tanks around these bases I think 3 M2A2s and a tractor T3A2 or A3 in total -a second M2A2 should lie on it's side about 15 metres to the right of the tank shown. I think Hanno MCSPOOL did an article on these once in AFV news back in the days of paper and quill pens.
  23. As he "fell over himself while trying to escape" surely he should be charged with assault on himself -after all assaulting some-one while escaping custody is a fellony in most jusidictions.
  24. steveo578

    Lent!

    I thought it lasted 40 years in the wilderness:-D mind you might find the odd rusty tank in the Sinia
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