Kuno

Checked out the i'net a little bit about that particular tank (it was said that it is an MBT and definitely not a tank-hunter).

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Just now - in another forum- I came accross this:

Seems that someone in UK has taken up the design...

Being a German speaker from "nature" I have to appologize that I did not translate. "Hauptbehaelter" means actually -as said above- "main container". I presume that it talks about some fluids - and it indicates that there should be a "Nebenbehaelter" (Auxilliary- / spare-container). Would not say that it is the fuel tank - because this is called "tank" as well in the German language.

Some more pics of the Benghazi Cemetery:

Dear Forum; found once these vew relics of a German vehicle. Have no clue at all what it could have been. The conclusion that it was a German one comes from the word "Hauptbehaelter".

Does anybody have an idea?

@ Snapper; ad the cemetery of Tripoli as well...

There's even a third one in the same region- although this one is retired. THe owner, a local farmer, told me, that his fahter had "found" the truck somewhen at the end of the Desert War and had the idea, that this vehicle would bring the family out of poverty. He used it to bring firewood etc. down to Benghazi and ensured the wealth of the family herewith. The son was told by the father when he was dying to never to sell the truck - else he would fall back to poverty. Although the son told me that he would not believe what his fathers last words said - he still thinks that it is better to keep the vehicle...

Ooops; then I was somehow misslead by the heaps of millet around it. A big sorry to the forum for this mistake & thanks to Rick for the correct caption to the pics!

Some impressions of the Commonwealth Cemetery at Benghazi:

If I recall correct - the original idea was to use the Landrover as an agriculturyl vehicle. Whilst we in Europe don't do this anymore, there are others modifying the old LR into a millet-mill:

Don't worry; it happened to me as well. Hey; how shall we know, how the Roman toilets worked?

@ Bodger; next time you use these toilets - pull down the trousers first ;-)

Agree with that - and now that the tourist season has not yet started, you won't find many people there. Good chance to shoot "vegetarian photos" :-)

...now back to Libya and the Commonwealth Cemetery at Knightsbridge / Acroma:

...and again at El Alamein: The Italian memorial...

...if you allow me to continue on the Axis side: The German memorial of El Alamein:

Next to TOBRUK and EL ALAMEIN, there is a third very impressive German Cemetery: BORDJ CEDRIA in Tunisia. In 1971, all dead soldiers spread over many small cemeteries have been collected and brought to this installation. The small boxes (coffins?) are placed behind the stone plates.

Whilst the Tunisian campaign is not that known as what had happened in Libya and Egypt you may note that only during the six months in Tunisia another 8'500 German soldiers lost their life. This against about 11'000 killed in the previous two years!!!

@ Bodger; Tripoli area -as per my knowledge- is "empty" except for some dozens of Italian bunkers.

...undetected by the enemy ;-)

...would be quite a deviation for you...

...would be a vehicle for you - as the report says: They did not actually enter the Calansho Sandsea; this task is still open...

@ Bodger; will most probably be in the same city in that period...

...it came back to my mind now. Further up I was asked, what had "brought" me to the Desert War. Actually, I just like to take then & now pictures - and most of the old pictures have been taken during the desert war. Below a fine example:

The British had the idea to test their Hoovercraft in the desert of Libya :idea:

This must have been a British idea :yay:

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SRN.5 was driven from TOBRUK/ELADEM down to GIARABUB and the published report describes this testtrip as a good success

Although they could not enter the sandsea as planned orginally and although each trench which was wide enough caused the craft to crash in the opposite embankment :-D

The solution proposed was that the choosen route shall be inspected best by helicopters or Landrovers (another British invention which has a good & tough image although such does not match the reality) and marked consequently :coffee:

But the testing of such vehicle must have been really fun: ENDLESS DESERT :clap::clap:

...and some pics of the same colleague showing the Commonwealth Cemetery at TOBRUK:

Don't have my own pics at hand at the moment - so I use a colleagues ones.

The German memorial is built like a traditional fortress. There is one small entrance and the names of the fallen soldiers are all in mosaics along the inner walls.

Hope these pics can give an impression.