Kuno

Was it your family that run this museum?

Hi Marty; no, it is not my family who runs that museum. I am just living in the neighborhood. The museum is maintaied by an association.

And some "live action" of the Swiss Army:

Historical displays of various groups (which as far as I know are not an integrated part of the museum):

There were as well vehicles on display in front of the museum (which is located in the buildings of a abandoned chemical factory). Some of those vehicles belong to the museum, others wer presented by private persons:

I have added the captions on top as good as I could. In fact, each vehicle has a plate in front of it, giving the principal data and the history of the particular vehicle.

Here the link to the website of this "double museum" and some photographs I had the chance to take today. The occassion was the official opening of an additional hall where tanks, guns and trucks are displayed. The photos are actually only dealing with this particular hall and not wth the other exhibitions of the museum.

That's the link:

http://www.festungsmuseum.ch/xml_2/internet/de/intro.cfm

Captions from top to down (as good as I know them):

1) Saurer 8x8 truck

2) OTM? Chech postwar copy of the German SdKfz.152

3) Row of Swiss tanks - Pz61 and Pz68 at the end a Centurion

4) Russian stuff

5) Schwimmwagen and Kuebelwagen

6) Pz68

7) Wrecker

8) German Spz (lang)

9) Renault

10) 37 mm PaK with AT rocket

11) BTR such & such

12) G13 (Swiss Hetzer)

13) Universal Carrier

14) T34/85

15) Swiss prototype sp gun

16) Swiss army trucks as Henschel, Saurer 330, FBW

17) French Hotchkiss 25mm AT gun

18) 88mm FlaK

19) Saurer 8x8

20) Howitzer

Many thanks for clarification, Richard.

There should be no mines near that truck - it is in a quarry and just next to the main road.

I remember that it was a steel body. So an OYD then?

...maybe somebody knows the precise designation of this truck?

I thought that i would be time t load up some pictures of a truck wreck in Libya again. Took my photographs nearly ten years ago but these days a colleague of mine was there as well. Seems that nobody has touched the truck within these years...

Here -not the best- picture of the truck as it was found in the desert:

...actually not :-( Could not really travel :embarrassed:

This truck is the same one as on Jaap's pic above - it only got a new layer of paint.

Egypt / El-Alamein Museum, the Discovery of the CMP Ford F60L

There are stories going around telling about the dicovery of the CMP Ford F60L which is displayed at the museum at el-Alamein. Here is the one which is explaining how it actually happened:

(Translated from German): “We found the truck in December 1993 but we kept the information about the location with us. Later on, it was provided to the Egyptian military by Mr. X.Y.. The Egyptin military went there then in the second half of 1996 to pick up the truck and to bring it to the museum of el-Alamein. The most important reason for the military to go there was that it was still loaded with explosives (i.e.) Dynamite. The 6 pages report which was published later on in an amry-magazine does not reflect the correct circumstances of the finding of the truck.

Once in the region, the military patrol paid a visit to the Gilf Kebir and to the Jebel Uweinat as well and “picked up” two Germans who had unfortunately decided to cross the border from Libya to Egypt without having the required permissions. After some days and following the procedures, these two men were handed back to Libya some days later at the official border crossing at Solloum.

But now back to the truck. A big part of the load consisted of originally packed Dynamite-sticks which were stapled in sealed wooden boxes. A dangerous load! The other part of the load consisted Flimsy-cans (the well known ones). All in all, they would have contained 1940 liters of fuel but they were empty. The question is, why empty Flimsy-cans were carried – normally, they were thrown away.

The truck was placed in a flat area and was easy visible from a distance of about 3 kms from all directions. Fact is further, that there was no obvious damage found on the vehicle so it seems that it simply run out of fuel and had to be abandoned then. The two cables to the battery were disconnected. One can guess that they had the idea to get the vehicle later on – but did not do so for unknown reasons.

The question, if the dead driver was still on his seat or not shall be answered as well: He was not. There were no remnants of human beings at all and a single sock was the only piece of cloth which could be found.

The finder of the truck confirms that the spare wheel was still inflated and he was told by the military that the other tires, which were flat, were pumped up again. Further he was told that after re-fuelling, they were able to start the engine again. However; the vintage-truck was not driven up to el-Alamein but loaded one of the military’s big PEGASO trucks.”(End of Translation)

The finder is a well renowned person in desert travelling in Egypt and in Libya. Please pay a visit to his website under http://www.dabuka.de/

I hope that above information is helpful. And if anybody would find something more about that truck are give a hint about who could have been its owner – please feel free to post it here or to drop me a message.

Sorry. Was 'off duty' for some time....

Nessecery for the more casual onllooker who may not be as well briefed as you!

...if such information plates would be placed somehow BESIDE the vehicle instead of ON it, then also the 'more casual onlooker' could get some nice photographs ;-)

...I must admit that the picture was taken on an August morning and not in December :-)

What I don't like in the museums: If the place a big white information plate on the particular vehicle. It destroys each photo :-(

All the best to all of you!

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I guess that most of you won't understand the language - then at least enjoy the pictures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0xA2yMjXVQ

NAVIGATE THE DELLS ON A DUCK

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Fascinating!

Take a lot of photos and compare they then with the restored truck in an exhibition!!!

What make is the truck with the 'red cross box'?

Thanks for that information, Richard.