AlienFTM

Bump. Another good read, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sahagun Emsdorf and Victory!

I bet it's a blast in your house when the presents are opened.

I haff a wheelie bad feeling about zis.

If you look carefully at the ground you can see the aeroplane's shadow. Hang on ... isn't that shadow a B17???

Cheers mate that's how I remembered it. I can only imagine the mess if someone used the cludgie and forgot to use a bag. I guess the ordure really would hit the fan.

The Regimental Bath to encourage dirty gits to wash themselves. It did indeed happen in every barracks (where there was a dirty git). It usually sorted them out in training. Frowned upon in these "enlightened" times.

That's interesting. Ferret Registry lists 33BA81 as a Mark 1/1 configured as a Mark 2/3. When I commanded it as a 15/19H Command Troop Rebroadcast in 1980 (having been taken on 15/19H strength in late 1977) it was undoubtedly a Mark 1.

About 1980 I was the coldest person in Europe (for 20-minute periods on stag through the night while a hard anti-cyclone was centred on Senelager). The temperature dropped to -40 (where Fahrenheit and Centigrade converge). To this day, I laugh at people who complain about the cold. I am sat here shivering at this thought.

Since he lost his glasses, Trooper Snooks (off-pic) was struggling to understand why his mouse seemed to have a mind of its own. Remembering a recent memo (attached), he considered performing his own maintenance. Abstract: Mouse Balls Available as FRU (Field Replacement Unit) Mouse balls are now available as FRU. Therefore, if a mouse fails to operate or should it perform erratically, it may need a ball replacement. Because of the delicate nature of this procedure, replacement of mouse balls should only be attempted by properly trained personnel. Before proceeding, determine the type of mouse balls by examining the underside of the mouse. Domestic balls will be larger and harder than foreign balls. Ball removal procedures differ depending upon manufacturer of the mouse. Foreign balls can be replaced using the pop-off method. Domestic balls are replaced using the twist-off method. Mouse balls are not usually static sensitive. However, excessive handling can result in sudden discharge. Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used immediately. It is recommended that each replacer have a pair of spare balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction, and that any customer missing his balls should suspect local personnel of removing these necessary items. To re-order, specify one of the following: P/N 33F8462 - Domestic Mouse Balls P/N 33F8461 - Foreign Mouse Balls

Surely a Cent BARV would be equipped with Larkspur and harness? C42/C13/B47? Bear in mind the PSUs for the C42 and C13 were about the size of the complete equivalent Clansman set with built-in PSU, and the sets themselves nearly twice the size of the PSU (from memory). Looking at the Fox pics begs another question. CVR(T) and CVR(W) were designed to take Clansman but the government of the day couldn't afford both and Army chose CVR(T) and (W) to be the priority, so that during the 19702, they had Larkspur sets shoehorned in and there was NO spare space. I'd love to see that Fox with a C42 / C13 setup. Thinking about it after all these years I have the nagging feeling that one of the C13 / C42 PSUs actually had to go under one of the turret seats in CVR(T). Anyone else ex-Recce care to dredge the memory depths.

This applies with modern tanks. During the Second World War I cannot off top of head (not trying hard at all) think of a front-engined tank, or a rear-sprocketed tank, which looking back strikes me as odd. I was about to suggest that this is why the Sherman was so high, until I realised that the PzKpfw4 to top of turret (less cupola) is about the same height as the Sherman to top of hull, so the Sherman's height must be purely down to the engine configuration; and all tanks of the era had drive train passing under the turrent to final drives at the very front (broad generalisation).

Won't tell you how much, but if you have an iGoogle page you can add this gadget: http://www.google.co.uk/ig/mailgadget?hl=en&moduleurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.calculatorcat.com%2Fgmodules%2Fcurrent_moon.xml&mid=18&source=share_gadget# It shows the moon's phase, etc. Amuses me (not difficult). Oops. The link actually takes me to a link to share the gadget with people in my address book. Tough.

Leonids IIRC? Maybe not - the dark recesses of my bank of useless information that I cannot be bothered to cross-refer on the wide-eyed web suggest they might be early November. If you sit and plot and extrapolate back the tracks of the meteorites at this time, almost all (apart from some randoms) originate near the constellation of Leo. It's just coincidence because at this time in the earth year, the planet passes through a dust cloud and the meteoroids enter the atmosphere in the area of this constellation. The Perseids arrive about 11 August. We usually sit out for a while in the late evening for the Perseids. Easily pleased, us.

If you have been watching Catastrophe with Baldrick ... I mean Tony Robinson ... one - probably the first one - of the three episodes I have watched (fourth is Sky+ed) looks at the Moon, created in the Earth's infancy when it was hit by another young planet, Thea. When the Moon was only about 15,000 miles away, shortly after creation, and water had formed, tides were running at 100 miles high. Project Apollo is still running. One of the lander crews placed a laser target on the surface and every day the Project Apollo team acquire and zap the target. As tidal friction between Earth and Moon slows them both down, the Moon's orbit does indeed move out by a foot every year (that's 30cm in Pound Shillings and Pence) and I am pleased to say the tides are also reducing as a result. According to the programme, we are lucky beyond measurement to be alive after all the catastrophes that have befallen the planet, wiped out 99% of all life-forms that have ever existed and yet each has created a environmental change that has enabled the Earth's ecosystem to quantum leap forward to create a human-inhabitable biosphere.

I remember Simpson Barracks - used to drive past it on my way up north. Coincidentally, I have just come from the Army Rumour Service Old'n'Bold forum "Regimental Depots etc what are they now?" thread where today's new posts included one which reported that Simpson Bks, like so many other places, is now a housing estate. I believe the appointment you mean is Infantry Assault Pioneer Sergeant (I used to think it was Assault Pioneer Warrant Officer but there you go). Or a meringue?

I never came across pioneer units during my time but I have a vague recollection that one pioneer company role was to be attached to higher formation HQ (Army sticks in the mind: maybe also Corps?) to facilitate the setting up of the HQ in the field (or the wood). I'd guess at levelling the site, felling trees, digging trenches etc: higher formation would not want to waste time getting hands dirty setting up when they could be commanding.

ISTR there was an issue that a Japanese delegation was waiting to be presented to announce the formal declaration of war but were made to wait and the operation went in on time.

I keep telling them that.

Target right half target loaded go on!!!

What it's called and what it is may not be the same thing. Let's face it, it's a Battalion Anti-Tank gun and we all know the correct term is Regiment, but the infantry differ on that one too. Just like a Scorpion isn't a tank, it's a tracked armoured car. ;o)

It's being incorrectly termed a sighting gun: it is a ranging gun. A small weapon with similar ballistics to the main armament has a modified (if necessary) round to increase / decrease its ballistics to exactly match those of the main armament. When a target is engaged, a short burst from the ranging gun is used first, firing at a range estimated by the commander. The fall of shot is observed, the range corrected accordingly and another ranging burst fired. When the ranging burst is seen to strike the target, a main armament round is fired using the same sight picture. Ought to guarantee a first-round hit with the seriously more-expensive and limited-supply (a Scorpion could carry a mountain of 7.72mm belt, 1 ball 1 trace for the L37 GPMG ranging gun but only 42 correctly-stowed 76mm rounds for the main) 120mm (e.g.) ammunition. The drills for engaging a moving target basically amount to tracking the target (largely in traverse) and continuing to do so through the moment of firing, and aiming forward of the target so that it and the shot are coincident in the space / time continuum when the round lands. With a muzzle velocity of 533ms-1, a 76mm HESH round would take just under 3 seconds to cover the range of a typical engagement at 1500m.

I wore gaiters in the regular RMP in 1975.

No mate. Was that 76 or 77? Only visit I did was to the Arrer at Pompey right after we got back from Omagh. I am guessing the Alvis visit was 77 when I was away from town much more regularly: in MRS with screamers right after we got back from Cyprus; in Hannover for an adventure training exercise in Norway courtesy of Tanky who tipped us (his troop) that Lou was having an RSM's parade and this got us out of it; Boscombe Down seeing how many CVR(T)s we could get into a Boeing YC-14 Free-fall Parachute Course, etc etc

You've got mail.

Yesterday I got a SPAM e-mail on my hotmail account from somebody touting for members for the Military Vehicles Worldwide Network (mailto:invitations@************) I couldn't help but wonder if somebody had joined this forum and trawled all the e-mail addresses. I can forward the offending e-mail to a real address if anyone wants to take action.