AlienFTM

"It's a stealth tank," said Alien, who got Command & Conquer The First Decade yesterday as a birthday present from his nipper and is revelling in revisiting C&C the original for the first time since Windows XP made playing the DOS version impossible.

Absolutely correct marra. And I have always argued that the dearth of side panels means that applying MME cam would render essentially the whole vehicle black, so I posit that Jeeps ought NOT to be marked in MME.

1. The standard issue 85 pattern smock has velcro cuffs (looks at the one hanging up a few feet away that replaced his Guard Commander combat jacket that fell apart this winter). I did see knitted cuffs on the previous (75? pattern) model, but they were a user mod. It would be frowned on in a garrison but I saw them particularly in NI. 2. As 3 Armd Div Armd Recce Regt, the division's eyes and ears on the FLOT, looking down on the IGB, we didn't get Clansman until 1980 (might have been 79) and on Ex Spearpoint that year we had to work our Clansman sets in compatibility mode for Larkspur because we were ahead of the game. 3. Gloves, NI had padded knuckles (except the index - trigger - finger on each hand). Gloves, Combat, which came out about oh I dunno 1980, were similar to Gloves, NI but none of the fingers were padded. Before the issue of Gloves, Combat, it was quite normal for those not issued with Gloves, NI to wear private purchase lightweight black ski gloves. In our regiment these were available from the PRI. In a German winter, with no L2A3 SMG in hand, I wore my own giant sheepskin-lined motorcycle gauntlets. That said, I also wore a cut-off greatcoat and ex-Bundeswehr sheepskin-lined Panzerstiefel, like Jackboots. 4. In our regiment Barbour jackets were barely tolerated on officers, NOT at all on Toms. But we got early issues of Mao Suits for warmth and until Gore-Tex DPM rainwear was issued, we wore green waterfroofs, again available from our PRI. You might want to consider marking your LR for UNFICYP (gloss white on all surfaces, with flourescent UN badges) then you can dress for UNFICYP (my description is 76 - 77): Shirt OG (you could wear KF, but WHY?!?!?) with UN circular cloth badge on the left arm. Lightweights or Trousers OG (or Short OG) with DMS Boots, Socks, Poly Cotton and puttees. With Shorts OG you would not need to wear a shirt, ie manly chest stripped to the waist. UN beret. This was Italian in manufacture and though there was more material than normal in the awful Kangols or the preferred Compton-Webbs (or the self-purchased Victor's of Aldershot), they shaped well. It was not unknown for people to wear AAC berets in lieu. I honestly cannot remember what we wore for a belt: my guess is 58 pattern web, though the new nylon web may have been issued, or we may have worn regimental stable belt. Combat jacket if inclement. Being UN troops, there is no need to lash out on a weapon. We NEVER wore belt alone over combat jacket except on guard. UN cloth badge could be worn on a light weight UN blue brassard instead of sewn (or glued), but with a rank brassard on the right arm, you'd look like you had wings. A UN blue scarf was also issued in the same material. Even in winter we tried not to wear these. Both uniform and vehicle ought to turn heads IMO.

I am not in the least surprised. Early Mark 1 Tigers and Panthers ran 21 litre Maybachs, replaced by 24 litre Maybachs like those in Tiger IIs. The engine in the Bovington Tiger was the original 21l, but first time they put it under load a con rod went through the block and trashed it. They were unable to source the correct 21l Maybach anywhere in the world to replace it, so they had to settle for a 24l out of a Tiger II, so it is authentic (in that Tiger 1Es later had the 24l engine) but not genuine (in that this particular example never did).

"... and you'd think they'd have made the hole a bit wider and easier to pour down."

ISTR (but I could be wrong) that the quick release mechanism for a Crocodile trailer was explosive in nature to ENSURE the trailer was ejected before burning ammunition passed into the tank.

It's the Soupe du jour. obviously.

I didn't carry Ferrets: I let my Ferret carry me.

Soup in a basket?

Very good T35 and T38 tanks. Good enough to be classed as PzKpfw 35(T for Tscheschisch - Czech) and PzKpfw 38(T) and re-equip four light divisions as Panzer divisions prior to the invasion of Poland and increase their Panzer division count from 6 to 10. We all know how well Rommel's Panzerdivision 7 did ...

Funny you should say that. Whenever the REME had worked on any of the brakes (steering or braking) on our CVR(T)s, they would hang a sign "BRAKE TEST" over the turret rear bin and have one of us in the turret as notional commander while they jumped in the driver seat and took it around the back square. Nobody liked to be in the turret: walls always seemed very close when the steering tiller was pulled or the brake pedal pressed and nothing happened ... And nobody ever closed up close either.

In the late 1970s, A Squadron 15/19H were Close Recce Squadron for 3 Armd Div, with a large troop (8 Scimitars) attached to each of the other battlegroups in the division (two armoured, three mechanised infantry). In consequence, for much of the training season, one troop or another would be at the battlegroup trainer (BGT) at the British Army Training Unit, Suffield (BATUS) in Alberta on Exercise Medicine Man accompanying their BG. It was entirely normal to attach some leave (or R&R) to your time in Canada. Many soldiers would take the opportunity to cross the border into the USA. Suddenly, back in Paderborn, there was a craze for window stickers, selling the ARMY (the stickers related to the US Army, but it didn't mean that many of them were not apposite to our own). By far the favourite in Paderborn was "IF YOU AIN'T CAV YOU AIN'T" especially since 15/19H were the only cavalry regiment in the region (the local Panzerkaserne - tank barracks aka Barker Barracks was populated by 3RTR chav cav). Also popular were stickers intimating who had shot JR, although the best of this genre clearly was British in origin. Keith Michell had just had his lone popular music hit, Captain Beaky and his Band: a car sticker appeared declaring: "HISSING SID SHOT JR" Maybe you had to be there. It was one of those annoying songs that got stuck inside your head and would not go away. Occasionally heard around the Infanteriekaserne (infantry barracks, confusingly occupied by cavalry, namely us, 15/19H obviously) were the lyrics amended thus: The bravest animals in the land Are the Fifteenth / Nineteenth ... and the band. ;o)

I personally doubt that a carrier had enough weight behind it to shift a centuries-old Normandy hedge. I'd expect the nose to dig in, the back end to lift and the clutch to burn out long before it even touched the root system. I don't think a CVR(T) would have the umph to shift a Normady hedge. But that is only IMO.

It's not bad form, it's blind-making. At ranges of up to ten metres, a blank-firing hand weapon discharges enough cordite remnants and brass shavings from the inside of the case to render the target blind. In 1981 I commanded a Scorpion on exercise. We advanced down a fire break, searching to make contact with the advancing Orange Forces (Scimitars of our own Close Recce Squadron, A Sqn). Hearing the sound of a J60 engine heading my way, I set up an ambush, caught him cold and sent a Contact Report claiming to have engaged and destroyed. Of course there were no umpires (it was only regimental training, not the real I-am Field Training Exercise), and the Orange forces' Pink didn't allow for them being knocked out. He continued coming. I had my driver reverse back up the fire break at speed, around a corner into a small clearing, where I set up the ambush again. I ordered my gunner to elevate the 76 to maximum elevation and loaded a blank. (A 76 blank consists of an "empty" case with about an inch of cordite in the bottom, just enough to cycle the breech and eject the empty case after firing. That was quite a bit of cordite.) The Scimitar came around the corner and my gunner let it go at no more than maybe 20m range. The Scimitar accepted defeat (while the crew reamed the loosened wax from their ears) and I straightened the line again). Same exercise, it must have been about February, our troop was covering a nominal reserve demolition, a bridge over a stream in a deep valley. The other section was hull down on the ridge line; we were in the village, my 76 pointed at the bridge. Sure enough at dawn a section of A Sqn Scimitars came over the bridge. If I had fired a blank, I'd have put out every window in the street with the blast, even from a blank, so I ordered my driver to signal the engagement in the recognised manner, by flashing our headlights at the lead vehicle. Again, being A Sqn Close Recce cowboys, they blithely followed their pink, ignored us - apart from waving cheerily as they passed - and carried on up the hill, also blithely ignoring our other section which had them equally cold (well it was February). It was about this time that I began to realise that people were not taking getting themselves killed seriously and the end was in sight. That month I got engaged (married 26 years today) and started making plans to ensure my marriage didn't go the way of so many in the cavalry. But, no, NEVER point a blank at somebody.

The Sterling bayonet lug is also the folded stock retaining lug. I would imagine problems folding the stock if you messed with it. But what do I know?

Ireland, a beautiful country, full of beautiful people, spoiled by a handful of thugs.

Shame you are completely on the wrong side of London for me. Ferret is without doubt the best ride you will ever have.

I must make a stand. Big Brother is great. It subsumes everything else on the telly and She Who Must Be Obeyed watches it avidly. It took me ten years to write Chapter 1 of my book: since BB8 started, I have hammered through into Chapter 5 courtesy of BB while she sits engrossed and does not demand my company.

I was going to bring up that point.

If it had ever happened to me, I'd have suggested post-Falklands. We used up all our war stocks of 9mm and 7.62 and had to but in to replenish from India and Pakistan, whose ammunition was widely considered to be extremely poor.

I always figured the SMG bayonet killed by making the enemy laugh themselves to death.

Yes ad05t read the n6te and the64gt. Don't you just love it when yer ThinkPad's NumLock is wrong? Yes I read the note and thought wtf?!? But the answer I gave was entirely accurate wrt the drill command and I wasn't going to miss the chance to post my reply. I am curious to see the answer. wrt to "is it something to do with pallbearers?" No. you will only have six pallbearers to a coffin (you might get eight if the departed was particularly tall, and the funeral party will not be selected from hoi polloi. When I got invited (to volunteer, actually) the funeral party was composed entirely of senior ranks - Sergeants and Staff Sergeants. We didn't need that sort of drill movement to organise six of us to carry the coffin. I have absolutely no idea now my own entry has been ruled offside.

You want what is gereically labelled a Mark 2. ISTR the Mark 2/6 carried Vigilant ATGMs on the turret: otherwise most Mark 2s were Mark 2/3 or Mark 2/4. IIRC the Mark 2/3 was built with added armour plating whereas the extra armour plating was retrofitted to earlier Mark 2s to bring them up to Mark 2/3 spec. I don't think you (or I) could tell the difference without seeing the documentation. There were variations of Mark 1 concerning the shape of the driver's side hatches (some square, some following the line of the glacis plate) and the size and layout of the belly plates (so that you could get hand and spanner inside the engine compartment to unto the three bolts holding the starter motor in place without a pack lift for example. I cannot say I ever noticed thr same variations applying to Mark 2s. Again I couldn't get it right OTOH. ;o)

Sure I have a picture of 02 CC 76 at home, parked outside 15/19H Command Troop hangars, must have been summer of 78.

In 1981 I got married. The best man and I signed out a set of 1923 model 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars Peace Time Uniform each, tailored to perfection, then stumbled over identical sabres. The RSM was extremely helpful (we had both previously been in Command Troop for a number of years, and this would be an eye-turner for the regiment). He organised for us to cross Sennelager Training Area to where the Queen's Own Hussars were stationed. Their Quartermaster very kindly agreed to issue two identical Wilkinson sabres, but he wanted them straight back. After three weeks on honeymoon was not an option We travelled home, driving across Europe in my bright yellow Mark 2 Capri complete with black vinyl roof, the two sabres and two sets of uniform in the boot. John, the best man, had to return home immediately because his close recce troop was deploying with their parent battlegroup to the British Army Training Unit, Suffield (BATUS), near Medicine Hat in Canada on Exercise Medicine Man. He planned to walk onto a ferry and catch a train back to the Corps Area. He was quite happy to carry two ceremonial sabres, but when you stepped off the ferry, customs went through the roof. I don't think he will ever let me forget the hassle he went through on my behalf.