steveo578

I think the tractor may be a Kato 70 (4ton tractor) and the gun may be a Type 91 105mm howitzer but the photo is not sharp enough to see the breach- so it a guess:nut:. The car is unknown to me -many Japanese cars were US clones especially as it is probably a black sedan it may have just been acquired. Steve

the Cromwell (although the illustration looks like a cad style pic) is suspicously similar to the Matchbox -Revel design of the early 2000s.

I like a good railgun recoil joke- this one doesn't move at all the centre section pivots like the US 8inch (for example the Mk6) the WW1 and inter war Schneider 240mm guns and Britsh 9.2inch the Soviet type could in theory fire broadside and visible in the detail photos are both lock downs near the extremity of the bogies, the centre pivot unit and outriggers to stabilse the rotating section of the mounting. It is possible that the tubes for these guns were from the same source as that used in the Mirus batterie in Guernsey. Steve

The A/A gun in post#22 is a 75mm type 88 the standard IJA mobile unit. The field pieces are 150mm howitzer Type 4 (the weapon with the shield) the other gun is a type 38 (an older type replaced by the Type 4) which is a close copy of a Krupp pre WW1 design. The rail gun is a Schneider 240mm called a Type 90 by the Japanese whether they had more than a single sample is unknown to me but many interwar Japanese designs were French. The tank is again a French design based on the NC1 with indigenous armament Japanese designation OTSU B Steve

They are Vickers/Crossley Type 87 which was an export model based on the 1925 Indian pattern the major difference is pneumatic rather than solid tyres. Steve

When did the later track come into service? As to whether it matters -a number of M24 are often painted up as WW2 ETO service vehicles ignoring that they have later track -suspension. Steve

fantastic site find:D, I thought initally that built as a french railgun clone but seems indiginous, I believe the soviets brought up railguns for the battle of Berlin and other assaults on central european cities such as buda-pest. Steve

I really wish I had your belief in our legislature- all three major parties are tared with the same brush- they are re-active in their legislation mainly to placate the common or garden Daily Mail/Telegraph reader. The current proposal change will be a notification being sent to your GP asking if he/she has noticed any potential change in your mood-behavioural balance -the fact that most of the purportrators who have licenced weapons never see their doctors prior to "going on a spree", the average male rarely visits his doctor on average if I remember the stats correctly it is about once every 5years, the average appointment time at a GP surgery is <10minutes. However the farming comunity has a higher level of depression of any single employment group and also has higher gun access level- so what may be the result of that? As to improved legislation -the previous form of the legislature in this and other respects does not give much comfort- highly re-active legislation after Newbury and Dunblaine, from wider aspects dare I mention the dangerous dogs act or that wonderful piece of legislative rubbish is the VCR:???. Sorry if that's too political Steve

So it's going to be fairly bare under the Xmas tree then:???:cool2:

Quite:-) but then again moving one from the Soviet Far East wouldn't be cheap either:D. The one shown in your last photo seems to be a rolling pill box without any drive train- note the plate on the engine vents.

It's the Trackless tank -which was the Trackless Tank Corporation rather than Christie and led to the T13. It was powered by the Guiberson T-1020 diesel. The cook Bros vehicle was T55-sometimes called the cook interceptor was a 3inch T9 gun (as fitted to M1)TD) mounted on an 8 wheeler all driven hull with a distinctive gap between axles 2 and 3.

I'm pretty sure I've seen a photo of a Diamond T and rogers combination hauling an LCM3 during the Rhine build up -just can't remember where it is at the moment. Quite a bit of weight was taken up on these transporters with timber baulks to give clearance and ballast as the combination was extremely out of balance.

I look forward to seeing any photos:thumbsup:

If they are looking for a Chinese IS tank then it would be a IS2 original configuration -as in not an IS2M -the one with integral revised stowage like that in the IWM collection. The IS2 delievered to China were pre-the M mod. AFAIK no IS3 were delievered to China. The 200- 250+ IS4 were stationed on the Chinese border from the 1950s when Stalin considered sending a Shock Army to Korea and they remianed there throughout the 1960-70s eventualy dug in as were IS3s (IS3s were also dug in on Skalin and other coastal areas in the soviet far east. So unless the Chinese managed to capture one during the various border incidents in the 1960s 70s the only IS in China should be IS2s. There is no such combat vehicle as an IS1 only IS2-3-4 and T10. The Tank Museum missed out on IS3Ms -at least two were brought in for Eygpt by Budge, for ex Soviet stuff I would be spending my time trying to get a T10/ T10m and T64. Steve

Great care should be taken when using cameras in Pakistan especially at the moment- one of my mates was taken to the guard house at PAC Lahore for attempting to photograph the exhibits (Churchill and Shermans), fortunately he was born there and had a relative who was an officer of rank -Major or Lt Col. so no harm done -no photos though:-( Certainly is although I know Eygpt has one on display and Jordan may still have one. The odd thing is Pakistan never had Cents. and India from whom a number of PAC exhibits were captured used Mk7 or 8s, so possibly either an Indian driver training vehicle that was caught up (unlikely) or Pakistan received a sample shortly after independence for trials. Steve

I think the Conq went many years ago. Dean Martin indeed -beware or you'll end up watching the X factor:nut:.

They are a pair of Straight Flush SSNR/ZRK SD KUB -the radar comonent/companion vehicle to a SA6 Gainfull missile launcher. This is the PW-LWD a polish mine clearing system fitted to a T55A. Steve

Thanks for that additional background John I wasn't aware any Valentines were converted to Dozers -didn't think they would have had enough power to be of much use- was this a specialist conversion like those used in ROFs etc. There were supposed to be quite a few photos knocking around when it was in Cornwall-Devon anyone got a photo of it with its Covenantor turret. I was told a what was thought to be Bishop wreck had been found in Wales- probably just another range fantasy:(.

The M36 is well behind the APC whether it is still on a hull is debatable- the front should be just visible but it may be with the turret turned 90°. You are thinking about M18 turrets mounted on T54/55 hulls- I don't think any M10 were aided to Yugoslavia only Post War remanufactured M36, M18 and of course Sherman 76. As far as I can see they are Soviet production remanufactured to the 1960 standard (starfish wheels) Some may be Post WW2 standard -those with split turret roof vents could be built Post WW2 -generally those with both vents at the rear are nominally 1944 early 1945 production -but Russian production can be bazaar. There don't seem to be any Polish or Czech T34s visible. Obviously anything in this facility is going to a smelter or exported as reduced steel, note the rust piles in the distance, note the cuts in the T34 turret rings to put them beyond use and the use of APC wheels to hold up the stakes for the tape barrier. Steve

Looks as though an attempt is being made to short track to over come the loss of the idler. With regard to the Mk4/5 barrel on the 6pdr this is something that was mentioned in books to maximise production but I've never seen a photo of Mk4/5 with counterweight on a field carriage -the shorter barrel Mk2/3 is quite common to see a counter weight in preference to the twin holed tubular blast deflector. Steve

Thanks for that clarification:-) the MCEME Parade Grounds Hyderbhad. While a useful and interesting site Shadock is not that accurate - they would probably get more assistance to correct errors in their script if they weren't so cavalier in posting photos that they don't have copyright. For my own stuff I have a totally open policy for my photos, if asked. I don't like people using stuff without permission. With regard to the Haltern wreck note it was built on an early hull without cones or nuts. The two Indian exhibits are fitted with original two piece air intakes, inverted with sheet steel extensions - these were common on both Churchill ARV Mk1 & 2 -I'm not sure why but as it was a REME preference there must have been a good reason for it. The existing REME exhibit has the standard mid/late production air intakes. Steve

Not quite correct there are at least four Churchill ARV Mk2. The Mark designator in this case is for the ARV type not the tank type. Bordens ARV Mk2 T68915 51ZR94 is from a batch of Beyer Peacock built tanks variously built as Mk1, Mk2 and Mk3 ranging from one as an OKE T68875 Beetle which landed with the Calgary Rgt at Dieppe to T68878 which became a Bridgelayer with a Post War VRN of 44ZR57 and struck off in November 1962. Of the two ARV Mk2 in India, one has a number T173116 which if genuine is a from a dual manufactured batch by Birmingham Carriage/Broom and Wade which includes late production Mk4-6pdr, Mk4 75mm (Mk6) but also includes Ark Mk2 and Bridgelayers. There is also a very worn-rusty ARV Mk2 ex Pounds in private hands in Kent. Churchill ARV Mk2 were very late conversions there is little or no evidence of use during WW2. The conversions such as the Borden example have late model changes such as 8inch air outlet and Mk7 suspension. The hard target site is a bit of an of an none starter as I'm sure it is of the ranges that have the "comandature prohibition" which says that requests for vehicles and parts will be ignored so unless some-one is really blessed with the blarney don't bother:cool2:. By do you mean Axvall in Sweden as far as I am aware they have only a Mk3 gun tank (re-enforced turret) which seems to have been obtained from Denmark as Sweden never used the Churchill. Steve

Hi Eddy I don't think there are any Centaur or A27 type ARVs in existance I actually don't think there are any Mk1 style wartime ARVs around at all -I think the last one was a Churchill ARV Mk1 cut up at Pounds. Antar nice pics. Steve

Hanno Is the photo of VALIANT a print or a web pic- I've been trying to read the probably deliberately mud covered number without success Steve

Sometimes a single link was attached to the top edge of the visor plate to give additional protection to the periscope stalk. In all modified and later marks the presicope mounting stalk was extended (as can be seen in this photo) with a horseshoe of plate around the top and a filer plate where the original aperture would have been. This was a weakness as the periscopes were more vulnerable to a strike porbably cause alot of grief inside the hull:shocked:. Steve