steveo578

I bet everything else will drop off when it goes over a drain cover:shocked: Steve

Hi Eddy From your description it was Nato Designation ACRV (Armour Command and Reconnaisance Vehicle) M1974 -no doubt there is a proper Soviet/Russian designation- a huge box on the suspension of the 2S1 122mm Howitzer SPG. don't think I've seen one in captivity. Steve

Eddy Is this the command vehicle you recovered? PRC type 531 command version -exact designation I don't know Another pic of the 2S3 Steve

Bet you're glad it wasn't in Arabic then Probably the same 2S3 Whether this counts as a gate guard as such A Shilka at Duxford Steve

Yes, the last thing you need with the S'naz looking for targets is warning flags or lots of activety:cool2: good stuff:-)

I've been on the forum for nearly a year and actually I don't think I've been to the Front page part of the site until the Robin Hood tank thing came up- I wondered if it was because there was no click through button -but that's no excuse because there is one- so double shame on me.:blush::embarrassed: Steve

Regarding Robin Hood -i'm fairly sure the Sherwood Rangers didn't have cast hull Shermans during the September 1944 period -they had welded hull tanks probably Sherman III (for example with cenus No. T14****) I would think that the use of Sherman II tanks is due to some-one locating a photo of tanks serving in the North African campaign. Steve

Most amusing I’m almost splitting my sides with laughter and had you left it there I might have found it vaguely amusing, I’ve looked down my front and have to conclude I am definitely male –however I actually do not find people who try to belittle others by impugning their gender and belittling women particularly cleaver. Women are obviously far superior they must be to put up with men as you well demonstrate. That is the second you have thrown down an accusation that I do not like or support Bovington –actually nothing is further from the truth but it is not your place to impugn me with regard to my likes-dislikes, nor my support – financial, moral or otherwise. Like many other people I have reservations regarding Bovington –but I’m a member of the Friends, regrettably I am not in a position to involve myself in the museum, if I was, I would, but it is most definitely not your right nor position to criticise me with regard to my involvement –you are not aware of my current circumstances.. You are somewhat hoist by your own petard, you may think it is clearly implicit that Yes that’s really implicit isn’t it, where? What is implicit is the word which implies ownership, I accept your point that the majority of Army holdings are now administered by Bovington but that is a long way from ownership. As for the point I’m being a pedant, perhaps you should have read my Post #8 properly before making your ill considered and obviously un re-read Post #9 wherein you agree with Big Al that when Al actually said –need I say more? John you really should not be sarcastic apart from being the lowest for of wit you’re not really good enough at it and if you post something then you should be prepared to do some research - Tim Berners-Lee didn’t invent the internet for you to be so dismissive. John; IMO you really overstepped the line this time, despite my attempt to cool the argument down and move on, you in particular and to a lesser extent your mate Big Al have decided to take the argument to a new level of offensiveness and schoolboy sarcasm and yes Al if you want to involve Jack, Lee and “Joris” be my guest this time no-one can accuse me of being belligerent. Steve

There was a colour picture of 34BA28 a Malayan emergency RHQ ferret with gurkha rifles badge on july 1983 Army & Navy model world. The stud retaining? the box thing on the toe plate in the original photo is the retainer for the matock head.

Hi Eddy/ Sean N Both you and Sean N will be interested to know that in addition to turretless APC (Kangaroo) Rams were also used as GPO Gun Position Officer tanks -gunless but turreted tanks with additional observation equipment and map tables inside. These were also used as OP-RA . It is possible but as yet no definative proof that some armed Rams were used as FOO tanks (Forward Observation Officers tanks) during the last months of the war as 75mm Armed Shermans were becoming too scarce to waste as OPs. Other turretless Rams were used as Wallabies -armoured ammunition carriers and towing vehicles for 17pdr a/t guns. The most agressive use of Rams were those used by the Canadians in February 1945 which mounted the flame thrower similar to that fitted to Wasp carriers, it had the turret ring plated over and some had a Ram hull MG turret mounted as a commanders cupola- other had a fabricated turret for the flame thrower -but they may have been retained for training only. There were also alot of experimental vehicles- Porpoise a Ram BARV, a Ram conger mine clearing tank, a Mk2 ARV similarly build to the experimental Sherman ARV Mk2 and were meant for RA use in support of Sextons but it is unlikely it ever happened. They were many Mk1 Rams converted to ARV Mk1 configuration but it is debatable whether any saw service- although a couple were transfered to the Netherlands after WW2 ended. The Mk2 Rams also gave good service as training vehicles for Canadian forces in Canada Britain, most Mk1 Rams came to Britain with Canadian cruiser tank regiments and were used in training. The British may have used some Rams for training late in WW2 due to tank shortages- this needs to be confirmed. Two surviving Rams were converted to Evasive Target Tanks -but it is unclear who (probably British) and when it was done. Steve

the Grossbeek exhibit Grizzly No18 was one of the Grizzlies bought by the British MOD for targeting in 1984 they were the junk end of batches of Grizzlies brought in from Portugal from 1982 by a Man called Ian McGregor. !0 remained unsold and were gutted of useful components, some lost seats- pedals steering levers, even engines and gun mounts, but many were sent for targeting almost complete- about 5 or 6 were rescued prior to being targeted- AFAIK only those allocated to Otterburn and Warcop actually got shot at -even the Otterburn pair were eventually recovered. So basically -a not very well tank when swapped for the Dutch Ram tank but relatively easy to refurbish -compared to a range wreck:shocked: Steve

Hanno I'm sure that tank got into a tardis and went back to Portugal in 1944 and then made its way to occupied Netherlands. it's the only rational explaination In reality it would probably be in service at Borden at that time- as you are aware there are photos released on or about D.day showing some of the earlier Grizzlies in training. The BBC is never wrong -Yesterday one of their news 24 reporters squeeked excitedly that Saint Benedict's plane has just landed- talk about a second coming:nut: Steve

Nice wire fence near the drop zone -just the kind of thing to make them feel safe:shocked:

Oddy enough all references I can find are for Italy -the use earlier in North Africa seem to be for its use as a smoke mortar with problems getting the recently introduced HE bomb to attain its designed range. So while not conclusive although transfered from RE (chemical batts.) to RA but needs some research to prove it got used post D Day one way or the other- perhaps Alan might have something from the RA Museum about it. What's this about Cali then -should we send red cross parcels:-D Steve

Good first post -welcome to forum. The manufacture date would be about 1941 or later as the 8inch howitzer was finally standardised on a M1 carriage in 1940, they played about with the design of the 8inch tube way back into the 1920s - lots of redundant WW1 guns and carriages to play with and get things right:-). Whether by the 1960s a towed 8inch howitzer, -even for that matter an open mounted SPG like the M43, was valid on a potentially nuclear battlefield is debatable.

I am sure I saw a pic of one of these in sevice in Hong Kong -guarding the border at a later date than the Malayan emergency- the lump on the toe plate could be a make weight added to counter act the change in C of G of the vehicle due to the collar.

Very good:rofl:

There must be a figure for the total man hours involved as the aircraft like anything else has a production cost -which wil include labour costs= time x rates of pay, unless it was recorded at the time the labour time/cost will have been lost in the fog of history. I wondered about whether the 21.5 hour build time included sub assemblies - considering that even if the engines were assembled during the build of the airframe things like casting block and fleting components would have already been done elsewhere. Propergander is a wonderful discipline:cool2:

I think Booky was refering about the 280mm atomic cannon- But it would be intersting to see if any Davy Croketts exist outside artillery museums in the USA. Off hand I don't think the British had anything like it -they certainly had access to 203mm shells though

I think you got it in one -this year insurance quotes seem to have gone insane -I had one from an over 50s specialist for £1400 for a standard small toyota -for none business use. Insurance companies seem only to be interested in seeing who can produce the most annoying TV ad. s.

I think the Cent. might have been a donor vehicle for the TV programme rebuilding another Canadian Cent. So might have been a runner long ago but not now. Steve

Kaiser who developed the Liberty ship building programme and Keller of Chrysler were both of German immigrant stock additionally the architect Albert Kahn who designed many Army-Navy and Air bases was born in Germany and one business magnate in the US war effort was an ex WW1 U boat officer -it was great thing about America. The record for Liberty ship building was actually 111.5 hours

yes sir -intel definately say it was a battalion of polish labourers

It's a learning curve -get in while you have the chance- but certainly you may have learned why people tend to keep none gateguard discoveries to themselves:-)

Oh well at least he wasn't called Fritz or Frank:D Steve