Adrian Barrell

Now that IS funny! :rofl: That man will say anything for a drive!

I feel the need, the need for trundling through Dorset at 20 mph! I draw the line at the shower scene......

If I'm 'Maverick', is Jim 'Iceman' and have we got to have these names painted on our helmets? :eek:

Hi tankie, welcome to the madhouse and good to hear your remeniscences, keep them coming! My Cromwell is ex-1RTR though before your time!

Welcome. I enjoy your postings on WIX, looking forward to more here!

True. Ambient temps would be higher in that theatre and take off and climb is always the hardest on cylinder temps. The CAF are building their own hybrid R-3350 engines because the B-29 engines have always had a short life even in civilian operation.

It's pretty cold at B-29 altitudes no matter what theatre! I think the engines were and indeed are unreliable.

First time I drove one was in traffic through Weymouth, that was the last time too now I think about it!

Yeah but talking and driving is one task too many and we know which one Jack considers himself best at....

I had to laugh towards the end of the run to Dorchester part 1 when Jack says something along the lines of ''the next bit may be a bit of a problem as it's a bit narrow''. You mean that was the wide part? :drive:

Jack posted the wrong link, senior moment......

Afraid not Eddy, I do have some copies from a wartime British book listing the various British and US types but only those relevant to tanks in use in the British Army at the time.

Excellent stuff Paul, don't let a lack of replies put you off, it's your uncles stories are the thread, waffling from the rest of us adds little! I'm looking forwards to meeting him.

All the British sighting telescopes are dimensionally interchangeable. The main differences, other than the graticules which are type specific are magnification, (either x1.9 or x3), lit graticule or not, (the L after the x3 in the picture) and fixed or moving graticule, the example shown being fixed. The moving graticules require a larger head diameter and have two adjusting knobs. The x1.9 for tanks are for the front machine gun but also have the main armament range scales so they can be used in an emergency, the correct turret telescope having the x3 magnification. There is also a x6 eyepiece which fits in place of the rear lens though with a 75mm, that would only be of use for HE!

Less so than they used to, primarily because of difficult access and diminishing availability. I could not have restored my Sherman without range parts, disregarding the fact that the vehicle itself came from one! Although some parts were not good enough to use, they provided excellent patterns when they were the only source of information available to me. As you point out, you get what you can, when you can. Things like engine decks, hatches and mantlets never seemed to turn up as spares for obvious reasons so these are usually found from ranges or made as required. I think the third Sherman is an M4A1(76) that is often at Beltring hiding under a bush...... My multibank will be a dissenting voice amongst all those radials! Nine cylinders...pah!

I'm not a greedy man!

Those are all Bombard, I know that Sherman well...... I have bits of it on mine, noticeably major parts of the engine!

Not used for bombing during the war, though one did a tour of bases as an introduction so presumably intended for deployment. The Royal Air Force based them at Marham in Norfolk post-war.

This all reminds me of what Rex Garrod told me many years ago after he had been having problems with the local VRO. ''Are you a civil servant?'' "Yes" "Then might I suggest you be a little more civil and rather more of a servant" :bow:

Well done! Doesn't it make you wonder though? Customers Charter my arse!

Make sure the regulator is properly earthed too!

According to my maps, that bit of the A37 is a Roman road..... Which D-Day are you referring to Jack?

Good point, I'm sure there are more 'wartime' Jeeps now than there were 10 years ago......

I think you've summed it up very well there Richard!

Probably something with a small production run. In my area of interest I would suggest Grizzly tank. 188 built and probably some 40 to 50 survivors. A little tenuous as it's a Canadian assembled Sherman and quite a few of those were built but it's the best I can do off the top of my head!