Degsy

Welcome to the forum Lloyd, I can definitely recommend taking the jeep to Normandy, there is nothing like driving one of the wartime vehicles on the beaches.

It has been 'proved' in computerised reconstructions that had there been an invasion it would have eventually been defeated at one of the little known stop lines prepared for the purpose, however it is debateable whether a landing would have been possible. Obviously the Navy would have strained every sinew to sink the barges which were to be used and although they would probably have lost considerable no's of ships to the GAF it seems likely that they would have decimated the landing fleet.

The barges were not really suitable for purpose and it is very unlikely that they would have been able to support a landing force with supplies for any length of time.

This is all supposition of course and without taking into account the weather which would almost certainly have exacerbated the problems which faced the Germans.

I have painted lenses with orange paint obtained from a model makers shop.

Yes, if Hitler hadn't thrown a spanner in the works by insisting that it be used as a bomber and so delayed it's introduction the whole air war would have been in jeopardy.

Thanks for sharing that Joris, good to see, Iwonder how the pilot felt especially before the first flight as they were reputedly quite difficult to fly and even more difficult to land. As a result of this I believe far more were lost as a result of accidents than in action.

Personally I don't have a problem with this and I am very pleased to see something is at last going to be done to recognise the bravery and sacrifice of Bomber Command Aircrew. I only wish I could be at Lincoln Cathedral on Sunday.

Sorry Mick, I have no idea which Army they were with, I just used 1st as an example.

You need to check if it is white smoke or steam. The 2.5 n/a engine is usually good for 100,000 miles if regularly serviced but at that point will require a major rebuild. A 200TDi complete with all it's ancillaries will drop straight in as long as it,s out of a Defender but although it is possible to use one from a Disco (I've done it) it requires quite a lot of work. The easy way to tell the two engines apart is the position of the turbo, high up on the Defender, low down on the side of the engine on a Disco.

Can't get that link to work Lloyd.

I feel the last three posts sum things up perfectly perhaps it's now time to let the men and this subject rest in peace.

Hi Lloyd, I am quite happy to be corrected on this, as although I must have photo's somewhere I failed to find them :oops: and as nobody had answered Mick I had to follow Forty's book. I hope you have more success than me with the photo's :-D

Jack, can I withdraw my 'vote' in this poll as my vehicles and most of my equipment has now been sold.

I was wondering about that too but Isuppose there are different versions around for a lot of the cases depending on which side of the fence it comes from.

I have been watching this topic from the start and whilst everybody is entitled to their opinions I find it rather distasteful when people voice their opinions on such an emotive subject when they quite obviously have little or no knowledge of the facts.

Please take a little time to do some research, whilst it may not change your opinions, you may come to realise why so many people feel so strongly about this matter.

I know being diplomatic is not something that comes naturally to me but I don't have money to defend libel actions. :roll: :-D

Mick, what I forgot to say was that units did sometimes mark vehicles with a certain amount of licence, often using much larger size letters and numerals than authorised or varying the position of the markings etc, some of this apparently at the whim of the C.O. (but probably not in Patton's Army).

Certainly agree with you there Matt.

Yes Jack, I've read a number of his books,but it has been said that quite a lot of his stuff is somewhat inaccurate.

Flock of Seagulls Jack :? you must be a glutton for punishment if they are anything like their feathered namesakes :evil: :-D

Being old this is the music I was brought up on, although I haven't heard of the Puppini sisters before Mr Sandman is a classic track that has been recorded by many artists. These girls sing very much in the style of The Andrews Sisters, are they a modern group?

Oil comes down to personal choice but since these old engines were only designed to run on a straight oil rather than a modern multigrade which contains detergents my choice would be Morris Supreme 30. If you want to see a good explanation Google Morris Lubricants. Usual disclaimers. As regards your brakes after going through water the correct procedure is to apply the brakes lightly whilst driving along, full application of the brakes could be dangerous and possibly damaging and don't forget the transmission handbrake will also be affected so don't rely on this until it has dried out, ie if stopped put the vehicle in gear when parking. If you were to Waxoyl your vehicle it would certainly help to preserve it and it is quite inexpensive if a bit of a dirty job.

Mick, according to the 'US Army Hand book' by George Forty each Army would have MP battallions attached so the markings would read something like this:-

1A 783P HQ 1 1stArmy 783rd Military Police Battalion HQ Company 1st vehicle. The HQ could be replaced of course by a company letter, note the P, rather than MP. I don't know if the letters ASCZ were used on MP vehicles and can't find a photo at the moment to confirm thiis either way.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Degsy

The mounting didn't use clamps on ours just large bolts which as far as I can remember were about 1" in diameter.

Hi Steve

I don't know about any manuals but the French built #7 set we removed from our 352 was mounted on two heavy timbers which fitted into the hollow section mountings, the timbers were thick enough to just keep the the metal mounts just clear of the floor and then large bolts held it to the chassis.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Degsy

You're welcome.