Mike C

Thanks, Paul, I will look forward to them. That would be the 'Drivers Hood and Windscreen Bin': do you have one, and the mounting 'stubs'? Actually, after posting my comment yesterday, I noticed on an earleir set of images (less the paint...) that the top plate shows where the two bolts for the track link brackets were welded, just to the rear of the water tank cap mounting point, so it was fitted to the tank at some time. The image of 169091 in SVN is interesting: the Unigun bracket is evident on the front of the turret long bin (right side): unusual item to see fitted in Vietnam. Glad you have a Type B barrel: will look so much better with the 'right' barrel. Regards Mike C

Nice job ... very nice job. :-) I see that it has not been modified to take the two sets of track links on the top of the hill plate to the left of the driver's hatch, which I find interesting. Do you have a 20-pdr barrel for it (rather than the 105mm L7 barrel it is currently fitted with)? Any chance of some interior shots of the fighting and drivers compartments? Have you made progress with the interior? Mike C

Ooops, missed something I should have posted in the last: 'The part number incorporates the Vocabulary Section under which the parts are provided, held and issued. Eg: FL = Field and Light Artillery equipment, VAOS Section N1" (VAOS = Vocabulary Army Ordnance Stores) Mike C

Gents, EFC = Equivalent Full Charge. The EFC for a particular 'shot fired' varied with (1) the projectile and (2) the powder charge, and (3) the powder type. Some examples: 1 Proof Charge = 2 EFC 1 Super Charge firing HE = 4 EFC for Cordite MD, RDB, SC, SCT, W, WM, WT or WMT, or NC Type FNH/DB (call this 'group 1' powders), but only 2 EFC for Cordite AN, NQ, NQ/S, or NC Type NCT, NH, FNH/P (call this 'Group 2 powders'). 1 Charge 3 firing HE = 1 EFC for Group 1 powders, or 0.5 EFC for Group 2 powders. 1 Super Charge firing AP Shot = 4 EFC for Group 1 powders, and 2 EFC for group 2 powders. The 'probable life' of a 25-pdr barrel was 20,000 EFCs. The barrel was changed when it (1) reached maximum allowable EFC or (2) when the ovality of the bore reached its wear limit or (3) when other factors came into play, such as damage/corrossion within the bore. At every third barrel change, the breech was also changed automatically, provided the breech was still within acceptable wear limits at each of the two previous barrel changes. Clear as mud!! The Australian War Memorial has several 25-pdr Field Guns: (1) Mk2 gun of British Manufacture, captured by the Japanese and recaptured at war's end (in storage). (2) Mk2 gun of early Australian manufacture (riveted trail, cradle: in storage) (3) Mk2/1(Aust) late production Australian manufacture with all welded trail and cradle (in storage). (4) Mk2 gun of British manufacture (on display WW2 gallery) (5) Mk2 Short 25-pdr (on display WW2 gallery) Prefixes on Parts: FL = parts manufactured to UK drawings without variation CFL = parts embodying Canadian features but still interchangeable with British parts CGB = parts redesigned to suit Canadian production methods, and not interchangeable with British parts. (There are also CCM, CM, TR, and several other prefixes for parts that fit 25-pdr) Mike C

Gents, REF: "Generally speaking, it was the M16A1 for while then upgraded to A2 spec for safety & efficincy. The basic instant recognition features are: A 'Birdcage' fla hider rather than the erlier three Prong type. & on the RHS of the Reciever a 'Tube'like protrusion which is the Bolt, Forward Assist' Mechanisem". To expand on that comment: The difference between the M16 and M16A1 was the bolt assist on the right side of the receiver. The production M16 was only fitted with the three prong flash hider. The production M16A1 was fitted with either the three prong or bird cage flash hider, depending on the year/date of production (late production = bird cage type). Production M16A2 fitted only with bird cage flash hider and (I think) round handguard (M16 and M16A1 had triangular front handguard). There are also retrofits of round handguards to M16A1 just to confuse things, but not to M16. Mike C

Gents, The Collimator in a Centurion (associated with the No.4 Mk.1 or 2 RCP sight) is the 'Collimator, AFV, No.1 Mk.1 FV210329', so it appears that it may not be for Centurion. The .30 cal co-ax cradle in the Centurion (not equipped with RG) is listed as 'Mounting, .30 inch MG, LV4 FV229784'. The only other possibility I can think of that would have an updated NSN for a co-axial MG mount would be Saladin Mk.2. Did any other AFVs in British service retain a co-axial, solenoid-fired .30 cal in a single mount, ie not a dual mount with a .50-cal RG, as in Centurion? Mike C

Gents, The only surviving A7V is 'Mephisto', part of the Australian War Memorial's (AWM) collection, housed and on display at the Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia (the Queenslanders think it is 'theirs' by default, but the ownership claim is questionable!!). It arrived at the end of WW1 (so is not the one in the image, which I agree, looks like a mock-up) The Qld Museum published an excellent book on Mephisto by Mark Whitmore (now of the IWM) which is probably still available from their bookshop. The AWM has a very nice MkIV Female that arrived in Australia in July 1918. Mike C

Yes, Tony: quite a range! The MHT Section had 20 staff, and were/are responsible for a collection of a few million articles, ranging from buttons, badges and medals (the AWM holds a large collection of VCs, among many others) to ships, tanks and aircraft, plus everything in between. It was hectic, but very rewarding work. I still get to answer the occassional inquiry from my former staff: they are a great bunch of people. Mark, as for images of Air Defence Guards ('Adgies'), I may have some images from my visits to Tindal Air Base in the mid-1990s, but better you log into the Aust Defence Website and go to the images section, where you should find quite a number of up to date images of the RAAF-ies at work. Mike C

...or maybe they had a hunch it was going to eventually be mired in politics and sink with little trace?? As Fire Across the Desert states: the Project E/Malkara/Toolondoo saga was hardly a great flag-waver for the UK-Australia joint weapons development projects: the British Army ended up with two UK developed and built equivalents in the 1960s, and the Australian Army purchased from the French!! Mike C

Clive, I've gone back through my files: Toolondoo/Toolondo was more than a desk-top study: it actually progressed to test firings at Woomera Rocket Range in late 1958/59. Prime test missile construction contractor was again GAF, with ARL doing the R&D. Half dozen or so firings using the same Malkara trailer launcher used for the Malkara firings, with a modified firing circuit, etc. Project apparently went no further. Mike C

Hi Clive, Yes, Fire Across the Desert was a great piece of research! Fine book. Toolondoo: I can check my files, but I seem to recall it was a 'desk top' research continuation of Project E, and got the name when the various projects were given their names, like Project J became Malkara. An interesting line on the Malkara was its mounting on a Ferret Scout Car (in Australia): looked ridiculous! Also, the initial test missile (non-destructive, recoverable) used the flap? control servo motors taken from a German V1 rocket held by the Australian War Memorial. They were never returned, and are still missing from ther AWM's example. Hornet Prototype 3 does sound right: the owner and I had a long chat about it when I visited him in outback Qld in 2001 (he still had it then, but has since moved to Malaney, Qld). I have some images somewhere: are they interesting enough to post here? They are prints, so I'll have to scan them first. Regards Mike C

Gents, I have been reminded that I should introduce myself. I'm a retired Head of Military Heraldry and Technology at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia, and my wife and I have since moved to Colbert, Washington, USA (she's a well-known artist: Krystii Melaine). I continue to research and write on military subjects, with regular contributions to 'Army Motors', 'Ironsides', the AAVA Newsletter and 'Wartime'. I've had one or two articles in CMV over the years (long time ago!). Most recent was two chapters in the RAAC School of Armour 70th Anniversary history, one on Centurion FOV the other on M113A1 FOV. I've published several books, the last being 'Mud and Dust: Australian Army Vehicles and Artillery in Vietnam' (New Holland, 2009), and am working on more. I owned/restored several wheeled armoured and soft skinned vehicles, particularly CMPs, but these days concentrate on the research. Look forward to reading many interesting posts, and contributing where I can. Mike C

Gents, Tried to reply to 'Clives' articles on the Malkara and Hornet on that thread, but am unable to for some reason, so here's the next best place. I've attached a copy of the article I wrote for the Australian Army's 'Army Magazine' during the 1990s (can't remember which issue!) which may be of interest, as I think it compliments 'Clive's' article on the Hornet nicely. (The article I did for the Defence Materiel Organisation's monthkly newsletter in 2002 is an abbreviated version of this.) The trials Hornet survived in Australia for many years: the last I saw if it was in a private collection in Queensland, but the owner has since moved, and I don't know if he retained it or not. It was for sale. As far as I'm aware, only one dummy missile survives in Australia: it forms part of the AMRL (formerly ARL) collection. (AMRL = Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratory). Army Mag Malkara.doc

Gents, 212 built. Subject is well covered in: Gower, S N: Guns of the Regiment Mellor, DP: The Role of Science and Industry (Aust Official History series) and my own book,: Cecil, M K: Australian Field Artillery 1939 to 1945, AMEP Volume 1 (now out of print). Surviving examples in much better/complete condition that the restored example at Mordialloc (yes the wheels are wrong, but Alex could not locate the correct ones) are held in public collections at: Australian War Memorial, Canberra Army Museum, Bandiana RAA Museum, (moving: temporarily closed: formerly at North Head, Sydney) There are also a few in private collections. One was sent to the UK for trials, evidently this is the one held in the Firepower Collection in the UK? Regards Mike C