Strikers in 17/21 Lancers

[timbo]

Clansman thread has got me thinking - my striker has 17/21 sticker on the cowl cover...

 

I always thought 17/21 used MBT's, or at least only had a few cvrt in very early days...?

 

Anybody know if this could be real or is it a 'walt' addition ?

 

Ta

[sirhc]

You need a copy of the Merlin printout and see what that says!

[timbo]

You need a copy of the Merlin printout and see what that says!

 

Yep and one of these days I'll get round to requesting it...!

 

I think the sight cowl might have come off a different vehicle, but it would still of course be a striker since not used on any other variants.

[AlienFTM]

Clansman thread has got me thinking - my striker has 17/21 sticker on the cowl cover...

 

I always thought 17/21 used MBT's, or at least only had a few cvrt in very early days...?

 

Anybody know if this could be real or is it a 'walt' addition ?

 

Ta

 

Back in the days of the Arms Plot, I am pretty sure 17/21L preceded 16/5L, 1RTR, 15/19H, 9/12L, 13/18H round the arms plot from MBT to Omagh to Tidworth and conversion to recce then deployment to BAOR in CVR(T).

 

So I am quite sure they were recce from about ... hmm ... 1973* until they Arms Plotted back to armour. 15/19H spent from 76 to 84 in the recce role before returning to armour. The Arms Plot wasn't hard and fast, so 17/21L might have been in recce longer or less time than 15/19H. Some regiments (15/19H, 13/18H, 9/12L) had an affinity with recce, others didn't. Their Colonel (not the CO, the Lieutenant Colonel - from the French, the Colonel's stand-in) may well have gone to the Arms Plot and got them back on tanks sooner rather than later.

 

Yes I am sure they did do recce at some point in the 1970s but I cannot give you a date, and anyway, unless they stayed in recce a lot longer than my memory suggests, they wouldn't have had Striker which, as I explained recently went with Swingfire back to RA control in 1977 anyway.

 

The more I consider this, the more I lean toward Waltism.

______

 

* Counting on me fingers here. 15/19H were in Omagh for 18 months from late 74. This would put 1RTR in Omagh from early 73, 16/5L from late 71. So 17/21L would have left Omagh in late 71 to go to Tidworth and train convert to recce. Not even sure they'd have got Scorpion, never mind Striker.

[timbo]

Yep felt like it to me too...

 

Amazing how many vehicles seem to have served with 17/21 - seem to be the modern day equivalent of 101st Airborne ! Guess the motto has a certain appeal and there doesn't seem to be much choice in regimental markings these days.

 

Thanks for very informative response as ever..

[AlienFTM]

Yep felt like it to me too...

 

Amazing how many vehicles seem to have served with 17/21 - seem to be the modern day equivalent of 101st Airborne ! Guess the motto has a certain appeal and there doesn't seem to be much choice in regimental markings these days.

 

Thanks for very informative response as ever..

 

My sentiments exactly. Any time.

[agripper]

Does anyone known if 4/7 Royal Dragoons had any turreted CVRt's know they had some spartans as my brother in law used to drive one, said he prefered to drive these rather than his old Cheiftain, first parade was much quicker and easier.

[AlienFTM]

Does anyone known if 4/7 Royal Dragoons had any turreted CVRt's know they had some spartans as my brother in law used to drive one, said he prefered to drive these rather than his old Cheiftain, first parade was much quicker and easier.

It's just about possible. I am pretty sure 4/7DG never converted to recce between the introduction of Scorpion and Options For Change when, along with the Skins (5th Royal Inniskilling Dragoon Guards), they became Royal Dragoon Guards.

 

During most of this period, battle group recce recce was provided by the divisional recce regt (which would not be 4/7DC), not the regiment at the core of the battle group (which would be).

 

I cannot date the introduction of Scorpion to BAOR and I am not entirely familiar with the divisional Orbat prior to 1977. At some point the divisional recce regt (CVR(T)) replaced the divisional armoured car regt (Saladin / Ferret).

 

In 1976, 15/19H were working toward an Orbat of two times Scorpion and two times Scimitar per troop. When we returned from Cyprus in 1977, we learned that one squadron per recce regt was to be designated Close Recce, would take all the Scimitars and would be essentially permanently detached to battle groups. This suggests to me that recce was in a state of flux in the mid-70s.

 

I suppose it is possible that at some time between the introduction of Scorpion as a recce vehicle to replace Ferret and the move to close recce from the divisional recce regt, 4/7DG may have had Scorpion for regimental recce. However, in 1976 4/7DG were coming to the end of a Tidworth Armoured Regiment tour (next door but one to 15/19H in the Tidworth Recce Regt role). I don't remember the Tidworth armoured regiment having CVR(T), because this was a transitory posting, not an operational battle group posting.

 

I am strongly inclined to say NO, but I cannot be 100% certain. Say 99%.