paulbrook Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 I stumbled across this earlier and thought that it might be of interest.... Set aside 20 minutes or so, grab a beverage of your choice, turn up the volume and enjoy!!! Oh and not a high vis vest or hard hat in sight.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisg Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 :tup:: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooky Posted December 17, 2014 Share Posted December 17, 2014 Your lot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_bish Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 great video, music is a tad annoying though. Gets in way of nice engine noise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 I quite liked the music as it happens - and there are bits with real sound on. That said I think we are a bit spoiled these days as to have a home movie camera with sound in the early 80s was pretty special. I have a few snippets of Super 8 from my time in 7 Regt but I had no idea that this footage existed or had been "remastered" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 Oh and for Brooky the majority of footage is of 16 Tk Tptr Sqn but there are bits of 617 and 3 in there too. Much of the footage is Fallingbostel and Hohne Ranges, with lots of memory jogging footage of Reinsehlen Camp (http://www.baor-locations.org/Reinsehlen.aspx.html). Happily the camera man decided not to add any of the graffiti from the toilet block there. 16 Sqn at the time was half and half Brit and half Polish. 617 (from Hamm) was Polish with a single troop of Brits (Warsaw Troop) whilst 3 (Sennelager) were all Brit. Whilst the Antar stuff was lovely (I had forgotten the sheer scale of things) I did like the 'Can at the end during NI training..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddy8men Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 made me smile thinking about the moment when as the driver you have to take the "leap of faith". that's the point when all you can see is sky and you still keep going forward and hopefully land on the load bed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 (edited) Hands out of the hatch please!! The only time one ever went over the side was when someone (either the No1 or the driver) tried to manoeuvre on the way up or going forward onto the stops. Edited December 18, 2014 by paulbrook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooky Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Why were some loaded backwards? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Why were some loaded backwards? Because they had blades on them which reduce the approach angle to the point where they would dig into the ramps before the front of the tank begins to rise. Loading backwards they get very close to the ground instead but do clear usually. I see they used auxillary ramps when loading the FV434 to reduce the ramp angle. A Chieftain can manage the very steep ramps because it is much longer but the 434 would be entirely on the ramps which would then be too steep for it to go up safely. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brooky Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Thanks A reason for anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted December 18, 2014 Author Share Posted December 18, 2014 You could get a 432 on easy enough without extra ramps - but the driver had to boot it. Certain 50 ton trailers had double loading kit fitted (which as the name suggests allowed two to go on by putting the first right up over the tank stops onto the swan neck). It was only when they were double loaded did the extra length ramps come into their own as there were only a few inches between the two APCs when loaded - without them (unless the second APC driver had the reactions of Lewis Hamilton) it would pile into the back of the first 43. You might also notice tanks seeming to be coming on and off at the same time. Anyone care to guess why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted December 20, 2014 Share Posted December 20, 2014 I'm guessing that they were loading and then unloading as a training exercise. For some reason, I really want to buy an Antar now... Is there any more of that Saracen footage? I thought that was pretty cool too. Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulbrook Posted December 20, 2014 Author Share Posted December 20, 2014 Nope, they were going off because they were not going to land straight on the trailer. It was a matter of professional pride that the No1 (the chief crewman of the tank transporter) could get the panzer dead square on the trailer - and it needed to be especially with the 50 ton trailers (the ones with the manual ramps) because the tank tracks were actually wider than the trailer bed. In addition a non-central load would put extra weight on the already stressed tyres on one side of the trailer. On the way towards the ramp the No1 would watch carefully to see if the tank were pulling to one side or another (due to slope, camber, track tension or any one of a hundred reasons), then aim off accordingly before waving it up the ramps. If the thing was not coming up as he wanted it, the good No1 would chuck it off and get it lined up again for another go. Manoeuvring on the way up or on the trailer was a no-no for reasons stated previously (it was the quickest way of losing one off the side) and in all the 20 minutes or so of footage I only saw one little illegal wiggling on a trailer and that was on a 60 tonner which were wider. Taking the tank off again took seconds but saved hours if it all went Pete Tong. The Saracen clip was excellent I must say.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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