M - 4's

Like this piece, prac round projectile from a Leopard but I am sure the Chieftain would have fired something similar

Only 5 Centurion tanks in Hong Kong as a strategic show of strength. Couldn't be moved anywhere meaningful either! Gifted to Oz in the 80's

Imagine that posting. Just one troop all alone amongst the infantry and corps types...and it's not like the tanks would be out exercising every day...

If only BAR! The tanks were kept in a hangar like building under care and maintenance and once a year 5 sets of crews used to fly out to 'exercise' the tanks based in Hong Kong and Singapore for 3 weeks. 1 week exercising the tanks and a 2 week all expenses paid jolly! This was a bit of a lottery while I was attached to the Royal Hussars. The best crew from each squadron went plus an inter squadron raffle/lottery winner plus another crew.

The Centurions stayed there into the Chieftain era simply because if the Cents were marginally too heavy, then the Chieftains would never cope! Additionally, during the monsoons the ground turned to mud that simply bogged them down. Hard to believe but it's true!

The bridges and roads were not capable of taking the 60 ton weights even if taken by tank transporters (of which there were none anyway!)

I guess two weeks of exercise for the Cents was about right. At that point, it would take the rest of the year to make them see 100% again. We had 4 at the end in Wainwright for troop training use and larks, one fine day they came out to play and one at a time broke down. One at the tank park gate, one a few miles past that. One a few miles short of the troops and one at the start line...back to dismounted infantry work boys... That was about 1974...Leopards were about in hand. Well, in CFE anyhoo...