Tank ownership

[Peter Laidler]

There must be a word for it somewhere but I recall that out on the tank ranges at Warcop in the 60's there were a whole bunch of late Churchill Mk7 and 8 gun tanks that were a bit battered about but complete and on Salisbury plain, Sherman, Comet and Cromwells galore.

Then, about 15 years ago, a whole line of about 10 or 12 Sherman and others in all types of configuration including one Churshill recovery tank were uncovered that had been used to protect a bank from collapsing in what is known as Battlesbury bowl. The find was widely reported and a couple of the tanks looked over but later, just pulled onto the ranges as targets. The paint was still there as were the post war registration numbers, such as 12 ZA 36 and the identifiable tactical signs

The problem now is that while many years ago a tank would last for a couple of years being hit with 105 and 120mm solid shot practice ammo. Now, even the biggest Chieftain and Challenger 1's last about 20 minutes with a couple of Javelin hits!

[OxfordAndy]

Have often thought about buying some land in Normandy and running a Tank Driving Experience instead of the day job - genuine WW2 vehicles are too expensive but maybe some of the more modern vehicles could be good? Ther seem to be a few guys running Scimitars, FV432 and the like these days in the UK......maybe even an old Chieftain ot Eastern block vehicles?

[Old Lancer]

Reading this thread has brought back many cherished memories of my time in BOAR in the 9/12th Royal Lancers 1983-1988. At the time it was an armoured recce regt, and was I believe the closest British unit to the old East German /West German border. We were equipped with the Alvis S-Class series of CVR/T. The ones I can recall are;
Scimitar, 30mm rarden canon
Scorpion, 76mm gun
Sultan, command & communications
Spartan, assault vehicle
Samson, REME recovery Wagon
Samaritan, First aid & medical
We also had a missile troop with i think swingfire but i'll stand corrected, can any one else remember any other variants?
The 76mm canister round was a blast if you will pardon the pun, like a massive shotgun on crack!!!
Happy Days

[Peter Laidler]

I can remember teh cannister rounds Lancer........ The 105mm cannister rounds that we had on the Centurions were fiendish. Just a couple of cannisters would totally destroy the hundreds of figure 11 man-targets that were supposed to represent Chinese or NVA infantry. Some of the projectiles looked like chopped up lengths of 1" long x 1/2" dia steel reinforcing rods while other stuff looked like 3/4" x 3/4" size lumps of guillotined 1/8" steel plate with sharp edges that would just tear you apart., Deadly stuff.......... I think that the sheet steel projectiles were primarily to be used to clear other tanks that had been swarmed by enemy infantry

Does anyone use cannister nowadays?

[Scrivo18]

Hi Guys

Im a new member and yes I do own a tank.. 1941 built M3 Stuart Light Tank... still a runner, with turret and a fairly complete 37mm. Also have a Bren gun carrier and a M3 Autocar halftrack..

Have a look at .:. Tim's Tank World.com : Vintage Military Collection .:. there are some other toys not on there.. the biggest is a very good complete and original DUKW..

Tim

[enfield303t]

Hi Guys

Im a new member and yes I do own a tank.. 1941 built M3 Stuart Light Tank... still a runner, with turret and a fairly complete 37mm. Also have a Bren gun carrier and a M3 Autocar halftrack..

Have a look at .:. Tim's Tank World.com : Vintage Military Collection .:. there are some other toys not on there.. the biggest is a very good complete and original DUKW..

Tim

Very nice! Good you are ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!

[rich v]

Welcome to the forum and you have an impressive array of military equipment my friend , I love to hear that these pieces of history are in private ownership and haven't been used tor target practice by the military or cut up for scrap metal

[Scrivo18]

Thanks Guys.. I had the Stuart and the Bren carrier out for a drive last weekend.. A contact organised for a cancer patient to come and have a ride in a Tank. Part of his bucket list.. Anyway 4 hours latter and a very happy gentlman and his wife had not only had a ride in the bren and the Stuart they had driven them both.. Not sure who had the biggest smile actually them or me. The newest project will hopefully be picked up next weekend. A 7.5cm german minnenweffer..

Tim

[Peter Laidler]

That was an interesting note scrivo that brought back a few memories! When my wife had the dreaded C. several years ago and was feeling pretty low, I took my son Robert to work as I was out on to Salisbury Plain during some hot dusty exercise. He got in his school Cadet uniform so as to make it ‘semi-sort-of-official-if-you-don’t-look-too-close’ sort of thing. When it was my turn to speak a load of waffle and generally bore the top brass, I took him over to a huge REME CRAARV (that’s a monster Challenger tank recovery tank to me and the rest of the world…..), put my helmet on his head and asked the crew to keep an eye on him for an hour or so. You know the sort of thing, make a pot of tea on the cooker and show him how to answer their radio, fire a zillion blanks through the L37 tank machine gun etc etc.

When I went back over there an hour or so later the tank AND he’d gone and nobody knew quite where. So I got the radio net operator to ask and they’d apparently gone back somewhere 17 miles away to re-fuel. So an hour later, there, through my binoculars I see this ponderous great recovery tank coming back, spewing dust and whatever in its wake, detouring as it did so, so that it went through every ditch, pond and muddy outcrop. As it got closer, I looked again and there, head poking out of the drivers cupola hatch is Robert, driving this great tank.

Well, what do you say to the foolhardy and reckless crew…………..? I asked the commander, Baker, not toooo politely words to the effect ‘………….what the fxxx is going on Baker…., he’s 14 and you’re letting him drive the xxxxxxx great xxxxxxx tank through the xxxxxxx and xxxxx……’ and so it went on.

Then he said ‘…….. he told us that you’d bought him to work to give his mum a rest as she had cancer. It killed my mum 4 years ago, so we decided to make it a memorable day for him’. It was a memorable day. Well, no one was hurt and he still remembers it to this day. They got a bottle of something ‘from Scotland’ the next day. Their confidential reports that year were remarkably spectacular too………….. All’s well that ends well as they say!

[Scrivo18]

That what i figure collecting is all about.. sharing our passions and toys with other people and if you can make someone smile and have a great day.. or in this case forget there troubles, well thats just a bonus.. They were fairly impressed with toys in the gun safe as well.. Especially the boyes :-)

Tim