I'll NEVER dis a Vespa again ...
 

... and neither will you after you take a look at

http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/...empowered.html

Amazing.

....after seeing this "vrws" (vespa recoiless weapon system :D) i fail to see how anyone could ever again put down the can-am's our military once used. the only words i can manage to muster to best describe that photo are," what a piece of crap", but great for a laugh....gotta wipe the beer from my monitor now
:cheers: mike

Re: I'll NEVER dis a Vespa again ...
 

Oh my, and I thought I was a mean bastard! Never would have considered this. My 'other-side-of-the-hill thinking' has failed me. Creeping old age? And I thought the Ontos was a nasty bit of kit. :eek:

A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

The French come to the rescue......

How would you like to attack in a Armor wedge with a bunch of these?

http://images.andale.com/f2/123/116/...836744fc_o.jpg


Armed with a 75mm recoiless rifle......

"More impressively, the recoilless rifle could be fired effectively on the move by the best of the gun crews. Total cost? About $500 for the scooter and the recoilless rifle was war surplus. Were they successful military machines? Well, the French Army deployed about 800 armed scooters in wars conducted in both Algeria and Indochina."

Link....

http://thrillingwonder.blogspot.com/...empowered.html

Re: A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

You would have to be pretty drunk to sit on that thing and fire it...."Sh*T" comes out of both ends of that recoiless rifle...

Re: A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

So, how did it work out for them?

Re: Re: A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

They got driven out of Vietnam and Algeria ,if I remember my history...so not so good...

Let's just say that French influence in both Algeria and Indo-China is considerably reduced. :teach:

I have seen this contraption on another website and I absolutely refuse to believe that it is genuine.
This must have originally been an elaborate April fool!
Gerry McGinty

it is not too hard to imagin 2 scooters, one with the gun and the other with the tripod being deployed in a flat enviroment. low fuel consumption, easy to transport and hide, low cost, etc....

i think it is a good idea but a bad form of transport.

The link shows 2 in Museums, so I'm not sure..... :rolleyes

It is as it says, a recoiles rifle. it has a vented shell and the breach end is vented. The scooter would hardly move when fired,even with the brakes off. (not that I've seen one)
This is why the big brother version The 106mm recoiless rifle was able to be mounted on Landrovers and Jeeps.( M151)

Re: A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

Have the French ever come to the rescue???

Seems to me that they're always the ones who need rescuing...

Re: Re: A little off topic, I know, but look at this.....
 

Chris..
At least we know that WW3 hasn't started yet...
The French haven't given up yet... :drunk: :remember :support

dont pick on the french!!! its unsporting, kinda like shooting polo club ponies. yea its fun, but waaaay to easy :cheers:

Such a diplomatic lot!

Just the thing . . .
 

For dealing with drivers in Rome! Somehow the idea of a kamikaze Italian is an oxymoron, but I rememebr some absurd Vespa jockeys. This thing ought to even the odds a bit.

I cannot for the life of me envision Jean Larteguy's colonial paras riding this thing.

Thanks for sharing . . . .

Bob :cheers:

Probably a joke, VESPA is italian, the french would definatly o\use something of their own origin.

Probably not, Bart Vanderveen was reliable and the existence of the armed scooter well known.

See Vanderveen "from 1945", page 79.

As I understand it, the seat hinges sideways and the recoiless rifle is removed and used dismounted.

R.

Vespa Pak
 

The Canadian Army Journal gave it a short write up in its January 1956 issue, It says it had a top speed of 40 MPH was armed with a 75mm recoiless rifle and that the gunner had to dismount from the scooter to emplace and fire the gun.

If you really want a good laugh, just google French military victorys and press I'm feeling lucky.

God bless M.L.U.
 

Where else could one vent their bigoted/racist opinions and teach us about military vehicle history,at the same time!Quite an accomplishment and....Why!I see that some ,"Canadians", lead the pack!!!! Makes you kind of proud????
Just a thought-try one some time!
Cliff.

Re: God bless M.L.U.
 

What the heck, I'll throw my deux cents worth in too! Here are two quotes from American generals:

Patton: "I'd rather have a German division in front of me than a French division behind me."

Schwarzkopf: "Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without your accordion."

:yappy: :salute:

More importantly...
 

Gen. John Pershing:" Lafayette,we are here!" (he was acknowledging the help of the French during revolutionary war).
At least you didn't quote famous Americans in uniform,like George Lincoln Rockwell,or David Duke-albeit their uniforms are not military,none the less,many Americans do wear them. Even great men say stupid things. :dh: