Ram tank found in Holland

[wim sikkelbein]

Just went by the local mv-dealer and found a ram tank.
It came from a scottish firing range and in due time will be restored as a ram kangaroo

second picture

m3 style suspension
no side doors
round external air cleaners

[servicepub (RIP)]

Hi Wim,
Can you get the shop number? It is stamped into the crossbar at the front of the Ram.



Also, May I use one of your pictures on RamTank.ca ?

Thnx,

Clive

[wim sikkelbein]

Hi Clive,

I've send you a pm for the photo's

[wim sikkelbein]

ram interior photo
I took 28 pictures, so if someone needs other pictures send me a pm.

Wim

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by servicepub
Can you get the shop number? It is stamped into the crossbar at the front of the Ram.

Hi Clive, below is a pic of the same Ram Kangaroo while it was still in the UK, some 6 years ago. I managed to get a friend interested to buy this wreck. Although damaged, it is restorable.

To date I have not (yet) been able to decipher the Shop Number, as the crossbar is too rusted.

Regards,
Hanno

Source: http://web.inter.nl.net/users/spoels...4/kangaroo.htm

[Alex van de Wetering]

Wim,

Thanks for posting these pics. I sure hope this Ram will be restored sooner rather than later. I believe the owner als has/has a Centaur Dozer in his collection(?).

Alex

[wim sikkelbein]

Alex

Is this the one you mean?

http://www.twenot.nl/centaur.htm

Wim

[Alex van de Wetering]

Yes Wim, that's the one.

Is it still there?

Alex

[wim sikkelbein]

Alex

I send you a pm on this subject

[wim sikkelbein]

Gentleman my cousin put my attention on the local museum's on-line photo archive. Look at this one, a ram ammo carrier from the Fort Garry Horse.

http://www.rijsseninbeeld.nl/

Type in "bevrijding" in the box "snel zoeken"
It is photo number 894

Checked the ct-number 159897 on ramtank.ca

[wim sikkelbein]

Today was open monument day in the netherlands. I visited a post ww2 dutch defensive line along the river ijssel near the village of olst, the so called "ijssellinie". Build after the war the line was in service untill 1968 then it was partly dismanteld or mothballed. In 1999 a foundation started restoration of some bunkers, from the 68 bunkers only 32 are still there 3 of which have a ram turret with a .30 cal mg as only armament located where the 6 pounder used to be.

[Wayne McGee]

....would you get me to go down, underground through that hatch and, try and stop the "Red Horde" high-ballin' for Paris, me and my .30Cal in a Ram tank turret.....my God, military minds can come up with some real boners. (no offence to Wim, because most nations, especially mine, are capable of similar loonacies)
I do thank you for posting the photos. Most infomative.

Cheers

[wim sikkelbein]

ahhh wayne let me give you some background information:

The ram turret is backed up by a bofors emplacement directly behind it, to the rear is a firefly turret bunker and to the right is an emplacement with a maxson turret (4 .50 cal mg). this triangular setup was found all along the river. Furthermore think of this, all emplacements were raised approx. 1 meter above the rest of the fields so in time of war the fields would be flooded to about 50-60 centimeters creating defensive islands. The idea beeing that 50-60 centimeters of water stops russian trucks but also prevents the usage of boats. So in the end you are stuck with 4 men on a small island living underground and manning the ram turret and a bofors cannon with supplies for 4-5 days.

Wim (who also thinks that it's not the best place to be when an attack comes)

[Wayne McGee]

Those hatch covers set in the concrete look way too much like headstones. If you did drag me in there kicking and screaming, you would definately have to throw a pad-lock on the outside.
They must have had some hard core hombres in mind for that defensive position.

Cheers

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Though not a Ram, I post this here as Wim mentions the IJssellinie in this thread.

The attached picture is a rare period picture of any of the defensive positions. Since this defensive system was highly secret not many photos were taken, or they were kept secret very well. In the Dutch National archive this was the only picture I could find and it shows a tank pillbox being dismantled in 1975, long after the IJssellinie was abandoned.

This is a Sherman V hull which was located along the Rhine river near Arnhem. The railway bridge can be seen in the background.


Source: http://proxy.handle.net/10648/037909...4-1e3516218c87