Leopard 1 Driver Training Cabs in Canada

[Ed Storey]

Leopard Figures

1978 Purchase – 128 Vehicles but only 127 according to allotted CFR numbers.

6 x Bridgelayers (Beaver)
8 x Armoured Recovery Vehicles (Taurus)
113 x Leopard 1A3 (C1) Main Battle Tanks

127 Leopards

C-30-731-000/MA-001 Data Summary Tank Leopard C1 MBT from 1980 states 114.
C-30-731-000/MA-001 Data Summary Tank Leopard C1 MBT from 1996 states 114.
C-30-732-000/MA-001 Data Summary Armoured Vehicle Launching Bridge Beaver from 1997 states 6.
C-30-733-000/MA-001 Data Summary Armoured Recovery Vehicle Taurus from 1997 states 8.

I have a discrepancy of 1 Leopard C1 MBT that I cannot account for which is carried over into the C2 upgrade..

1996 Upgrade to C2

114 C1s to be upgraded to C2 by replacing turrets with German 1A5 turrets but retaining Canadian L7A1 105mm guns.
123 German 1A5 Leopards were purchased for the conversion and the chassis were retained by the German firm contracted to do the upgrade work on the turrets, and they sold them as spares.
Australia bought 55 C1 turrets and some surplus C1 hulls.
Only 66 Leopard C2s were converted when the project finished in 2001.
Of the remaining C2 turrets, five were used as training turrets, two as complete spares for the EMES18 fire-control system and two as maintenance test beds. I don’t know anything about the fate of the remaining 48 1A5 turrets.

C-71-345-000/MA-001 Data Summary Turret Leopard C2 Tank from 1999 states 114.
C-30-731-000/MA-001 Data Summary Tank Leopard C2 MBT from 2006 still states 114.

Driver Training

In October 1992 DND recorded that 37 Leopards had been converted to ECC 116104 – Driver Training yet Canada apparently only had 5 cabins.

Two Questions

1. So when D&M tanks went in for rebuild were other Leopard C1s converted to D&M status thus accounting for the 37 recorded?

2. The 24 hulls, I have nothing on these, where they given their own individual CFR numbers and if so, what were they?

[Lance Wiebe]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

Leopard Figures

Two Questions

1. So when D&M tanks went in for rebuild were other Leopard C1s converted to D&M status thus accounting for the 37 recorded?

2. The 24 hulls, I have nothing on these, where they given their own individual CFR numbers and if so, what were they?

I got in a lot of trouble at one point. I had one turret in Gunnery that was so worn, it was almost impossible to use on the ranges. When one of the D&M tanks had to go for rebuild, I did a swap. Instead of putting its IMR turret on it, I put the worn out turret on it. Apparently, the ECC for the turret and hull did not match, so my gunnery tank obviously had not been modified for the driver cab. Ottawa was not pleased at all.

I would assume, (just guessing) that some tanks going for rebuild were slated for the School in Gagetown, and were modified to accept the cab.

Most of the extra hulls were sent to 25 CFSD in Montreal to be stripped and used for spare parts. A few (three or four, I can't remember exactly) were used to replace the C Sqn worn out hulls, and adopted the original CFR.

[Ed Storey]

Here is another photograph of the Leopard Driver Training Cabin.

Leopard Driver Training Cabin.jpg

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi Lance

Welcome aboard. Im sure that with all your varied service that you have a lot of detail and facts to add to the Forum.

I may be in touch soon to help pick one of those C2s parked at the old railhead worth keeping for the Museum.

Is that Tom Skeltoons in the Adv D&M photo??

regards
Darrell

[rob love]

Originally Posted by Darrell Zinck

I may be in touch soon to help pick one of those C2s parked at the old railhead worth keeping for the Museum.

That's funny. When I was in Gagetown in 1980, I was attached with C squadron. The leopards were still on warranty, and down by the rail-head near base supply were about 10 Centurions. They were rumored to be heading to Switzerland to be made into gun emplacements but I think they ended up in Isreal? There were also two Cents and two ferrets parked down Shirley road waiting to go for targets.



I scrounged a manual out of one of the cents at that rail-head. Usually when I hold onto a manual I eventually end up with an example of that vehicle in the stable. Fortunately that did not happen this time.

[Lance Wiebe]

Originally Posted by rob love

That's funny. When I was in Gagetown in 1980, I was attached with C squadron. The leopards were still on warranty, and down by the rail-head near base supply were about 10 Centurions. They were rumored to be heading to Switzerland to be made into gun emplacements but I think they ended up is Isreal? There were also two Cents and two ferrets parked down Shirley road waiting to go for targets.



I scrounged a manual out of one of the cents at that rail-head. Usually when I hold onto a manual I eventually end up with an example of that vehicle in the stable. Fortunately that did not happen this time.

Interesting story, when I came back from Germany in 1980 for my Advance Comms course, a friend of mine said that the Swiss company and soldiers checking the Centurions out were accompanied by Israelis in civilian clothing.

Things that make you go hmmm......

[Luc Perreault]

I know of a leo trainer in private hands in Québec. Parked outside a garage.

[Lance Wiebe]

Originally Posted by Darrell Zinck

Hi Lance

Welcome aboard. Im sure that with all your varied service that you have a lot of detail and facts to add to the Forum.

I may be in touch soon to help pick one of those C2s parked at the old railhead worth keeping for the Museum.

Is that Tom Skeltoons in the Adv D&M photo??

regards
Darrell

Thanks Darrell!
I recognize both Tom Skelding and Frank Austin in the picture.
I never had the Advanced D&M, I had advance Comms and Advance Armour Gunner.
You know where I hang out, come see me anytime and we'll go have a look.

Lance

[John Genereux]

Originally Posted by Lance Wiebe

I got in a lot of trouble at one point. I had one turret in Gunnery that was so worn, it was almost impossible to use on the ranges. When one of the D&M tanks had to go for rebuild, I did a swap. Instead of putting its IMR turret on it, I put the worn out turret on it. Apparently, the ECC for the turret and hull did not match, so my gunnery tank obviously had not been modified for the driver cab. Ottawa was not pleased at all.

I would assume, (just guessing) that some tanks going for rebuild were slated for the School in Gagetown, and were modified to accept the cab.

Most of the extra hulls were sent to 25 CFSD in Montreal to be stripped and used for spare parts. A few (three or four, I can't remember exactly) were used to replace the C Sqn worn out hulls, and adopted the original CFR.

Those hulls were sent to 25 CFSD, but the stripping of them was done at 202 Workshop Depot. I was here when a bunch of the hulls arrived for " re-supplying specific parts " that were critically low. I remember that one part that was not on the list was final drives. We must have scrapped about 10-15 sets of them. Some parts that were not required by the supply system were squirreled away in the shop to be used on future leo's coming through here.

[jdmcm]

Here is a Leopard 1 from Soucy Defense with driver cab. Photo credit:Soucy Systems

Tough-rubber-tracks-for-all-environments-_CANSEC18D2_.jpg