plant and C vehicles

[Shorty]

>question time again guys, i have been trying to identify this >mobile crane in use with the Afrika korps. it may not be of >German origen so all attemps appreciated, nice Ford though

Les,

the crane is of german make, its a "Miag" crane which was used
at stores and for lifting experimental AA rockets on the launchers,
I saw some photos of it in a book about V-weapons.

Juergen

[Les Freathy]

Better late than never Juergen, thanks for the German crane info, a bit more I.D required on the plant in this photo taken in the early 1960s of American air portable plant. The wheeled dozer on the left has the look of a Hough or maybe a Clark
cheers
Les

[Richard Farrant]

When I started work at REME workshops, I was put in the RE Bay, which suited me down to the ground, having been trained on tractors, hydraulics, etc. There were always dozers, cranes, loading shovels and other Engineers equipment, in for overhaul. You never knew quite what to expect next.

The attached photo is of one of the unexpected jobs.............a 1938 pile driving winch, powered by a Lister 9 hp single cylinder petrol engine. It arrived as a rusty, decrepid lump of iron and I transformed it to a working machine, although it was actually destined for the Military Engineering school as an exhibit.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

The attached photo is of one of the unexpected jobs.............a 1938 pile driving winch, powered by a Lister 9 hp single cylinder petrol engine. It arrived as a rusty, decrepid lump of iron and I transformed it to a working machine, although it was actually destined for the Military Engineering school as an exhibit.

30 years ago a good friend of mine was a pioneer in fish farming on the West Coast of Canada. Robert Smeal lived on a remote island in Desolation Sound about a two hour boat ride from Lund, B.C. and of course, his only source of electric power was a 2 cylinder, hand cranked Lister diesel. It was dependable, thrifty and low maintenance. He was working on building an actual mini Hydro-electric power station on the island. Robert had already started building a dam and had a Pelton wheel to turn the dynamo. I only visited him twice up at his little cabin on the island, mainly for the incredible scuba diving and the miles and miles of Oyster encrusted rocks in the sound. I bet that little Lister is still thumping away to this day. Derek.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Richard Farrant

When I started work at REME workshops, I was put in the RE Bay, which suited me down to the ground, having been trained on tractors, hydraulics, etc. There were always dozers, cranes, loading shovels and other Engineers equipment, in for overhaul. You never knew quite what to expect next.

As an Engineer, having a RCEME section nearby suited me just fine also. Many times having a vehicle grounded or a piece of equipment U/S threatened our ability to complete what could be a critical task. Case in point: the nick-name for Canada's eastern most province is "The Rock" and I can tell you first hand that it amply deserves it's name. What little soil mother nature has deposited over the millenia barely covers the immense granite mountain that is Newfoundland. In 1998 I was sent to the old Harmon AFB (ex SAC base) in Stephenville, Newfoundland for a month to support a NATO exercise OP MARCOT. One of our many tasks was to install the MAG (Mobile Arrestor Gear) on the runway as there were to be several Navy aircraft involved in the exercise which if need be, had to be able to put down at the base. Installing each MAG meant pounding in approximately 200 4' long Aluminum (yes, aluminum) stakes with gas powered thumpers we called Punjars. Well, The Rock was going to have something to say about that! About half of the aluminum stakes were bending back on themselves when they hit the airfield ballast about a foot down. Y'see, there was very little soil available when they built the runway so they used what was available...granite chunks that they blasted out of a quarry just to the West of the base. A call went out to CFB Greenwood for steel stakes which arrived in good order. Well, the steel stakes didn't bend, but unfortunately, they didn't do anything else either, like sink into the ground. We were sinking maybe a foot per hour with the little Punjars we were using and the beginning of the exercise was looming. Something much larger was needed so a Skid-steer loader with the much needed hydraulic thumper attachment was located in St. John's. Soon we were back sinking the stakes with the help of the loader although we were now working 18 hours a day to ensure the MAGs would be ready in time for the exercise. Things were going along smoothly when suddenly a loud SNAP was heard...the 2" diameter steel tool-bit had snapped under the unrelenting pounding we and the the Rock were giving it. We looked at it in both amazement and dread...how could something that large snap and where in the heck were we going to get another in the time remaining. It looked like we were fubar'd...our only chance was that maybe the few RCEME guys we had back at Camp Indian Head might be able to help. They didn't have much kit with them in the field, just what they could fit in a couple of MLs but they were our only hope. I jumped into an LSVW and hightailed it back to camp where I showed them the two pieces of bit. It was a worst case scenario as it had broken at an oblique angle which would put the greatest strain on any repair they might be able to do. Undaunted, the RCEME guys went at it with grinders and welders and soon had it back in our hands. We looked at it and it's weld. No way this is going to last, we exclaimed! Well, to make a long story short the weld held and we were able to get the one MAG at the south end of the runway certified. We were rewarded for all our hard work by being able to watch a trap when a CF118 pilot who had never experienced an arrestor gear landing gave it a shot. It's something to see a modern fighter go from 130kts to zero in 400ft. from about 75 feet away. Almost like being on a carrier. The RCEME guys really earned their keep that night and had many rounds bought for them by appreciative Engineers during the smoker at EndEx.

CHIMO! Derek.

[Les Freathy]

Well engineers, what do you think
Les

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

Well engineers, what do you think

That's an interesting variation on the armoured bulldozer that landed with the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division on Juno beach and one I haven't seen before. Do you have any info on where and who used it?


CHIMO! Derek.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

Well engineers, what do you think

Not the same but very similar to the Disston Tractor Tank. Disston was a safe company that built an armoured enclosure over Caterpillar bulldozers in 1933, 26 in total I believe. There is some controversy over their final disposition as most went to the USMC while "some" went to Afghanistan. I enclosed some in quotation marks as conventional wisdom holds that at least three went there while I have a picture of a Disston Tractor Tank with "only one" pencilled in the lower border. Who knows? Derek.

[T. Metsovitis]

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

Well engineers, what do you think

That is one of a small number of bulldozers that were armoured by Greek Cypriots and used against the Turkish Cypriots during the inter-communal troubles in the '60s. None of them won any prizes for original design

Fyll

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by T. Metsovitis

That is one of a small number of bulldozers that were armoured by Greek Cypriots and used against the Turkish Cypriots during the inter-communal troubles in the '60s. None of them won any prizes for original design

Fyll

That's an interesting take on the Armoured Bulldozer concept, similar to the "All or Nothing" design of Dreadnoughts from 1906 on. Derek.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by sapper740

As an Engineer, having a RCEME section nearby suited me just fine also.

Derek..
In the summer of '76 I took a crew of guys up to Yellowknife and installed a fuel tank,a prefabed shack to house the gas driven spark proof pump,concrete containment catch tank and elevated 2 thousand gallon av gas tank on the loading dock for our Airforce float planes and the RCMP float planes..
We prefabbed everything in Greiusbau and Nameao and flew it all up in Herks..
As a construction engineer stationed in Edmonton we looked after all the north ,up to Yellowknife and Inuvik..I think Montreal or Trenton looked after the Eastern Arctic..
Anyway I'll post this link,but don't know how to post the picture of the dock and float planes..Although you can't see the tank and shack ,you can see the fuel rail leading back to the rig which is just out of camera shot to the right...The little shack that is shown is unknown to me..It wasn't there in '76...
It was all granite so it was either blast a trench or elevate the fuel rail....
Up until we installed the refueling station all refuelling was done by hand pump out of 45 gallon drums..Were they ever glad to see us..

http://floatplaneflyin.com/old/uphere.pdf

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Alex Blair

Derek..
In the summer of '76 I took a crew of guys up to Yellowknife and installed a fuel tank,a prefabed shack to house the gas driven spark proof pump,concrete containment catch tank and elevated 2 thousand gallon av gas tank on the loading dock for our Airforce float planes and the RCMP float planes..
We prefabbed everything in Greiusbau and Nameao and flew it all up in Herks..
As a construction engineer stationed in Edmonton we looked after all the north ,up to Yellowknife and Inuvik..I think Montreal or Trenton looked after the Eastern Arctic..
Anyway I'll post this link,but don't know how to post the picture of the dock and float planes..Although you can't see the tank and shack ,you can see the fuel rail leading back to the rig which is just out of camera shot to the right...The little shack that is shown is unknown to me..It wasn't there in '76...
It was all granite so it was either blast a trench or elevate the fuel rail....
Up until we installed the refueling station all refuelling was done by hand pump out of 45 gallon drums..Were they ever glad to see us..

http://floatplaneflyin.com/old/uphere.pdf

Great story Alex, few people know the benefit to all that is derived from the efforts of the Engineers across Canada and throughout the world. I enjoyed the stories about Buffalo Airways and their continuing use of C46s and C47s and the Ragged Ass Syndicate and the street named after them...that would make a great name for the city of Yellowknife.

CHIMO! Derek.