CFB Borden Iltis

[Robin Craig]

This in my opinion should not be a rust experiment.

This one should be somewhere cherished.

It is not an ordinary Iltis by any means.

[Robin Craig]

And a few more

[Jason Graveline]

German test vehicle prior to the big Canadian buy?

[rob love]

Isn't it just a standard German Army Iltis purchased for the trialling and development of a Cdn model? I suspect it is just one of thousands produced in Germany. Seems to me the other 4 or 5 were used as drop trainers for the air force.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by rob love

Isn't it just a standard German Army Iltis purchased for the trialling and development of a Cdn model? I suspect it is just one of thousands produced in Germany. Seems to me the other 4 or 5 were used as drop trainers for the air force.

It is a true Volkswagen and not a "native" Bombardier.....

[Frank v R]

by all means please speak with the museum about letting rare vehicles rust outside , GOOD LUCK!

[chris vickery]

Hmm, sounds similar to items like the Panther, Whirblewind and others from the past... to name a few

[David Dunlop]

What did Germany do with their Iltis fleet? Intergovernmental sales, scrapped or sold to civilian market?

David

[Ed Storey]

I have no idea how the Bundeswehr disposed of their Iltis vehicles, but the German Panzer Museum in Munster has at least one Basic Iltis on display. The Panzer Museum has an exceptional collection of vehicles all nicely signposted and arranged in tank sheds. Only half-a-dozen vehicles sit outside with the massive collection housed in a series of themed hangers. This Iltis was photographed during my April 2014 visit.



How refreshing to walk into a museum where the vehicles are fully restored, cared for and don't look like they have been recovered from a scrap-heap and painted by kindergarten children. As well, the vehicles have not been stripped of parts by disrespectful rubes nor used as interactive amusement-land playthings. Former Bundeswehr personnel were on hand in the last gallery to explain the different vehicles and escort very small (two or three) groups of people into selected vehicles for more detailed exploration.

All of this in a museum that has only been open to the public since the mid-1980s.

[Ed Storey]

According to my research there were 13 German manufactured Iltis employed by the CF. The initial four Basic Iltis were brought to Canada in 1982 and were subsequently disposed of in 1987-88. Four German Light Field Ambulances was used in Canada from 1982 until disposal in 86-88 and another that was acquired in 1985 and again used in Canada and perhaps ending up in Lahr until disposal in 1987. There were a final four German Iltis used from 1984 and disposed from 1998-2005. The Borden Iltis appears to be one of these four (CFR 87850) that was disposed of by the CF in 2003.

Here is a photograph of VW manufactured Basic Iltis 46411 that I took at CFB Rockcliffe in 1985.

[rob love]

When I went through the school back in 81, there were a fleet of M151A2s that we would keep doing the same job on. Every week or two, the engine would be removed and re-installed. Again and again and again and again. I believe that small fleet of mutts ended up together and remained uncut once surplussed.

The Iltis would have replaced those, so same deal. They were for the brand new mechanics. Some would have gone on to be great mechanics.....some not so great...others would be re-treaded into MSE ops. No doubt the Iltises from that pool would have the same stripped out holes and damages.

The good thing is that they will have very few cross country miles, and will likely have never seen a salty road. They will have never been driven into that solitary tree in the middle of an open field, or jumped that 8 foot ditch or landed into that 4 foot trench.

[chris vickery]

Rob, do I sense you are getting soft on the Iltis???
I find your commentary the slightest bit positive
Oh well, an Iltis with a good body and a crapped out drivetrain is still a crapped out Iltis!

[rob love]

Now don't put words into my mouth Chris. Nor take my moderate words as a sign of weakness.

The Borden Iltis will make good static display vehicles.

We have one complete one here at the Shilo museum. I had to do some touch up work to it's carb a few months back, and it is reasonably dependable. For a vehicle that maybe does 15 km a year, it does not need too much maintenance. But it also does not see the abuse that an in service vehicle will have.

When I was in Winnipeg back in the late 80s, the RCR complained that the Iltis engine would cut out when you made it go airborne. My MCpl tested it out, and sure enough when you would fly them through the air the engine would cut out. Turns out the governor is built in to the rotor, and when the engine went into over-speed, the rotor would short out the ignition.

How many vehicles would have to put up with that regular level of abuse in civilian life? The Cdn Forces vehicles are driven to the extremes of their capabilities almost every time they go out on ex.

[Robin Craig]

There were a number of "school" Iltis at Borden when I was there recently.

I was not in a position to take photos of them.

One very striking one has a muliti colour paint job and peoples names stenciled on it all over the body.

R