Armored Vehicles videos thread

I am lucky enough to dine in the run up to Christmas in the room where it happened. Twentyminutes from my house
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In 1915 trench fighting was well established, but it was becoming obvious that some form of equipment which could traverse the ‘No Man’s Land’ of broken ground, barbed wire and machine gun fire, was desperately needed. The Admiralty Landship Committee realised that some form of ‘landship’ was needed in order to fight this war on such difficult land terrain. A meeting was held in the Summer 1915 between William Ashbee Tritton, Managing Director of William Foster, a Lincoln engineering firm; his chief draughtsman William Rigby and W. G. Wilson, a Naval Officer.

The latter was working for the Royal Navy Air Service ‘Landships Committee’ (the infant air force was initially under the control of the Navy), and was an overseer at Burton-on-Trent where the Committee had an experimental ground, so also had to stay at the White Hart where he joined the team in the evenings. Here they designed the No. 1 Lincoln Machine; Little Willie and Mother. Glanfield (The Devil’s Chariots) says they burned the failed designs in the fireplace at the end of each day’s work!

From this emerged the designs for what was to become known as the ‘tank’ (the project was disguised as construction of water tanks for Mesopotamia), and several hundred came to be subsequently built in Lincoln.

Only 37 days were needed to build a prototype tank, which was tested on waste ground near the Foster’s factory. Re-design of the tracks was required, so the next version was known as Big Willie, but renamed Mother. On 29th September 1915, military dignitaries came to see what was happening at Foster’s factory in Firth Rd. Lincoln. In a marquee a wooden mock-up of the new weapon was presented to them. So impressed were they that the builders were instructed to have the complete machine ready for testing as soon as possible.

William Foster & Co. Ltd. built all the prototypes and a number of production machines including 37 Mark 1 tanks; 25 Mark 11 tanks; 100 Mark IV tanks; 200 Medium A Whippet tanks and some 36 Medium C Hornet, all together a total of about 400 built during WW1. Other construction was contracted to companies around England.

There is no doubt about the significance of the Fighting Tank on the duration and outcome of the First World War. The site of its development is therefore significant, and that it should be a hotel (rather than an industrial site), and in such an ancient city, is the more remarkable.

A dinner was held in the White Hart and a menu is preserved in the Yarborough Room (known as the ‘Tank Room’). It reads: ‘Complimentary Dinner to Sir William Ashbee Tritton and Major W G Wilson CMG to Celebrate their Official Recognition as the Originators and Designers of the Fighting Tanks.’

The Museum of Lincolnshire Life in Lincoln holds a surviving MKIV tank, known as Daphne, but this was built in 1917 by the Metropolitan Carriage & Wagon Works in Birmingham (famous as a manufacturer of railway rolling stock), so unfortunately it is not a ‘home bred’ Lincoln tank. The invention of the tank has been commemorated in Lincoln with the Lincoln Tank Memorial which has been erected on a roundabout at Tritton Road, in the City.

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Little Willie.
Lincoln fighting machine No 1. aka the first tank

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I’ve touched that tank!

I refuse to say I’ve touched little willy…

My sons dearest wish is to go back to Bovingdon for a 4th? Time.

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Wow, that’s a greatnbit of history. In a sense, preserving the ambiance in which the thing was conceived is far more valuable than yet another copy of the thing.

That said, I would love to join you guys at Bovington for a good tank-ogling session.

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As they say in the Royal Navy, “Make it So”

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My god, Obi would KILL to give you a tour.

This is a tank. This is also a tank. This tank is green. This tank is camo. This is another tank

It’s very amusing.

But you really ought to get over here at some point. Between me and @Scoop showing you the sights it would be pretty epic

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Second that.
In central London you can stay at my club. (I have longed to say that since joining last night). Lincolnshire accommodation is free.

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Has Obi read/heard ‘where’s my cow’? This is a tank is so like the book.

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I may have to make some arrangements with my family and company, see if I can get away for a couple days… Man that’d be great…

Is that my tank? No this one has four little barrels and goes dakkadakkadakka, it’s not a tank, it’s a shilka!

Is that my tank? No this one has very thin sides and is very roomy (for a tank) and has lots of seats. It’s not a tank, it’s an APC!

Is that my tank? No this one has round truck wheels and a very tiny tank turret. It’s not a tank, it’s an armored car!

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Is that my tank? Why yes indeed it is! Look, two threads, all of the armouring one could wish, a tea kettle and a whopping great big gun sticking out! It’s a challenger main battle tank!

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beauty makeup GIF by L'Oréal Paris USA

Although M1A2 SEPv4 is extremely sexy.


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So is leopard 2A7…

Winner of the ridiculously sexy tank contest however goes to the prototype challenger 2 with 130mm rheinmetal turret. It. Makes. Me. Fizzy.



Just marvel at its glory.

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Phwoar that is a right proper tank indeed sir! Includes a boiling vessel even, marking it as the product of a civil people.

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Chieftain. Most comfortable sleep I have ever had. Flat out on the ribbed armoured engine cover behind the turret. Exercise Red Shank 1994 when I commanded three of them for a day. I took over at midnight. I trudged there from the trench that had been my home for 24 hours. It was full of water. I was soaked and fast going into hypothermia. The tank crew stripped me off. Put my clothes in the engine bay and me into my sleeping bag. The heat of the engine percolated up over me. Paradise. And it had a boiling vessel.

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Open House at GHRVPK Denmark 2021.

On Saturday 25/9-2021 if Covid is willing, there is Open House at GHRVPK at Næstved.

GHRVPK = The Guard Hussar Regiment Veteran Armor and Vehicles Union

It is possible to see all and crawl around on and in most of our vehicles.

There will be some demonstration driving in the exercise area with at least some blank firing of some of the tank cannons. Hopefully there will also be a combat demo but that is still to be determined. I will update on that.

It will also be possible to try the upgraded Steel Beasts Pro PE sim in our Leopard 1A3 trainer turret with a genuine Leopard 1A5-DK1 gunners grip. We have upgraded the PC and gone from SB Pro PE version 3.028 to 4.265 and they shoot back in the new scenario! (Impotently.)

Our webpage with directions and pictures and information about our vehicles. (In Danish)
http://www.ghrvpk.dk/

The turret sim on steelbeasts.com
My new Toy! - Ground Zero - Steelbeasts.com

The turret sim on Mudspike

Happy Simming

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I desperately would love to go!!

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You would be very welcome.

We have had the Open House and it was a great succes.

I was to busy with the Sim, so I don’t have any pictures, but I saw a lot of happy faces on our guests and members.

Sunday was just as busy with the same static displays and a closed event for the Danish Interforce community. This time without a battle demo, but this time with rides for Interforce members and their families in most of our ready to ride vehicles, including tanks.

InterForce is the Employer Support organisation of the Danish Armed Forces. InterForce endeavours to create the best possible conditions for employees that have obligations both in civilian work life as well in the Reserve or the Home Guard. They bassically guarantee that their employees have a job when they return from exercises and/or missions with the armed forces.

One of the active guys on the SteelBeasts forums and also a Steel Beasts tester visited us and he posted a couple of pictures and a video here:

One thing to learn. If anyone who is planning to visit, intend to come with public transportation, it would be a very good idea to take contact, so transport can be arranged from Næstved Station, as there are nothing going in that direction, especially in the morning hours. A TAXI on Saturday or Sunday is close to 200 Danish kroner.

I was lucky to meet him at the Station, when he asked me for directions on how to get out there. That meant that he could join me in the ride I had arranged for myself.

A final note. Usually our Open House is in the end of May but was this year moved to September due to the Covid-19 situation.
The current plan for next year’s Open House is Saturday 21 of May 2022.

Happy Simming

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Mmmmmm

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Mmmmmm leopard 2…with retrofitted Trophy.

I think I’m in love

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Leopard 2a7 :heart: trophy

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Some timed kabooms to make your day :slight_smile: Cool to see the autoloader doing its magic near the end.

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