Picture of the day

Still alive said:
I believe Singapore dropped the Royal after they gained their independence in 1965 or 66?
They have quite a strong air force for a country the size of the Lower Mainland.
And an indigenous military/ firearms industry.
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And they make a very nice modern Bullpup...

 
Still alive said:
Yup! Singapore Tech used to be Charter Industries and they built the M-16 under license. The SAR-21 replaced it. I believe there's a Gen 2 now. Wonder why we don't get it in Canada...
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The Gen 2 is out and comprises a number of typical "We found issues in the field..." type fixes (sturdier iron sights, a better blowout system - the original system was effective if you were right handed, potentially lethal to a left handed shooter). They also have a variant that replaces the built in optic with a pic rail.

We're unlikely to ever see these in Canada. They'd have to make a semi-auto only version that would be difficult to convert (so, basically make substantial changes to the trigger group), and also make it compatible for AR (STANAG) mags (uses proprietary mags) for marketing reasons. Not insurmountable challenges, but it would be expensive to do for a small market. It's import-banned from the US, so they'd be putting a fair bit of R&D $$ in for very little reward.

And it's kind of a shame. It has a great reputation for reliability, and it looks like a dead simple gun to maintain. "Low training threshold" was a key aspect of the design philosophy behind it, and it really shows.

There's even a marksman version with a 20" heavy barrel.
 
Still alive said:
I believe Singapore dropped the Royal after they gained their independence in 1965 or 66? They have quite a strong air force for a country the size of the Lower Mainland.
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Yes, thanks, force of habit of mine. Having them use RSAF, and forgetting it refers to 'Republic', does not help.
 
Dark Alley Dan said:
Oh! What seems to be the problem, Darling?

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"Fookin' plugs are fooked, Mum. And now I've gone and busted one of the nasty little buggers off in the fookin' block, so THERE'S another hour of my fookin' time..."
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Now that is fookin funny.
 
Here's the M31 Recovery Vehicle, or What We Did with Obsolete Tanks:

http://2.bp.########.com/-TUL8orUup-w/VC0uizoPIoI/AAAAAAAAiTc/BD59GJh0S-U/s1600/M31.jpg

Like several of the gals down at the "gentleman's club", things are not what they appear to be. That big sponson mounted 75?

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Turns out it's just an elaborate fire extinguisher mount / doorknob.

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Here's one doing what they did.

http://4.bp.########.com/-NF9d3ploCmM/VC0wQa7eHvI/AAAAAAAAiTo/mj8aj446Ghc/s1600/M31B1%2Bwelded.jpg

http://1.bp.########.com/-yRwjwIe4oyw/VIjDoHQLB4I/AAAAAAAAjLY/VI-MTQJJPU0/s1600/M31%2BItaly.jpg
 
That's exactly what it is.cool idea,movable,portable and dangerous as hell.I have seen few of those in Poland,some with damage from what looked like artillery.
 
It's interesting, to me anyhow, how tanks developed just prior to WW2. Many countries developed lil' light skirmishing tanks, kind of a modern cavalry job, designed to over run and confuse the enemy, plus do some recce business. France was no different.

Here's the Renault AMR 33:

renault-amr-33-07.jpg


Damned little armour, just one machine gun.

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This worked about as well as one would expect. According to the website I stole these images from...

They had been posted in the Ardennes sector and found themselves badly prepared to stop the German advance, only participating in skirmishes, covering actions and support actions for the infantry, but proved easy prey for the Panzer II and many armored cars equipped with the same 20 mm gun.

The losses were appalling. An AMR 33 of the 3rd DLC was the first French tank destroyed in battle, but most of the 75% losses occurred due to breakdowns issues rather than enemy fire. On June 7, 1940, the 7e DLM was created of surviving vehicles and some reserves, having 14 AMRs in total. Most were lost. After the armistice, the Germans captured a handful of these models, renamed Panzerspähwagen VM 701 (f). They never left French soil and were probably kept for patrolling and anti-partisan activity. A single AMR 33 has survived to this day. It is on static display at the Saumur tank museum in France.
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Here's the aformentioned survivor.

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Renault continues this sterling reputation for reliability right through to the modern day.
 
Sorry to double up, but I had to share this. The French have a weird love for Beautiful Mutants. Look at this Goddamn thing:

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That armoured wart is the Kégresse P-28.

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With all the complication of a tracked system and a profile that says "Hey! Over here! Shoot me!" it's surprising any survived. But here's a sad little survivor.

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It gets a fresh coat of paint slopped on from time to time...

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More info here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMC_Schneider_P_16
 
The drum in front was intended to help the vehicle roll over obstacles. The same technology was used on Citroen half tracks that an eccentric millionaire (Bedaux?) employed on an ill fated expedition to establish a ranch in northern BC prior to the war.
After some mechanical breakdowns, the remaining vehicle also broke down due to overloading with gear from the disabled vehicle.

I'd give more details, but I just loaned out the book.
 
The front unditching roller was also installed on a gazillion half-tracks that the US produced during WW2. The Israelis were one of the last users of the half-tracks, but I don't recall seeing any with the roller.

There is a documentary film about the Bedaux expedition to northern Alberta prior to WW2. It's pretty interesting complete with the half tracks and singing cowboys who shepherded the expedition along. When it was over the half tracks were disposed of by pushing them into a river. One of them was recovered and is on display in the Western Development Museum in Moose Jaw.

Bedaux was a pretty interesting fellow and is well worth looking into. He was a Nazi sympathizer and an official of the Vichy French regime who was spirited off to the US during WW2 where he committed suicide.
 
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“These little rubber balls in the rear axle suspension of a car were the secret of a primitive but successful trick. They prevented the body of the car from sagging despite a heavy load. Escape organizers knew that the border guards thoroughly searched every car that had a low-riding body. They fitted the escape car with the rubber balls and, to put the guards off, they had heavily laden cars precede and follow it. The result was that the escape vehicle was only given a cursory check, while the low-riding vehicles were thoroughly searched (1968).” – from exhibit explanation.
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https://differentimage.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/adventures-in-berlin/
 
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