ARmy Rumour SErvice

**Cold_Collation** · 31-05-2012, 08:02

Originally Posted by BugzDaMick

Sorry, but I beg to differ, at least with the nurses from Rinteln. They attended our Crimble do in either 1971 or 72. Although it wasn't a busload, since we picked them up with a 3-tonner (that at some later stage magically became a 4-tonner with no modification whatsoever) and a LWB Land Rover. Mind you, we were only eight klicks away at an RAMC unit in Obernkirchen and knew them all anyway.

MsG

[PEDANT] But if the nurses are the rounds and the bus is the weapon, so to speak, surely the 'busload of nurses from Rinteln', a bus, a proper bus, not a minibus or a Land Rover, stayed wrapped in grease and brown paper? [/PEDANT]

**chocolate_frog** · 31-05-2012, 08:02

What's the fixation with the word concrete in the title of hte kit? Was it made of concrete? designd to destroy concrete?

**eodmatt** · 31-05-2012, 08:09

Originally Posted by chocolate_frog

What's the fixation with the word concrete in the title of hte kit? Was it made of concrete? designd to destroy concrete?

It were basically a concussion charge for blowing up reinforced concrete bridges/structures iirc.

**Goldbricker** · 31-05-2012, 08:27

US M2 and M2A1 Medium Tanks
1X37mm
8X.30 Browning
Medium Tank M2

US M103/A1/A2 Heavy Tank
1X120mm
1X M2HB
2X M1919A4
120mm Gun Tank M103

**baboon6** · 31-05-2012, 08:42

Originally Posted by ECE-Tech

The difference was not with the turrets, only with the engine. Or at least that is the info I have. Towards the end of the war no Centaurs were being produced, only Cromwells.
Most people only know of the Cromwell and not the Centaur.
I can understand the early ones being converted to 95mm or dozer variants, and let the Meteor engines go to more "up-to-date" gun-tanks.
My question is more what happened after the end of WW2. Did the Centaur variants stay Centaur variants or were they converted.
With the surplus of Merlin engines due to the Luftwaffe being made redundant, it would surprise me if the Centaurs remained Centaurs.

Seems that they did stay Centaurs:

Welcome to the Tank Museum - Home of the Tank - Virtual Museum

**Legs** · 31-05-2012, 08:58

Originally Posted by ECE-Tech

Not only was that never used in war, it also was not used in peacetime, although often promised or "threatened".
Maybe this "ultimate" weapon should be classed among strategic nukes or other WMDs and discarded from this duscussion.

Originally Posted by two-four-albert

WMD as in "Wimmin of Mass Disruption ??

Wimmin of Massive Dimensions.

**Mattb** · 31-05-2012, 09:25

Must be plently if naval weapons that were never used - tigerfish and spearfish for instance. Was Sea Eagle ever fired in anger?

**DPM_Sheep** · 31-05-2012, 11:29

Originally Posted by ECE-Tech

Just wondering where you have that info on turretless Centaurs from.
The info I have is that Centaur and Cromwell are essentially the same vehicle. Cruiser Tank A27 Mk7. The difference being Centaur had the Nuffield Liberty engine and the Cromwell the RR Meteor (de-rated Merlin aero-engine). At the end of WW2, I would have suspected that all Centaur variants would have been upgraded to Cromwell variants. The gun-tanks were converted as WW2 progressed and the engines became available.

Not quite. The Liberty engined tank set to replace the A15 Crusader III was the A24 Cavalier, which had the Mk.V 6lber gun. It was superceded before going into production by bunging the Meteor engine in instead. That earned it a redesignation to A27. The A27M had a 75mm gun, basically a bored out 6lber and was named Cromwell, the A27L had 95mm howitzer instead and got named Centaur. Both used in anger from D-Day.

**FEASG** · 31-05-2012, 14:50

Originally Posted by Forlorn Hope

I believe Bar mines were only ever used in Kuwait in GW1. By that I mean buried, as designed to be used, although wether any were detonated I doubt very much.

Bar mines were being used on Herrick , not in intended roll but cut in half and used as breaching and demolition charges of Terry’s bunker systems . Mainly because the hundred year old mud walls proved too tough for the mouse hole charges (light and /Heavy) in the pam.

**tiny_lewis** · 31-05-2012, 15:06

Originally Posted by ugly

Didnt the RDD become PDSC palletised demolition system concrete? I always wanted to let one of those go. Not for a planned deliberate bridge dem where you are waiting for the rearguard but the quick lets drop that motorway span into the south bound lane jobby!

Something like that. I always remembered it as Rapid Demolition Kit Concrete, but that can't be right as the word 'kit' would never be used... except it was for the Rapid Cratering Kit.

It was never intended for a deliberate attack on a bridge - dropping a span or two requires a fair bit of calculation and planning, to create a gap >17m. The palletised job was for panic^H^H^H^H rush jobs - drive up, drop off, fuck off sharpish. Woefully inefficient, and of little use on most of the main German river crossings as the bridges were too strong. Prolly effective on the smaller bridges, but unless used at both ends might not have created the desired gap.

Not that i wouldn't have given up all my rail warrants to let one of them off :D