december 2010 vmvc - Victorian Military Vehicle Corps

Office Bearers
President: John Wilson
Mob 0408 642241
Email president@vmvc.org.au
President‘s correspondence addressed to, ―The
President ―PO Box 1209 Kensington 3031
Reminders for CH Vehicles
To legally use the CH Permit scheme, and to lawfully drive your
vehicle on the road, you must be a current financial member of
the VMVC. Please carry a club newsletter or a current CH
permit with you on all outings. If not, you may be booked for
driving an un-roadworthy and unregistered vehicle
–
E. McDonald. Vehicle inspection officer.
December
Vice President;
Rod Mills (03) 97074831
mailto:humvee@aanet.com.au
Secretary: Gordon Edwards
(03) 93768208 PO Box 1209 Kensington 3031
(Able to issue trip permits)
a42ausjeep@hotmail.com
Notice: All correspondence to the secretary,
please. Closing date for the newsletter is the 20th
of each month.
Treasurer: Ray Edsall(03)94352346
160 Yan Yean Road
Plenty Vic. 3090
redsall@hotmail.com
Committee Members
Bevan Fenner
Mob. 0438 362 027
– (03)59443937
Bruce Watt
0403 693 213
mailto:loaded.dog@optusnet.com.au
Ben Hemmings
03- 9887 0938
mailto:bizzen@tpg.com.au
Vehicle Inspection Officer: (CH plates)
Euan McDonald Mobile 0419 362479.
CO-OPTED MEMBERS
Editorial staff:
Gordon Edwards / Russell Hughes /Russell Sloan
ANZAC day Co-coordinator:
Jim Harris PO Box 70 Romsey 3434
Telephone 54296255
Quartermasters: Rod Mills. Items need to be pre-ordered with
Rod, delivered on meeting nights or by post at your expense.
Some club items are available via the web site.
AOMC Delegate;
Bevan Fenner – (03)59443937
Catering Officer:
Phillip Rieffel
0432336323
Librarian:
Euan McDonald – (03) 94391187
Meetings held at Rats of Tobruk Hall, 44 Victoria Avenue,
Albert Park the first Tuesday of the month 8pm. On meeting
nights, hall phone number, emergency only contact (03)
97784097. No meeting in January.
Official VMVC Website: www.vmvc.org.au
Saint Thomas Moores school in Belgrave, for vehicles to
attend their fete on the 4th December 2010. The vehicles
are required from 8.30 am on the day and all drivers will
receive lunch for their efforts. The address is Terry's Hill
Belgrave. The group can assemble on the oval for the
day. Any questions can be forwarded to Mick Rogers on
ph. 97566182. Regards Adrian d'Argaville
Tuesday 7th Dec 2011 club meeting ROTA Hall 8:00pm
Sunday 12th Dec 2009 Club Picnic. John Belfield‘s
tank museum 456 Belgrade-Hallam Rd Narree Warren
108 H2 BYO drinks, chairs and salads VMVC will
supply sausages/bread and soft drinks make sure you
come along for a great end of year get together at a
fantastic venue and for the chance of winning some great
door prizes. This year at the suggestion of members we
will try a convoy leaving from ROTA Hall and
travelling down Old Princess Highway to John‘s
Museum. Leaving at 10:00am members could join us as
we travelled down the Highway. Also we are planning to
stage a short bush trip to Cardinia Reservoir after the
BBQ, should be fun. Contact Gordon 0422567287 ( I
would really like to not be the only vehicle in this
convoy)
January 2011
NO NEWSLETTER OR
MEETING IN JANUARY
16th January 2011 Great Australian Rally Melbourne to
Mornigton. To register go to web site 9th Jan cut off
date. Club members can enter free, go straight to
Mornington Race track by 9:30 am to set up display.
Contact Don Ashton 59624587
www.greataustralianrally.com.au
24 – 30 January 2011 Corowa Federation Week
including main street parade on Wednesday 26th
(Australia Day), tours of Rutherglen wineries, possible
tennis, boating and other tours depending on participant‘s
preferences. Camping at Rutherglen or Corowa. Call
Colin Young
03 – 9600 0866 (W) 03 – 9813 8883 (H)
cyg4@carlyleyoung.com.au
Wednesday 26th January 2011 Australia Day
celebrations Kings Domain Park Melbourne. You must
have entered this event and display the offical decal. No
entry payments on the day. Organisers desire that
entrants dress in clothing that matches the period of their
vehicles. The club normally meets at Walsh Street South
Yarra9:00 am so we can park together. Contact
Gordon 0422567287
Feburary 2011
Tuesday 1st Feburary 2011
8:00pm
club meeting ROTA Hall
Minutes of VMVC Inc. A5955
General Meeting held at ROTA Hall
Tuesday 2nd Nov. 2010
Meeting Opened by the President at 8:00 pm
Apologies: J. Chapple, B. Watt, B. Montgomery, D. Furness
Members present: 35
New members / Visitors; Bernie Simpson from the UK, Simon
Aller
Minutes of the previous meeting true and correct.
Moved; A. Seymour Seconded; J. Brocksmith
Business arising from previous meeting
Nil
Correspondence in: Newsletters; Tobruk House news,
Kindred organisations and unit associations, Olive
Drab, AOMC American show n‘ Shine
Dues; John Bruce, Neville Willsher, Bruce
Campbell, Rick Bottiglieri. Ad fee Vintage Wiring
Harness
Letters
Ebesco; unsubscribe club newsletter
Minister for Roads Permit scheme update
Club insurance package renewal
Euroa wool week (too late for the newsletter)
Emails;
Greg firearms
Can I ask the committee and members to consider
NOT to purchase the 30 cal machine guns
mentioned in this month‘s newsletter as I feel that
club money could be better spent than on a couple
of machine guns for the following points
1. How much use display wise are we going to get
from these
2 .Who is going to be responsible for them and
does this force the person to come to every event
where you want the guns
3. Surely the money could be better spent on other
things as it‘s not just the initial expense but the
ongoing cost of registration and secure storage.
4 . Should not the members have been asked first if
they were even interested in getting the guns and
not just the members who attend meetings but the
wider membership as it is our club fees in the most
part being used to fund the idea or is this another
case of the committee deciding the want something
. e.g. the new logo.
5. I think but I could be wrong but in the club rules
it stats that all weapons are to be mounted on a
vehicle when on display, is the club then going to
fund the installing of weapon mounts on all
vehicles so everyone who wants to gets to mount
the guns on their vehicle at some stage or will it be
for a privileged few.
Thanks bye for now Greg Nicholls
Phil Slattery; It was nice to see the photo of the
Scout Car on the cover of the VMVC newsletter. I
assume you are the perpetrator.
I was thinking that it be worthwhile for the VMVC
office bearers to have their photos included in the
credits at the beginning of the newsletter every
month.
If the photos were large and clear it would help
ordinary members such as me identify the office
bearers at events. Due to work i find it impossible
to attend the monthly meetings and I assume it's the
same for many others.
The photos of personnel attached to articles in the
newsletter usually show people from a distance
which makes identification difficult.
Also I think that it would help add more
importance to the positions and would encourage
people to nominate for the positions. (Due to work
I am definitely not in this group)
I would be grateful if you would suggest this to the
Editor and also bring it up at the next VMVC
meeting.
Keep up the good work Philip Slattery
Correspondence Out:
Permits
Applications
Rego Renewals
MK Printing
Treasurer’s Report
Balance 2-11-10 $6,030.20 currently there are 65 un-financial
members, notice has been given of the cessation of their
newsletter subscription.
AOMC Report
Nil
General Business
CH scheme changes, vehicles will now be allowed to be driven
100 metres from the home address without a permit. Vehicles
must be 25 years or older to be eligible. The clubs will be given
access to Vic Roads information on who is registered as club
members of the scheme. The new scheme will begin operation
in February 2011.
.30 Machine gun tender. E. McDonald and G. Nichols raised
the issue of the club tender for the de activated weapon. (Refer
to the in mail for Greg‘s e-mail)Which they are in opposition to.
A motion was presented to the meeting; That the club continue
with the tender for the . 30 machine gun.
Moved J. Wisdom Seconded E. McDonald
Motion carried 18 for 13 against 4 abstained
P. Slattery, the banning of trucks from the ANZAC Day
march.
This proposal is an overreaction to the incident; there are other
measures that should be presented to ANZAC House to ensure
safety, such as having smaller vehicles placed in front of the
trucks, or using co-drivers.
Ian Austin; ANZAC House appreciates the contribution made by
the club and the disappointment felt by members over this issue,
but the main priority and responsibility is to the veterans. The
format of the March ids being revised and there is still work to
be done in this area. No doubt more information will be coming
from ANZAC House.
J. Wilson, We need to continue communicating with ANZAC
House and not make hasty decisions on this matter. The
member‘s feedback on this matter will be taken up by the
committee and used in dealing with ANZAC House.
J. Belfield, Drive error was at fault and not the trucks. Other
ways besides banning the trucks need to be explored.
J. Reading, some of the marchers actually need the trucks
because smaller vehicles struggle to accommodate their walking
frames or wheel chairs.
G. Di Tela, An alternative for trucks would be the local Marches
where they would be more than welcomed; they would probably
have a better experience as well.
A motion was proposed by P. Slattery,‖ The VMVC strongly
opposes the proposed withdraw of trucks from the ANZAC Day
parade.‖ Accepted D. Wright Seconded E. McDonald. For 27
Carried.
G. Di Tela’ G 503 Blog.
Thank you to the committee and leadership team, although the
committee does a good job I regret to say that I found a photo of
my jeep in cross hairs with derogatory comments about the
vehicle and myself on the G 503 website. This had been done by
a member who is also on the committee. The gist of the article
was quite scurrilous and bought into question the quality of my
character and moral fibre. This is not good enough for a
committee member to engage in such conduct when it is directed
against a fellow club member.
J. Wilson; the offending material has been removed from the
site, an apology has been forwarded to Gino and the concerned
individual has been spoken to.
I. Mastin; I was there at the event referred to on the blog, Gino‘s
actions on the day are completely opposite to how they were
represented on G 503.
Reports on Past Events
Rutherglen Show Weekend
G. Edwards attended, met Colin Young, good weekend if a little
soggy
Bush trip and camp at Amphitheatre
Bevan reported, big event lots of good driving, hopefully will be
on again next year.
Melbourne Arms and Militaria Fair
A few of us were there, some members had a stall
Coming Events

Thursday 11th November. Local R.S.L.
Remembrance day services

November13 - 14, 2010 The Bendigo National
Swap

Sun 14th Nov, Winchelsea Festival,.

Saturday 20th November. Ukrainian Hall Essendon
Arms and militaria Fair.

Sunday 28th November 2010 29th annual
Commercial Vehicle Display Day.
Meeting Finished \9:20 pm
This shot was taken at Dalhousie Springs by a mate of
mine - two Jeeps preparing to cross the Simpson Desert.
Amazing how much you can load on them! Andrew
Wardle.
Got a new toy to play with, Cheers Jason Stagg.
COROWA 2011
As we all know Corowa is just around the corner.
We are looking for volunteers to go on the Site
Office Roster. It is a great place to meet people and
would be a great help also. The Rosters will be
appearing soon on Maple Leaf Up when the
program is completed.
Details can be sent to Joy Morley email:
boisdale@bigpond.com
I look forward to your support and merry
Christmas to you all. Thanking you, Joy
Club Items for Sale
Epaulettes
$12
Square Jumper Badges
$5
Round Logo Jumper badges
$5
Red Shoulder Flashes
$5
Metal Hat Badges
$5
Window sticker Round
$1.50
VMVC TAC Stickers
$3.00
Small TAC holders metal
$3.50
Small TAC plate metal
$2.00
Club Base ball caps
$12
Contact the Quartermaster Rod Mills 97074831 to preorder items.
Members Help and Technical Information
If any members are restoring, repairing their vehicle,
need or technical advice or seek information on where to
obtain parts or any other advice for their vehicles. Please,
do not hesitate to send your enquires for insertion into
the newsletter. Include a name and contact address and
number
Restoration Engineering Services especially for
military Vehicles; Mechanical, electrical, panel and trim,
complete servicing and vehicle check over, RWC
preparation. Repairs and refurbishment. Total vehicle
strip down and rebuild. Component restoration or
remanufacture. Specialist in the REVERSAL of existing
RHD conversions back to original. Convenient central
Victorian location or onsite service if required. Over 30
year‘s restoration expertise. Highest quality at reasonable
rates. Please feel free to call and discuss your project.
Vehicle marking stencils made to order. Removable,
adhesive masks, which enable you to paint your vehicles
marking in the correct manner. Mike Edwards PO Box
807 Castlemaine Vic 3450
Tel. (0427)840258.
For Sale ;WW2 Canvas Reproductions; Jeep Canvas
Roof , Front seat cushions, Back seat cushions, tool roll,
windshield cover, combat jackets, headlight covers pair,
half doors pair, trailer cover Aust no 4. Available in
Desert/Olive Drab/Khaki colours. Price on application.
Combat services Victorian Agent; Leon Heynders Tel
0409 400 263 leonheynders@bigpond.com
Chevrolet 1940 Staff car 95% complete, all rust
removed, good guards and sheet metal. Have already
spent $9,000 on this vehicle. $7,500.00
Dodge WC 52 Weapons Carrier needs finishing off,
good sheet metal and tyres. $10,000
Ray Edsall Tel9435-2346
*Tyres for Sale; 9:00 X 16 bar tread tyres for Blitz and
Dodge. Agtyres Wholesale, Moree NSW Agtyres
specially imported these tyres from India for military
vehicle owners. MRF brand also 600 X 16 Jeep size bar
tread. Contact 1800 028988
Redline Engine Service
Reconditioning specialist Ian Petersen - Ron Geddes
VMVC 28 years experience Contact (03)-59792802
65 COOLSTORE ROAD HASTINGS 3915
For Sale WW2 US and Aust Army tents original
condition with poles. Mike Edwards Tel (0427)840258
For Sale; 600 X 16 tyres 8 pr Speedways brand new,
made in India $135.00 In stock.
Correct seat cushion hardware for Jeep $35 in stock
QMC WW 2 Supplies (03) 9700 6662 or 0409 400 263
Leon Hynders.
Wanted WW2 GMC CCKW LH rear Bumper Contact
Darrin 041 1483 213
For Sale for Series 2a Land Rover N.O.S. 1 wheel hub.
1 Gal. Bumper. PTO cover plate and main gear shaft. 2
off each: oil sleeve, inner bearing seal, inner and outer
wheel bearings and cups, felt rubber seal, and four
lockers. 2 wheel cylinder repair kits. 1 sliding window
channel. Workshop manual, parts 1 and 2, good
condition in heavy cardboard sleeve protectors. All above
$350, Geoff Anderson 59864929
Eastern Bearings in Knoxfield 2/18 Rushdale St Phone;
9764 2922 have a full range of bearings to suit Blitzes;
they also have all the seals to suit. They also can supply
the same for jeeps. Mention you are from the club and
they will look after you.
Wanted restored Ford Blitz prefer a SWB but LWB is
good, prepared to pay for a good example, would
consider an ex army International. Preferably in Victoria
bur will travel to view a good example. Call Mike on
0418302 or email mike@cfod.com.au
For Sale; Chevrolet C15A Blitz SWB (1942) Good
starter, runner, blue flame engine, Tray body, Tarp and
bows, Bench seats, Roof Hatch, Helmet rack, Two new
spare tyres. $15,000 ONO Russ Hughes; 56296042,
0409237150
For Sale: 1942 Willys MB Jeep. RHD. Full
Registration, RWC, VGC. All accessories. $16,800.
Ph Andrew 0449 255 470.
WANTED : Dunlop or Simex T24 " TRAK GRIP " 90016 tyres in roadworthy cond. Need at least three. Prefer
non-RF type, but anything considered.
Mike Kelly VMVC 0356266249 email:
morrispu@yahoo.com
For sale11.00 x 18 NDT tyres. The last lot have all
gone. I am considering bringing in some more from the
States. Any interest contact me on 0421975001.
Shipping charges have gone up so price will be around
$450.
Wanted Bonnet for 1941 Ford truck. I have a bonnet
with good sheet metal but the latch system has rusted
beyond repair. Either a good complete bonnet or just the
latch salvaged from a rusty or bent one will do.
Jack Neville 0421975001
madness20241@hotmail.com
Interested in buying a 4x4 International Acco in as
original condition as possible.
James Davies 0408 066 578
Bush trip and camp at Amphitheatre 22-14 October
Your intrepid reporter left home at 4:45 am in order to
rendezvous at the mobile station by the Werribee
overpass on the Western Highway at 6:45.
However my arrival was at 6:15 am even though I was
running a new set of rings. So I waited for the other
members to arrive at 7:00, I waited and waited and
eventually decided to leave at 8:00 hours having had
breakfast and two cups of coffee.
After a brief stop at Ballarat still no sign of any more
contenders I proceeded to Avoca. Having bought some
supplies for the weekend at the local IGA packed them
and stood on the starter with no result!! Except the
ammeter went to zero. Plan ―B‖, rang John Neville at
Amphitheatre who came to rescue with his Land Rover
130 towing me back to the camp site.
By this Alf Brooks who had missed me at the rendezvous
was just finishing setting up camp.
As my tent takes little time to erect, my camp was soon
ready. On removing the starter motor it was discovered
that on of the inertia washers on the starter motor had
come adrift and was jamming the fly wheel. Locking
everything up it was removed, all working again.
Friday was nice warm and sunny. So before the afternoon
bush trip shorts were donned and several Austin Champs
and Jeeps explored the local tracks. Later in the afternoon
another Dodge weapons carrier arrived as did the Hum Vee and crew, also Russel Altman and ―The Mongrel‖. If
you don‘t know it, it‘s a Bedford 4X4 with a
Commonwealth Aircraft bus body with mobile home
equipment towing a six wheeled trailer with workshop
and Champ on board.
Outside John‘s barrack building a large tree stump was
burning with room for all to sit around, gradually moving
further away from the glowing embers increased.
Saturday morning after a light shower overnight it was
cooler and cloudy. But ideal for the day‘s trip, which was
into the Pyrenees Ranges. Gradually we climbed into the
foothills with gravelly tracks changing to shale and slate
ruts with sharp and slippery washouts, and fallen trees
just to make things interesting. After a very rocky climb
with a sharp jump up we reached the pinnacle of the
mountain.
Following the ridge line along the ranges we than came
to a challenging descent. We then had to pause a while
so the local trail bike riders could ascend with much
noise and skill.
Our skills and vehicles were then tested and we
negotiated very eroded rocky ledges with deep washouts
between them, sometimes sliding and bucking all at the
one time. Russell‘s Champ decided to park sideways
with its nose against the tree and the left hand rear wheel
in the air, several bodies, and snatch straps manually
pulled and were able to right it so that it could continue
on its way. With everybody rather relieved we arrived
back at camp in good time for a barbeque tea.
Sunday morning saw a slow breaking of camp most
participants moving out by lunchtime.
Many thanks to John Neville and his son Chris for an
enjoyable weekend which with luck will be repeated next
year.
Vehicles attending
7 X Austin Champs
2 X Dodge weapon carriers
3 X Jeeps
1 X Hum Vee
1 X Ford WOT 2
Members
Alf Brooks
Bevan Fenner
Rod Mills
Peter Reynolds
Paul
Andrew
Howard & Carol Wilson
Peter Reading
Written by; Bevan Fenner Photos by ;Rod Mills
The coldest Christmas ever
World War II vet Hugh Sonner, 83, originally of Walden, was a
private in the 4th Armoured Division of the 3rd Army who
fought in the Battle of the Bulge. He recollects what it was like
so many years ago during the Christmas he was under fire from
the Germans.
'We were right outside Bastogne, firing our guns on the
Germans. Jesus Christ, it was bitter cold. They said it was the
coldest winter in 50 years. There was no such thing as Christmas
Eve. It was just firing continuously. Around the clock. All day
long, and all night long. Night and day. We knew it was
Christmas Eve, of course. But nobody said anything.
"I don't know how many rounds we fired thousands. The
Germans were determined to hang in there. They just did not
want to break that ring around Bastogne. Artillery was the only
thing that stopped them.
"You wanted to get warm, you know? So you'd put your hands
on the gun barrels. So hot, you couldn't touch them with your
bare hands. You'd put your gloves on, put your hands on the
barrel and that's how you'd warm up.
Editor's note:
On December 16, 1944, Hugh Sonner of Walden was a 20-yearold artillery gunner in the U.S. 3rd Army. That day, a massive
German counterattack halted the Allied advance of World War
II.
Three German armies broke through the
Allied lines in the Ardennes region of
eastern Belgium and northern
Luxembourg, surrounding three U.S.
divisions in the city of Bastogne and the
nearby town of Foy. On maps, the
German breakthrough appeared as a
giant bulge in the Allied line, and the
resulting month long fighting drew in
more than 1 million German and Allied
troops.
It became known as the Battle of the
Bulge, the last great offensive of the
German Army. Eighty-six thousand
Allied soldiers and more than 120,000
Germans became casualties; 19,000
Americans were killed.
These days, Sonner spends much of the
year at his Adirondacks vacation home
outside Corinth. This week at his son's
home in Walden, Sonner, now 82,
shared memories of his Christmas Eve
and Christmas Day in the Ardennes.
"You might have a lull in the firing,
until the next fire mission came. Maybe half an hour. If you
slept, you slept two men together. I'd have my back to you and
after two hours, I'd say 'turn over.' You couldn't sleep by
yourself. You'd freeze to death.
"If you had a little lull, you'd try to have a can of food. You'd
keep a can of food up here (under your armpit). You'd have
some food on you all the time. So it didn't freeze.
"We had a 155 mm gun. Ninety-five-pound shells. Four of us.
Everybody did everything. Each man knew every job. Firing,
loading. The way you're supposed to do it is: Two men lift a
shell, and load it on a tray. Two more men with a ramrod load
the powder charge and ram it in.
"In Bastogne we didn't do it like that. You'd pick up one of those
shells yourself and ram it in as good you can. Two guys, all the
time. One putting it in, one holding the next shell. We were the
number one gun. We had 12 guns in our battery. Think about
this: In some places, there were 26 batteries.
"Christmas Eve, it was dark. No light at all. When you have
snow, the guns firing flashes off the snow. To your right, to your
left. All the other batteries. The slaughter just went on and on. I
tell you, artillery killed more people.
"We knew the next day it was Christmas. No one said 'Merry
Christmas,' though. But we all knew.
"We were thinking, 'Here it is Christmas, and there's no
Christmas dinner.' Very few troops did get one. If you were
behind the lines, maybe. You had a regular kitchen, like in an
old barn or a public building.
"The next day, we got pulled off to the side of a mountain.
That's where we got our Christmas meal. A day late.
"I don't know how far away it was. It took hours. When we
moved out of there, you'd have the piles of the dead. There'd be
a pile of Americans over there. A pile of Germans under that
tree. We had a light truck that moved our gun. And you could
hear them under the snow, crunch. You didn't know which it
was, German or American.
"You ever been to the Adirondacks? The mountains in Belgium
are just like that. All pines, evergreens. They brought the food
out to us in trucks. Cold turkey. Cold mashed potatoes. It was
hot when they gave it to us, but after 10 minutes, everything was
cold.
"We got up there and could see clear down into this valley.
There was the biggest dogfight (a battle between planes) you
ever saw.
"You know when the snow gets all over the pine trees? Up in the
Adirondacks, when the trees are all covered in snow, like that? It
reminds me." By John Doherty
Christmas in the Jungle
TIME Correspondent George Johnston last week cabled this
dispatch from New Guinea:
If there were a bottle of beer or a flask
of Scotch in the 180,000 square miles of
Allied New Guinea, some of the
thousands of doughboys now fighting in
98° temperature of the north-coast
jungles might be able to build up some
sort of festive spirit this Christmas. But
there isn't.
There will be neither peace nor good
will nor much reason for celebration
unless it is to celebrate the victory at
Buna, for which the Americans and
Australians are still furiously fighting as
I write this dispatch with Christmas one
week away.
Maybe some of the lucky ones will get
Christmas hampers dropped from
transport planes. Already neatly
wrapped packages are arriving—some
bearing the names and unit numbers of
youngsters now buried in the warm
Papuan earth.
Most soldiers, when you question them,
say: "There doesn't seem much time to
think about Christmas this year, and anyway the setting is all
screwy." Which, of course, it is. It is a far cry from carol singers
tramping through the snow to the lean, gaunt, green-garbed
Americans squirming through drip ping man-high Kunai grass,
or sniping Japs from the fronded tops of coconut palms, or
flitting like phantoms from tree to tree in the weird fireflyspangled jungle.
In some rear camps and stations Americans will celebrate
Christmas of a sort. One bombardment squadron sentry stands
armed guard night & day over a scraggly turkey which was
found wandering in the jungle three weeks ago and since then
has been fattened on cereals and broken Army biscuits.
Christmas has some queer outward manifestations in this crazy
godforsaken land of battle: death, injury, disease and the grim
terror of loneliness. There is not much peace, not much good
will. But the other night the Army field censor was going
through the unit's letters and he silently handed me one short
note and pointed to the final paragraph. It was from an Ohio
private to his wife: "It will be a different Christmas this year.
The altar will be a fallen tree in this stinking jungle. All around
there will be the stink of sweat, unwashed clothes and the
fainter, sweeter smell of death. But as I kneel to pray I know you
will be alongside me praying too, and that will make it a Happy
Christmas, darling."
Pinzgauer High Mobility AllTerrain Vehicle
From Wikipedia
The Pinzgauer is a family of high mobility all-terrain four-wheel
drive (4x4) and six-wheel drive (6x6) military utility vehicles.
They are manufactured in Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom,
by BAE Systems Land Systems. The vehicle was originally
developed in the late 1960s by Steyr-Daimler-Puch of Graz,
Austria, and was named after the Pinzgauer, an Austrian breed
The Pinzgauer was designed to be reliable and easy to fix; it is
shipped with an air-cooled dual- Zenith 36mm NDIX carburettor
(- as in Porsche 956) petrol engine. The engine in the Pinzgauer
was specifically designed for the vehicle; it has more than one
oil pump so that the engine will not get starved of oil no matter
how the vehicle is orientated.
The Pinzgauer has a chassis design which contributes to its high
mobility. It has a central tube chassis with a transaxle which
distributes the weight more evenly, and keeps the centre of
gravity as low as possible. The differentials are all sealed units
and require minimal additional lubrication. The Pinzgauer also
has portal axles like the Unimog to provide extra clearance over
obstacles. The 710 4x4 was the more popular variant, but the
Pinzgauer was designed to have a very capable 6x6
configuration from the start. The rear suspension on the back of
the 6x6 712 is designed to provide maximum traction in the
most demanding circumstances along with increasing its towing,
load carrying, and off-road abilities.
During production from 1971 until 1985, 18,349 first-generation
710s and 712s were produced and sold to both civilian and
government buyers.
Body type variants
710 4x4
M
soft top with rear passenger seats (10 passenger total)
T
flat bed carrier
K
5 door hard top station wagon
AMB-Y ambulance with 3 doors
AMB-S ambulance with air-portable removable shelter
712 6x6
of horse. It was popular amongst military buyers, and continued
in production throughout the rest of the century. In 2000 the
rights were sold to Automotive Technik Ltd (ATL) in the UK.
ATL was subsequently acquired by Stewart & Stevenson
Services, Inc. in 2005; in May 2006, Stewart & Stevenson
became a subsidiary of the aerospace and defence group Armour
Holdings, Inc. One year later, Armour Holdings was itself
acquired by BAE Systems plc, who discontinued the UKproduction of the Pinzgauer, which was proving to be vulnerable
to mines and improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.
Development work (done in the UK) on the planned Pinzgauer
II was evaluated by BAE subsidiary in Benoni, Gauteng, South
Africa but no vehicle was ever manufactured.
First generation
The original prototype was developed around 1969 and
production began in 1971, as successor of the Steyr-DaimlerPuch Haflinger 700 AP 4x4 light military multipurpose off-road
vehicle. The Pinzgauer first generation model (710, 712) was
produced until 2000 by Steyr-Daimler-Puch in the city of Graz,
Austria. It was, and is in use in many armies around the world
like Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia,
Thailand, Albania, and Bolivia. When Austrian millionaire Mr.
Stronach took over the shareholder majority of Steyr-DaimlerPuch off-road vehicles; he gave the right to build the Steyr
Pinzgauer to Automotive Technik Ltd (now BAE). As of 2009,
in the Graz plant, the Mercedes-Benz G Wagon / Puch G offroad vehicles were being built.
The Pinzgauer is one of the most capable all-terrain vehicles
ever made. While not as fast (110 kilometres per hour (68 mph))
as the American High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle
(HMMWV), it can carry more troops. Even the smaller 710M
can carry 10 people or two NATO pallets. Both the 4x4 and 6x6
models can tow 5,000 kilograms (11,023 lb) on road; and
1,500 kilograms (3,307 lb) or 1,800 kilograms (3,968 lb),
respectively, off-road. It has a range of over 400 kilometres
(249 mi) on one tank of fuel, or nearly 700 kilometres (435 mi)
with the optional 125 litre tank. The first generation Pinzgauer is
available in both four-wheel drive (4x4) (model 710) and sixwheel drive (6x6) (model 712) versions.
M
soft top with rear passenger seats
T
flat top carrier
FW
fire truck
K
5 door station wagon
W
workshop with air-portable shelter
DK
4 door crew cab pickup
AMB-S ambulance, with air-portable removable shelter
The most common body types are either "K" (hard-topped) or
"M" (soft-topped) types.
Specifications
All the first generation Pinzgauers are equipped with:
 2.5 litre inline four cylinder air-cooled engine. An
exception was made on certain 712 variants towards
the end of production that came with a 2.7 litre aircooled four cylinder engine. This was primarily on
ambulances.
o DIN rated motive power: 65 kilowatts
(88 PS; 87 bhp) (105 hp SAE)
o Torque: 180 newton metres (133 ft·lbf)
 Five-speed manual transmission with two-speed
transfer case
 four-wheel-drive or six-wheel-drive with on-the-fly
hydraulic differential locks
 Fully independent suspension
 Backbone chassis tube[1]
 Integrated differentials
 24 volt electrical system
 Vacuum assisted drum brakes
 Portal axles to give extra clearance
Second generation
In 1980, Steyr-Daimler-Puch started development on a second
generation Pinzgauer. After six years of research and
development, the initial second generation Pinzgauer II rolled
off the assembly line in 1986. In 2000, Magna, who bought
Steyr-Daimler-Puch, sold its rights to the Pinzgauer to
Automotive Technik in the UK. They took over production of
the Pinzgauer, and still make it to this day. The Pinzgauer is
now owned and produced by BAE Systems Land Systems in
Guildford, Surrey.
The four-wheel drive (4x4) model is now called a 716, and the
six-wheel drive (6x6) model is now called a 718. The same letter
body type designations apply. The new 716 has the same
payload rating as the old 712, and the new 718 also has a
similarly higher payload capacity.
There were a few minor changes to the design of the Pinzgauer
II:
 Inline six cylinder Volkswagen Group Turbocharged
Direct Injection diesel engine
 ZF Friedrichshafen four-speed automatic
transmission, or five-speed manual transmission
 Slightly wider track
 Slightly bigger tyres
 Disc brakes
 Standard automatic transmission, with optional
manual transmission
The second generation motor vehicle went through several
minor revisions through its life, unlike the first generation which
used the same design throughout production. The first secondgeneration Pinzgauers were designated P80 (1980). It went
through a revision in 1990 (P90), 1993 (P93), and an internal
combustion engine change in 2002. This was a new Volkswagen
Group Turbocharged Direct Injection (TDI) engine to meet the
new Euro3 emissions requirements.
Worldwide markets
The Pinzgauer is increasingly replacing the Land Rover
Defender in the military utility vehicle role;[1] despite its high
cost of upwards of US$100,000 per unit. Pinzgauer (or Pinz as it
is known to most British soldiers) is more common as a utility
vehicle in Royal Artillery units due to its employment as a light
gun tractor. A new armoured version called the "Vector" entered
service in the British Army in early 2007, as part of an effort to
provide safer patrol vehicles for troops in Afghanistan. The 6x6
Vector PPV (Protected Patrol Vehicle), will according to the
manufacturer, "Build on the existing proven design, with
enhancements that will include a combination of physical
protection, as well as the use of sophisticated electronic counter
measures to maximise survivability while on patrol". However,
the Vector PPV was found to have unreliable suspension and
wheel hubs as well as poor protection against improvised
explosive devices. It quickly lost the confidence of field
commanders and was withdrawn from service.
Yugoslavia has been the first generation Pinzgauer customer in
huge numbers. Serbian forces added armour and successfully
used these field modifications in Balkans conflicts.
What is it?
On a visit to long-time member Ian Tankard I snapped a photo
of this mystery object, after torturing me a while with a quiz on
the trailer Ian explained it was an ex-Army Radar unit. The
dome is cranked up onto a tower and a radar dish inside the
dome rotates. The second mystery object will be revealed next
year.
News from the Front
Although the Winchelsea event was scrubbed because of bad
weather some intrepid members soldier on in any case. Gino,
Sean and Dave with sons attended from the club. The guys from
Geelong have a great range of vehicles and on this day were able
muster a GMC truck and Jeep. A tip for effective operations in
the future it might be an idea to disarm and imprison your
German prisoner. (Picture below)
The weekend started early for Jake, Mitch and I as we headed up
on Thursday before anyone else to cut a bit of firewood and do a
few little jobs around the place. The constant rain early in the
week posed a threat to the weekend but it was good to see the
country side so green and lush after all these years of drought. I
even took a lawn mower with me to knock a bit of grass down
as the property has not had sheep on it since the floods washed
away part of the fences. Jake and Mitch took the Fordson
WOT2H and I towed my jeep behind a modern (Land Rover
Defender) as I had a fair bit of other stuff to take up. After a
few chores we decided to head off around the back blocks of
Amphitheatre to shoot a few rabbits for our tea. We had not
gotten far when the starter motor on the jeep decided to jam
itself into the ring gear. No tools so Jake enjoyed a nice 5km
run. (So good to have young people around). We towed it back
behind the Land Rover and by then it was dark so I removed the
starter by torch light, found nothing wrong and put it back in.
Gave no further trouble for the weekend. We took the Land
Rover later that night and shot a few rabbits which Mitch turned
into a magnificent stew on Friday night.
Friday morning saw Alf Brooks arrive with Jeep and trailer and
a little while later I got a phone call from Bevan. Stuck in
Avoca with problems with the starter motor on his jeep. ―Know
how to fix that!‖ I took the Land Rover on its second mission
and towed him in. Alf had set up camp and nodded off for a rest
while Bevan removed the starter, located the problem and was
soon back in action.
Mick Hobson arrived from Landsborough in a Range Rover
towing a caravan and John Sanders in a Discovery towing his
caravan. That pretty much covered the Land Rover marque for
moderns. After setting up his van Mick took the Range Rover
home and returned in his Austin Champ. Rodney Smith and
Robin Mawson arrived in a Dodge Weapons Carrier.
We decided to go on a short drive to the top of ‗Green patch‘, a
hill behind the property. I took the Fordson, even though it is
only two wheel drive, the last time I went up the track to Green
Patch I figured the WOT would make it. Well the last time I
went driving in the hills around Amphitheatre was well before
all the rain we have had. I did say in my notice about the
Amphitheatre trip that the tracks were not too extreme. I was to
find out here first that a lot of rain had changed that. It got a bit
too steep for the WOT on the washed out tracks so I gave up
early rather that have to reverse down once it got too rough. The
others all enjoyed the view from the top. It won‘t be long before
the view from there is all of wind turbines which are creeping
along from Waubra with another 60 planned for the Ben More
Wind Farm Project around Amphitheatre.
Returning to camp and soon after Howard and Carol arrived in a
modern towing their recently restored and very fine looking
Dodge Gun Carriage.
Wally Bowers and crew arrived to lead the soon to follow
Champ invasion. A total of seven in all. Followed by the
ground shaking arrival of Russell Altman in ‗The Mongrel‘ bus
which anyone who has been to the Ballarat Swap Meeting would
know well. This 12 ton monster complete with 12 ton trailer
carrying a champ and workshop hut certainly took up most of
what was left of the ‗plenty of room for tents‘ on the property. I
heard it coming for about two minutes before it arrived and with
a bit of precision driving Russell managed to get it in the gate
without destroying the gate post. (Not so precise on exiting
Sunday. A little nudge on the strainer post!).
Rod Mills arrived in his Humvee with crew including a couple
more moderns.
By then we had a nice camp fire going and so far the Thursday
and Friday had been glorious sunshine.
Some of the Champ drivers opted for the comfy beds of the
Avoca Hotel and headed off in the evening.
Friday night it rained almost nonstop but fortunately by the next
morning the day was looking good again. After breakfast we
had everyone rounded up and off to Avoca at 0900 to collect the
three waiting Champs before a short drive towards Moonambel
where we turned off into the bush.
The product of years of drought followed by soaking rain and a
few very windy days has seen the bush lose a lot of trees. They
were down everywhere. Luckily we thought to bring a
chainsaw. We drove up a short extremely rough and rocky
track to look at an old slate mine but were stopped short by a
couple of very big trees blocking the track. We walked the
short remaining distance to the mine without bothering to cut the
trees; otherwise we would still be there. Then a logistical
nightmare of trying to get everyone turned around as the track
was too narrow but after a lot of ‗Austin Powers 33 point turns‘
we were on our way. A bit steeper driving up hill and a very
rough rocky section saw us at the top of Mount Warrenmang
lookout to enjoy the view and a short lunch break. Russell
made tough work of the conditions struggling for traction in his
Champ before realising that they go better in four wheel drive
than two. A tow by a ‗people powered‘ snatchem strap saw him
released off a tree.
Heading off again after lunch we managed to keep the convoy
together before turning to head down Old Bluff Track. We
stopped to allow a group of motor cyclists to come up the track.
I asked one of them what the track was like ahead and he told
me it was no worse than what we had just come down. I‘m
thinking now that he had not been where we had just travelled as
the rest of the track became very step with deep ruts and very
little room to manoeuvre or pick a line and once you began there
was no stopping. I was in a Toyota Hilux driven by my son
Ben and the only thing that kept me in the vehicle was the roof.
If I had been in my jeep I think I would have been thrown out.
It levelled out a bit half way down and we stopped to regroup.
The rest of the vehicles caught up with a couple of the ladies
opting to enjoy the scenery by walking down. When we moved
off again it was only to find the track got worse. Steeper and
rougher. Fortunately the previous night‘s rain had just kept the
dust down as this track would have been impossibly slippery
with too much water.
Finally at the bottom, my plan was to drive back up the next
track to the top but after the effort to get down I figured it would
start to drag the day out too long so we opted for an easier track
back to camp. The obstacles did not stop however as we had to
negotiate around several large fallen trees and stop and chainsaw
a couple more out of the way.
Arriving back saw no breakdowns or injuries and with the
weather being perfect it was an enjoyable day out.
Everyone settled in for the rest of the day with a few of us
heading to Avoca for a meal at the Victoria Hotel. The Champ
ladies cooked a full roast in an enormous camp oven, (the sort
you usually see in cartoons with a couple of explorers sitting in
it surrounded by cannibals), and the evening was spent around
the fire. Mick Hobson shouted a few bottles of Shiraz from his
own vineyard which were very nice indeed.
John Sanders brought along a computer and DVDs of previous
VMVC trips including the Woods Point trip in the 90‘s where I
rolled my jeep over and Jake and Ben were rescued by Alf
Brooks. Times have changed since then with Alf having to look
up as far as he would have had to have look down on the kids in
those days.
It was good seeing some of the old trips with Paul Bishop
reminiscing more than once about ―My girlfriend at the time‖.
The weather held out for the evening and again the next day
with everyone packing up slowly and drifting off. A few stayed
and headed in to the Sunday market at Avoca for a look and by
mid afternoon I was last out the gate and on my way as well.
It was a pleasure to have so many VMVC members for the
weekend and I have every intention of hosting another trip at the
same time next year. I will have a trip plotting weekend before
then to check out the tracks as it was a bit rougher than I
expected. I doubt the Pyrenees Forest will be high on the DSE
maintenance schedule over the next twelve months and with the
wet weather expected to continue the tracks may be much worse
by then. Good for some but better to be able to offer the option
of some more sedate driving for those who prefer that. I will
notify for CH vehicles when the trip plotting will be. Everyone
will be welcome. I will be putting pressure on Howard and
Carol to bring their Mack NM next time. That will be
something to see.
Thank you all for making it a very enjoyable weekend.
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