FV 430 SERIES AFV

The 432 Mk2 had an access plate on the RH final drive, this was to allow a power take off to a navigational device.

Though it was described as boasting a gyro and other wizardry for navigating over featureless terrain, (no SATNAV in those days boys !), it seems the kit was way to pricey for the likes of us.

I can't remember what this eqpt was called but does anyone remember it ?

Gallahad, it would not be the first time that some cheeky jeep found himself being 'stored" in said compartment and taken for a ride round the cross country test track.

Quite right BobG. i used to drive our 434, there were 3 of us on the crew, and we all slept in the tent made up over the rear deck. it was designed to carry a pack, but we could wisltle one up when needed rather than carry one. our 432 was the tiffy's domain, sheer luxury. In the Queens regt, all the wagons were named, and had to begin with A if you were A company, b for b coy and so on. the boys had there's called anderoid, armageddon etc. I drove 18A and it was called "And Jones" which only made sense when parked up next to 18, driven by my good friemd Mike Smith as his was called "Alas Smith"

JPW wrote:

Jim

With the current cost of diesel you will be selling your Corps Commanders residence to pay for any fuel incurred for the FV 432 you use as your unofficial runabout round the country lanes of Warwickshires

Won't be doing that then

Shelldrake wrote:

Were you with the RSDG, Gallahad?

Attached to Grens and Coldsm Guards.

The 434 was fitted with some shock absorbers that doubled as lock out jacks when using the Hiab to lift a power pack. At one time these shocks were not available and we were forced to run around for months with one shock absorber missing, that is until one day when a WO1 from an OFD was visiting the unit and his personal car broke down. His car was sorted out by the LAD, and two shock absorbers were delivered within days.

Teabag wrote:

439 apparently for radio relay. This one was after my time. Think our sets were C70's but not sure what these carried?


http://www.fv432.co.uk/wwwfv432couk/variants/Fv439%20ptarmiganradiorelay.htm

As I recall it the 439 differed from the 432 in that it had a generator bolted to the top of it. Therefore it tended to be used for Radio-Relay (C50?) Auto20 MCVF and the like.

Oh and the ones I remember didn't look as posh as the ones on that link.

BobG wrote:

AhHa, amazing what a nights sleep does for the memory - sometimes. FV 437 replacement was the CET (Combat Engineer Tractor). The FV434 was definitely the REME version fitted with CALM and space to carry a L60 or K60 power pack, spent many hours in one following the QOH around waiting for them to cock things up mechanically. I believe the REs used a standard 432 towing a mine laying trailer to lay bar mines, mines were fed down a chute from the 432 to the trl which laid them automatically, perhaps our RE bretheren can clarify this.
Bob

CET was known as "The Frog" by us and the Oggies. The 432 with the bar-mine layer also had a roof mounted anti-personnel mine layer/launcher known as the "Ranger"....in my day, anyway.

The tent set up on the REME 434 was in my unit called the 'penthouse'.
Brilliant.
atb
pinky
HUSSAR

I think that was the proper name for the tent like shelters.Thats what we called the ones we had on our box bodies..A home from home

The 432 used at Bde HQ,s for secure comms etc was the 436.

It was a modified 432 with a Ptarmigan and Wavell fit inside, in Engineer Regts in BAOR it replaced most of our Sultans. I collected mine in 1986 from 4 ADSR in Herford where I seem to recall them being converted. I believe the Cymbeline version had been withdrawn from service by then so it used the same designation.

My particular one had Ptarmigan, 1 x 353 insecure, 1 x 353 with DMU? secure, 1 x 321 HF. They were issued on a 2 per Squadron Basis and 1 in RHQ. REME kept their Sultan. We had to give up one per Sqn though when 23 Engr Regt was reformed as an Armd Engr Regt.

A pity when they were rebuilt as 436's that they did not do more than the radio fit, mods for armoured connection boxes outside and the penthouse and issue a 1500w gen set. Mine was un-roadworthy with too few track links per side, track pins still being circlip type, knackered leaking engine, dead corroded batteries, cracked final drive on my Squadrons other one, broken worn brake bands in the steering unit.
It took 6 months to get them road worthy (not to mention our refusal to drive them back to Hameln much to the annoyance of REME who had to organise low loaders).

Whilst serving in Osnabruck in the late Seventies I used to drive a Reme Workshop 432 with a winch mounted in the back. It also had a spade fitted on the rear and the door was divided in half to allow the winch rope to pass thro rollers in the lower half. This winch was never used as there was no way of coupling it to the transfer gears on the power pack without losing all the oil lubricating the gears.

Chris

cobris wrote:

Whilst serving in Osnabruck in the late Seventies I used to drive a Reme Workshop 432 with a winch mounted in the back. It also had a spade fitted on the rear and the door was divided in half to allow the winch rope to pass thro rollers in the lower half. This winch was never used as there was no way of coupling it to the transfer gears on the power pack without losing all the oil lubricating the gears.

Chris

I also was lumbered with one of these.......we bunged the winch out and left it on the shop floor, but retained the towbar and the set of Hollebones.
Result !!

brum wrote:

jim wrote:

I'd hate to pay the cost of fuel to drive one of them around. what sort of MPG do they get?

I'm pretty sure we had to use 15 mpg on road and 5 mpg x-country when working out fuel averages, Jim

(I seem to remember that the Centurion did 1 mpg !).

Cents did 5 galls to the mile.

Replen was murder every evening with all the jerrycans off the backs of stollies.

432s were great cabbies.

When on exercise we used to link up with our 'bluebell' friends as Cents were notorious for breaking down, and the driver had to stay up all night with the REME lads.

Up all night and driving all day wasn't for me, so I soon went to the C42/B47 radios


Anyway, we used to radio 'bluebell' and in they came on their 434s, for which we always managed to 'break down' near a guesthouse. After rest and recuperation the war games re-commenced !

It was the only way you could get a kip, some grub, and a break on some of these exercises.

I was FRG in the late 70`s and it was most unusual for any tank to break down more than a few yards from a pub of some sort.
Not complaining of course.
Can`t think of a better place to break down.

I can only remember Gun Positions and Hides, where did the Pubs come from?

It`s a Tankie thing, we in FRG rarely if ever did any jobs for the RA, i think their own LAD did all their jobs.

The Tankies looked after us well.

Shelldrake wrote:

I can only remember Gun Positions and Hides, where did the Pubs come from?

I was mainly on RE bridgelayers Shelldrake. They used to move us around often, so that they could all have a go going over our bridges. Very few enjoyed the experience.

As a result 'guesties' were easily spotted for our perusal.

We once had a small bridge laid to allow rear corps comhead to cross a small burn..There we were all cammed up and hidden away in a small wood.with a nice WHITE wooden bridge pointing to our location..

I remember doing a Bridge crossing on the Weser (as you do). The REs had these amphibious things all lined up across the river, they broke up, and we were transported across individually. It was a bit like 20 Govan Ferries.

Oh yes, remember it well.
Done the `crossing the Weser` on many occasions, each one though was on a floating roadway and never individually.
Good fun though.

Shelldrake wrote:

I remember doing a Bridge crossing on the Weser (as you do). The REs had these amphibious things all lined up across the river, they broke up, and we were transported across individually. It was a bit like 20 Govan Ferries.

Sounds like M2 rigs or heavy ferries.

Very difficult to line up, especially with an undercurrent.

That would be the ones Pete, was it Magirus Deutz?

Shelldrake wrote:

That would be the ones Pete, was it Magirus Deutz?

IIRC they were US made things Shelldrake.

The M2 Rigs were German. They were built by both Eisenwerke Kaiserslauten (EK) and Klockner-Humbolt-Deutz, EK was the design authority, the engines may well have been Magirus Deutz. I believe the US were involved after the introduction of the M3 Rig in late 80s/early 90s, with which both we and the Bundeswehr were equiped.

BobG