Centaur95

This was my attempt at their original Rolls Royce A/C: http://smallcoginabigwheel.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-rolls-in-theiraqi-desert-whilst-im.html

There is a resin kit available. I think it's a '28mm' (1/56) scale and is a wargames model - doesn't look bad but not my scale. http://www.hlbs.co.uk/product.php?id=817 Cheers, Centaur

A lot of components for British tanks were actually manufactured in the USA and then shipped across the Atlantic - anything from smaller electrical and mechanical components to complete track sets and turret castings for Matildas, Churchills etc. This was all before the USA entered the war and was straight commercial purchasing, not Lend-Lease. It would seem sensible to suggest that some form of protective coating might be applied for trans-atlantic shipping and paint would make more sense than an oil or grease substance. Cheers, Centaur

+1 for Tamiya Field Grey (XF-65). Cheers, Centaur

'Mandatory' is the current UK Registration Plate font (Civilian and Military) - It's available as a free, downloadable TTF format so you can create plates to your heart's content (a quick Google search will soon give you links to the download sites that carry it). Cheers, Centaur

Turretless Shermans were also used as gun tractors for 17pdr AT guns. Cheers, Centaur

For a basic Humvee (especially a soft/open topped SF version) - Tamiya every time For an uparmoured version there are so many other kits that I've lost track of which is the best. Centaur

It looks like an A3 to me. It belongs to D Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 37th Armored Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Can't be sure but it could be Reforger '82 as 1st Infantry Div were part of Blue Force for that exercise and this vehicle has blue Reforger placards on the turret. Summer verdant was rare in USAREUR - most units stayed with the Winter Verdant camo (brown and green, rather than two greens). Cheers, Centaur

It would depend entirely on the time and resources available to the workshops doing the repaint - and the urgency of the requirement. Based on vehicles I've seen that went out for Operation Granby in 1990-91 (various armoured and softskin types) , the sand paint was applied thoroughly and included lower hulls, suspension and wheels. Did they miss the odd nook and cranny? - probably. However most vehicles were properly repainted rather than being given a quick (and rough) top coat. One UK-based tank transporter unit even contracted with a local civilian industrial workshop to have their vehicles re-done professionally. Cheers, Centaur

Somewhat ironic given that Brigadier General James Stewart (USAF Reserve) was type-rated on B-47s and B-52s but not B-36s if I recall correctly? Cheers, Centaur

Yes, there were IPM1s deployed during Desert Shield (the build-up phase) with 24th Infantry Division but as far as I know, none were deployed during Desert Storm itself. One reference I have suggests that 24 ID used both M1 and IPM1 but I haven't seen any direct evidence of the original M1s in use so I can't confirm their presence. However, late production M1s and IPM1s are very difficult to tell apart from many angles. The IPM1 had the longer turret shell used on the M1A1 but retained the 105mm gun and some of the M1 turret features. There were other differences too but that's the fundamental visual difference. There are no kits available of the IPM1 so you would need good references and some conversion skills to create one. The USMC deployed M60s to Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield and were later loaned a number of US Army M1A1s (although the Marines were already in the process of buying the M1A1 they hadn't taken delivery of enough to issue them to combat units). Cheers, Centaur

As Niall points out, the Ajax is a scout vehicle not an IFV so you aren't comparing vehicles of the same class or purpose. Nowt wrong with a 40mm cannon using modern ammunition and propellant technology but on a scout vehicle, opening fire on the enemy is a tactic of last resort because it means you've been spotted and need to escape rather than taking the fight to the enemy. Adding an ATGM (or similar) system to a scout vehicle does several things. It makes the vehicle more expensive; it makes it heavier and larger (you need space to mount the launcher and carry the spare missiles); it either increases the number of crew required to operate the vehicle (more space required) or increases the workload on the existing crew members and erodes their ability to carry out their priority task (scouting); it increases the training requirement for the crew (an extra specialism to learn); it may encourage the crew to duke it out with the enemy when they should be retreating and reporting their findings WITHOUT being spotted; it can encourage field commanders to mis-use the vehicle as a surrogate tank, at which point it becomes extremely vulnerable in a role for which it was never designed - armoured vehicle development is littered with examples of all of the above. Cheers, Centaur

The Trumpeter Challenger 2 is one of their earlier efforts so don't judge them entirely on this kit. I much prefer the Tamiya option in this case but many of the more recent Trumpeter kits are excellent builds. Cheers, Centaur

Keegan - ponderous? Yeah, you're probably right but my first exposure to him was through reading The Face of Battle and The Mask of Command and it was the level of analysis that attracted me. As an aside, Carlo D'este's books on the battle for Sicily (Bitter Victory) and Winston Churchill (Warlord) also make very good reading. Montgomery was most definitely a questionable source for a balanced viewpoint. His star has definitely waned since the '60s. Cheers, Centaur

I've read Beevor's book and whilst it's a good narrative, I'd argue that it doesn't have the depth that Keegan and D'este bring to the camapign. Ditto for Hastings - a good read but lacking some of the depth of the other options. D'este brings his experience as a career US Army Officer to the table, which to me is especially valuable as his perception is different from that of a pure academic. (it balances the academic histories. It's not better or worse - just different.) One book I did omit from my list was Rick Atkinson's third book in his trilogy on the US Army - 'The Guns at Last Light', The whole trilogy (An Army at Dawn, The Day of Battle and The Guns at Last Light) covers the development of the US Army in Africa and Europe through WWII and is a masterwork - readable, intellectual and also honest about the highs and lows of the army's development. The choice of books is a very personal one, so i appreciate others might have differing views on particular authors. Cheers, Centaur