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Forums - Research / Post-WW2 |
This Post WW2 forum is intended for asking and discussing reference or historical related issues pertaining to any time after WW2 (1945+) subjects. |
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| Messages | 5010 |
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| Subject: | Re: Challenger 1 turret stowage bin |  |
| Date: | Jun 21, 2007 |
| From: | Chris Oldfield | |
Steve,
I think the item you are referring to could possibly be the Challenger I's NBC filtration system. This pack cleans contaminated air from outside the tank & forces it around inside, enabling the crew to fight in an NBC-contaminated environment for 24-48 hours without wearing respirators, provided they remain "closed down" (not a pleasant experience in itself!). Various baskets & panniers for jerrycans, tarpaulins etc. are located around the NBC pack, giving rise to the belief it could be a stowage bin.
Re: John's comment about Bergans etc. not being allowed to be stowed outside the tank, when I did my NBC Instructor's course in 2003 I was told an interesting story by an NCO from the Queen's Royal Lancers; he said that when his Regiment went to BATUS in Canada for live-firing battlegroup exercises, some crews stowed their Bergans, combat helmets etc on the outside of the turrets. They discovered this was a big mistake when taking part in a combined arms exercise with accompanying mechanised infantry, because when the infantry dismounted from their Warriors & dug in, they used to think it was great sport to shoot the tank crews' Bergans off their turrets! He remembered going to unstrap his Bergan at the end of a day's field firing, & discovering it had been riddled with 7.62mm GPMG rounds - keep it stowed under armour is the lesson there! Cheers, Chris. |
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