*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 29, 2024, 10:21:14 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: Weapon Of Magnesium....  (Read 3889 times)

Offline carlos marighela

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10762
  • Flamenguista até morrer.
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #30 on: February 09, 2021, 09:21:09 AM »
That would be much appreciated. I realised after that there still needs to be work done on the breech to make MoBAT/ConBAT.

I’ve got various bits set aside to make the old L5 pack howitzer so may have a spare set of wheels. Of course the fact that I still haven’t built the bloody thing speaks volumes. If I’m lucky Paul will consider one for the Vietnam Australians.
Em dezembro de '81
Botou os ingleses na roda
3 a 0 no Liverpool
Ficou marcado na história
E no Rio não tem outro igual
Só o Flamengo é campeão mundial
E agora seu povo
Pede o mundo de novo

Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9307
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #31 on: February 13, 2021, 05:55:27 PM »
Nice piece of kit.

What was the back blast from them like?

Offline Rich H

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • *
  • Posts: 3232
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #32 on: February 13, 2021, 10:07:16 PM »
Huge.  What would traditionally be recoil is replaced with back blast.  that means the weapon can be super light as it doesn't have to contain breech pressures.  Similar to rocket launchers.

Offline carlos marighela

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10762
  • Flamenguista até morrer.
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #33 on: February 14, 2021, 12:00:39 AM »
Well the back blast danger area for the BAT series RCLs, including Wombat was around 300 metres long for troops not under cover. Bear in mind that’s a fan shaped bbda. They were allegedly the loudest weapon in British Army service and unless there was considerable preliminary effort in wetting down the areas behind the venturi and around the muzzle, they would throw up a lot of dust. All this contributed to a popular belief that they were one or perhaps two shot weapons as it would be difficult not to notice you were being engaged by one, especially with the warning supplied by the spotting rifle.

Here’s a shot of one being fired on the range. Note the rather large flash from the arse end of the thing in the photo.

Being fired at Larkhill in the 1960s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mH3jS2ZDgM

Firing drill from FV432 mount:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kka6KqsY6g0






Offline carlos marighela

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10762
  • Flamenguista até morrer.
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #34 on: February 14, 2021, 12:10:17 AM »
Here’s the Wombat being fired on the range and unloaded from a Landy by 8RAR in Malaysia.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/F04287


Offline Ultravanillasmurf

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 9307
    • Ultravanillasmurf
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #35 on: February 14, 2021, 12:12:38 PM »
Thanks for those Carlos.

The visual effect of the backlist is rather hidden, but I assume that is a limitation in the filming. I did notice the Carl Gustav crew being smothered in dust in one shot.

Was a sight alignment device being used at one point? There was a gadget in the muzzle that appeared to have an eyepiece at a right angle to the muzzle.

I remembered in one of the Osprey books ('Faust, Bazooka, RPG?) mention that you did not want a solid structure within 100m, and no one you (or your bosses) liked within 200m, and had assumed the WOMBAT would have a greater backblast.

Can anyone think of any rules that included backblast?
 I have vague memories of some skirmish rules mentioning it.

As an aside, the contrast in colour between the Australian uniforms and the webbing was quite noticeable. I will bear that in mind.

Offline Paul @ Empress Miniatures

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3091
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #36 on: February 15, 2021, 10:10:34 AM »
Nice films Carlos. The mount in the FV432 is interesting, its like a fairground ride. lol
« Last Edit: February 15, 2021, 10:13:39 AM by Paul @ Empress Miniatures »

Offline Rich H

  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • *
  • Posts: 3232
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #37 on: February 15, 2021, 07:22:08 PM »
The FV mount looks a bit... wobbly?!

Offline carlos marighela

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10762
  • Flamenguista até morrer.
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #38 on: February 15, 2021, 09:41:26 PM »
I know GKN Sankey made the wagons but maybe MoD invited British Leyland to do the retrofit for the Wombat?

That said, there was a twin GPMG gun anti aircraft mount made for the FV432 called the SCAT. Popular belief was that ‘SCAT’ stood for Should have Cost A Tenner.  ;)

Offline Blackwolf

  • Potato Cup 3 winner
  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 6225
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #39 on: February 16, 2021, 12:43:34 AM »
That War Memorial video is fascinating,not only the Wombat,the gear. Some of their watches are distinctly un-tactical,I still wear an old Benrus Vietnam era watch with a NATO strap,and the binoculars seem pretty low powered; did they have range finders etched into the lens I wonder? My WWII British binoculars do.
May the Wolf  Walk With You
http://greywolf1066.blogspot.com.au/

Painting Clubs Joined: APC,MPC, PPC,PAPC,LPC.

Offline carlos marighela

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 10762
  • Flamenguista até morrer.
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #40 on: February 16, 2021, 11:50:24 AM »
That War Memorial video is fascinating,not only the Wombat,the gear. Some of their watches are distinctly un-tactical,I still wear an old Benrus Vietnam era watch with a NATO strap,and the binoculars seem pretty low powered; did they have range finders etched into the lens I wonder? My WWII British binoculars do.

Well no doubt they picked up a bit of bling in KL or Singapore. No harm in wearing it to the range. Shiny stuff was definitely frowned upon in the field. The issue watch in the ‘80s was a Hamilton IIRC. I used to buy cheap placcy watches from the chemists for bush wear, in large part because I have never had a watch that lasts more than about a fortnight on my wrist. They just stop.....spooky, I know. My grandfather gave me his  Tissot that he’d had for forty odd years. Stopped dead within a month. Magnetic personality.

Binos just had standard graticules to help you estimate range.


Offline Blackwolf

  • Potato Cup 3 winner
  • Supporting Adventurer
  • Galactic Brain
  • *
  • Posts: 6225
Re: Weapon Of Magnesium....
« Reply #41 on: February 16, 2021, 10:38:42 PM »
Indeed. I can’t wear digital watches,I switch them off o_o

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
33 Replies
8800 Views
Last post February 12, 2012, 05:47:48 PM
by Faust23
6 Replies
1926 Views
Last post March 08, 2014, 08:46:36 AM
by Craig
4 Replies
1165 Views
Last post May 08, 2014, 09:30:50 AM
by v_lazy_dragon
9 Replies
2704 Views
Last post April 16, 2015, 07:54:16 PM
by beefcake
1 Replies
1375 Views
Last post December 03, 2016, 07:24:05 PM
by Grumbling Grognard