Linesman Iltis

[Brad Mills]

I have to admit, I have always looked at the Iltis from afar and didn't really pay too much attention to it. While its along way from being a CMP, NOS parts at the moment are dirt cheap for them and plentyfull. When you can get two NOS fenders for 65.00 still in the crate, they are a pretty fun little project to play with.

[rob love]

Originally Posted by BMills

I have to admit, I have always looked at the Iltis from afar and didn't really pay too much attention to it. While its along way from being a CMP, NOS parts at the moment are dirt cheap for them and plentyfull. When you can get two NOS fenders for 65.00 still in the crate, they are a pretty fun little project to play with.

You are right about the price of body parts.....it is a buyers market. But the one thing that stood out to me right off the bat about the Iltis was the hundreds of little plastic, rubber, nylon or pot metal parts which were either critical or at the very least annoying when they broke or fell off.

Examples of these included:
-The roof latches: When these let go you knew it. So did the guy following you.
-The hood latches: why the hell did we go to rubber when the old metal style had given great service since the second world war. They made the same mistake on the MLVW.
-The lower door cups: a little nylon part that liked to fall out when you removed the door. After that, door removal becomes so easy you don't even have to try.
-Idiot lamps: why they installed dashlamp indicators that had to be held from behind to replace a bulb was beyond me.

I could go on and on, but I think I am already starting to feel a bout of PTSD coming on. Oh yeah, and what numpty ever figured that you should be able to lock the hood on an army truck, never looked at the DNDs annual useage rate for padlocks. More than one hood got chiselled off at the side of the trans canada when the vehicle had a flat.

[JD Baillie]

John, et all,

The 'jumper' went the way of the M37 3/4 ton and hasn't been seen since '78. No more A frames, no place to cool beverages outside the passenger's window, no more long convoys where nothing was said because the noise in the cab at 55mph was too loud to permit normal speech, no more driving cross country without fear of infantry trenches, fallen trees, unfallen trees (those that were still trying to grow that is) and no more walking beside the truck, doing tie-backs and pulling slack as the truck carried on by itself in bull-low! - sigh -

The 'new' way to support a pole in the ground is with a 12" angle iron stake with a pipe welded to the top. The 'new' poles also have a steel/aluminum fitting on each end, one male & one female to allow the end of one to insert into the other. What with the guys, tensioners, little fitted plates and those goofy stakes (which couldn't support a pole on their own) it would take twice as long to do an overhead crossing than with the old heavier poles with jumper to make a self supporting stand (hole in ground) and a few well place knots in some rope or hemp bits or WD1 to support the poles.

The really cool thing about the Iltis CLAK was its orange whoopie light and spot light. Several Ilti together made a good show after dark.

JD

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally Posted by JD Baillie

John, et all,

The 'jumper' went the way of the M37 3/4 ton and hasn't been seen since '78. No more A frames, no place to cool beverages outside the passenger's window, no more long convoys where nothing was said because the noise in the cab at 55mph was too loud to permit normal speech, no more driving cross country without fear of infantry trenches, fallen trees, unfallen trees (those that were still trying to grow that is) and no more walking beside the truck, doing tie-backs and pulling slack as the truck carried on by itself in bull-low! - sigh -

The 'new' way to support a pole in the ground is with a 12" angle iron stake with a pipe welded to the top. The 'new' poles also have a steel/aluminum fitting on each end, one male & one female to allow the end of one to insert into the other. What with the guys, tensioners, little fitted plates and those goofy stakes (which couldn't support a pole on their own) it would take twice as long to do an overhead crossing than with the old heavier poles with jumper to make a self supporting stand (hole in ground) and a few well place knots in some rope or hemp bits or WD1 to support the poles.

The really cool thing about the Iltis CLAK was its orange whoopie light and spot light. Several Ilti together made a good show after dark.

JD

Well, well, well...JD Baillie from the Wet Coast. How in Hell are ya?

I was just thinking of you a week or so ago, wondering why there weren't any posts from you and also how your M152 was doing.

Your post about line crew stuff triggered many thoughts of FTXs long ago (I'm sure my original post hit a few of your nerve sensors too.) Dunno if I mentioned it before, but one of my RCCS MOCs was 052. How about that!

Did you do any time in No 1 Line Troop, Kingston? If so, when? Maybe our paths crossed.

Good to see you posting again. Don't be a stranger.

Regards...de VA3 CIC, Hammer and Jumper Drill Coordinator, summa cum laude.

[JD Baillie]

Jon,

Greetings and good day on this 14th of April. Thanks for asking but my 152 has languished (though dry) as I got caught up in a British MOD FFR Land Rover. I'm almost back to the 152 and recently started to look again for the interior tables, racks and charging panel as per the C42 installation layout on that CD... so if you happen to hear of any of that stuff sitting around please, please send me a PM. I'm still out here though mostly lurking. Robert Dabkowski asked me to send him a pic of the inside of my truck so he would know what to look for in his travels... but there's nothing at all in the back except a little peeling paint. I also continue to canvas anyone I know for pictures of an M152 during its service life, either in field or garrison.
Funny that of all the radops out here no one seems to have kept any pics. Hm.

Couldn't resist the Iltis post. Didn't think anyone else would comment on the Jumper... I can't get in my M152, even if it IS a Rad Truck, without 50 bizzilion memories flooding back. What is it? The smell of tarred canvas and grease?

Never spent time in 1 Line Tp. Worked for and with some very outstanding signalmen, some of whom might have crossed your path at some point as it was a relatively small group during the 60s and 70s. Too many to list by name, but if you have a specific person who might have washed up out here I might know of him/her. My time was out west between school, work and laterly family.

How is your C15A doing? Are there pictures posted somewhere? If you are interested here's a link to part of the LR project. You can see Babe peeking out from the back of a couple of pics.
http://www.signaltelecom.ca/Tent%20Pages.html

Cheers
JD