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  #1  
Old 08-08-07, 11:05
Wayne McGee Wayne McGee is offline
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Default Grizzlie Cougar Husky Stories

I was just thinking the other day about just how much fun it could be at times to go tooling over hill and dale shoulder-high, sticking out of the machine-gunners hatch, just as happy as a kid in a candy store. Those oh too few times when everything just fell into place, full fuel, good comms, driver knows where we're going, threats low (maybe a hide recce with the CSM and the other Pl WO's)
Of course those occasions were few and far between, but boy, its one of those small handful of things I miss.
Sure the Grizzlie was a bit of a pig in soft going, it also a keen desire to put bottomside up if you gave it half a chance, turning, on anything but dry tarmac, was hit or miss, of course the designer was getting kick-backs from the brake hose manufacturer, hubs oozing grease and hotter than the hobs of hell.
And don't get me started on doing hot barrel unloads or miss-fire drills on the .50 Cal, let alone (at 6' 2"- 180 lbs) trying to cock that SoB. And what about that goofy "Rube Goldfarb" solenoid that was supposed to fire the C5 GPMG?....
Boy, I miss my Grizzlie (C/S 11C)
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  #2  
Old 08-08-07, 11:56
Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)'s Avatar
Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP) is offline
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Default

I believe Mr. Skagfeld will have something to contribute here once he gets his fat arse out of bed this morning.

I remember my FIRST Grizzly ride, at Borden, too well... in the back, closed down, on the dunes (before the greenies turned the world half-mad and shut the place down - a whole other topic*). I was well hung-over after a typical light night in the mess and my driver was a psychotic MCPL whose eyes pointed off in different directions at any given time and whose grin just got wider with every ... er ... groan coming from behind him...



*Y'know, back when you could dig there, and squat in the woods...
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  #3  
Old 08-08-07, 12:01
Keith Webb's Avatar
Keith Webb Keith Webb is offline
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Default Excellent!

LMAO!

Wonderful evocative stuff... keep the stories coming!
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  #4  
Old 09-08-07, 08:05
Wayne McGee Wayne McGee is offline
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Default .....and then there was the time....

....engine, just howlin', in that distinctive turbo-deisel voice, screaming, cross-country down the Trace, kowing full well that if this was a real shooting war, This would be the "Valley Of Death", and I was some poor sod in the Light Brigade....wait a minute, I'll back up a bit.
Late 80's, Dundurn SK, MilCon?/ArCon?(whatever), Combat Tm Hasty Attack on a Soviet style Pl strong point, I was 2ic of the best Pl in the Coy, and I had the best Griz driver in the Pl (MCpl H.) We had about a 3km pedal-to-the-metal-Banshee charge from the Assault Line to the Objective, and I was determined to be first, to Hell with stupid things like "Orders of March"," March Discipline",and"Mechanized Platoon Formations"(who needs that crap anyways?)
...OFF we go, like a bat-outta-Hell and quickly left the rest of the CbtTm in our dust, all kinds of leadership on the net screaming at my C/S to SLOW DOWN! I would calmly give a big WILCO, flip to intercom and yell "Driver, FASTER!"
Pretty soon everybody else picked up on what was going on and just like that it looked like some weird armed and armoured "Baja 500"
We had the World by the Ass, quick shoulder check to make sure nobody was catching us, jump on the milk crate to get a look at the dips and wrinkles in the ground, yell at the driver,"Slow down, Hard left, now Give er'" but mostly, just try and brace myself against the "pokey things" in that cramped, full-of-pokey-things turret.
In the near distance, directly in our path I spyed a man-made berm 5M high with near verticle sides, and I could tell that MCpl H. was determined to climb it. I tried to order him to drive around, Hell, as it loomed closer, I begged him to drive around, but at that point he was operating on some other plane, where Grizzlies could fly and visions of "Mad Max" played in his head. On theI/C, he just kept repeating as in a mantra," I can do it WO, I can do it"
...We could'nt...
I don't remember much after that.... I got a pretty good cut on my forehead from that useless pizza-flipper AA sight on the top of the turret(4 stitches, 2 black eyes), I do remember screaming down into the troop compartment something about "ICEBERG- STRAIGHT AHEAD".
Oh, I'm sure we once again defeatd those Commie Bastards, I really don't recall. I know, that after one look at how banged up I was, that charges were'nt necassary since I'd been punished enough. MCpl H. sported a giant goose-egg on his forehead for the rest of the Ex, But in spite of my best efforts, I could'nt wipe that shit-eating grin off his face.
Here's to you MCpl H.
Cheers
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  #5  
Old 10-08-07, 18:29
FearNaught FearNaught is offline
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Default Grizzly - Cougar what fun!!!

In BATUS 1985 - Some guys from the SALH came a visiting while my Chieftain got repaired!! They decided it'd be fun to let us have a 'cabby' on their buggies...a Grizzly and Cougar.
My drive went fine, I beetled along at an alarming rate of knots wondering at the agility and comfort of the ride on the vehicle and the sound of that big diesel, arriving back in a suitably large cloud of Prairie dust!!

My Operator/loader had a go...........drove off slowly.................went cross country.............................slowly........ ..................drove back....................................slowly and arrived....................slowly..no dust and the commander screaming......................."Ey get your foot down you f***king pussy!!!!!


My driver?? Oh yeah.....true to form 'Thommo' lost his train of thought and...........thinking it had tracks..................bogged the bloody thing (which is apparently pretty unboggable) requiring a tow out by the other car!!!!! Sadly, didn't get a picture of that..................too busy upto my knees in mud!!!

Had a really good laugh with the guys...even when a French Canadian guy went on and on about all the beautiful women we were missing in Montreal?!?!? Probably another thread? Before we departed we let our new friends have a go in Chieftain and took a photo of all 3 vehicles and us - I still wonder at how our MBT at 12' in height actually stands only just a cupola taller than the 2 cars!!!
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  #6  
Old 02-09-07, 03:46
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Jon Skagfeld Jon Skagfeld is offline
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Location: Owen Sound ON
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Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
I believe Mr. Skagfeld will have something to contribute here once he gets his fat arse out of bed this morning.

I remember my FIRST Grizzly ride, at Borden, too well... in the back, closed down, on the dunes (before the greenies turned the world half-mad and shut the place down - a whole other topic*). I was well hung-over after a typical light night in the mess and my driver was a psychotic MCPL whose eyes pointed off in different directions at any given time and whose grin just got wider with every ... er ... groan coming from behind him...



*Y'know, back when you could dig there, and squat in the woods...
Well, Sunray...my "fat arse" was, 10 Aug, nervously guiding and mentoring student drivers along the MSR down the 7th Line at LFCTA TC Meaford under blackout driving conditions. So there!

Grizzly stories: mostly good memories, except for the raging argument about where the Crew Commander/Section Commander was to position himself...CC hatch or man the guns in the Cadillac-Gage 1 metre turret?

Speaking of which, the Grizz turrets were removed and fitted onto the M-113 hull. An extra track sprocket was added and the veh is now called the TLAV (Tracked Light Armoured Vehicle).

Also, some 100 de-turreted AVGPs were sent to some African despotic nation (?) "on loan" for their nationalistic purposes. Do you think we'll ever see them again?

I recall doing training in beautiful Base Boredom in the sand dunes in and around Pylon Hill. Great training area, which is where the Armoured Fighting School did it's training during WWII. Roaring around the Square Woods, through the small and big fords and generally massaging sand into smaller particles.

We did a road move from Blackdown Park to Meaford to do an advance to contact upon arrival. Some bright spark of an MP decided that, en route, he would deploy our convoy along a short cut. This diversion was not on our trace, so upon cresting a hill at a respectable rate of speed our Platoon packet came up a meathead frantically waving for us to do a left turn. Lead vehicle jammed on the binders in order to comply, resulting in 3 other vehicles rear ending each other.

Result: many military charges, many injuries (none fatal, one was a microphone boom piercing a soldier's cheek) and a Platoon worth of vehicles LOB for the attack.

Some courses on the Grizzly were luckier than others. Some got to swim the vehicle in Georgian Bay, but not fire the guns from the turret at Caen Tower. Conversely, some guys got to fire the guns but not enjoy the marine activity.

All in all, a most enjoyable experience in Mech Infantry deployments and tactics.

C/S 41.
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  #7  
Old 03-09-07, 03:43
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Darrell Zinck Darrell Zinck is offline
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Hi

Hmmm?

Lemme see now..........

Towing x2 RCR Grizz outta the snow by a road in Petawawa 1985/6. Net result was the Inf Sgt wasn't gonna be late and us poor Lynx Crew getting $20!! Inf guys were useless at driving them and it was steady income on winter Ex back then. Glad I was light tracked.

Then a few years later, in Meaford, telling the 1st Hussar student gunner in a Cougar to fire. He did and I waited for his initial report (I didn't see a thing; not eye guard for the CC's sight.) Nothing. I asked him "Gonna give a correction, there Skippy?" and he said "Uhh.....umm.......MCpl? The weapon's on me." I looked and the whole T&E had broken it's weld inside on the roof on the shot and fell on his lap! Yikes!! Luckily the bowden cable was holding it and up went the yellow flag and out went my gunner.

Finally my chum Kevin gettin his first shot at crew commanding as a young Armd Recce NCO; in a "boat" (Cougar) Sqn. He was so pleased, he chalked an anchor and other sea-going drawings onto his "boat", bought a white sailors cap and had 12C put on it, and even effecting a U-Boat Kommandeur's accent and tone. Much to the dismay of his entire chain of command, who were proud "Boat People". Us Recce Types never fit in with them back then. Oh, and saying "Boat" in a "Boat" Sqn, was usually an extra duty tacked on too. Poor Kevin.

They were next to worthless X-country (even with low air pressure and chains) but I remember ripping through tracks and trail well known as well as across open prarie in the Spring. Those later, thicker, sand tires helped the vehicle alot. You needed a good driver but the turret on the Cougar was fine. Simple and effective. Nice punch in a low velocity gun turret.

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Darrell
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  #8  
Old 04-09-07, 16:09
Gunner Gunner is offline
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Default Despotic Africans

"Also, some 100 de-turreted AVGPs were sent to some African despotic nation (?) "on loan" for their nationalistic purposes. Do you think we'll ever see them again?"

Hi Jon:

The project to send Grizzlies to the African Union was an excellent use of obsolete kit. The still turreted Grizzlies (and a few Huskies) were shipped to Senegal with a Canadian team to train operators and mechs and then moved to Darfur in the Sudan to equip African Union (AU) troops who are doing peacekeeping there.

The AVGPs remain Canadian property on loan to the AU and have allowed previously foot and jeep bound AU troops to get out and patrol their AOs properly increasing the visibility and the effectiveness of the AU as well as providing better troop protection to these soldiers.

Many problems remain... maintenance is a nightmare... desert conditions and troops not fully aware of the maintenance needs of complex mech equipment; spare parts are difficult to source, etc; different views of the tactical employment of the AVGP depending on whose doctrine the using troops learned (Soviet, French, British, US and now Canadian) result in over or under utilisation of the resource; but all in all a good way to meet some of Canada's committment to the peace efforts in Darfur.

I'm off to Kenya on 26 Sep for another round of teaching AU officers how to work in a multi-national peace support environment... all part of the same committment.

For further reading see:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_.../20061016.html
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2005/1...ies051120.html (this story got the ages of the AVGPs wrong)
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Operati...al/index_e.asp


Mike

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