The BV 206 was probably the most fun. Great performance from the Merc/Ford drive and staggering grip and traction. Once, crossing a frozen lake in Norway one year, myself an an arty gun bunny went through the ice. That crack, which sounded like small arms, the sudden lurching forwards and downwards of only an inch or two, then a drop of a foot.. and then another one, before green water slammed into the near vertical windscreen.. we just looked at each other and made like Shaggy and Scooby Do. The doors wouldn't open, so we negotiated an expeditious exit via the sunroof. An absolutely awesome vehicle, on sand and on snow. Negotiating the near vertical 15 metre drop at the Defence Driving School, into water was possibly, one of the nerviest pre planned things I've done. You wouldn't think it possible, that a vehicle could do what that vehicle does.
That Norway driving course was interesting. It was only a few weeks long, and we found out that the final week was supposed to be spent doing admin nif naf jobs for the army out there. Sod that. We told them we were needed back in Blightly, to which we received a smirk and a 'Well, if you can go back, you can do.. but you'll have to pay for it yourself.'.
Rrrrrring!!
"Boss? Hi, yeah. Err, the army wants us to stay here and paint things for a week. If we pay for our ferry tickets back, will you reimburse them? We can be out of here tonight. Excellent news! Thanks.'.
Another peach was/is the REME fitters version of the FV 432. We once found ourselves automotivally embarrassed once between warring Serbs and Bosnians. There had been a small fire in the back of the CVRT, we had no power as a consequence and had to use the hand genny to power the means, which created an extra hazard as I seem to recall we had to deploy the trailing wire antenna. Anyway, we eventually got recovered (those bastards didn't call the Warrier 'white death' for nothing by the way - a great piece of kit) and we were eventually able to make our way into the REME clank after it recovered us, after night fell.
It was warm, dimly lit by red bulbs, safe and just how the back of a tank should be.. smelling of damp socks drying, sweat, damp uniform, tea on the go, warm POL, leather, plastic, wpns oil and ammunition and.. well, pretty much like an old aircraft I guess. The engine in them was a RR marine craft engine, and it was as smooth as silk, a joy to drive. The vehicle cmdr twisted his elbows in, dropped down from the cuppola, gave us a cheery smile and threw us a few small bottles of champagne. 'From the Sun' he souted '.. Happy f#cking Xmas boys!'.
I still have one of the bottles, unopened.
