Mat, thanks for the info on the 88A2. What type of engine does it have a turbine?
Back in the 60's we still had the 88's, the 12 cyl gasser. You could feel one of them coming before you heard it and when you did hear it you still had to wait awhile until it showed up. I remember once while stationed in Germany back in 1970 I stuck a 60A1 in a ravine in place IIRC wascalled Wildflicken. Again IIRC (been 32 years) Wildflicken is an area that was taken over by the german army in the 30's to train their troops in panzer tactics. Moved whole populations out of 5 or 6 villages. We used the area for pretty much the same. Any way what was left of the villages was for the most part off limits. An article 15 if your caught in one so you go around not through them. Gonna be a couple of miles around the bypass road to the assembly area and the cooks don't take kindly to late arrivals. So I take what looks like a shortcut down a wide ravine. It wasn't. Bellyed up half way down. About 15 or 20 yds from the road. Dumb. Man this was dumb. Swallowing what pride I had left I got on the horn and reported our location and sorry condition and requested assistance. The snorts and chuckles on the net were not by God appreciated. No sir not one damn bit. Total lack of radio procedures if you ask me. I stick my head out of the hatch and inform the guys that help will be along, eventually ,so park it. Still remember the look the driver gave me. Gitten no respect here. Along toward dark we hear the 88 coming so I park that smart ass driver in the tank to monitor the radio while the rest of us go back up to the road to wait for it. Here it comes snortin and bellering and pawing the ground. To this day I still swear that there were 8 or 9 guys on that thing. Damn tourists, you would think they had better things to do then come to gawk. The driver swings it around facing the ravine and drops the spade 3 inches from my toes( seemed like 3 inches any way). These guys were having way too much fun. The Motor sargent himself sticks his head out the TC's hatch and with a totaly straight face hollers at me "hey, you the guy called for a wrecker?". Everyones crackin up but me. "yea I did. It's is down there, so lets see you get it out laughing boy". He climbs down off the 88 and looks down the ravine for a minute or two and when he turned around he wasn't laughing. All business after that. The mechanics walk down to get an idea how stuck is it. It's stuck. In about an hour they have a rig worked up using 3 double block pullys to the tank and anchored to a big tree. The driver is in the tank with everything buttoned up and the rest of us are behind the 88. If the cable parts it could kill you real quick. The 88 cranks up, takes a strain on the cable and then hunkers down to the task at hand. Must have been about a hundred tons dead weight pull on that cable. Things are getting a little hairy about then. It's dark, the 88's howling like a demon , 5 foot blue flames are shooting out the back of the mufflers, the Motor sargent's sweating like pig, the ground is shaking, the 88's engine is turning about 20,000 rpm,(sounded like it anyway) and all we need now is some thunder and lighting. That damn tank aint budging. This was NOT a kodak moment. About now nobody's laughing any more. The great idea of coming along wasn't so great anymore. The 88's engine backs down and the motor sargent tells the driver in the tank to try and shake it when he hears the 88 rev up again. The 88 driver floors it, the 88 looks like it's about to do a nose dance, the tank driver does a little shimmy, the tank lurches back enough to get some traction and out it comes. Total time from sticking it to recovery, a little less than 11 hours. Most of it waiting for the 88 to get there. Were hungry, dirty, tired and still keyed up from the recovery effort. Laughing boy's making snide remarks and comments about tankers in general and the peanut gallery's getting their second wind. Not quite through with the nights festivities the Motor Sargent asks me do I need an escort back, just incase or do I think I can find it on my own? I'm thinking if there's any justice here that overworked engine's gonna give it up 3 miles out and laughing boy's gonna need a tow. We get all the gear stowed away, checked the tracks and suspension and headed for the assembly area. Right through that damn village. #:-)