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Can someone recommend where to buy and which books are the go ? Dale

I bought this off eBay, 112 pages all in color with great detailing photos geared towards modeling.

Hello all.
The subject matter of this book is an 8 ton recovered from a deep ravine in the former Czech Republic in 1994, restored and now owned by an eminent Czech Wehrmacht vehicle restorer.

The recovery was something of a contentious matter as an English friend of mine had agreed to buy the wreck, unseen, and thus travelled to Czechoslovakia with a wedge load of cash to buy it. Sadly for him, a local guy who had agreed to help and recover the wreck was somewhat unscrupulous. A large tractor had been summoned to winch the abandoned wreck out of the gully but it was too heavy. Therefore, it was decided to cut the chassis in half, winch each part out separately and weld back together at a later date. This worked but, when the 2 parts were safely on level ground and ready for loading onto a truck, local allegiances came into play and a third party overruled my friend and decided to have the vehicle for himself.

My friend was furious and massively disappointed but could do nothing faced with local opposition and threatening behaviour. He came home empty handed but eventually bought another wreck salvaged from an Austrian river near Brno. This halftrack had been on its way with a column to surrender to American forces in 1945 when it hit a landmine just before a bridge and thus blocked the road. It was unceremoniously pushed off the bridge and into a deep, fast flowing river where it lay hidden till the mid 90's. A local diving team had heard rumours from oldtimer locals about this "Nazi" machine apparently still being in the water. Cleared of rock debris and raised with lifting bags, it eventually broke surface and began its long journey to the UK.

One grisly discovery was that of a boot trapped between the clutch and brake pedals - it contained the bony remains of the poor driver's foot.

All interesting stuff and one of several stories I can narrate concerning the finding and recovery of these vehicles up until the early 2000's.

All the best from Normandy.

Also take a look on this magazine Vol.34 , Dale :


Vol.34 is for 8-Tonne , Vol.16 for 12-Tonne and Vol.12 & Vol.43 for 18-Tonne half tracks.
https://www.nuts-bolts.de/en/Magazines/

Regards,
Lerh Chang

Wow, great back story Graham on your friends missed SdKfz purchase!

Number 46 turned up today . Dale

Dale,
Have you started this project ?

Regards,
Lerh Chang

Not yet Chang ! I've had a look at all the parts the road wheels are amazing best bit of engineering Dale

Hi Dale , are its mud fenders / flaps pressed sheet metal or cast aluminium blocks like FAMO?
Regards Lerh Chang

Hi Chang pressed steel on side fenders . cast alloy front fenders Dale