Please feel free to add any photos you might have of live French tanks, vehicles and artillery during the Cold War in Europe.

 

I was sorting my photos from my time in Baumholder, Germany from 1980 to 1983 when I found this gem.

 

It has been identified as a French AMX tank. As far as I can remember, it was speeding out to the firing ranges. The French military always seemed to drive very fast in Germany.

 

You will note US vehicles in the motor pool behind them. The commander in the turret seems to be taking them all in. Along the back fence are modified M-113's with twin TOW missile launchers, making them ITV's or Improved TOW Vehicles.

 

Note all of the extras on the AMX... tow cable, camouflage nets, a roll of concertina wire, what might be a generator, etc.

AMX 30 I think, cool picture!

This was originally submitted by our oft contributor jagjetta:

Photographed this column of AMXs when I lived in Trier, West Germany in 1986

 

Random photos of encounters with the French Army in Germany.  

 

My wife and I were out and about one day, and I think we were looking for a restaurant.

 

As we pulled into a village, we found ourselves looking down the bore of a very large gun.

 

I believe these are a variation of the Panhard EBR scout vehicle.  These things were not small and could drive 70 mph backwards or forwards.  

French convoys on the Autobahn.

 

Where as US forces typically crawled along at a leisurely 45 to 50 mph, French military vehicles all seemed to fly by you like they were chasing a cougar.

 

French Army vehicles were distinctive for their white safety markings.

 

The jeeps were straight out of WWII and I was surprised to see them still in use.

 

The bottom photo is the maintenance element of the column, pulled over on a rest stop, behind a civilian glass truck.  These rest stops played a vital role in switching out drivers and making sure the convoys did not get too spread out or separated.

 

More photos of EBR's flying down the highway.  

 

We were actually passed by one of these one day, and about blown off the road.  

 

Notice the center rough terrain wheels are raised for highway driving.

French Army Citroën Méhari apparently assigned to a maintenance unit.   Circa 1982

Renault VAB recon vehicle at the Paris Air Show, 1983.

 

Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé means "Armoured vanguard vehicle" or more directly, Vehicle in Front of the Tanks.

 

These began as armored personnel carriers, but eventually were modified for just about every purpose under the sun.

 

I believe this on is armed with anti-armor missiles.  The triangular section in the middle elevates and reveals a firing battery of four missiles, with

eight more held in reserve.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Véhicule_de_l'Avant_Blindé

 

These were on show to sell to interested parties.

 

Note the smoke grenade dispenser on the rear corner.

On 7/13/2020 at 12:22 AM, gwb123 said:

The jeeps were straight out of WWII and I was surprised to see them still in use.

 

 

 

The jeeps are Hotchkiss M201's, around 28.000 were built in France by Hotchkiss under Willys license between 1955 and 1966. They differ in many tiny details from the original design, but most you need to know about to see them. They were surplussed from the mid-1990's and many were dressed up as WW2 jeeps.

 

8 hours ago, earlymb said:

 

The jeeps are Hotchkiss M201's, around 28.000 were built in France by Hotchkiss under Willys license between 1955 and 1966. They differ in many tiny details from the original design, but most you need to know about to see them. They were surplussed from the mid-1990's and many were dressed up as WW2 jeeps.

 

 

Thank you.  I vaguely recalled something like that.  Roaring down the Autobahn at what were most likely unsafe speeds, it was hard to tell the difference.

Some of the details are visible in the photo's, like the lack of blocks on the hood for the folded windshield (the M201 had metal brackets over the windshield wiper arms instead) and the centrally placed single wiper motor with the big metal protection plate on the inside of the windshield.

Another great set of pictures, thanks for sharing!

Wow, some interesting pictures for sure.