The armoured infantry training manual urged crews to drive as fast as possible at enemy positions, thus somewhat negating the time exposed to danger, while utilising the ground to best effect. As the enemy positions come within effective small arms range, the Gruppe mans and fires all weapons plus lobs grenades. Enemy positions were to be crushed under the tracks, the crews firing at anything that moved. If an enemy position had to be winkled out, the Gruppe would deploy under covering fire from the onboard forward MG and go into a ‘section attack’, not dissimilar from the modern tactics used by US and NATO armoured infantry forces. Once through the SPW reformed as appropriate and held their ground until the non-armoured infantry battalions moved up to secure the ground.

Our big ongoing project is to fully fit the correct fighting compartment layout. We have the metal seat bases and wood slat benches fitted and will shortly start on the upper seat backs/stowage bins and internal mounting skins. We are looking for a correct pattern towing pintle. New mudguards have been fabricated; a new exhaust pot has been fitted (the other is hidden under the diesel engine), as have the correct pattern tyres. The all-steel tracks will have to remain. Original tracks and rubber roadblocks are rare and quite expensive!