European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday february 12, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 9 Alltis moves in to replace Canadian forces jeep by Joseph Owen Stuttgart Bureau fun go Nany the Canadia forces arc in the midst of replacing aging Ich v v a cel of 2 500 " s bal Utility vehicles deploying 400 of them Al two oases in Germany. W?1"? ? " � pm picked the a Man designed four door Alltis which already enjoys widespread use in the German army irom among four competitors in 1982. The government awarded the Montreal based Bombardier firm a 1983 contract to Man fac lure ij29� of the vehicles and ordered another 600 last year. The forces expect to receive All of them by this Spring. Bombardier is supplying the vehicles Paru logistical support and training for $115.1 million Canadian about $80.6 million in . Fund according to maj. Gilles Langlois staff offi cer for maintenance Canadian forces Europe. The Alltis is equipped with two batteries full time four wheel drive has a four Speed transmission with an additional Cross country gear and can Ford nearly two feet of water. Officials at the Canad an forces Lahr base claim it is an improvement Over the wartime throwaway jeep design because it has greater mobility and better suspension yet is relatively cheap and easy to maintain. Forces officials plan to dispose of their 12-year-old jeeps which Are hard to repair now that the vehicle is no longer in production. All of the 400 i Liscs destined for Lahr and Badin soc Lingen arc expected to be in service by april 1. Many have arrive already. They Haven t been issued yet. We started training with them in november said sgt. Peter Gagne supervisor of the a Mechanic finds out More about hew the new fills works. Is photo by Jot Mph Owin mechanics training. He said units in Europe Wilt receive their new vehicles As Coronas a shipment of spare parts arrives. In the meantime cafe mechanics have Dis mantled and reassembled some of the new vehicles two or three times to learn How they work Ganc  said he and chief instructor Mas Ter Corporal Daniel san Croc sabotage vehicles while the two Man Mechanic teams Are on lunch Breaks creating malfunctions in unfamiliar devices so that the mechanics will learn to fix them. He said that the training Cycle far 60 mechanics and 12 maintenance supervisors should be completed by March 14. Some of the Canadian i Liscs will serve As general purpose vehicles while others will be modified for machine gun use Cable laying ambulance service and Cere monies. Some went into regular service late last year at cab Petawawa in Onta Rio and were used in rendezvous 85, a military exercise held in Wainwright Al Berta said maj. . Gilles Massicott. Base maintenance officer at  training went very Well and we went through very few parts he said. In Europe Drivers train on a Muddy rutted tank exercise area at the Canadian air base to develop their skills and learn about the vehicle s limitations. The mechanics explore the vehicles in the base maintenance garage where one Bay is converted temporarily into a classroom. The classroom features manuals work books and a series of slide presentations developed by Bombardier for self paced instruction. Supervisors Are on hand to answer questions rather than to serve As teachers be cause the soldiers essentially use the mate rials to train themselves. The forces used the same system recently to familiarize soldiers with new 2vi-ton trucks and Ganc said the format appears to be More effective than the lectures which once introduced new pieces of machinery they be always been Long dragged out and you re listening to a Guy explain some thing he s not even sure of he said. Here you read the Book watch the slides and go out and do it. If you make a mis take it s right  Volkswagen Audi manufactures the Alltis which the German army uses. The Bombardier Model contains Only slight modifications including a fuel pump needed to meet Canadian automotive emissions control Laws and a stronger charging system for use in an extremely cold climate Massicott said. The 1.7-Litcr Volkswagen engine and most other internal darts came from Europe while Bombardier manufactured the body and Chassis parts Al its Plant in Val court Quebec. Bombardier plans to pro Duce the same vehicle with modifications for the belgian armed forces and other foreign military officials have expressed interest in it Massicote said. Story leads of new Hope for victims of tire by Dave Diehi. . Bureau Raf Lakenheath England life has gotten a Little better each Day for . Joe Banda and his wife Carrie. Their future did t look very promising after a january fire destroyed their Home and just about every thing they owned. Bui letters like one from spec. 4 Richard Preston often with Money enclosed came after the couple s Story appeared in the stars and stripes hey Joe,7 saw your Story in the paper and i m glad today that i m not in your shoes or your House. I Hope you still have a sense of humor. This Money in t much but 1 Hope it Mil add up. God bless and Good  dozens of letters came with words of sympathy Many came with checks attached one came with foreign Money a couple had left Over from a vacation. Som came with offers of clothes and furniture. Some sent baby clothes for the Bendas expected child. But the most important correspondence to end up in the bend8 household was from the base Legal office. Capt. Daniel Rogers read about the Bendas and How their Squadron chipped in to help them. He also read How the Iowa couple had lost everything and had no waa piece of unexpected Luck for the it Mas because Rogers an air Force lawyer is the base claims officer and one of the first people they should have seen Len Uher Ida " refuelling truck Mechanic nor his first Sergent Kne the air Force would help pay for Tok but thanks to a Law passed years ago by Congress Rasa like a and Carrie Benda s end up a Little happier a a photo by Dav do Ehlow Phot i . Joe Benda and his wife Carrie outside the burned out dwelling where they lost most of their possessions.  the Only insurance he recommends is for High value items such As stereos tvs and camera equipment. Losses due to certain types of negligence Aren t Cov ered and he recommends renter s insurance if they re worried about doing something  he said that As Long As the housing occupied by the family is authorized whether on or off base rented or provided by the government it s covered. It s More than we d Ever hoped for Carrie Benda said. And although the Bendas sentimental losses can never be recovered they say the air Force has made the Start of 1986 look a Little More promising. It will replace most of what we lost Joe Benda said. However if disaster strikes again the Bendas Are pre pared. Not Only do they now know about the military coverage but the week after the fire they bought com Mercial insurance to cover their household goads