Taurus
Armoured Recovery Vehicle
(Leopard 1 ARV)

The German Leopard 1 ARV was designed by Porsche, but it's manufacture was undertaken by Krupp Mak, with the first production vehicles completed in 1966. Canada purchased eight ARVs as part of it's package deal of 128 Leopard tanks in the late 1970's and named it Taurus. Originally, four of the Taurus' were based with 4th Mechanized Brigade Group (4CMBG) in Germany, and the remainder were stationed in Canada at CFBs Gagetown and Borden. With the withdrawl of Canadian military units from Europe, all eight ARVs are now located in Canada.

The Taurus has a crew of four consisting of the commander, driver and two recovery mechanics, located in a crew compartment at the front of the vehicle. Armour protection for the crew is estimated at a maximum 35mm. The Taurus' armament consists of a 7.62mm MG in a bow mount with provision for another in an AA mount. It also has a bank of 6 smoke dischargers mounted on the upper hull on the left side. Mechanically, the ARV is exactly the same as the Leopard 1 MBT having a diesel engine and automatic transmission.

The ARV has a jib-boom on the right side of the vehicle that is traversable over an arc of 270°. It has a lifting capacity of some 20 tonnes which allows it to lift a Leopard powerpack or a complete turret assembly. It has a hydraulically operated dozer blade located at the front of the vehicle which can be used for earth moving or as an anchor for heavy pulls or lifts. The blade can also be equipped with four scarifiers to rip up paved roadways, if required.

The Taurus has two winches. The main one, with a horizontal cable drum, is mounted in the centre of the operating compartment. This winch is equipped with 90 metres of 33mm diametre cable. In a straight pull it can move 35 tonnes and up to 70 tonnes if a guide pulley is used. The second winch is a hoisting winch with a vertical cable drum mounted on the right hand side of the crew compartment. The Taurus is also equipped with a wide range of recovery tools including welding and cutting tools and it carries an A-frame towbar on the rear of the vehicle. The Taurus was fitted with applique armour some years back but as the photos on this page will show, it appears that it's now being removed.

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Canadian Taurus at CFB Borden.
WO Baird has the jib-boom in the raised position.

(41)
3/4 Right Rear View of a Taurus.
Note the Rubber Marks on the Pavement From a Pivot Turn.

MWO Eric Lusk describes the deep wading setup for the Taurus. Note that the men actually using the vehicle don't call it the Taurus at all, but simply the "ARV".

"I managed a maintenance troop in a "sabre squadron" for a year; that being C Sqn RCD (Lahr) which included the ARV. The crew was commanded by a M/Cpl. We practised deep water fording drills in Bergen-Hohne.

The drills were done by driving through a pond of about 100 feet across and about 7 feet deep, which had cement approach and exit ramps. The pond was deep enough to completely submerge the hull. To do this kind of fording, the Leopard tank crew had to spend a couple of hours preparing; checking all levels and seals and "pumping up" the hydraulics. When the hydraulics were "pumped up", the pressure closed air intake flaps to the engine and opened a flap inside the turret which allowed the engine to suck air through the crew commander's hatch. The procedure was similar in the ARV. In addition to the above, a snorkel was clamped to the crew commander's hole, which looked similar to the conning tower on a submarine. The crew commander stands on his seat with head and shoulders outside the snorkel which also gives a bit of extra insurance that water won't enter the engine through the turret. It's a darn windy position, with the engine sucking air around the person standing inside the snorkel. When everything's ready, the tank or ARV enters the water (slowly) and drives across, with the crew commander directing the driver from his position up in the snorkel. The hull is completely under water, and the driver can't see a thing through the periscopes except the occasional curious carp. Driving under those conditions isn't a job for the claustrophobic."

Mike McNorgan, who also served in 'C' Sqn RCD, comments that:

" I have been through the 'wading pool' at Bergen-Hohne. It is quite the experience - and he (Eric Lusk) described it very well! The thing that registered most strongly on me was the silence. As you know tanks are pretty noisy beasts. When the hull is submerged in the water there is no engine noise to disturb you. It is an uncanny feeling - as though you have suddenly gone deaf! The MWO is right about drivers who suffer from claustrophobia. It is really just a psychological hang-up, the technical problems of driving under water are pretty simple. As I recall it was something like don't stop, don't change gears and no sudden turns."

(88)
MWO Eric Lusk (right) and WO Bill Baird of
Maintenance Techniques Detachment,
Canadian Forces School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering,
CFB Borden.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Master Warrant Officer Eric Lusk of CFSEME/MTD Borden, who arranged for me to tour his Section. Thanks also to Warrant Officer Bill Baird, Sergeant Bell and Master Corporals Rioux and Tremblay for taking time from their busy schedules to answer my questions about the Taurus and other Canadian AFVs that they work with. You couldn't ask to meet a better bunch of guys!

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© Chris Johnson, 1997