Cont. Mail from friend:
Yup, I agree that I like the way things are done over here, with everybody chipping in. Sure, there's some griping about the mandatory aspect, but when the SHTF, everybody's happy there's a large contingent of trained people available to do whatever needs doing. In our parlance, that's "Tausend Hände", a thousand hands. Or many hands make hard work easy.
The choice aspect wasn't there, it's been introduced IIRC in 2003, before young enlistees didn't get a choice between military and civil protection. One aspect that's changed because of it is basic training. Since before the change civil protection was either "too old" or "not fit for military service", people already had some of the needed skills and just needed to enlarge on the missing stuff. Now basic training is three weeks, used to be 4 days. Us oldtimers often ask the young guns what the heck they were learning during those three weeks, but seeing they're just out of highschool, they probably need to be told stuff like "this is a chainsaw, you hold it at this end, not at that end. Once Mr Chainsaw goes VRRRRR, Mr Chainsaw is no longer your friend." :lol:
What's also new is that Army enlistees now get a choice to opt out of the Army and into civil protection. Let's face it, for some people the mindless tedium of some Army outfits just isn't for them. And in civil protection they feel they do something useful. Beats letting all that manpower and goodwill go to waste.
As for the Puch (the Austrian-made Steyr-Puch), I take it you mean their 4WD jeep. Not too enthused, trouble with it, it's too light to be able to pull our compressor trailer safely. Good for the other gear trailers though. As such, civil protection doesn't have them, we get them on loan from the Army whenever we hit the terrain. For all other stuff, we use Ford Transit vans (carries 10 people plus a gear trailer) and Toyota LandCruiser 4WD to pull the compressor and carry 8 people (just squeeze in).
Aside from the jeep, there was the Haflinger AP700 (actually still is, but model 710 troop carrier) 4WD transport. Here's a page with some versions, including missile launcher Bantam: Original link gone
New Links: https://www.google.com/search?q=Hafl...iw=910&bih=428
https://www.google.com/search?q=mode..._AUoAA&dpr=1.5 ( This is the vehicle I saw the artillery troops using, it goes practically anywhere.)
Mountain farmers love these lil' mules!
The UniMoG, is, AFAIK not in service here, apart from municipal forestry and some fire brigades. Still, it's one hell of a vehicle, my stepdad had one in FG, Frog Army surplus. The mod possibilities on it are endless! And given it's a Mercedes, real good life on the engine too.
As for pure Swissmade vehicles, there's still some Saurer trucks around, testament to their longevity as the Saurer factory was taken over by Mercedes in 1983 and production halted. Still see the 6DM and 10DM Saurer on a daily basis (there's an army camp up the road) and in the neighboring town of Hinwil, there's Armeemotorfahrzeugpark (AMP) and logistics center, one of 5 in Switzerland.
Building standards, hmm, probably has to do that on the Continent in general, buildings are built for eternity it seems. People aren't as mobile as in the States, that's another factor I guess......