Alvis Stalwart and other countries

If you've just landed on this page from an external source, please do visit the pervious page - The Development of the Alvis Stalwart 

The following is based on documents, letters and reports. These include from Alvis, MOD records and trials reports, media articles, and more.

If you wish to see large images, right click on the image and select "Open image in new tab"

Stalwart was sold by Alvis to
3 x Austria
2 x France (Berliet) 
3 x Germany
1 x Italy
1 x Thailand
26 x Sweden
United Kingdom

Former Swedish Mk2 were sold to
5 x Sri Lanka
1 x Korean Ocean Survey (Via A. F. Budge 1989)

Former British Mk2 was to
Indonesia, after being modified and diesel engine fitted.

We know from the letter from Alvis to John Rue in 1993, that Austria bought chassis numbers STAL II / 169, 172 and 175. These were made in the first half of 1967, and delivered later that year.

From photos that have come to light, it is possible that Austria actually bought 5 Stalwarts. STAL II / 583 and 584 are not allocated to any country due to lost records, and do not fit in with British purchases. We know that Alvis records were lost for this period.

These images from the publication, Melker Pioniere, have been tweaked with AI Upscaler to improve them. They appear to show a British Mark 2 on display to Austria. 

The vehicle has a freeboard extension board fitted at the back of the vehicle, to reduce the risk of water entering the louvers when exiting the water on steep banks, or when swimming fully laden.

In 1967 Austria bought three Mk 2 FV622, for flood and disaster relief. Sadly, whilst a Stalwart was exiting the river, a soldier in full battledress reportedly fell out of the rear into the river and drowned. It is said that Austria instantly withdrew the vehicles from service. I have three dates for this tragic event, 1970/71, 1975 and 1979.

I have two responses from authoritative Austrian sources.

But I see that Austria has finally approved a Freedom Of Information policy. So more information might be forthcoming in the future.

1) June 2023 - City archive and City museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria

There is a photo of Alvis Stalwart in the commemorative publication “25 Years of Pioneer Troops School”, but unfortunately there is no information about it.

In October 1975, a fatal accident occurred in Klosterneuburg, the Stalwart program was discontinued and the vehicles were sold.

The links below leads to the Military History Museum (hgm) and the Traditional Army Motor Vehicle Association.

I hope you can get more information there.

Best regards

2) June 2023 from Heeresgeschichtliches Museum, Military History Institute, Vienna

Dear Mr. Ellis, 

Thank you for your request about the Stalwart amphibious truck in Austrian Army service. 

In total, there were four vehicles in service with the Austrian Army Engineer Corps. The first Stalwart was procured in 1966 as trials vehicle and after successful trials three more were ordered in 1967. 

In 1979, one Stalwart sunk in the Danube River by accident and in February 1980 the remaining three vehicles were phased out and sold for scrap to an Austrian company. 

We are very sorry but in our archive, we do not hold any records about the registration numbers. We hope this will help your research and if there are more questions please get in contact. 

With best regards from Vienna 

A translation from the record of 7th March 1974, (on page 4) of the 103rd meeting of the XIII Legislative period of the National Council of the Republic of Austria.

President: Question 2: Mr Kurt Maier (SPÖ) to the Federal Minister.

1438/M

In view of the fact that special equipment needed there has been withdrawn from the 111th Engineer Battalion in Salzburg, I would like to ask whether you are prepared to re-examine this transfer of equipment.

President: Please, Minister.

Federal Minister Lütgendori: Honourable Member, The enquiries which I have ordered on the occasion of this question have shown that the special equipment referred to by the questioner appears to be the all-terrain swimming vehicles of the "Stalwart" type.

In this connection, I would like to point out that the temporary consolidation of the Stalwart float trucks of the former Group Commands II and III has proved to be expedient in view of the increased need for disaster operations in the area of Group Command II at that time and in view of a number of additional internal organizational circumstances, such as the storage of spare parts and repairs.

Of course, this measure will only remain in place as long as compelling military considerations require it

President: A supplementary question, please.

MP Kurt Maier: Mr. Federal Minister! Pioneers have achieved a great deal in the past thanks to "solid and good equipment in disaster relief operations". My supplementary question, therefore, relates to the operational readiness of the machinery of the Landwehr pioneers in terms of personnel and equipment: Have appropriate precautions been taken to ensure that the engineer machine platoon of the Landwehr pioneers, which is extremely weak in terms of personnel but extremely effective in its work, is kept fully up to date?

President: Minister.

Federal Minister Lütgendorf: With regard to the maintenance of the machine trains in those engineer units which are now becoming Landwehr units as a result of the reorganization, it is of course provided that the technical equipment will remain in the units and will also be supplemented as far as necessary, so that the operational capability of these Landwehr units of the Engineer Corps will also be guaranteed, especially in the event of a disaster

President: Question 3 has been withdrawn.

We now know from Richard Beddall that his firm bought four Stalwarts from Austria in the mid 1980s, and shipped them back to the UK.

The above images show an Austrian Mark 2 Stalwart with Austrian Bundeswehr registration, but without the splashboard. These images were published in the 1970s' so it is presumed that the splash board was removed to improve visibility for the driver. 

This image below is also from the publication, "1956 - 1981, 25 Jahre Pioniertruppenschule", published in 1998.

The image shows that the sideboard has the raised strengthening bar on the side. The bar was raised when the crane version was launched, so that the sideboard's shape would be protected if a suspended load hit the top of the sideboard. So this vehicle was made during 1968 or shortly after.

Records of the Alvis Stalwart chassis numbers suggest that this is either STAL 11 / 583 or 584.

The red line on the photo shows the raised strengthening bar, and the green shows were the bar was between 1963 and 1968.

Prototype PV15 and Mark 1, STAL 34 went to France. 

PV15 - Berliet-Alvis Aurouchs

The two Berliet-Alvis wreckers are 43ER38 and 43ER39

PV15 was provided to Berliet, for them to try and raise sales of the Stalwart in France and other countries of the French La Francophonie (French equivalent of the Commonwealth of countries)

Berliet offers the Aurochs to the fire and civil protection (first aid and rescue) services. Demonstrations are held in Bouches-du-Rhône.

A number of people see the Auroch parked up at the Berliet second hand lorry centre, on Avenue Charles de Gualle during the 1970s and 1980s.

The following photos are the Berliet second hand lorry centre in 2010. Hoping to find photographic evidence of the Aurouchs being parked here.

The Berliet logo is known as the Locomotive, because from 1906 Berliet used a steam engine on the badge. It went through various transformations in 1907, 1937, and 1952 - until simplified to the final design in 1959. 

See www.fondationberliet.org/ressources-documentaires/archive-article-dossier-camion-berliet/evolution-logo-berliet

STAL 34 was obtained by France, for military trials

STAL 34 was given to Musée des Blindés in 1975, and is now on loan elsewhere in France. 
https://www.museedesblindes.fr/

Various literature 

"In 1964, Berliet found an opportunity to expand its military range on the cheap by making an agreement with the British manufacturer Alvis. Under the terms of this agreement, Berliet marketed the FV 620 6x6 Stalwart amphibious vehicle in France, while the British manufacturer distributed the Berliet TBU 15 6x6 CLD heavy recovery truck. Things progressed during the year and the Aurochs was tested by the French army while the TBU CLD was tested in the UK. 

The Aurochs, properly branded as a Berliet-Alvis, was tested in March by the 311th Transport Group at La Rochelle in July 1965. The vehicle, which is powered by a 220 hp Rolls-Royce V8 petrol engine, has a GVW of 14.852 tons and has a folding flatbed. But the giant British Leyland took over the small Alvis manufacturer, and terminated the agreement with the French company. Despite the real qualities demonstrated during the tests, the Aurochs will not be followed up. It must be admitted, however, that the need for this type of vehicle was extremely limited."

The following photos of STAL 34 were taken at Musée des Blindés in 2023.

The following photos of STAL 14 taken late in the 1990s by Roland Remp. Roland advises that:

"I bought it from a scrapper in MEPPEN/Northern Germany without an engine (but with gearboxes and able to roll) but in very sad condition. About 2 years later I had to sell it because my garage was canceled. I sold PV14 with Ebay and it goes to a new owner from the vicinity of LEIPZIG/ Eastern Germany. 

Four weeks later I heard, that PV14 was scrapped into pieces because the owner saw no chance for a restoration."

In 1966 Germany bought Mark 2 Stalwarts STAL 11/16 and 11/17 for trials, in advance of a hoped large order to compliment the Saladins already purchased.

The German pair were different in that the rear corner pillars, and the side and tail boards were a few inches higher than the standard ones. These sideboards having a sloped top.

Roland advises of one of the Mark 2s:

"Second one was a Mk. 2 and ended in a mine explosion on the Meppen WTD 91 exercise area."

Which still leaves one German mark 2 to be accounted for.

The German magazine Solidat Und Technik ran an article on the Stalwart in July 1979. You can view an extract of it here. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JqD47mNcCSVPYdM06JKL_siwvBmsmDUS/view?usp=sharing

With thanks to Colonel Cappellano and Stefano Bagnasco - Editor of Storia Militare magazine, we now know the following.

One of these amphibious trucks has been purchased and tested by the Italian Army in the mid Sixties (see the attached picture).

The Stalwart was initially in the charge of the Reggimento Lagunari “Serenissima”, an infantry regiment located in the Venice area and specialized in amphibious operations in lagoon, lake and river environment.

After some test with the regiment, it has been transferred to the Engineers' Corps school in Piacenza for other test.

Unfortunately it was not considered suitable for both uses, as troop carrier for the “Lagunari” and/or support vehicle for the Engineers' Corps.

Moreover, any interest has been demonstrated in this vehicle by the “San Marco” Battalion (at that time, today is a brigade), the naval infantry unit of the Italian Navy.

The Rescue vehicle was fitted with a Motorola radio communication system 

Sweden was the second largest user of the Stalwart, known as the Amfibiebil 101. Alvis records show that Sweden bought 26 Stalwarts. Please see the dedicated page on Sweden's Amfibiebil 101s

Projects – by unknown

Leads so far take me to the former company of Amphibious Vehicles Ltd, and Amphitruck. 

Trying to find more about this diamond dredger.

Over the years we have been involved in many interesting (for us anyway) projects and installations. Browsing through this page may give you some idea of our capabilities and what we enjoy doing.

This vehicle is a totally self-contained unit and was originally designed to mine the rivers of Angola. Besides the rather obvious crane, there are also 5 winches, a drilling head and motors driving the various separators and vibrators.

British Petroleum purchased a pair of Stalwarts to be used on oil spill service. They bought PV3, which was used in Scotland, and a Mark 2 that was based at Southampton. 

The following is a 25 page document. It includes relevant letters amongst the photos.

An interesting conversion of an Alvis Stalwart - Research is continuing.

With thanks to Peter Mol, of Mol Coatings.

The Alvis Stalwart was purchased from the UK in 1995, by Peter's grandfather. A Rolls-Royce RB.50 Trent Turboprop engine, (as used in the Gloster Meteor) was mounted in the back, and used as a fire fighter. The device extinguished with approximately 2500 litres of water per minute. Apparently, inspired by the tank mounted jet engines that put out the Kuwaiti oilfield fires in 1991. 

In 1996 it was stationed or trialled at the Dutch town of Rhenen, and a video exists of it being used to put out a fire on an aircraft fire fighting rig. See

https://www.facebook.com/BrandweerRHNATB/videos/830617627364513

In 1999 it was sold and shipped to Canada, to fight forest fires. 

At some point, the jet engine was removed, and the Stalwart stored at the Canadian Energy Museum. 

And after the jet engine was removed

An American company in Texas started buying Stalwarts, and lengthening the hull. These were used as Tourist boats, similar to the DUKW tours.

This beauty was overhauled in 2020, by José Pablo Fernández and Ruben Fernandez. 

The engine is a Chevrolet 427cid 7,000cc V8. The front wheels are hydraulically driven

Sweden took the last Stalwarts out of service in 1985, and sold them off. 5 were sold to Sri Lanka.

A UK company called A. F. Budge bought a number of Sweden's vehicles. 

The book Stout, Strong and Sturdy by John L. Rue is a prime source of information.

Another source of information, is this website's page of British military Alvis Stalwart manuals and guides

The HMLC Alvis Stalwart group on Facebook has information and posts on the Amfibiebil  101.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/alvis.hmlc.6.x.6.stalwart.group 

There is a Swedish Wikipedia page, that has a number of errors on it. I've tried to correct and update it, but tired of petty Wiki keyboard warriors deleting my work. 

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvis_Stalwart?