NEW ‘Gear Guide’

www.cmvmag.co.uk
VISITED Memorial Pegasus

Issue
Issue 220
189

Two-wheeled
Wonders
World War Two’s
Jack of all trades

Ford’s
GJeeP
p
£4.70
September 2019

Showing Off Old School Warrior Battle ‘Bug’

Military show picture specials The Snatch Land Rover When the Beetle went to war
Catawiki.indd 1 28/02/2019 16:25:48
www.cmvmag.co.uk
Educating the youth
ABOVE: Visitors to Tankfest view the Weald Foundation’s World War Two Jagdpanther
COVER IMAGE: Taken at Arromanches in Normandy, France to commemorate the D Day landings on Gold Beach
in 1944. SGT BEN MAHER / CROWN COPYRIGHT
It has been a busy few months with
all the military shows on the go. In my
case, I was a ‘first timer’ at the ones I did
manage to attend and can honestly say I
thoroughly enjoyed them. Unfortunately,
it is impossible to get to each one, but
I hope to attend those that I missed
next year. What stood out though, apart
from the impressive array of military
Editor: Andrew Stone
andrew.stone@keypublishing.com
Twitter: @AndrewStoneDD
Chief Designer: Steve Donovan
Design: Dave Robinson & Andy O’Neil
Contributors: Nigel Hay, Glenn Sands, Craig Allen,
Louise Limb, Vicky Turner, Richard Gunn,
Steve Wilson, Tim Gosling, John Teasdale,
David Fletcher, James Kinnear
Advertising Manager: Tom Lunn
Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131
tom.lunn@keypublishing.com
Advertising Production: Kay Townsin
kay.townsin@keypublishing.com
www.cmvmag.co.uk
Group Editor: Roger Mortimer
Production Manager: Janet Watkins
Group Marketing Manager: Martin Steele
Marketing Manager: Shaun Binnington
Commercial Director: Ann Saundry
Group CEO & Publisher: Adrian Cox
Andrew Stone
Andrew has worked on a variety of titles over
the years. His interest in military history started
at a young age and developed as his journalism
career took off
vehicles on display, was the passion and
enthusiasm shown by the vehicle owners
and re-enactors to engage with visitors at
each event.
I had my teenage son James along at
most and we spent hours talking to
individuals who patiently answered our
incessant questions about a variety of
www.cmvmag.co.uk
Subscriptions. Please refer to the main advertisement within
this magazine. CMV Subscriptions Department, Key Publishing
Ltd, PO Box 300, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1NA, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1780 480404. Fax: +44 (0)1780 757 261
Email: Subs: subs@keypublishing.com.
Mail Order: orders@keypublishing.com.
Order subscriptions at www.keypublishing.com/shop
Readers in the USA can place subscription orders by visiting
www.imsnews.com or by calling toll free 800-676-4049
or by writing to CMV, IMS News, 3330 Pacific Ave, Ste 500,
Virginia Beach, VA23451-2983
Classic Military Vehicle (ISSN 1473-7779) is published monthly
by Key Publishing Ltd and distributed in the USA by Mail Right
Int., 1637 Stelton Road, B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
Postmaster: Send address corrections to Classic Military
Vehicle, Key Publishing Ltd c/o by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton
Road, B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854.
Copies of Classic Military Vehicle can be obtained each month
by placing a standing order with your newsagent.
Tom Lunn
Tom is the perfect member of the team with
plenty of experience on other magazines before
joining CMV
3
September 2019 Frontlines
topics relating to their vehicles, weapons,
kit or war in general. I was particularly
impressed with a re-enactor we met at the
Yorkshire Wartime Experience who sat
down with us during a break in ‘fighting’
to go through his gear and explain what
the different items were for. James, who
at 15, had shown very little interest in
World War Two prior to this, was suddenly
asking me questions about his grandpa’s
role in the war, for days after the event.
I don’t expect him to now turn in to
a World War Two historian, but the
exposure has been good for him (never
mind the fact it got him off his mobile
phone) and once again highlights
the importance of these events in
educational terms. As a recent letter
writer pointed out, our magazine, shows
like these, classic military vehicles and
re-enactors are windows into a bygone
period, and it is important that we
use them to educate the youth so this
information is not lost.
EDITOR ANDREW STONE
andrew.stone@keypublishing.com
Small Print: The Editor is happy to receive contributions to Clas-
sic Military Vehicle magazine. All items submitted are subject to
our terms and conditions, which are regularly updated without
prior notice and are freely available from Key Publishing Ltd or
downloadable from www.keypublishing.com.
We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers.
Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions
before parting with any information or item of value, including, but
not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal infor-
mation in response to any advertisements within this publication.
The entire contents of Classic Military Vehicle is © Copyright 2019.
No part of it can be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of
retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in England by Acorn Web
Offset Ltd, Normanton, UK.
Distributed by Seymour
To find a stockist near you,
Distribution Ltd. +44 (0)20 7429 4000. visit www.cmvmag.co.uk
Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100,
Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1NA, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131
Fax: +44 (0)1780 757261
Subscriptions: +44(0)1780 480404
www.keypublishing.com/shop
Steve Donovan
Chief Designer Steve has worked with designer
Dave Robinson in redesigning the magazine to
produce CMV’s continuing evolution in 2019
www.cmvmag.co.uk

Features
06 Ford GP
A Jeep, but not as we know it…

22 Show Time
Reviews of various military events
words Richard Gunn pictures Archive

Bug
t e
The with

B i
One of the two 1946
British Army trial
Kommandeurwagens,
showing its roller
front end to try and
avoid digging-in

W Richard Gunn tells

atch practically any war movie
or TV drama set in Germany,
occupied Europe or North Africa,
and almost inevitably a Volkswagen-based
Kübelwagen or Schwimmwagen will pop
up at some point. These two vehicles, built
in substantial numbers (approximately
52,000 of the Kübelwagen and 14,283 of the
Schwimmwagen), were as synonymous with
the Wehrmacht as Jeeps and DUKWs were
with Allied forces during World War Two.
However, throw in the vehicle that both
the fighting Kübelwagen and floating
the story of the Schwimmwagen originated from – the
Kraft durch Freude-Wagen (KdF-Wagen) or
Kommandeurwagen, Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known
post-war as the Beetle – and many might
the Volkswagen Beetle question whether it was an anachronism.
Granted, the Beetle (we’ll call it that for ease of
saloon that became a identification, even though it wouldn’t earn that
nickname until the 1950s) had been launched
4x4 fighting machine by the time Word War Two started and limited
production was underway. But aside from a few
examples built for propaganda purposes and Rear aspect of a
Kommandeurwagen
given to high-ranking Nazi officials, the outbreak
of the conflict largely saw standard saloon
- the standard front
and rear bumpers
production cease after only a couple of hundred
had appeared prior to September 1939.
didn’t help the
angles of attack for
The Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen took up banks and ditches
the factory time and space that would otherwise
have been devoted to the German people’s car.
Eventually, of course, the Beetle managed to
successfully shake off its dubious birth,

36 37

36 Battle ‘Bug’
When the Beetle went to war

42 Military Motorcycles
Two-wheelers used by the British in World War
Two

50 Too little, too late

The US Anti-aircraft Artillery Service

56 The load-bearing
Humvee
Part two of John Teasdale’s look at the iconic
vehicle

words David Fletcher pictures archive

The
A
n article by two Royal Tank Corps
officers that appeared in the Royal Tank
Corps Journal around 1931 discussed
concentrate on the development of a three-man
light tank.
So that, in addition to the driver there would
The section lined up, in those peaceful days the
regiment liked to have itself identified on the turret

ugly looking tank designated A5E1which had

the problems facing the commander of a
two-man light tank which, they felt, could be
overcome if the tank’s crew could be increased
by at least half a man.
Since half a man was not feasible, the War
Office decided that in future they would
be a new man to operate the weapons and the
wireless, leaving the commander free to keep
a look-out from his hatch, navigate, direct the
driver and generally command.
This was not an entirely original idea. In
1929 Vickers-Armstrongs had produced an
a crew of three but ultimately disappeared
without trace while, three years earlier the Royal
Business
of Tanks
Ordnance Factory had been responsible for the
design and construction of A3E1, sometimes
referred to as the three-man light tank. This
was a peculiar contraption featuring a machine
gun turret at each end which must have been
David Fletcher delves into the history of the Mark V and the L4E1 Light Tank
more difficult to command and fight than

‘Naturally the new turret was larger,

in order to accommodate two men and as a result the
tank’s hull was wider to carry it’

A Light Mark V on the road at

Bovington. The two-man turret crew Mark V Light Tanks being
is visible and the commander has his inspected by a group of soldiers
map reading frame erected on Salisbury Plain

62 63

62 The Light Tank

The Mark V and L4E1

68 Sting in the tail

‘Osa’ - the Russian Wasp

74 Old School Warrior

Mark Burley’s Snatch Land Rover

www.facebook.com/cmvmag

4
Classic Military Vehicle Issue 220 September 2019 Contents

Regulars
Gear
What
dunnit?

Guide
The Tank Museum
has teamed up
with the classic
mystery game
to present a
fun-filled murder

Travelbag Techno-tank story based in

Travelbag
the museum.
This is the newest kit release in the 1/16 R/C tank series. It The Tank
This large weekender in sturdy canvas has a traditional feel with recreates the Japanese Type 10 Tank, which is also available Museum Cluedo
characterful chocolate Old Calf leather details and a reinforced base with as a 1/35 scale model kit. The Type 10 is the high-tech modern is the all-new
studs. With
Largerobust
sturdyrolled leather top-handles,
military-style canvas and The Hunter also
vintage-look features
leather bag for addition to the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) and board game that combines the fast-
a detachable/adjustable
carrying clothing, acanvas
laptop, webbing
and more.strap which
It has fixes to
an inside bag with
pocket which comes loaded with features such as a newly-designed 120mm paced gameplay of Cluedo with the iconic museum in Dorset. Players
solidismetal dogstoring
ideal for clips, allowing
a laptopthe
(upbag to be and
to 16’in), carried in the
other hand,
interior over the
pockets for smooth-bore main gun, and modular armour. The kit includes DMD get to chose from being the historian, guide, cleaner, shop manager,
A selection of tools, shoulder or across
things like the body
your charger, andasmobile
required. Lined
phone. Thein bag
brown cottonremovable
features twill, the Control Unit (T-08) and DMD Multi-Function Unit (MF-07) to enable mechanic or librarian, and move between the museum’s exhibitions

equipment and gadgets roomy

andinterior
and phone.
has straps.
adjustable
Enjoy
the main
handy leather trimmed
The front
the trip! Tremendous
compartment
pockets
and two side
pockets
value:
to stash your
have magnetic
available
pockets havewhile
tickets
closures,
zips stocks
and
to openlast.
and
turret rotation, gun elevation/depression, and realistic sound and
vibration actions.
to see if the curator was killed by the Mark IV, TOG II, M4A4 Sherman,
Tiger 131, T-72, or Challenger 2. The Tank Museum Cluedo is
from around the world Availableclose.
from Available
Hunter International for £125
from www.notonthehighstreet.com for £69.99 Available from fusionhobbies.com for £1,019 available both in the museum shop and online.

SmokeyandtheBrandit
The Brandit Classic M65 style field jacket with removable lining
has a fashionable vintage feel and look and is perfect for everyday
outdoor use. Made from warm and highly
breathable material, it is suitable for all
seasons. A full length zip with press
studs and storm flap ensures
closure along with a high
collar for added protection.
There’s also a concealed
hood with drawstring and
elastic section for better
fit. Other features include
underarm vents and bottom
drawstring, two expandable
chest pockets with flaps
and press studs and two
front pockets with flaps and
press studs. Available
from military1st.co.uk
for £84.95
Fantasticflasks Caughtoncamera Gear4iPhonecase
Mobile phones cost a small fortune
Outwell Tableware offers campers a The HDC400 GPS Dash Cam is a low profile, OE-style camera these days, but they have become
choice of versatile products that look as that blends stylishly into your car interior. The discreet 1440P HD indispensable gadgets. Whether you
smart at home as they do on the campsite. resolution camera provides use them to take pictures of your
The beverages range, which includes this exceptional film quality latest restoration project to upload
Remington Vacuum Flask, brings a pastel and provides a wide to social media, or simply to
colour pallet to soften 180° angle view of scan the web in search of parts,
the tough, quality the road to capture they’re worth protecting. The
stainless steel and more action. Wide ultra-durable iPhone Platoon
aluminium materials dynamic range (WDR) Gear4 case can take on almost
used. It provides a neat provides enhanced night anything. It’s drop resistant
solution for hot and vision, for exceptionally clear film, up to 20ft – higher than
cold drinks around day or night. The GPS allows you an average second-storey
the campsite or on to track journeys on the MyHDC window - thanks to its
the move. Available app, which also makes viewing two-part design and extra
through outwell. and downloading footage on your impact protection from
com at £24.99 for smartphone easy. The direct to its robust construction.
the medium unit windscreen mount keeps the dash Available from various
and £29.99 for the cam securely in place. Available from online retailers. Prices vary
large Halfords at £129 depending on what phone you have

Socketsensation Campingconvenience Bootsmade Silentnight

The Basecamp 250 Sleeping

forwalking
The new Easy Camp Air Comfy Motor range of inflatable drive-away Bag is a great piece for the
The Halfords Advanced 120-piece Socket Set is designed for the awnings offer convenience and practicality. Fast and easy to pitch summer, insulated to keep
advanced mechanic as well as the DIY enthusiast. It is made from using the supplied manual pump, the range adds versatility and extra you warm and cosy at
quality chrome vanadium steel room, without taking up a vast amount of space and weight. The range night. With its mummy
and comes with a lifetime comprises Hurricane M (pictured) with protective front porch, and A welly to keep you dry and safe in wet, shape, it will hug your
guarantee. The set contains Tempest M with sloping front. Features include a front D-door for the muddy and dirty situations – perfect for body ensuring no heat
both metric and AF sockets, Hurricane M and a traditional straight zip front door plus D-shaped side classic military vehicle shows! Part of the is lost as you sleep. It
along with different size door for the Tempest M. Windows and air vents keep the inside bright and Funky Wellington Boots patterned range, these comes with a small
drives, extension bars and airy, with curtains to boots feature a stylish camouflage design with bag which your sleeping
combination spanners. It maintain privacy a hint of orange. Available from www.funky- bag stuffs into, keeping
is supplied in a compact when needed. wellington-boots.co.uk for £45 it compact and portable.
carry case, which is perfect Available from The mummy-shaped
to keep all the pieces easycamp. bags follow your body
organised and com at shape, giving you a cosier
together. £499.99 night’s sleep. The comfort
Available for the temperature for this
from Hurricane sleeping bag is 5°C to 15°C
Halfords M and and it weighs just 1.2kg.
for £70 £559.99 for the Available from Mountain
Tempest M Warehouse for £29.99

Got a product you’d like featured in our Gear Guide? E-mail cmveditorial@keypublishing.com Got a product you’d like featured in our Gear Guide? E-mail cmveditorial@keypublishing.com
12 13

12 Gear Guide
Gadgets and gear from around the world

15 News and Letters

News and correspondence from readers

16 Military Vehicle Market

What’s hot, what’s not and what’s expensive

18 New Books
New releases from respected publishers

21 Museum words and pictures Craig Allen

On a high at Memorial
The Memorial Pagasus Museum Museum of the Month

of the Pegasus
Month
The Memorial
Pegasus museum Memorial Pegasus features a purpose-built modern museum to house the airborne collection

T
he Memorial Pegasus museum lies just
over the modern Pegasus Bridge on the
Caen Canal site of the famous Glider Borne
Assault in the early hours of D-Day. It would
be hard to imagine a more appropriate setting

48 Event
and the museum features a wealth of airborne
artefacts housed in a purpose-built facility.
It replaced an earlier museum on the other
side of the bridge, close to the Gondree Café
which closed after a long running dispute over
the lease. Thankfully, that is all in the past and
the memorial is now home to a wonderful
collection including the original Pegasus

List
Bridge which sits proudly in the grounds. Also ABOVE: The original Pegasus Bridge lies in the
on display outside are an M3 Half-Track and memorial grounds with a modern replacement
bridging the canal
several artillery pieces along with a full-size
BELOW: The Memorial Pegasus replaced an
replica of an Airspeed Horsa Assault Glider built earlier museum
for the 60th commemoration.
Inside, the display cabinets feature a wealth of
weaponry and equipment alongside medals and
Airborne Jeep display inside the museum
personal items donated by veterans. There are
video presentations explaining the history and a

Events you need to

1965 Mini ‘Twini’ Moke, a twin-engined - therefore 4x4
well-stocked shop where you can pick up airborne
books and memorabilia. Each year on the
anniversary of D-Day the memorial becomes the
focus of commemoration events and hosts World
War Two veterans, many of whom have received Pegasus Memorial Museum
their Croix de Guerre beside the original bridge.

know about
Avenue du Major Howard
If you are in the area it makes for a great stop 14860 RANVILLE
along with refreshments at the Pegasus Bridge Phone : 02 31 78 19 44
Horsa Assault Glider replica built for the 60th
Café both of which were especially popular in Fax : 02 31 78 19 42
anniversary of D-Day
this 75th anniversary year.

21

82 Echoes Echoes of War Jonas Savimbi words Andrew Stone pictures archive

of War
Further Reading
Several books have been written over the
years on the Angolan Civil War and the
South African Border War. These include
Leopold Scholtz’s book ‘The Battle of Cuito
Cuanavale. Cold War Angolan Finale,
1987-1988’.
A war of words has raged since the battle
about who actually won and in the book, a
South African military historian and retired
journalist examine the campaign, the

Unita’s Jonas Savimbi

Decommissioned Unita BMP-1 and
BM-21 Grad at an assembly point. WIKIMEDIA
adversaries, and their achievements on the
basis of research in SADF archives, which
results in interesting conclusions. Another
that will interest military vehicle enthusiasts
is ‘South African Armour of the Border War
1975–89’ written by Kyle Harmse and Simon
Dunstan. The Border War saw the biggest
armoured battles in Africa since World
War Two and with the aid of illustrations
and photographs, the book details the
characteristics, capabilities and performance
of the wide variety of armoured vehicles
deployed by the SADF at the time.

T
he former leader of Angola’s rebel group
Unita was reburied earlier this year,
more than 17 years after his death. The
charismatic, but controversial Jonas Savimbi,
who fought Angola’s socialist government
in a civil war lasting 27 years, was killed in a
battle against the People’s Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA) government forces
in February 2002. At the time he was hastily
buried in a cemetery in the town of Luena,
which led to later calls by Unita for him to be
In a series of fights that took place from early
September into October, the SADF and Unita
inflicted heavy losses on government forces
including 61 tanks and 83 armoured vehicles
for the loss of five armoured vehicles. A
sophisticated SA-8 anti-aircraft missile system
was also captured. As a result, the Angolan army
retreated to Cuito Cuanavale, a town located in
the central region of the country.
Further attacks in November 1987 saw more
heavy losses inflicted on the Angolans, who were
desperately defending Cuito Cuanavale. The
battle continued intermittently into 1988 with
neither side gaining the upper hand, but Angolan
government forces continued to suffer heavy
personnel and armour losses. The operation was
eventually wound down in late March, although
the SADF maintained a small force in the country
which continued to harry government forces
until August 1998.
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale is credited by

‘Savimbi’s remains
given a more prominent funeral. some as opening negotiations which led to a
Unita first waged a guerrilla war against peaceful settlement and the withdrawal of

were finally handed

Portuguese colonial rule from 1966 to 1974 Cuban and South African troops. It also ensured
before confronting the MPLA during the Angolan the survival of Savimbi’s Unita, which fought on
Civil War. The conflict played a major role in the
to his family in late
despite several efforts at brokering peace during
Cold War with the US and South Africa backing the 1990s. It was only after Savimbi’s death in
Unita and the Soviet Union and Cuba throwing 2002 that a settlement was reached. Savimbi’s
their weight behind the governing MPLA.
An estimated 500,000 people died over the
May of this year remains were finally handed to his family in late
May of this year for a formal burial on June 1.
27 years the war was fought while some major
battles saw leading armour from the time
for a formal burial’ While there were no government officials at the
ceremony, his coffin was draped in Unita’s flag.
deployed on both sides. This included T55/62 - SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
tanks, BRDM-2 armoured vehicles and BM-21
Grad Rocket Launchers on the Angolan side President Ronald Reagan meeting with Jonas
against Olifant tanks and Ratel infantry fighting Savimbi in The Oval Office in 1986.
WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHIC
vehicles on the Unita/South African side. COLLECTION / WIKIMEDIA
In what would turn out to be the biggest
conventional battle in Africa since World War Two, the
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale was fought intermittently
between August 1987 and March 1988.
For Unita and the South African Defence Force
(SADF), it consisted of four phases. The aim of
these phases was to: 1. Stop a major Angolan
government offensive; 2. Inflict maximum
casualties on the retreating forces; 3. Drive
government forces back; and 4. Protect Unita
from future offensives.
Prior to this, the Soviet Union had supplied the
Angolan army with advanced military hardware
and advisors in anticipation of a major offensive
to crush Unita. In order to stop this, the SADF’s
61 Mechanised Battalion moved into Angola
in August 1987 and along with Unita forces
confronted an Angolan army force consisting of
an estimated 6,000 men, 80 tanks and artillery
and support vehicles.

82

Subscribe
and Save
Make great savings when you
subscribe to Classic Military
Baltimore, Maryland, 1942.
Col H J Lawes, post commander, Holabird quartermaster depot and commandant of the Vehicle today.
quartermaster motor transport school at the wheel of a “Jeep” giving his pupils first-hand instructions on See pages 28-29 for this
the vehicle training ground during a two-week preventive maintenance for motor vehicles course for officers
(See page 6)
month’s special offers

www.twitter.com/cmvmag

5
 It’s a J
The smaller dimensions of the GP are evident in
this view, although the vehicle has more room for
the driver and passenger

‘Given the rarity

of the GPs, it’s
inevitable that the
vehicles demand a
high price’

but not as we k
6
 words and pictures Glenn Sands

Developed from the

Ford ‘Pygmy’
reconnaissance car,
the Ford Model GP is
much sought after by
military collectors. Glenn
Sands meets two of them

G
iven the amount of Jeeps owned by
military enthusiasts in the UK, you could
be forgiven for thinking that there’s
nothing new to emerge on the scene. Whether
it’s an original World War Two Willys or Ford, to
the casual observer, there’s very little difference
between the two marques.
But for those who know their light
reconnaissance vehicles, there’s a holy grail
variant – the Ford General Purpose (GP).
The GP was Ford’s second prototype vehicle
developed for the war. Small in size and light in
weight, the GP was designed to fulfil the role of
a light command reconnaissance vehicle. The
design incorporated a host of features that later
became standard on the definitive wartime
Jeep design built by Bantam, Willys and by
Hotchkiss post-war.
The GP used a modified Ford/Ferguson
‘Dearborn’ tractor engine - the only engine
Ford had readily available at the time - with a
Ford Model A gearbox. Although the rear body
of the GP was similar to that of the Bantam
and Willys, the front end was a Ford exclusive
and, in a modified form, it found its way to the
standardised final model.
As the wartime US Government was unable
to make a firm decision on the numbers of
Ford GPs required and was being lobbied
hard by competitors Bantam and Willys at the
same time. It meant that GPs rolled off Ford’s
production line in relatively small numbers
and were sent overseas under the Lend Lease
programme. They went to Russia, the UK and a
host of other allied nations.
The small production run totalled around

Jeep
4,650, and because most GPs went overseas
and few served within the US forces, meant
production only lasted until the end of 1941.
This adds to the rarity of the GPs today.
Military vehicle collector, Derek Evans, already
owns a small army of World War Two military
vehicles including three Ford Jeeps, (two 1942
models and one 1943), and a 1942 Willys ‘slat-
grille’. A GP would complete his collection.
Derek explained how he got started: “I have
always had an interest in military vehicles
having grown up with them. My dad owns one
of the Jeeps in the collection. By the time I was
15, I had a six-wheeled M20 armoured field
commander’s car.
“I regularly keep an eye on milweb.net to see
what appears on the website and saw the GP
come up for sale via the Airborne Garage in the

e know it…
Netherlands. To be honest, I was so keen to have
it, I bought it blind. The pictures showed it to be
in good condition. So, it was simply a case of
hooking up my trailer and going to collect it via
the cross-channel ferry. I met the seller at the
docks and we sorted everything out, I loaded it
up and brought it home.”

7
The adjustable driver’s mirror bracket on the GP was
not carried over to the later design
‘It’s the little things
that can prove the
most difficult to
find, like shock
absorber links’
The all-important vehicle data plate which is highly
prized by any Jeep owner. It indicates that this GP
was delivered to the army on September 17, 1941
The bracket mount for the steering column is unique
to the GP. The steering wheel was positioned higher
on the GP, allowing the driver to get in and out of the
vehicle easily
Seated lower and in bucket-style seats, the GP
is far more comfortable to drive than the later
production Jeeps
The elegant looking speedo borrowed from a Ford truck looks out of place among the olive drab paintwork.
The GP offered far more room for the driver and provided extra leg room for people seated in the front
Although in running condition and in a
reasonable state, Derek was keen to get the GP
looking and operating even better, so he took it
to Barry Ring at Whitedell Engineering. The two
have been friends for many years and Barry
has a reputation for getting the best from any
make of wartime Jeep. A few years earlier, he’d
restored two of Derek’s other Jeeps.
Barry’s engineering expertise provides a
unique insight into what makes the GP so
different under the skin. He begins from the
chassis up: “One of the most obvious things
is the chassis, which is completely different to
a GPW. It’s much narrower, smaller and made
from a heavier gauge steel. Attached to this is
the differential, which is fitted on the opposite
side compared to a regular GPW. Also, the
transfer case is on the opposite side in a mirror It’s the subtle differences on the GP that make
of a Willys and goes in the opposite direction.” it different, such as the curved brackets of the
The gearbox is from a Ford Model A, although windscreen mount
the bearings are far heavier to cope with the
added stresses. Derek’s GP is equipped with Ford features.
a Ford 9N tractor engine - one of a number of He added: “The body is completely different to
slightly differing models that were used, but a GPW; it has nothing in common. It’s a much
Ford fitted a lighter fly wheel and a down-draft simpler body, sitting much lower and is smaller
carburettor, rather than an up-draft as used overall. Its construction is far more basic and
on a tractor. While the engineering differences there’s no tank rail, so the floor is completely flat,
between this Series Two GP and later Willys but this comes at the price of a smaller fuel tank.
GPW are numerous and mainly under the “The windscreen is similar to a later Jeep,
bonnet, visually the body shows many unique but the seats are more bucket-style and far
The first examples of the GP rolled off Ford’s
production line in late 1940 and were evaluated at
Camp Holabird, Maryland, that December
8
 One of the easiest ways to
distinguish a Series Two
GP is via the two-rubber
windscreen stops mounted
on the front of the bonnet.
The Series One examples
just had one stop mounted
in the centre of the front
bonnet edge
A GP chassis illustrating the
d
heavier gauge steel, compare
to late r GPW s, used on the main
crossmembers of the frame
more comfortable. But, unlike later models, the
hood tilt only has one bow which means it’s
absolutely rubbish and doesn’t hold the canvas
down at any speed.”
From evidence from wartime documents,
it seems around 1,500 Series One GPs were
produced by Ford before they switched over
to the Series Two. The differences between
the two models are minor, but one obvious
indication is the rubber windscreen supports on
the bonnet – one centrally mounted on a Series
One, and two fitted either side of the hood on a
later Series Two.
One of the most significant changes was
the relocation of the headlights from being
SPECIFICATIONS
Make Ford
Model GP Series Two
Nationality American
Year 1941
Production Run 4,650
Engine Ford Model A 3F1R
gearbox
Type
Fuel Petrol
Displacement
Power 46bhp
Torque 4 ft/lbs 1,500 rpm
Transmission Three-speed
Model A
Type Floor-mounted
Gears
Transfer Box Spicer two- speed
Suspension
Brakes Wheels
Tyres 6.00-16
Crew/seats Four
Dimensions(overall)
Length 127.85in
Width 60.5in
Wheelbase 80in
Height 65in
Weight 2,100lb
are almost impossible to find. For example,
original carburettors can cost between £5,000
to £6,000 - if you can find one.
“Original engines can be difficult because
they were slightly different from a 9N
tractor engine. Most owners use a modified
tractor engine as there are plenty about
compared to sourcing and paying for an
original example.
“But it’s the little things that can prove
the most difficult to find like shock
absorber links which are unique to
GPs. Luckily a firm is now making
repro’ examples which are just as
good. Companies are also reproducing
the unique tow-hook used on the
Fords. Original examples fetch
A GP gearbox illustrates the basic design
adopted from a Ford Model A
mounted behind the front grille. Ford revised
the headlight mounting and replaced it with
hinged brackets. This allowed the light to
be swung up to illuminate the engine bay
so the GP could be fixed in the dark. This
was a modification adopted by all later Jeep
manufacturers.
Records show that around 3,000 Series Two
models were produced although no definitive
figure can be found because most GPs were
sent overseas and lost in combat.
Given the rarity of the GPs, it’s inevitable that the
vehicles demand a high price when they do come
up for sale, but acquiring one is only the start of
what can be a ‘wallet-busting’ journey. Master
Jeep restorer Barry explains: “There are parts that
9
 The Ford 9N tractor engine suitably modified for
a GP. At the time of the vehicle’s development in
1940, it was the only engine that Ford had available
in significant quantities. Of note are the reversible
brackets on which the headlights are mounted

ridiculous prices on the internet. up to six weeks to arrive. Fortunately for Derek’s so there’s more leg room. And overall there’s
“But it doesn’t stop me, it just makes a GP, everything was to hand. just more space - it’s a totally different driving
project like this a real challenge. Radiators So, owning a GP compared to a regular experience compared to a Willys.
are extremely hard to find and they’re Jeep, is it all worth the extra time and effort “Like the other models they have a crash box
different to any other US military vehicle, but searching for elusive parts? in them, but the gearbox is much smoother,
other things by Ford can be crossed over to Derek thinks so: “They’re far easier and more quicker and lighter.”
the GP. Various mounts are the same as on comfortable to drive, particularly as I’m getting Barry was quick to support Derek: “Overall,
a Model A or their early tractors and can be on in age and not as flexible as I once was. they are much nicer to drive and far more
used on the vehicle. It’s a case of getting all “Getting in and out is much easier. The comfortable. As long as you don’t put the
the parts as the jobs come along. But a GP is steering wheel is positioned at a better height, canvas tilt up – things are fine.”
far easier to work on as you can remove the
whole transmission cover from the body so All the GPs that left the
can actually get to everything. On a GPW you Ford factory had the
have to work through a small hole to get to manufacturer’s logo
the gear box.” stamped onto the rear of
Derek and Barry were keen to have the GP the bodywork. Ford were
looking as authentic as possible. Although keen to show its design
could meet the needs of
it arrived at Barry’s in good condition, during
the contract offered to it
its month-long stay it underwent a general to equip the
tidy up, mechanical checks and a repaint. It US Army with a
was a case of searching Goggle and looking high-mobility
at period photographs and numerous vehicle
reference books to ensure the GP looked
‘wartime right’.
One of the most distinctive features is the
unique dashboard cluster. It’s the same as in a
Ford commercial truck from the 1930-40s, but
the speedo goes up to 100mph compared to
only 60mph in the trucks. The speedo facia is
the same but with a different graph inside.
Sourcing such parts can mean looking around
the globe and tapping into GP internet owners’
Facebook groups.
“A few years ago, there was a chap in Australia
who cast a batch of 100 GP manifolds and I
bought one,” recalls Barry. “I knew it would be
needed at some point on a future project.
“It’s simply a case of trying to source
something. But, if you can’t then, within reason
and with a bit of trial and error, you can make
the missing part,” he said.
Sourcing parts from around the world causes
some of the delays when restoring a GP or any
vehicle. A part coming from Australia can take

10
EasternSupplies.indd 1 23/07/2019 09:53:46
Gear
Guide A selection of tools,
equipment and gadgets
from around the world
Travelbag
studs. With
Largerobust

solidismetal
shoulder
andinterior
roomy
and phone.
the main
sturdyrolled
a detachable/adjustable
ideal for
things like
dogstoring
military-style
carrying clothing, acanvas
clips, allowing
or across
a laptopthe
your charger,
adjustable
Enjoy
Availableclose.
the body
has straps.
compartment
Travelbag
This large weekender in sturdy canvas has a traditional feel with
characterful chocolate Old Calf leather details and a reinforced base with
leather top-handles,
canvas and The
laptop, webbing
and more.strap
(upbag
andasmobile
to 16’in),
required.
The front
handy leather
the trip! Tremendous
from Available
to be and
phone.

and two side

Hunter International
Lined
pockets
trimmed
value:
vintage-look
It has
carried
The
Hunter also
which
an inside
other
in bag

pockets
brown

available
from www.notonthehighstreet.com
for £125
leather
fixes to
in the
features
have magnetic
pockets
features
pocket
interior
hand,
bag for
bag with
pockets
which
over the
cottonremovable
to stash your
havewhile
for
twill, the
closures,
zips stocks
and
tickets
to openlast.
and
for £69.99

SmokeyandtheBrandit
The Brandit Classic M65 style field jacket with removable lining
has a fashionable vintage feel and look and is perfect for everyday
Fantasticflasks
Outwell Tableware offers campers a
outdoor use. Made from warm and highly choice of versatile products that look as
breathable material, it is suitable for all smart at home as they do on the campsite.
seasons. A full length zip with press The beverages range, which includes this
studs and storm flap ensures Remington Vacuum Flask, brings a pastel
closure along with a high colour pallet to soften
collar for added protection. the tough, quality
There’s also a concealed stainless steel and
hood with drawstring and aluminium materials
elastic section for better used. It provides a neat
fit. Other features include solution for hot and
underarm vents and bottom cold drinks around
drawstring, two expandable the campsite or on
chest pockets with flaps the move. Available
and press studs and two through outwell.
front pockets with flaps and com at £24.99 for
press studs. Available the medium unit
from military1st.co.uk and £29.99 for the
for £84.95 large

Socketsensation
The Halfords Advanced 120-piece Socket Set is designed for the
Campingconvenience
The new Easy Camp Air Comfy Motor range of inflatable drive-away
awnings offer convenience and practicality. Fast and easy to pitch
advanced mechanic as well as the DIY enthusiast. It is made from using the supplied manual pump, the range adds versatility and extra
quality chrome vanadium steel room, without taking up a vast amount of space and weight. The range
and comes with a lifetime comprises Hurricane M (pictured) with protective front porch, and
guarantee. The set contains Tempest M with sloping front. Features include a front D-door for the
both metric and AF sockets, Hurricane M and a traditional straight zip front door plus D-shaped side
along with different size door for the Tempest M. Windows and air vents keep the inside bright and
drives, extension bars and airy, with curtains to
combination spanners. It maintain privacy
is supplied in a compact when needed.
carry case, which is perfect Available from
to keep all the pieces easycamp.
organised and com at
together. £499.99
Available for the
from Hurricane
Halfords M and
for £70 £559.99 for the
Tempest M

Got a product you’d like featured in our Gear Guide? E-mail cmveditorial@keypublishing.com
12
 What
dunnit?
The Tank Museum
has teamed up
with the classic
mystery game
to present a
fun-filled murder

Techno-tank
This is the newest kit release in the 1/16 R/C tank series. It
story based in
the museum.
The Tank
recreates the Japanese Type 10 Tank, which is also available Museum Cluedo
as a 1/35 scale model kit. The Type 10 is the high-tech modern is the all-new
addition to the Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) and board game that combines the fast-
comes loaded with features such as a newly-designed 120mm paced gameplay of Cluedo with the iconic museum in Dorset. Players
smooth-bore main gun, and modular armour. The kit includes DMD get to chose from being the historian, guide, cleaner, shop manager,
Control Unit (T-08) and DMD Multi-Function Unit (MF-07) to enable mechanic or librarian, and move between the museum’s exhibitions
turret rotation, gun elevation/depression, and realistic sound and to see if the curator was killed by the Mark IV, TOG II, M4A4 Sherman,
vibration actions. Tiger 131, T-72, or Challenger 2. The Tank Museum Cluedo is
Available from fusionhobbies.com for £1,019 available both in the museum shop and online.

Caughtoncamera
The HDC400 GPS Dash Cam is a low profile, OE-style camera
that blends stylishly into your car interior. The discreet 1440P HD
resolution camera provides
exceptional film quality
and provides a wide
180° angle view of
the road to capture
more action. Wide
dynamic range (WDR)
provides enhanced night
vision, for exceptionally clear film,
day or night. The GPS allows you
to track journeys on the MyHDC
app, which also makes viewing
and downloading footage on your
smartphone easy. The direct to
windscreen mount keeps the dash
cam securely in place. Available from
Halfords at £129
Gear4iPhonecase
Mobile phones cost a small fortune
these days, but they have become
indispensable gadgets. Whether you
use them to take pictures of your
latest restoration project to upload
to social media, or simply to
scan the web in search of parts,
they’re worth protecting. The
ultra-durable iPhone Platoon
Gear4 case can take on almost
anything. It’s drop resistant
up to 20ft – higher than
an average second-storey
window - thanks to its
two-part design and extra
impact protection from
its robust construction.
Available from various
online retailers. Prices vary
depending on what phone you have

Bootsmade Silentnight
The Basecamp 250 Sleeping

forwalking
Bag is a great piece for the
summer, insulated to keep
you warm and cosy at
night. With its mummy
A welly to keep you dry and safe in wet, shape, it will hug your
muddy and dirty situations – perfect for body ensuring no heat
classic military vehicle shows! Part of the is lost as you sleep. It
Funky Wellington Boots patterned range, these comes with a small
boots feature a stylish camouflage design with bag which your sleeping
a hint of orange. Available from www.funky- bag stuffs into, keeping
wellington-boots.co.uk for £45 it compact and portable.
The mummy-shaped
bags follow your body
shape, giving you a cosier
night’s sleep. The comfort
temperature for this
sleeping bag is 5°C to 15°C
and it weighs just 1.2kg.
Available from Mountain
Warehouse for £29.99

Got a product you’d like featured in our Gear Guide? E-mail cmveditorial@keypublishing.com
13
 MILITARIA & SPONSORED
ABLE ENGINEERING
COLLECTABLES BY
haynes.com/military (MIDLANDS) LTD
The largest supplier of 101 Forward Control parts.
Aluminium Door Tops
MILITARIA And
Newly Designed CNC Machined Clutch and Brake Reservoirs
NE NOW IN STOCK
WEBSITEW
NO
ONLINE W
To advertise We give next day delivery on UK orders and ship world wide.
please contact
Specialising
in 20th
Century TOM LUNN
Allied
Militaria
Always looking to buy, sell & trade
01780 755131 www.101parts.co.uk
Email: Phone - 01509 507602
07835 771445 • harrismilitaria@outlook.com
www.harrismilitaria.com tom.lunn@keypublishing.com

MODELS

Come
find us on Stand
B17 at The War and
Peace Revival

TEL: 01233 770007

MOBILE: 07770 836438
WEBSITE: www.jeffreyeng.com Email: nick@jeffreyeng.com
Berry Court Farm, Smarden, Ashford, Kent. TN27 8RQ

14

014_CMV_SEP19_ad.indd 1 31/07/2019 11:25

cmveditorial@keypublishing.com www.cmvmag.co.uk
LRDG book launched
A veteran of both the Long Range Desert Group
(LRDG) and SAS surprised the audience at a
recent book launch at the Swedish Embassy in
London. The launch event of Long Range Desert
Group: History & Legacy was attended by LRDG
and SAS veteran Jack Mann, who astounded
those in attendance with his remarkable energy
and memory. The book is the result of a research
expedition in Egypt using two 1943 Jeeps. After
taking part in the ‘2,300-mile Sahara epic’,
Swedish military vehicle enthusiast and main
author Karl-Gunnar Norén, decided to write a
book with LRDG history highlights including
several unpublished LRDG photographs, original
LRDG training notes and on his own Jeep
experiences of Egypt. Although Karl-Gunnar
had been to several deserts, not least in Libya,
to see more of the LRDG he needed to find
fellow enthusiasts. This he did by joining the
2012 research expedition with Toby Savage that
consisted of two 1943 Jeeps and LRDG buffs
from the UK and US supported by Egyptian travel
and security professionals. One of the group’s
findings is apparent from the photograph on
the front cover of Long Range Desert Group:
History & Legacy, taken by former Classic Military
Vehicle magazine editor John Carroll. It shows
the remains of a CMP 4×4 Ford from the LRDG
Rhodesian S Patrol left behind in 1941 due to
a broken steering column. To his own desert
experiences, Karl-Gunnar added the story of
LRDG veteran Bill “Swede” Anderson. Relatives
of “Swede” Anderson attended the book launch
at the Swedish Embassy in London on May
24 together with Jack Mann. After just a few
words from him it became clear his willpower
and charm are intact. Long Range Desert Group:
History & Legacy is published by Helion and
Company and is available from Casemate UK:
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
The article in the June 2019 issue about the
Tortoise on Kirkcudbright Ranges brought
the memories flooding back. I was stationed
at Kirkcudbright in the mid-1960s. One day, a
party of us had to go to an area of the ranges
that we had never visited before. There we
discovered this huge, rusting hulk. None of us
had a clue what it was, but it was big. It had
no gun, or engine and to get inside for a look
round, we climbed in through the hole where
the gun had been. Even at 6ft 3ins tall, it was
quite easy to do. The armour was indeed very
thick. On returning we made enquiries as to
what the beast was, and how long it had been
there. No-one seemed to know, so out came
the reference books, and we deduced that it
was in fact, a Tortoise. Other than that, it was
a mystery. It was on a seldom visited part of
the ranges, (in fact I never got permission to
go there again) and anyone who did know of
its existence knew nothing about its history, or
when, and how, it came to be there. Thank you
for your interesting magazine.
M.J. Hill Luton, Beds.
A few years ago, I ventured onto a long stone
beach on the LLeyn Peninsula. I found the
remains of two sister military vehicles –
possibly amphibians. I can find no reference
Have you read something in experience with a wartime classic? a vehicle? Or perhaps you’re
Classic Military Vehicle that has Do you have an interesting story
jogged a memory of your own that you would like to share about
Countdown to Tiger Day
Tiger 131 will make the last of its two yearly outings
at The Tank Museum on September 14. The
Bovington museum’s Tiger 131 is the only running
Tiger I in the world and visitors to the museum will
get the chance to see it in action at Tiger Day 12
during a 45 minute display along with the Sherman
tank ‘Fury’. This will also be the last chance for
many visitors to explore ‘The Tiger Collection’, which
will finish at the end of October, in preparation for
the new World War Two Hall. In a world first, this
impressive exhibition has brought every member
of the Tiger Tank family together in one display –
including one in augmented reality. During the 45
minute lunchtime display at Tiger Day 12, Tiger 131
will be accompanied by a selection of museum
to this vehicle in anything I have read and
wondered if they would mean anything to
anyone with your magazine. They seemed to
have been sisters – one with eight wheels and
the other with six. Rigidly mounted – three or
four per side. Military type rubber pneumatic
tyres. No swivelling steering facility, but
apparently differential drive steering. Both driven
with separate Ford Flathead V8 engines. The
quality of the rubber of the tyres was still very
good – hard and shiny. I may be wrong at this
point, but I think each engine drove one side
of the vehicle with separate shafts and bevel
boxes to the wheel shafts on each side. There
seemed to be steering of the “skid-steer” pattern,
with no facility for swivel steering. The Ford
engines could indicate either US, UK or German
origins. All the upper works of the bodies were
missing, there being the lower hull only in both
cases. They were half full of large beach stones
and gravel and would possibly be underwater
at very high tides. I am quite aware of Ducks
both large and small, as a kid we holidayed at
Aberdovey, about 1946, and DUKW’s – six wheel
and Jeep type were prominent on land and in
the river, as were some Studebaker Weasels. So,
does anyone know what these Ford engined,
skid steer, vehicles are?
Glyn Lancaster Jones Port Dinorwic
Contact us
working on a restoration project
that would have interest to other
15
News and Letters
vehicles. The Tank Museum is also giving Tiger fans
the chance to win a ride in its most famous exhibit
in a special charity auction and raffle. Two lucky
winners will take their seat in the famous tank at
Tiger Day. Museum spokesman David Willey said:
“Tiger 131 is the famous tank in the world and there
are a lot of tank fans who will jump at the chance for
a ride in this World War Two icon.” All profits from
the Tiger raffle and Ebay auction will go towards
supporting the museum’s historic tank collection
and ensuring that Tiger 131 can be kept in running
order for years to come. Tiger Day Raffle, Premium
and Advance tickets are still available. Tickets must
be purchased in advance – book online at
www.tankmuseum.org
(Some time back) my brother-in-
law asked if I would like to go to the Donington
Grand Prix Collection and at the time of our
visit they were closing it down. But to my
surprise they seemed to be filling it with
military vehicles from the Kevin Wheatcroft
Collection, I presume. Is this going to be a
permanent museum?
Yours faithfully,
J. Jackson Desborough,Northamptonshire
P.S I have included a photograph of my late
father L. Jackson in front of his Ward La
France in Italy.
Thanks for the picture of your father and, as far
as we’re aware, the museum has closed. – Ed
readers? If so, we’d like to hear
from you: email your letters to
cmveditorial@keypublishing.com
Military Vehicle Market
T
he immediate ‘after D Day’ period hasn’t
seen as many vehicles ‘just back from
Normandy’ coming onto the market
as expected. Still, there have been plenty of
military vehicles coming up for sale recently.
It is interesting to note that Jeep prices have
dropped slightly since the anniversary, although
not at the high end. In recent weeks we have
seen some keenly priced GMC’s come up for
sale while Holland is still the most prolific
country for military vehicle sale. Interesting
vehicles still turn up in Normandy – including a
recent Citroen U45 truck taken and impressed
by the Wehrmacht. Ironically it was found in the
same village as an established military vehicle
dealer’s yard – he was unaware of it. There
have been far fewer ‘barn’ finds in recent years
as in this era of social networking, little can
stay hidden for long. The bargain of the month
was a German jerry can found in Normandy
for just €5 at a boot fair. German jerry cans
are always sought after and often command
high prices. Even better – it was made for the
SS, with the SS insignia pressed into the steel
in large sinister letters. Worth around €150 or
more, this can is a provable Normandy relic
and that to me is the real value. Interestingly,
well for those jerry can aficionados, apart
from the SS, only the USMC had their own
branded cans. And although rare in Europe for
obvious reasons, USMC branding doesn’t really
affect the price. Well known French armour
restorers, Military Classic Vehicles have found
a long forgotten Kübelwagen in Cherbourg.
Now, while anything is restorable if you throw
enough money at it, this one may be a major
challenge even for the accomplished Mathieu
Dumias and his team. Military Classic Vehicles
are moving to a purpose-built restoration
facility near Omaha Beach in September
Universal/ Bren Gun Carrier Restoration Project
at £6,500
A long forgotten Kübelwagen found near Cherbourg
CET from the late
Charles Burnett’s
collection at £11,500
A growing
armour world
Nigel Hay’s round up of the military vehicle market
to accommodate their multiple restoration
commissions for major collectors in UK and
Europe. Ten years ago, there wasn’t the same
sort of market, but now the armour world is
spending good money on restorations for both
pleasure and long term investment. There has
been a noticeable growth in the number of high
net worth collectors contracting out batches of
restorations in the last year or so and a small
industry is building up around this market.
An entry level 1941 Canadian built Ford
Universal/ Bren gun carrier restoration project
was offered at £6,500 but it’s in Canada.
Sold by a genuine enthusiast, it
carries serial number 2249 and
realistically would end up at about
£10,000 landed in the UK. But is
it a viable project that you could
come out ahead on after a full
restoration?
A ready to use Abbot FV430
with a low hours pack and good
tracks for £30,000 shouldn’t
hand around for long. The
first part of the late Charles Michael Manousak
Burnett’s collection has come Buddies now on Qu
onto the market with a selection
of vehicles including these mainly road
registered and running: FV433 Abbot SPG,
£24,000; Hagglund BV206, £21,500; Alvis
Stalwart, £11,000; M38A1 Jeep, £7,000; Fug
OT65, £11,500; Chieftain MBT Mk10, £48,000;
CVRT Scorpion, £30,000; and a CVRT Spartan,
£15,000.
For the collector who doesn’t want a GMC,
a decent 1942 Chevrolet 1 1/2-ton Cargo
came up for sale at £18,995. With its original 4
speed gearbox it isn’t cheap, and not everyone
wants a US Navy Gray paint scheme which,
for a buyer is a negotiating point. It is still a
16
words and pictures Nigel Hay
desirable vehicle though. Other vehicles of
interest include a Volvo L4151 4x4 for £7,000,
a Combat Engineer Tractor at £11,500 and an
OT90 APC at £16,500.
The latest reality show on Quest of interest to
we military vehicle enthusiasts is Steel Buddies.
Following the day to day work of German
surplus vehicle dealer Michael Manousakis of
Morlok Motors, it is both interesting and very
entertaining – and pretty chaotic. It certainly
complements the highly successful Combat
Dealers, whose flamboyant presenter Bruce
Crompton continues his long recovery after his
near fatal parachute accident. The fact that our
hobby has now spawned these
two TV series says something
about how our place in the
classic vehicle and collecting
market has jumped up a fair
bit in the last decade. But of
course, people do perceive
values of items of interest by
what they see on TV.
The dust has just about settled
on War and Peace and you can
is of Steel
read all the reports in CMV. The
est
military vehicle shows are a
major driving force in our hobby.
Although the shows encompass much more
than just vehicles, we need to support them and
of course the businesses who trade there – who
pay a lot of money to do so. Although the
internet had made suppliers and dealers more
accessible, there is nothing like face to face
purchase and of course the saving in postage.
Our hobby seems healthy at the moment – and
whatever you think of Brexit, it will not stop cross
channel sorties dead in their tracks. There are
plenty of good shows at home and in Europe, so
see you in a field somewhere!
 Military Vehicle Insurance
Policies include as standard;

- Public Liability Cover

- Motor Legal Expenses
- Member to Member Cover
- Discounts when doing multi vehicle policies
- Agreed Values available upon request
- Limited mileage options are available

Whether it is a Willy’s or a Sherman, give us a try.

Just call the number below and you will speak to one of
our team, no machines!

01252 713148

enquiries@ccins.co.uk

Policies underwritten by KGM Underwriting Services Limited.

Uninsured Loss Recovery Services (legal costs up to £100,00) are provided by DAS Legal Expenses
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

17

017_CMV_SEP19_ad.indd 1 30/07/2019 15:14:13

New Books On the Shelf

Tomb of the with more than 100 rare photographs and

colour maps. The book was first published in

Panzerwaffe 2014 and has been translated into English by

Authors Aleksei Isaev and Maksim Kolomiets
Publisher Helion and Company
Year 2018
ISBN 9781912174546
Language English
Binding Softback
Pages 186
Size 17cm x 24.5cm
Price £19.95
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
Using data from both Soviet
and German archives, the
authors have presented a
comprehensive analysis of the
major defeat suffered by the
Wehrmacht in Hungary during
World War Two. Tomb of the
Panzerwaffe is well illustrated
Stuart Britton. It covers a period in March 1945
when the Wehrmacht launched a counter of-
fensive in the area of Lake Balaton in Hungary,
however, the subsequent defeat of the Sixth
Panzer Army was a major
catastrophe for Germany. The
Soviet forces inflicted severe
losses on the attacking Ger-
mans, from which they were
unable to recover.
Verdict: Russian military
historians and authors Aleksei
Isaev and Maksim Kolomiets
have done a great job on the
book which sheds more light
on this period in history. The
addition of rare photographs
showing destroyed German
armour makes it a strong
addition to any library.

M1 Abrams
is illustrated in detail thanks to an array of
colour and black and white photographs. The
M1 Abrams can be viewed from any angle and
Author David Doyle the work shows the evolution of this iconic
Publisher Pen and Sword fighting vehicle, which will always be remem-
Year 2019 bered for its role in the Gulf War of 1991. The
ISBN 9781526738776 Abrams has been in service for nearly 40
Language English years and with such a long life has under-
Binding Softback gone continual improvements
Pages 230 and upgrades, which the
Size 19cm x 24.6cm book illustrates throughout.
Price £16.99 There have been three major
www.pen-and-sword.co.uk variants and the features of
the various models are shown
Part of the popular Images of across the eight chapters.
War series, M1 Abrams looks Verdict: Well illustrated with
at the principle main battle tank many previously unpublished
of the US military since 1980. photographs. Certainly worth get-
Author David Doyle has penned ting if your interest lies in modern
several books on military history armour or if you have others
and this one, as can be expected, from the Images of War series.

The Leopard 1 the early chapters are well illustrated thanks to

and Leopard 2
the use of many colour photographs showing
the vehicles in use around the world. About
Authors M P Robinson, Vitor Costa, Chris three-quarters of the book is dedicated to
Jerrett modelling the Polish Leopard 2A6 in 1/35
Publisher Kagero scale. Modellers and wargamers will find
Year 2018 it an essential reference guide as it covers
ISBN 9788395157523 everything from assembling the model and
Language English painting techniques by using
Binding Softback colour photographs and step-
Pages 116 by-step instructions. The final
Size 29.7cm x 21cm pages of the book contain
Price £16.99 some wonderful colour images
www.casematepublishing.co.uk of the finished product along
with some illustrated images
From Cold War origins to showing different variants of
modern day movements, The the tank.
Leopard 1 and Leopard 2 is a Verdict: A good addition
‘brief discussion’ about these to the libraries of modellers,
tanks and some of the more wargammers and anyone with
well-known models. It is written an interest in the history of
in both English and Polish and the Leopard.

18
 Military Insurance,
we’ve got
you covered We have been active in Europe for 20 years. Our experience in
With added ammunition, find the market guarantees you a high degree of quality and reliability.

out how we can become your See a selection of our available stock below...

Military Insurance provider

Unimog Unimog Unimog Iveco Armoured

Snowblower U 2450 Workshop Shelter Truck

( Call: +49 2566 934990 www.wemhoff.de Schwarzer Weg 9


 Email: info@wemhoff.de 48739 Legden

The Carole Nash Difference

UK & European breakdown and accident recovery,
including Homestart (worth over £100 when compared
to other providers)*‡
Choose your own specialist repairer
Up to £100,000 Legal Expenses Cover if you’re in an
accident that’s not your fault
Agreed Value
Please contact TOM LUNN on
CALL NOW
0800 804 7963 01780 755131
carolenash.com
UK opening hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm.
or email:
As with all insurances, terms and conditions apply. *‡Restrictions apply for vehicle recovery, call for
details. Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct
Authority, firm reference no. 307243. Carole Nash is a trading style of Carole Nash Insurance
tom.lunn@keypublishing.com
Consultants Ltd, registered in England and Wales no. 2600841.
for all your advertising needs

www.mod-sales.com

LAND ROVER WOLF 90 300TDI HARD TOP RHD, Fitted 2.5lt 300Tdi DAF 4X4 TRUCK 5 TON CARGO, Fitted Cummins 5.9lt Turbo Diesel FODEN 6X6 RECOVERY VEHICLE RHD, Fitted Perkins (Rolls Royce)
turbo Diesel engine, 5 speed R380 gearbox, Hi/Low transfer box with Engine, Permanent 4x4, Hi Lo Ratio with Diff Lock, Power Steering, Air Eagle 6-cylinder turbo diesel 290L - 290bhp , Drawbar, support/sus-
centre diff lock, Internal roll-over protection system, 24-volt electrics, pend, towing & winching facilities Non-corrosive, fire-retardant glass
Power steering, front and rear disc brakes, etc, 9,050km, Excellent con- brakes, Nato style rear hitch, Spare wheel, Left hand drive available, reinforced plastic tilting cab, Diff locks etc, 32,525 miles, Excellent con-
Spartan CVRT Dieselised APC,Price
dition......................................................... P.O.A
Fitted (1 Available)
Cummins Mileage from 30,000Kms - 80,000k ............Price P.O.A (30 Available)
BTA 5.9lt Turbo Alvis Stormer Tracked Armoured Recon Vehicle,
dition............................................................Price P.O.A (2 Available)
Alvis CVRT Shielder, Tracked Armoured load carrier with flat bed plattorm, The flat
diesel engine, Engine: power 195 hp, David Brown TN15d Epicyclic
bed can be adopted for a wide range of roles such as logistic carrier, bridge layer repair
Semi-Automatic Gearbox with Neutral turn capability, Maximum road Fitted Perkins 6-litre, 6-cylinder, Crew: Driver, Commander plus
/ recovery and towing. Built to a high specification the vehicle hull is composed of
speed 72 km/h, Range 750 km, Manoeuvrability, Gradient 60%, Side 2 pax, year 1992, low mileage, Excellent condition,
slope 35%, Vertical step 0.5 m, Trench 2 m, Fording 1 m, etc, Guide price from £12,500 (6 Available) aluminium armour to protect the crew, etc, Mileage from 500, Excellent condition, Guide
Excellent condition, Guide price from £19,995 (3 Available)
price �om 12,500 (4 Available).

LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 RHD SNATCH 2A ARMOURED, Year
2002/2003, Fitted 300 TDi Diesel Engine, R380 Gearbox, Uprated Heavy
Duty Front Vented Disc Brakes & Rear Disc Brakes, Salisbury Front and
Rear Axles, Power Steering, etc, Excellent Condition................................
...............................................Price from £8,250 + VAT (4 Available)
LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 TITHONUS LHD, Fitted 2.5ltr NAD
engine, R380 - 5 speed gear forward and one reverse gear box, Hi/
Low transfer box, Centre Diff lock, Front and rear disc brakes, Soft Grip
Steering Wheel, New Wolf style composite Hard Top, Heavy duty 16
inch Wolf rims with 7.50R16 tyres, etc, mileage 106,168km, Excellent
condition, Price P.O.A.......... ...........................Price P.O.A (1 Available)
PENMAN LWT 1.13T DROP TAIL GATE TRAILER, Fitted Land Rover
wheels with Michelin XZL tyres, 1130kg payload, Safety pins to secure
wheel bolts, Hydraulic disc brakes, Handbrake, Swing away jockey wheel,
Stabiliser legs, Lifting rings, Secure Internal storage compartments, Year
2006, Excellent Condition.......Price from £1,250 + VAT (10 Available)
The DAF 4x4 Truck, Cargo capacity of 5000kg, Fitted Cummins

WITHAM (SPECIALIST VEHICLES) LTD

Land Rover Wolf 90 300Tdi Hard Top RHD, Fitted 300Tdi engine,
5 speed R380 gearbox, Hi/Low transfer box with centre diff lock, full
FFR installation kit, 24-volt electrics, PAS, front and rear disc brakes
etc, Mileage from 45110km, Guide price from £10,995 (6 Available)
Wolf 130 Battlefield Ambulance RHD, Fitted 300Tdi engine, 5 speed
R380 gearbox, Hi/Low transfer box with centre diff lock, PAS, front
and rear disc brakes, heavy duty chassis and axles, Goodyear G90
tyres, spare wheel, low mileage, Year from 1997, runs and drives well,
Very good condition, Guide price from £13,750 (5 Available)
5.9 ltr Turbo Diesel, permanent 4x4, Hi Lo Ratio with Diff Lock,
PAS, Air brakes, Nata style rear hitch, Engine power 145hp,
Maximum road speed 89 km/h, Range 500 km, Year from 1994.
Guide price from £4,500 (40 Available)

WITH�M (SPECIALIST VEHICLES} LTD

FOLLOW US Honey Pot Lane, Colsterworth, Grantham NG33 5LY Tel: 01476 861 361 Fax: 01476 861 441 US
FOLLOW �
ON FACEBOOK
Email: sales@mod-sales.com On Facebook �
UK Sales & Marketing Agent for all Ministry of Defence Vehicles & Mobile Plant.
Honey Pot Lane, Colsterworth, Grantham, NG33 SLY Tel: 01476 861 361 Fax: 01476 861 441
Email: sales@mod-sales.com
19

019_CMV_SEP19_ad.indd 1 30/07/2019 15:15:52

 Call Simon: 07523 903021 /eastcoast
jeepsuk
Email: eastcoastjeepsuk@gmail.com
www.eastcoastjeepsuk.com MILITARY MUSEUM
WWii exHibitS inclUDing a SHermAN tANk
cAfé De NorMandy
armoUry of DeActiVateD WeApoNs
cHildren’S dresSiNg up areA

"We all enjoyed the museum which

had some wonderful exhibits.
Would recommend it to anyone!”
eNtry oNly £6 Customer

opeN Wed to sUn April to oct

Visit WWW.MilitaryMUseum.uk
or call 01858 880239 to find out more
WW2 JEEP PARTS, REPAIRS HUsBANDS BoSWortH, Nr lUtterWortH, leicestershire le17 6nW
AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT
We specialise in new old stock and
high quality spare parts suitable
for Ford and Willys Jeeps.
ARMOURGEDDON ADVERTS.indd 2 22/07/2019 09:20

Avenue du Major Howard,

14860 Ranville,
Normandy, France

Tel: +33 (0) 231 781944 • Fax: +33 (0) 231 781942
OPEN everyday from February to Mid-December
Only five minutes drive from the Brittany Ferries
Terminal at Caen/Ouistreham

The Memorial Pegasus museum

Dedicated to the men of 6th British Airborne
Division. The 1st liberators to arrive in
Normandy on June 6th 1944.
Archive films, a guided visit and many interesting
and authentic objects enable the visitors
to relive this momentous time.
The original Pegasus Bridge is on display in the
park of the museum along with a full size
copy of a wartime Horsa glider.

www.memorial-pegasus.org
20

020_CMV_SEP19_ad.indd 1 30/07/2019 15:17:11

words and pictures Craig Allen The Memorial Pegasus Museum of the Month

On a high at Memorial
Pegasus

Memorial Pegasus features a purpose-built modern museum to house the airborne collection

T
he Memorial Pegasus museum lies just
over the modern Pegasus Bridge on the
Caen Canal site of the famous Glider Borne
Assault in the early hours of D-Day. It would
be hard to imagine a more appropriate setting
and the museum features a wealth of airborne
artefacts housed in a purpose-built facility.
It replaced an earlier museum on the other
side of the bridge, close to the Gondree Café
which closed after a long running dispute over
the lease. Thankfully, that is all in the past and
the memorial is now home to a wonderful
collection including the original Pegasus

Airborne Jeep display inside the museum
1965 Mini ‘Twini’ Moke, a twin-engined - therefore 4x4
Horsa Assault Glider replica built for the 60th
anniversary of D-Day
Bridge which sits proudly in the grounds. Also ABOVE: The original Pegasus Bridge lies in the
on display outside are an M3 Half-Track and memorial grounds with a modern replacement
bridging the canal
several artillery pieces along with a full-size
BELOW: The Memorial Pegasus replaced an
replica of an Airspeed Horsa Assault Glider built earlier museum
for the 60th commemoration.
Inside, the display cabinets feature a wealth of
weaponry and equipment alongside medals and
personal items donated by veterans. There are
video presentations explaining the history and a
well-stocked shop where you can pick up airborne
books and memorabilia. Each year on the
anniversary of D-Day the memorial becomes the
focus of commemoration events and hosts World
War Two veterans, many of whom have received Memorial Pegasus
their Croix de Guerre beside the original bridge. Avenue du Major Howard
If you are in the area it makes for a great stop 14860 RANVILLE
along with refreshments at the Pegasus Bridge Phone : 02 31 78 19 44
Café both of which were especially popular in Fax : 02 31 78 19 42
this 75th anniversary year.

21
 e
Events Yorkshire Wartime Experience words and pictures Andrew Stone

t t l
A fireball from an

a s
explosion during
the D-Day battle

Now in
its 8th year,
the Yorkshire
Wartime Experience
BS ta t i o n For military vehicle enthusiasts there
was an exciting and impressive array of
armoured and soft-skin vehicles on show from
World War One right up to present day. Military
vehicles included a DUKW amphibious vehicle,
Bedford QL fire engine, Ford GPW, AEC Matador,
Opel Blitz Truck, a Morris LRC armoured car,

keeps on improving T-34 tank, M18 Hell Cat tank destroyer, M36 tank
destroyer, SAS ‘Pink Panther’ Land Rovers, Ford
GP and a Chieftain Tank.

A
ppreciative crowds enjoyed plenty of Now in its eighth year, the show has grown
action at the 2019 Yorkshire Wartime from strength to strength over the years thanks
Experience, which took place in early to the hard work by organiser Stuart Wright
July. With more than 500 military vehicles on and his team. Part of its popularity is because it
display, 72 re-enactment groups in attendance offers something for everyone, and it is the only
and more than 80 vintage, military and collecta- show in the north of England where you can
ble stalls, there was plenty to keep enthusiasts see real wartime tanks live firing their guns in
entertained throughout the three-day event. realistic battle re-enactments.
Highlights included a fly past from a Spitfire The D-Day battle, held in the main arena to
and World War One and Two battle re-enact- mark the 75th Anniversary of the event, drew
ments in the main arena. plaudits from show goers for its spectacu-
One of the highlights of the show
was a flypast from a Spitfire

22
words and pictures Andrew Stone
lar pyrotechnic display and battlefield action
involving tanks, vehicles and Allied and German
re-enactors.
While most of the arena action took place on
Saturday and Sunday, the Friday was dedicated
as a school’s day where local children were invit-
ed to walk round the site and interact with many
of the displays, trenches, vehicles and re-enact-
ment groups up close.
“Overall it was a fantastic show and we had
7,000 more people attend than last year,” said
Stuart. “We spend an awful amount of money on
An impressive array of heavy armour on was on display
A ‘Pink
Panther’
takes part in
a battle
re-nactment
Yorkshire Wartime Experience Events
The D-Day battle re-enact-
ment was a hit with crowds
the battles but it’s worthwhile in the end because
everything that went on in the arena went off
very well.”
Stuart said they were already planning next
year’s show which promised more action.
“You cannot run a show like this without the
vehicle owners, re-enactors and stall holders so I
don’t like to single out individuals when thanking
people for making it happen,” he said. “We have an
excellent team involved in organising the event so
it’s really down to everyone involved.”
Entertainment was provided by Paul and Melissa
A Bedford QL fire engine
There were plenty of
military vehicles on show
for enthusiasts
23
Visitors can get up close to
the military vehicles on show
Several bikes were also
on display for two-wheeled fans
Harper, Lilly Moore and the Ashby big band while
there were several fully licenced bar and food
outlets.
In a first for the show, a wedding between two
re-enactors was held on site. A social media post
from organisers said: “Congratulations to Ash
and Kirsty, two of our lovely re-enactors. We are
honoured that you chose our event to celebrate
your special day.”
On a sad note, a minute’s silence followed by a
gun salute on Sunday were held in tribute to a
military vehicle collector who passed away.
A re-enactor loads blanks into his magazine
Events Tankfest, Bovington, UK words Andrew Stone pictures Andrew Stone & James Stone

Firsts for

A young fan meets a Hollywood star

Tankfest
Some of the highlights of the show included a World
War Two Panther, Sherman Firefly and Type 95 Ha-Go

T
here were plenty of firsts for military
vehicle enthusiasts to enjoy at this year’s
Tankfest, including the appearances of a
World War Two Panther, a Sherman Firefly from
the same period, a Type 95 Ha-Go tank used by
Japan during the war and the impressive Leop-
ard PRTL from the Royal Netherlands Army.
The last-minute inclusion of the Weald Founda-
tion’s World War Two Jagdpanther also proved
a major highlight at the three-day event, which
was held at the Tank Museum in late June. The
Jagdpanther, of which there are just three run-
ning examples in the world, was a German tank
destroyer based on the chassis of the Panther
tank. It was parked alongside a Panther from Le
Musée des Blindés in France and this was the
first time that a Panther and Jagdpanther had
been seen in action together in the UK.
The restoration of the 50-ton Panther and its
transportation across the Channel was funded
by Tankfest sponsors, World of Tanks. This was
the second time Le Musée des Blindés has sent
a vehicle from its collection to the event, follow-
ing the appearance of the French Char B1 last
year under a similar arrangement.
Tank Museum director Richard Smith described
the Panther as “an exceptionally important
vehicle” from World War Two and said it had
made a “fantastic addition to our arena displays
at Tankfest”.
There are currently no running examples in
the UK, so it was a great opportunity for tank
enthusiasts to see one in action. “Transporting

The Sherman Firefly passes by the Jagdpanther, barrels aligned

24
 words Andrew Stone pictures Andrew Stone & James Stone Tankfest, Bovington, UK Events

such a large vehicle this distance is quite an un-

dertaking, so we would like to thank our French
counterparts and our sponsors World of Tanks
for making this possible,” said Richard.
The Jagdpanther, which has been loaned to the
museum by the Kent-based Weald Foundation,
last appeared at the event in 2017. Around 400
Jagdpanthers were built and went into action lat-
er in the war, serving on the Eastern and Western
Fronts. It was a formidable weapon – but fortu-
nately for the Allies, production of these vehicles
was limited by shortages of raw materials and
disruption caused by allied bombings.
In another first, a Sherman Firefly from the Bas-
togne Barracks in Belgium, part of the Belgian
Royal Military Museum, made a guest appear-
ance at the popular event. It was manufactured
in the US in 1942, delivered to Europe in 1943
and converted to a Firefly in early 1944. After the
war, it was due to be scrapped, but avoided this
fate and was recently restored to running order
by the museum. The Firefly, with its 17-pounder
gun, was considered the deadliest version of the
famous Sherman tank and one of the few Allied A Type 95 Ha-Go tank drew a lot of interest

tanks feared by the Germans. The Tank Muse-
um’s head of collections, Chris van Schaarden-
burgh, said the Firefly was a “significant World
War Two British innovation, tested just down
the road from The Tank Museum, and we are
extremely grateful to the Bastogne Barracks for
bringing it here to Bovington”.
The Firefly took part in the D-Day 75 display, to
mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
A Type 95 Ha-Go tank, used by Japan during
World War Two, also drew large crowds of curi-
ous onlookers. Only two operational Ha-Go tanks
exist in the world and this was the first time
Panzer power
The restoration of the German Panzerkamp-
fwagen V, or type A Sdkfz tank, began at the
end of 2017. The chassis number is 155 506
and this same number is found in the turret.
It was built in the Machin Niedersachser
Hannover GmbH (MWH) factory and left the
facility on June 2, 1944. It bears number 314
on the Armored Vehicles’ Museum’s
inventory (Archangel). In the
1960s, the CDEB acquired
the collections that were
present in
Satory and Gien, including numerous German
vehicles used for test purposes or opera-
tional purposes like the German vehicles.
When all versions of the vehicle are counted,
more than 6,000 Panthers were built during
World War Two, including 3,750 in 1944. It is
possible that the Panther ausf. A now being
restored at the Armored Vehicles’ Museum
was part of the Besnier Autonomous Tank
Squadron. The Panther ausf. G bore the
name of Dauphine; the Panther ausf. A was
named Bretagne in May 1945.

Valentine DD tank

The impressive Leopard PRTL from the Royal

Netherlands Army

25
Events Tankfest, Bovington, UK
A Universal Carrier that formed part of the D-Day convoy
The Weald Foundation’s World War Two Jagdpanther
Panzer III
words Andrew Stone pictures Andrew Stone & James Stone
Sofilein in front of the camera
talking about the Sherman Firefly
The Boxer, a multi-role armoured fighting vehicle
A Hetzer in the arena
26
that one had run at Tankfest. Around 2,300 were
manufactured by the Japanese for World War
Two, but fewer than 25 now survive with only
two in running order. The Ha-Go on display was
found on an island in the South Pacific and had
previously been on show in Osaka, Japan until
it was brought to England by Oliver Barnham
in 2005. Oliver has spent more than 10 years
restoring the tank to running condition and al-
most all the original features have been retained,
including the engine.
The above-mentioned vehicles were joined
by The Tank Museum’s own running armour
and other guest vehicles including two T-34
tanks used by Russia during World War Two.
The T-34 was the most produced tank of the
war, with more than 80,000 built. The two at
Tankfest were the T-34/85 variants and both
were produced during the war. One came from
the Cobbaton Collection in Devon, which houses
a collection of World War Two vehicles and arte-
facts open to the public. The other, which came
off the production line in 1944, is thought to have
been damaged during the Battle for Prague and
then went on to fight at the Battle for Berlin, was
loaned by private collector, John Sanderson.
As usual, a variety of interesting talks took
place with guest speakers such as Holly-
wood stuntman Jim Dowdall and The Tank
Museum’s very own tank historian and CMV
contributor David Fletcher speaking. Other
guest speakers included Lt Col Jim Howard,
Wargaming’s Richard Cutland and Military
Archaeologist Richard Osgood.
The Saturday afternoon displays were opened
by the Army Parachute Display Team, the
Lightning Bolts. The team ‘dropped in’ from an
altitude of 8,000ft, with each member exiting the
aircraft followed by a smoke trail.
Continuing with the theme of firsts, this was
also my first visit to Tankfest. While I was only
able to spend part of Friday and Saturday at the
event, I thoroughly enjoyed having the opportuni-
ty to view all the armour on show.
Friday was the less crowded of the two days
and allowed more freedom when moving about
the site and around the museum itself. Visitors
to the Tank Park were also able to get up-close
with the vehicles, while the list of positives for
attending on the first day didn’t stop there as the
traders were less busy, allowing for more
browsing time and less queuing time. The fact
that Friday tickets are also cheaper than
Saturday and Sunday, makes it a viable
alternative for those planning a trip next year.
To mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, a convoy of
World War Two vehicles made its way around
the arena
words and pictures Louise Limb Brougham Hall MVT Show Events

This K2 ambulance landed

at Gold beach and is cared
for by (left to right) Majors
Alan and Linda Taberner
who met while serving as
nurses in Iraq, now joined
by Jamie Cameron

RAF officers check they are as parade-smart as

their Hillman staff car

B r h
Battlefront
o u g a m Land Girls drove the Fordson Model N, issued
at first painted orange or blue, then later in less
conspicuous green or grey

visit, with Susie’s un-restored 1942 Fordson

Model N tractor the centrepiece of her Land
Girls display.
World War Two This year, the Fordson had to take a back seat

era military vehicle to the real star of the show, Zandra Armstrong,
now 93 and an original Land Girl.
owners and living history Zandra, then 16, lied about her age and did
her training in North Wales. She was posted to
re-enactors celebrate Lazonby, Penrith where she later met her hus-

under May sunshine While neither Phil Meadows nor his 1956
at Cumbria’s luscious Hotchkiss can claim to have been at D-Day, they
both look the part but he can at least play the
Brougham Hall bagpipes in a tribute to legendary piper Bill Millin
band and has remained in the area ever since.
If Brougham Hall looks like the perfect setting
for a World War Two event, it also played a
genuinely important part in the war. The Canal
Defence light tank was developed here in total
secrecy - its dummy turret featuring a search-

W
ith a spotlight on the 80th anniversary
of the Women’s Land Army and the
stunning backdrop of Brougham Hall,
near Penrith, military vehicle enthusiasts were in
for a packed weekend.
Ahead of the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day
landings, a varied range of World War Two-era
trucks arrived. These ranged from a bevy
of beautiful Chevrolets to a tracked Univer-
sal Carrier and an Austin K2, one of three
ambulances preparing to return to Gold beach
where it landed on June 6, 1944 thanks to
financial help from Queen Alexandra’s Royal
Nursing Association.
The first collaboration between Brougham
Hall, the Northern World War Two Associa-
tion and members of the South Cumbria and
North Lancs MVT was in 2016, when the MVT
was invited to help the hall establish a 1940s
event. MVT regulars, Boyan Holmes and Susie
Newbould who together run the Women’s Land
Army re-enactment group, helped set up the
first event.
Three years later it is ideally sized for a day
light and coloured lights to disorient the enemy.
A memorial to the men who served here is set in
the perimeter wall. On reflection, maybe you
need a whole weekend at this event rather than
one day.
Find out more about Brougham Hall here
https://preview.tinyurl.com/yyw2akf9
See what South Cumbria and North Lancs
MVT get up to here
https://preview.tinyurl.com/y6sa4zqt

Chris Hallam’s 90% complete Bren Gun Carrier now resides near Penrith

Jon Newbould’s
lovely Canadian Mil-
itary Pattern (CMP)
Chevrolet Wrecker
standing proud

27
 * THEN JUST £11.99 PER QUARTER
WHEN YOU TAKE OUT A
DIRECT DEBIT SUBSCRIPTION TO

3 E A S Y WAY S T O O R D E R T H I S FA N TA S T I C S U B S C R I P T I O N O F F E R !

ONLINE TELEPHONE POST

COMPLETE THE FORM AND POST TO:
SIMPLY REGISTER UK 01780 480404
OVERSEAS +44 1780 480404 CLASSIC MILITARY VEHICLE
ONLINE AT: KEY PUBLISHING LTD
FAX UK 01780 757261
WWW.CMVMAG.CO.UK OVERSEAS +44 1780 757261 GMT
PO BOX 300, STAMFORD
LINCS, PE9 1NA, UNITED KINGDOM

Customer code: CM0919

 SUBSCRIBE & SAVE  YES, I would like to subscribe to Classic Military Vehicle
MAKE GREAT
PAYER’S DETAILS
SAVINGS WHEN YOU
SUBSCRIBE FOR 2 Title First name Surname
YEARS PRE-PAID OR Address
ANNUAL DIRECT DEBIT
Postcode Country
Email address
 We would like to keep you informed by email about Key Publishing’s future offers and new product launches.
Please tick this box to let us know that you are happy for us to do this. Don’t forget, you can change your contact
preferences at any time by logging into your account or by using the unsubscribe links which you will find on all our
emails. Account details will be active once the subscription is live.

DELIVERY DETAILS (IF DIFFERENT) Please send gift card 

 The recipient is under 16

Title First name Surname

Address

Postcode Country
Email address

SPECIAL OFFER (PLEASE TICK)

* UK Only  Three issues for £5, then just £11.99 quarterly

12 ISSUES 24 ISSUES FOR THE PRICE

FOR THE PRICE OF 10 OF 19
UK 12 issues  £47.30 24 issues  £89.99

Europe 12 issues  £56.99 24 issues  £99.99

USA 12 issues  $72.99 24 issues  $128.99

Rest of the World 12 issues  £59.99 24 issues  £104.99

PAYMENT DETAILS
I enclose a cheque for £/$ ................................. made payable to Key Publishing Ltd
Please debit my Mastercard  Visa  for £/$ ...............

Expiry date Security Code (3 digit code on reverse of card)

OFFER CLOSE DATE: 30 SEPTEMBER 2019 PLEASE QUOTE: CMV919

Signature ....................................................................................................................................................Today’s date ..................................................

INSTRUCTION TO YOUR BANK OR BUILDING SOCIETY TO PAY BY DIRECT DEBIT

Please tick: 505/19
UK Direct Debit 3 issues for £5, then £11.99 quarterly £46.44 annually

6 5 8 9 6 0

AMERICAN READERS
Readers in the USA may place orders by
telephone toll-free 800-428-3003
or by writing to:
Classic Military Vehicle, 3330 Pacific Ave,
Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA 23451-2983
Alternatively, order online at:
www.imsnews.com/cmv
quoting/entering code CMV919 *PLEASE NOTE: Three issues for £5 by Direct Debit trial offer is only available to UK subscribers. Restricted to one order per UK household, it is only available with new subscriptions to Classic Military
Vehicle magazine. Pay only £5 for the first three issues of your subscription, then pay just £11.99 quarterly for subsequent issues. If you don’t like what you see, simply cancel before your third issue and pay
not a penny more! If you wish to continue after your three issues for £5, your subscription will automatically renew until you decide to stop at just £11.99 quarterly.
If paying by Direct Debit please send in form or complete online - Payments are accepted by Direct Debit, cheque, Postal Order, Credit Card and US Dollar check. Payments by
credit or debit card will be shown on your statement as Key Publishing Ltd. Key Publishing will hold your details to process and fulfil your subscription order.
 words and pictures Vicky Turner

Armour
T
he brainchild of David Forster, Armour
in the Dales was set up as a fundraising
event for Help for Heroes and Catterick’s
Phoenix House facility. In exchange for a very
reasonable registration fee, vehicle owners

Dales
were offered a unique opportunity to test their
driving skills and their machine’s capabilities
on the expansive and varied terrain of the MoD
training areas in North Yorkshire.

in the
David, his wife Doris, along with Bob Fleming
and other members of the North East
Military Vehicle Club (NEMVC) organised this
charitable spectacular with the support of the
MoD, Landmark, MVT trained safety marshals
and various other volunteers.
Judging from the grins on the faces of the
drivers and passengers of the assembled
collection of unusual vehicles - the weekend
proved a great success.
There were 19 armoured vehicles and 22 soft-
skins and under the supervision of the range
master Martin Robson they took part in various
driving activities over two days. Safety was
paramount but with a view to facilitating fun
not imposing limitations.
Spencer Townson provided emergency fire
service cover, and men and MAN recovery
vehicles from the 12/102 REME Company were event provided the rare treat of being able to Of course, set on top of the North York
on hand to fix breakdowns and tow anyone open the throttle up. Moors, the venue provided a spectacular
who got themselves stuck. Food was provided There are miles of dirt tracks in the perimeter backdrop with panoramic views and a perfect
when wanted by the 29th Field Kitchen group. roads, drivers could stare at the sky through the vantage point to watch the activities. Who
The weekend had everything weather wise; view finder on the top of the knife-edge before wouldn’t want to spend time watching a T34, a
some bright sunshine but a lot of wind, rain cresting and plummeting down the other side, Ferret, Universal Carrier, CVRTs, Jeeps and
and sleet but it did nothing to dampen spirits. teeth rattled loose on the rumble strips, nerves military Land Rovers having fun, doing what
To folks used to static display of military were tested along with technical driving skills they were built to do, all in the name of a good
vehicles, the odd road run and, if on the lengthy and challenging off-road course. cause? Here is hoping that there may be
lucky, perhaps the occasional slow The water obstacles and plenty of mud to play another such event in the future – it really was
rumble round a show arena, this in also provided lots of entertainment. pretty special.

Catterick Range hosts an array of armoured

and soft-skinned vehicles

Steve Walling and Gary

Stockwell showing that
cresting the peak of the
Knife Edge takes nerves
and skill

30
 Plenty of
T34 glowing in
fun was had
the sunshine
by all

A ferret cocks its leg on the heavily rutted hill climb. Hopefully it won’t be
There is no shame having a watcher and guide too long before another
event is held

A lunchtime photo opportunity; vehicles all ages, A rare 6x6 Saracen Command post and a Supacat Weaselly made it though!
shapes, sizes and nationalities came to enjoy the negotiate the steep section at the start of the off-road
weekend course

Unusual Soviet BRDM 2 recce Walking the course was recommended

amphibious vehicle makes a before attempting its more challenging
splash in the water feature obstacles; here surveying the Knife Edge

31
 words and pictures Andrew Stone

N
either scorching temperatures nor
drenching rain deterred thousands of
classic military vehicle enthusiasts and
re-enactors from attending the annual War and
Peace Revival held at The Hop Farm in Paddock
Wood, Kent in July. Despite high temperatures
on the Wednesday and Thursday followed
by soaking rain on the Friday and Saturday,
organisers of the popular classic military show
said the event had gone off ‘very well’. Steve
Morgan of FRL Media, a division of War and
Peace, said: “It was a good show and we’ve had
some cracking feedback already. Of course,
we’re happy with how things went and believe
that overall it was a really good show.”
This year marked the 75th anniversary of
the D-Day landings, the largest amphibious
deployment of troops in history, and like many
other shows, The War and Peace Revival
commemorated the momentous event with a
memorial service. Held in the Victory Marquee
on the final day of the event, the service
was attended by veterans of the Normandy
landings. “It was a moving event attended by
veterans,” said Steve. “Unfortunately, some
could not be with us on the day as they had

The Greatest
it was challenging because we had the two taken ill, which is understandable as it has been
extremes of heat and then drenching rain, but a busy year for them. After the service those

Showmen Enthusiasts pull out all the stops at War and Peace Revival

Queues form outside the main gate while

(below) visitors gather around the arena
for the heavy vehicle display

32
that were there were given rides in some of the
military vehicles, and they thoroughly enjoyed
it. Four of them even said they plan to come
camping next year.”
The Spitfire Marquee bar and stage, which
proved a hit last year, made a welcome return
with another great line up of bands while the
theme for the Home Front this year was ‘Wings
for Victory’. Events included a concert, air raid
precautions gas mark fitting demonstration and
many other activities.
The arena also proved a major drawcard with
visitors thanks to a variety of displays on the go
throughout the five-day event. Tracked armour
included tanks from World War Two to more
A South African ‘Buffel’
(Buffalo) MRAP vehicle
recent models while other displays included
military Land Rovers, heavy vehicles and
wreckers, armoured cars, amphibious vehicles
and, of course, of Jeeps.
Tey Vehicle Restorations, which has been
commissioned by the Wheatcroft Collection
to fully restore four Hetzer (Jagdpanzer 38)
tanks had two on display in the trader’s area.
One had been taken from a Swiss infantry
range about 15 years ago and has been stored
at the Wheatcroft storage yard while the other
was bought by the collection in 1992 from a
Bavarian film studio. As these vehicles are
completed, they are expected to appear at
future War and Peace Revival events.
33
There was plenty on the go at the Classic
Military Vehicle stand too, with guest vehicles
appearing each day including an armoured Buffel,
Marder III, Scammel and Snatch Land Rover.
Authors Gerry van Tonder, Mike Starmer, Craig
Moore and David Bailey also made appearances
at the stand for book signing sessions.
Some of the highlights from the various
living history and re-enactor groups included
the Rolling Thunder display which featured
Vietnam-era gun trucks, the cockpit of an F-4
Phantom jet and a UH-1 Huey helicopter. Three
Sixty History erected their impressive ‘Black
Hawk Down’ themed display and carried out
daily demos while other scenes around the
Milweb’s Nigel Hay (right) with Mick Wilson who
won the Milweb Award for his M4A4 Sherman
A Bedford fire engine
Motorcycle enthusiasts were out in numbers too
An FV432 makes its way around the arena
A Hetzer doing its rounds
A column of military Land Rovers
waits to go into the arena
Size wasn’t everything at the show
living history camp provided unique insight into advice and suggestions we get from people
life in conflict during both World Wars to the and incorporate it into our planning for next
present. These included British and German year’s show, which has already begun. There’s a
forces living in trenches, GIs in Vietnam and few things we’re already looking at changing for
Russians relaxing with an accordion after a next year and we’ll do our best to keep
hard day in battle. improving the show.”
There were hundreds of trade stalls
packed full of interesting treasures
including militaria, antiques, vehicle
parts, books, clothing and uniforms
and memorabilia. For the modellers,
there was an extensive display of
some top-class models as the show
draws modelling enthusiasts from
around the world.
“We’ve already had a lot of feedback
from people who said it was great fun
and they’re already looking forward to
next year,” said Steve. “We take all the
RIGHT: Author Gerry van Tonder signing
books at the Classic Military Vehicle stand
BELOW: Three Sixty History at their ‘Black Hawk Down’ site
34
 Britain’s No.1 Synthetic Coach Enamel
for Military, Classic Cars, Commercials…
BRITISH
MADE

sales@paintman.co.uk
01777 710100 www.paintman.co.uk
A traditional premium product for a top quality professional finish. Easy to use and can be
applied by spray, roller or brush.
Extensive range of military colours in stock.
We can also supply any known paint code colour or if you need a specific colour then
please let us have either a small panel, sample or colour code if known.

M i l i t a r y Ve h i c l e Tr u s t M e m b e r

35
 words Richard Gunn pictures Archive

g
Bu
ti e
The with

B
One of the two 1946
British Army trial
Kommandeurwagens,
showing its roller
front end to try and
avoid digging-in

W Richard Gunn tells

atch practically any war movie
or TV drama set in Germany,
occupied Europe or North Africa,
and almost inevitably a Volkswagen-based
Kübelwagen or Schwimmwagen will pop
up at some point. These two vehicles, built
in substantial numbers (approximately
52,000 of the Kübelwagen and 14,283 of the
Schwimmwagen), were as synonymous with
the Wehrmacht as Jeeps and DUKWs were
with Allied forces during World War Two.
the story of the
Kommandeurwagen,
the Volkswagen Beetle
saloon that became a
4x4 fighting machine
However, throw in the vehicle that both
the fighting Kübelwagen and floating
Schwimmwagen originated from – the
Kraft durch Freude-Wagen (KdF-Wagen) or
Volkswagen Type 1, more commonly known
post-war as the Beetle – and many might
question whether it was an anachronism.
Granted, the Beetle (we’ll call it that for ease of
identification, even though it wouldn’t earn that
nickname until the 1950s) had been launched
by the time Word War Two started and limited

36
production was underway. But aside from a few
examples built for propaganda purposes and Rear aspect of a
given to high-ranking Nazi officials, the outbreak Kommandeurwagen
- the standard front
of the conflict largely saw standard saloon
and rear bumpers
production cease after only a couple of hundred didn’t help the
had appeared prior to September 1939. angles of attack for
The Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen took up banks and ditches
the factory time and space that would otherwise
have been devoted to the German people’s car.
Eventually, of course, the Beetle managed to
successfully shake off its dubious birth,

37
Whether two-wheel or four-wheel drive, the Kommandeurwagen proved itself quite adept away from the road

SPECIFICATIONS Transmission Porsche-designed gearbox, non- rear axles

Make Volkswagen synchromesh transaxle with integral final drive Brakes Drum brakes all round
Model Kommandeurwagen Type 877 unit. Limited slip differential. Rear-wheel drive Wheels 4J x 16in pressed steel wheels
Nationality German with switchable front-wheel drive and locking Tyres 5.25 x 16 crossply tyres,
Year 1941-1944, 1946 differentials Kronzprinzrader sand tyres optional
Used by Germany Type Four-speed manual with additional off- Crew/seats One, three
Production Run 669 (believed) road and reverse gear
Engine Volkswagen air-cooled flat-four Suspension Front : Fully independent with Dimensions
overhead valve transverse, multi-leaf torsion bars and Length 13ft 4.2in (4.7m)
Fuel Petrol telescopic shock absorbers. King- and link- Width 5ft 0.6in (1.54m)
Displacement 1,131cc pin design. Rear: Fully independent swing Wheelbase 7ft 10.5in (2.4m)
Power 25bhp@3000rpm axle with twin solid torsion bars and lever Weight 2734lbs (1240kg)
Torque 49lb ft@2000rpm arm shock absorbers. Reduction gears on Ground clearance 10.4in (26.5cm)

becoming much more associated with peace-
loving hippies of the 1960s than with the Third
Reich of the 1930s. And, it’s thanks to this
transformation, that seeing a Beetle in a war
movie would be like watching Herbie the Love
Bug menace a puppy. Walt Disney would be
mortified!
And yet the Beetle did go into battle. For
alongside the Kübelwagen and Schwimmwagen,
the factory at KdF-Stadt (Stadt des Kraft-
durch-Freude-Wagens bei Fallersleben,
as Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg base was
ponderously and ominously known) did turn
out Type 1s markedly adapted for military
purposes. What was officially known as the
‘Leichter geländegängiger PKW, 4-sitziger,
4-radgetriebener Geländewagen’ (light off-
road passenger car, four seats, all-wheel drive
off-road vehicle) but rather more succinctly as
the Type 877 Kommandeurwagen would be
instantly recognisable to anybody familiar with
Volkswagen’s most ubiquitous post-war product.
But beneath its Beetle body was the chassis of
the Kübelwagen mated to the four-wheel drive
system of the Schwimmwagen. The result was
a vehicle offering better off-road ability than the
former and more protection than the latter.
Looking for all the world like the evil cousin
of the modified Volkswagen Baja Bugs of
the late-1960s onwards, the chief visual
differences between a standard Beetle and a
Kommandeurwagen were the larger, chunky-
tyred wheels, wider wings and raised ground
clearance.
The type was born out of the prototype four-
wheel drive Type 86 Kübelwagen, which in turn
gave rise to the first Schwimmwagen Type 128
of 1940.
Given that the factory had prepared for mass

An 82E two-wheel drive Kommandeurwagen

being towed out of trouble. The four-wheel drive
877 might have coped with this rather better

One
of the
1946-built
British Army
Kommandeurwagens
being tested on a
sand bank. Bumpers
were removed on these two
post-war Type 877s

38

production of the civilian Beetle before the war,
it seemed only logical to extend the idea and
use the body tooling for military use. Thus,
three prototypes were put together and tested
between 1939 and 1941 by the Porsche bureau
in Stuttgart, headed up by the Beetle’s creator Dr
Ferdinand Porsche.
The trials took the nascent
Kommandeurwagens to Yugoslavia, Greece,
Bulgaria and Romania, to see how they coped
with a variety of different conditions. They
proved quite adept, thanks to their air-cooled
engines meaning they could cope with extremes
of cold and warm temperatures in a way that a
water-cooled vehicle might struggle with.
However, their extra complication compared to
Kübelwagens, plus the necessity for expensive
aluminium parts, counted against them when
compared to cheaper, less complex fighting
Volkswagens that could be built more easily.
Their narrow front doors also made them less
practical because they hindered hurried entries
and exits. Thus, as their Kommandeurwagen
name suggests, they were intended primarily for
officers needing a little more luxury and security
than an open-topped vehicle.
Aside from the bumpers, which
were painted the same shade
as the rest of the vehicle, there
were no excess adornments to
a Kommandeurwagen
The interior of a
Type 877; note
the stowed MP40
machine gun,
early cogged
Volkswagen logo
and four-wheel
drive lever
between the seats
TYPE 877 MODIFICATIONS FROM
STANDARD BEETLE
Instead of the customary bench seat,
• Schwimmwagen four-wheel drive system
Kommandeurwagens had a single seat in the rear
• Three seats instead of four
with a work/storage surface alongside
• Larger wheels and tyres
• Extended wings and running boards
• Extra fuel capacity
That said, as standard, most Type 877s did
come with a roll-back canvas sunroof, which
rather negated some of the protection from
bullets and shrapnel. Some did have the full tin-
top though, and thus rather more security.
There were other variations on the theme.
The 82E was two-wheel drive and mounted on
conventional Kübelwagen underpinnings with
only its rear wheels powered, while the 92 SS
was an 82E or 877 primarily for Waffen-SS use,
and included leather seats, wooden map tables
and hooks for mounting firearms.
Then there was the Type 98; the designation
reserved for the cabriolet-bodied version of the
877. It’s quite possible that these were simply to
use up stocks of open-top bodies rather than as
a serious war machine, if any were even actually
built.
A 40-litre fuel tank was fitted as standard, larger
Incidentally, the Type 877 Kommandeurwagen than the 25 lit one found in pre-war Volkswagens
is often referred to as the Type 87; this is
Inside a 92 SS
Kommandeurwagen
- note the wooden
duckboards,
foldaway wooden
table and MP40
machine gun
clipped in the
passenger footwell
39
 LEFT: The Third Reich dream was
for the autobahns to be filled
by KdF-Wagens. Beetles would
eventually achieve that from the
1950s onwards

RIGHT: A pre-war publicity shot for

the KdF-Wagen, emphasising its
role as the German people’s car

erroneous as the Type 87 was the four-wheel

drive open-bodied Kübelwagen. It may have
been the same underneath, but it was very
different on top.
Following the three prototypes, proper
production began in 1941, using the Type
60 Beetle shell that had been signed off in
1938. However, with these bodies intended to
accommodate somewhat thinner road tyres for
use on autobahns rather than in the theatre of
war, the front and rear wings of the cars had to
be modified.
This involved metal spacers being inserted
where they joined the body, to move the wings
outwards and prevent them fouling the larger
Ferdinand Porsche (centre) was the lead
16-inch Kronprinz cross-country tyres. This also engineer on the various Volkswagen
necessitated changes to the running boards. projects, seen here with Adolf Hitler in a
Other deviations from the norm were a wooden Volkswagen Cabriolet
floorboard in the cabin as well as a first aid
kit, reclining front seats and half of the rear
bench seat removed to make way for a working Volkswagens have always been competent bulge in the front boot lid topped by a loading
surface. In the front boot was 20 lit fuel can, on sand, hence their much later widespread hatch. The spare wheel was relocated to the
rope and shovel alongside the 40 lit fuel tank adaptations into dune buggies and Baja Bugs. roof, where a roof rack was also installed to
(standard saloons had a 25 lit one), spare wheel Some upgrading was required though; to carry the solid fuel.
and jack. A Notek driving lamp was also often properly cope, they had to be fitted with suitable Kommandeurwagens continued to be turned
part of the equipment, allowing use at night equipment to protect the air filter, carburettor out by the Volkswagen factory until 1944, by
without alerting too many potential enemies. and electrics from dust. Kronprinzrader sand which time the war had turned against Germany
Although described as a four-wheel tyres were also adopted. and the facility found itself increasingly on the
drive vehicle, the rudimentary system the Another occasional modification sometimes receiving end of Allied bombs. Remarkably, the
Kommandeurwagen employed was more made to Kommandeurwagens was the fitment first bombing raid on KdF-Stadt wasn’t until April
two-wheel drive with the limited option of power of a wood gas generator, to overcome petrol 8, 1944, despite its significance to the Nazi war
to all the wheels if the going got tough. The shortages. This converted timber or charcoal effort. But after those initial 2,000 bombs in five
propshaft to the front wheels ran through an into fuel for the engine and necessitated a big minutes, the huge complex, uncamouflaged and
enlarged backbone chassis tube to modified
steering knuckles. The rear axle had reduction
gears and there were lockable front and rear ZF
differentials.
To bring all four wheels into play, the driver
had to pull a lever between the front seats – but
only if the car was in first gear or reverse. That
gave a top speed of just over 6mph, along with a
34-degree slope climbing ability.
Granted, it was hardly blistering stuff and a
Type 877 would have been easily outclassed
by a Jeep over most rough terrain, even if the
military Volkswagen might have coped better
with weather, offered significantly less fuel
consumption and was cheaper to make.
But the Kommandeurwagen made do with just
a VW 25bhp 1,131cc engine and if its natural
rugged abilities weren’t enough to extricate it
from a tricky situation, then the 4x4 provided a
useful boost, even if it was just at walking pace.
It seems that the vehicles particularly excelled
in North Africa with the Afrika-Korps, where
their light weight meant the harsh, desert Wartime production at the Volkswagenwerk factory with, possibly, a two-wheel
drive Type 82E under construction. Note the Kübelwagen in the background
landscape proved little hindrance. Rear-engined

40
pinpointed by the Mittelland Canal that ran by
it, saw five months of raids plus an American
bomber crash directly into it. According
to VW itself, at least 60% of the plant was
destroyed. However, it seems limited numbers
of Kommandeurwagens continued to emerge
from underground manufacturing bunkers into
1945, although the figures were tiny, especially
after all raw material allocations were stopped
in February 1945. Still, this at least meant
there was a supply of Beetle bodies when the
town and factory fell to the Americans in April
1945 and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (REME) took over control in June. In
addition to using the ruined facility as a repair
workshop, the British restarted production of the
two-wheel drive models – what would eventually
evolve into the civilian Volkswagen Beetle.
It’s believed that 688 two-wheel drive Type
82E and 667 four-wheel drive Type 877
Kommandeurwagens were built during
hostilities. The French occupation authorities ordered 100,
Pictures of Wolfsburg (as KdF-Stadt had been but these were never built as the front-drive
renamed in 1945 as part of the ‘de-Nazification’ tooling had been destroyed, thus making mass
process) immediately post-war show British production impossible.
Army officers alongside new vehicles that look VW wouldn’t dabble with four-wheel drive again
suspiciously like high-riding Type 877s… but they until the military Iltis (Polecat) and a series of
weren’t. prototype Transporter ‘buses’ during the 1970s.
The very first peacetime Beetles had to use The public wouldn’t be able to buy a four-wheel
Kübelwagen chassis, until a supplier could be drive VW until the Passat and Transporter
found to make civilian-type reduced height axle Syncro models of the mid-1980s.
forgings. Today, just five four-wheel drive
These Beetles on stilts – 295mm above the Kommandeurwagens are thought to survive.
road instead of the usual 220mm – were known One of the 1946 trial examples was retained as
as Type 51s and were manufactured until a Volkswagenwerk staff car, before ending up
October 1946. The eventual lowered versions in Wolfsburg’s own museum, where it remains
were christened Type 11s. today. There’s a 1943 car in the Porsche
However, that wasn’t quite the end of the ABOVE: British Army personnel at the damaged Museum in Gmünd, Austria, while a prototype is
Volkswagen Kommandeurwagen story. In Wolfsburg plant with newly produced 1946 Type 51 with a collector in Hong Kong. Some enthusiasts
November 1946, REME at Wolfsburg turned Beetles which, thanks to their ride height, looked have built replicas, using suitably early parts,
out two more four-wheel drive full-metal-roofed like wartime Kommandeurwagens but weren’t chassis and Beetle bodies – but, as faithful as
Type 877s for testing purposes. This pair they are, they’re not the real thing.
TOP: A Kommandeurwagen amid the factory ruins;
differed from the wartime versions by having no But who knows what might be still lurking in
It was scenes like this that the Allies discovered
bumpers, smoothed-off front and rear bodywork when they arrived in April 1945 the abandoned outbuilding of a Russian dacha
overhangs, a roller fitted up front and the twin somewhere, or buried by drifting dunes in a
exhaust pipes relocated to exit through the back BELOW: The Kommandeurwagens were clearly Libyan desert? Maybe there are still some
wings. These changes helped prevent the cars closely related to the Beetles that would do a far long-lost Kommandeurwagens yet to be
digging into the earth on banks and ditches. better job of world domination post-war discovered…

A wood gas-converted Kommandeurwagen alongside

its Kübelwagen equivalent. Both needed bulky front-
end modifications

KOMMANDEURWAGEN VARIATIONS
Type 82E – Two-wheel drive Volkswagen
Kommandeurwagen
Type 877 – Four-wheel drive Volkswagen
Kommandeurwagen
Type 92 SS – Two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive
Volkswagen Kommandeurwagen
for SS use
Type 98 – Four-wheel drive Volkswagen
Kommandeurwagen Cabriolet

41
Two-Wh
Steve Wilson looks at the main motorcycles used by the British in World War Two

words Steve Wilson pictures The Classic Motorcycle/archive

Wond 42
Wheeled M
otorcycles were used for a variety of
roles by both Allied and Axis forces
during World War Two. They were a
vital part of the military machine thanks to their
mobility and the fact that they were also easy
to transport and were used for everything from
delivering messages when radios could not,

The Ariel WN/G ohv 346cc single was

for a period probably the most
desirable WD ride for enthusiastic
dispatch riders

nders
43
to transporting cargo or injured soldiers.
Although they were not used in combat roles
much due to the prevalence of Jeeps and
armoured vehicles, motorcycles were used for
escorting convoys and scouting missions. Here
are some the main types used by the British
during the war.
BSA WD M20
Small Heath’s 496cc side-valve single was
the guv’nor among two-wheelers supplied
by British manufacturers to our own and
Allied forces. In World War Two, 126,334 BSA
motorcycles were produced from an overall
British total of 425,000, the vast majority M20s,
with a few thousand 250s for training purposes.
With production rising to a peak rate of 1,000
a week, economies of scale meant that in late
1941 an M20 set the War Department back
just £49 12s 2d – cheap enough to replace
if machines were destroyed or had to be
abandoned. But one ex-dispatch rider (DR) did
observe that: “The best M20s were the oldest
ones – the quality seemed to get worse as the
war went on”.
The Small Heath giant, however, did back
up production with service, with factory
personnel giving demonstrations and lectures
all over the UK on maintenance, particularly
in desert conditions, to 250,000 officers and
men. The M20 had not been an obvious war
hero, for dual-purpose use being overweight
(369lbs dry), low on power (13bhp @4,200
rpm), and lacking ground clearance (at 4.6in),
which limited off-road work. But WD doctrine
had changed in 1937, from then on valuing
‘The single-spring
clutch re-adopted
by the WD M20 may
have been simple,
but it could stick,
drag, and slip’
In World War Two, 126,334 BSA motorcycles were produced and although the troops
may have said ‘BSA’ stood for ‘big, slow and awkward’ they grudgingly recognised
that the M20 was the most durable of WD bikes
squaddie-proof simplicity and reliability, to suit The Norton fell in line with the ‘simple
what would shortly be a conscript army. and reliable’ doctrine
Troops may have claimed that ‘BSA’ stood
for ‘big, slow and awkward’, but grudgingly
recognised that the M20 was the most durable
of WD bikes; as one wag put it, the
side-valve “didn’t have the power to
wear itself out”. With its bomb-
proof bottom end and stronger
exhaust valve to withstand forces’
low octane MT80 fuel, and a 4.921
compression ratio helping easy
starting, its faults were the kind that
could mostly be fixed in the field.
The single-spring clutch re-
adopted by the WD M20 may
have been simple, but it could
stick, drag, and slip. The
shock absorber nut could
slacken off, the three studs
of the quickly detachable
rear wheel could loosen
off over time and hard
use, causing the stud
holes to elongate. Old sweat DRs
learned to wire the nuts together
before that happened, that is until
BSA changed the rear wheel design,
using dogs instead of studs. Harsh
desert conditions initially provoked
collapsing front springs on the girder
forks, but again the factory soon cleared
this up with different manufacturing
processes for the springs.
The desert and tropical conditions, after some
interim filter arrangements, from late 1943 led “The
to the fitting of the tank-top universal Vokes Norton
air filter, with a cutaway in the right rear of all
M20s three-gallon petrol tanks, to take the
(16H) should have been
the better bike but in
rubber and canvas hose to the carburettor. One
desert artillery DR recalled that “the soft power
most respects, it was a pig
compared with a good M20.”
of the side-valve was about right” for the loose
dust of most North African tracks, but they Matchless WD G3/L
were fast enough (when new they did just over
60mph) for convoy work on the few hard roads.
The Matchless G3/L ohv 348cc single
has been described as ‘the Spitfire of WD
Side-valves run hot, so the scorching motorcycles’ and ‘the superbike of the war’. It
sands did the M20 no favours; was certainly the one
but on a crisp, clear day, as every British DR
another former DR wrote: and officer
44
 ‘The most uncomfortable feature
was severe vibration’
longed to get their hands on. Compared via AJS works rider and future sales manager WD doctrine right from the top, as Winston
with existing machinery it was faster (over Jock West. Jock had also ridden for BMW Churchill promoted counter-attack, via
70mph), more powerful (16bhp @5,400 pm), and was employed by AFN, its UK importer; airborne forces, Commandos and ultimately
significantly lighter (344lbs in production though another story has forks quietly sourced seaborne invasion. The G3/L’s light, quick, even
form), and incorporating one cutting-edge from the Irish importer. Bert, the youngest aggressive character suited this. Accepted
feature, telescopic front forks, which gave good Collier and a talented engineer, supervised in 1941, the first volume production came in
handling on tarmac and outstanding ability, as development, and the Teledraulic was strong, mid-1942, with the early machines going to the
post-war competition would verify, off-road. well-damped hydraulically via small disc-type Airborne for glider assaults.
The Collier brother’s AMC at Plumstead, where dampers, and with its alloy lower legs, light. The G3/L was pretty much right from the
AJS and Matchless were made, had come With tragic irony, after the first G3/L contract, start, and unquestionably the forces’ favourite,
late to the party. Though there were orders for in Oct 1941 Bert Collier died in an accident – with over 50,000 built by 1945. They did wear
the G3/L’s predecessor, the girder-forked G3 on a long-term test BMW. quicker than the side-valves, however, and in
WO, a fast, relatively nimble but heavy (375lbs The new light 350 also chimed with a new REME workshops were not so popular.
dry) 350, of which 18,500 were supplied from
1939-1942, a) such a machine did not conform Royal Enfield
to the current WD ‘sturdy and simple’ doctrine. undertook a wide
In addition, Plumstead was judged too close range of war-work
to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, and so a including production
bombing risk. of the ‘Flying Flea’
But it was Triumph and its light 350 twin
which was bombed out in Nov 1940, and a
week later Plumstead was asked to submit
its own light machine, the prototype G3/L, for
evaluation. That ‘L’ stood for lightweight’, and
the factory had taken the weight issue seriously
enough to weigh every single component
including each nut and bolt. The result was
lighter mudguards and rear chainguard, smaller
bore exhaust/shorter silencer, smaller brakes
and saddle, a single toolbox, reduced cylinder
finning etc. All this produced a prototype dry
weight of 319lbs – 56lbs less than the G3 WO,
and most other WD machines.
A final lightening factor had been the fork,
patented as ‘Teledraulic’. It famously derived
from close scrutiny of BMW’s design, probably

45
The Matchless was described as the Spitfire of
WD motorcycles’ and the superbike of the war
‘The G3/L was pretty
much right from the start,
The AJS-type positioning of the
and unquestionably the forces’
magneto behind the cylinder meant
that the dynamo beneath it needed
the primary chaincase and clutch
removing to take it out. The saddle had to
come off to get at the standard air cleaner. And
not many mechanics then were familiar with
telescopics. But with DRs the G3/L was still top
dog – after all, it had a fork in the future.
Norton WD 16H
Norton’s Gilbert Smith cultivated the War
Department in the 1930s, hosting officers to
the TT, ISDT and Scottish, where Norton singles
shone – and Smith even had one of his men
write their reports for them!
In line with the ‘simple and reliable’ doctrine, it
was the 12.5bhp, 490cc side-valve 16H single
which was eventually selected for duty, along
with a couple of hundred Big 4 634cc outfits
with selectable sidecar-wheel drive. Always
conspicuously underpowered for their task, by
early 1943 they had been displaced by Jeeps.
Perhaps Smith’s PR work paid off, as Norton
would also be awarded the contract to design
and manufacture the universal pannier frames,
which, with a pillion pad and passenger rests,
were fitted to all large forces’ motorcycles by
mid-1942.
So the 16H (‘H’ stood for ‘home’) was
produced in numbers – more than 100,000,
with the company sloganeering ‘One In Every
Four Was A Norton’. Bracebridge Street had
never produced in such volume before, so it
meant changing from assembly of a whole
machine by a gang, to a primitive production
line, with wooden trolleys carrying bikes being
pushed along a row of benches.
The iron engine, with its classic Norton 79
x 100 internal measurements, had last been
revised in 1931, adopting dry sump lubrication
and moving the magneto behind the cylinder.
Fully enclosed valve gear was introduced
in 1938, but since it was untried, the WD
contract was for the 1937 version with open
gear behind a cover, and that was what was
retained throughout. The engine was put in
favourite’
a trials frame with slightly better
ground clearance at 5.5in. The
19in wheels were interchangeable,
and Norton girders were strong.
But with weight at 37lbs dry and
compression just 4.9:1, this Norton
was not exactly unapproachable.
While robust and simple, it also
suffered from a number of faults
in service. The four-speed foot
change Norton gearbox would
develop slop in its linkage and wear,
with changes becoming vague, and
the loss of top or bottom. Like the
BSA, the rear hub suffered from
studs loosening off. The magneto
and its platform could also work
loose. But as former DR, the late
‘Titch’ Allen observed: “Nothing
that broke or fell off (a 16H) could
bring it to a halt”, going on to
recall how when the mag platform
worked loose, you jammed a bit
of wood between it and the cylinder
barrel, to keep the drive chain in tension.
For the rider, along with a clattery engine
and barking exhaust, the most uncomfortable
feature was severe vibration. This was probably
due to a combination of the lack of a head-
steady, and the WD 16H having adopted lower
gearing via a 17T engine sprocket, replacing the
civilian pre-war 19T one.
A former DR who fancied the performance
implied by the Norton name, after “some
surgery to the silencer”, remembered “knocking
on 60mph…and the handlebar was vibrating so
much it felt as though I was holding a cocoa
tin in each hand”. Triumph man Ivor Davies,
Just under 30,000 were
then a DR, recalled that with the 16H “it was
produced, mainly for the
quite impossible to keep the controls tight on Royal Navy. Triumph produced
the bars”, and that ‘one day one of the lads…felt the 350 side-valve 3SW and
his false teeth fly out”. The 19T sprocket was then from 1942 at Meriden,
restored promptly post-war. mainly ohv 3HW 350s singles.
46
 Best of the rest
Before the Matchless G3/L changed
everything, the Ariel WN/G ohv 346cc single
was probably the most desirable WD ride for
enthusiastic DRs. Designed in characteristically
short order by Selly Oak’s Val Page between
Sept 1939 and summer 1940, it was then
judged worthy ‘for emergency purposes only’
because the engine condition had been only
‘fair’ after WD tests. Then Dunkirk and its loss
of 11,000 motorcycles provided the emergency,
and the WN/G went into full production, with
47,600 built before the last batches were
ordered in 1944.
Page had based the W/NG on the successful
SSDT-winning competition NG, stripping it,
providing wider-spaced ratios in the Burman box
and an extra plate in Ariel’s dry clutch. The trials
frame, modified, plus lengthened girders, gave 6in
of ground clearance and a 55 ½in wheelbase.
The WN/G was pleasant to ride, light enough
at 3,54lbs, comfortable, controllable and
responsive; as a trials-derived machine it
handled very well off-road. The engine was
smooth, though top speed was restricted to
the 50s due to lowered gearing and the 6.5:1
compression. Overshadowed by the G3/L, it
remained a hidden gem.
Velocette were not so lucky, the family firm
hampered by the lack of bulk production
facilities and its own high standards. Its
military modified MAC ohv 350 single, known
as the MDD, mostly went to the French forces
and were lost in the 1940 blitzkrieg. It had
difficulty fulfilling a further order of 2,000 of the
improved MAF for the WD, and after 947 were
delivered, the contract was terminated. A high
price (£68) had not helped.
Triumph was set to produce the Universal
Forces motorcycle with its sensational
but fragile ohv 350 light 3TW twin, but the
Luftwaffe stopped that. After that, in temporary
premises it produced the 350
side-valve 3SW and
47
then from 1942 at Meriden, mainly ohv 3HW
350s singles, with just under 30,000 produced,
mainly for the Royal Navy, where the 3HW in
particular was very well regarded.
Royal Enfield undertook a wide range of
war-work including making predictors for
Bofors guns, gyroscopic sights, and a wide
range of stationary engines. It also produced
55,000 two-wheelers, but many of these were
the DKW-based 125 two-stroke ‘Flying Flea’
Model RE, which could be air-dropped in
tubular crates, for the airborne forces. The
larger models it made were the 350 WD/C
side-valve 350 singles, and the WD/CO plus
WD/G ohv 350s of which 29,037 were
produced, with a few WD/J2 ohv 500 singles.
The 350s in either form, were rated below the
Matchless G3/L and Ariel WN/G, and
performance suffered off-road from poor
ground clearance and
the lack of a sump
guard.
 Calendar August 2019 - January 2020 www.cmvmag.co.uk cmveditorial@keypublishing.com

24 Ripon 4x4 & Vintage Spares Day

Ripon Racecourse, Boroughbridge Rd, Ripon,
HG4 1UG. Land Rover & vintage spares
autojumble. Classic car show on August 25
£5 per adult. 9am-1.30pm.
www.4x4sparesday.co.uk

25 Little Gransden Air and Car

Show
Fullers Hill Farm
Little Gransden
Cambridgshire
SG19 3BP
littlegransdenairshow.co.uk

31-1 Tanks in Mons

75th anniversary of liberation
www.tanksinmons.be

September
6-8 The Victory Show
Foxlands Farm, Croft Road, Cosby, Leicester,
LE9 1SG
enquiries@thevictoryshow.co.uk
www.thevictoryshow.co.uk

6-8 The Welsh Moking Weekend

Back to the hills and mountains of West Wales for
the final major Moking event of the year, as the
club sets up camp at Aberaeron, Nr New Quay.
The Welsh welcome is always guaranteed with
hospitality and activities second to none.
For more information visit
www.mokeclub.org

7 Guinness World Record

Hull4Heroes attempt to break the Guinness World
Record for the longest game of marathon touch
rugby. The event will take place at Hull Universi-
ty’s facilities on Inglemire Lane.
For more information visit: www.facebook.com/
BOHAM19/

14-21 Operation Market Garden 2019

75-year commemoration www.omg2019.nl

14-22 Operation Market Garden

Liberation Task Force’s 30 Corps Event
JAMES STONE

More than 200 British military vehicles expected.

Register to participate in the 75th anniversary

2019
August
22-23 Clacton Air Show
West Greensward
Clacton-on-Sea
Essex C015 1NW

24 Wings and Wheels

Henstridge Airfield
Somerset
BA8 0TN
henstridgeairfield.com/events-at-henstridge

24-26 Military Odyssey

Kent Show Ground, Detling, Nr Maidstone, Kent,
ME14 3JF
JAMES STONE

Multi-period living history and re-enactment

event. 07595 511981
www.military-odyssey.com

48
www.cmvmag.co.uk cmveditorial@keypublishing.com August 2019 - January 2020 Calendar

JAMES STONE
and convoy along Hell’s Highway to Venghel,
using the same roads as the liberators in 1944
27 Malvern 4x4 & Vintage
Spares Day December
www.ltf-hq.com/registration Wye Halls, Three Counties Showground, 8 Chatham Militaria Fair
www.widget.yourticketprovider/nl Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW Only fair of its type to be held completely
£6.50 per adult. 9am-1.30pm. indoors.
21-22 Sywell Classic Piston and www.4x4sparesday.co.uk Historic Dockyard, Chatham, Kent.
Props www.chathammilitariafairs.co.uk

November
Sywell Aerodrome
Northamptonshire 15 Chelmsford Militaria Fair
NN6 0BN The only indoor militaria fair in Essex.
www.sywellclassic.co.uk 3 Newark Militaria Fair Held at the Marconi Social Club,
Newark County Showground, NG24 2NY Beehive Lane ,

October
£5 per person Chelmsford, Essex.
07889 516401 Beehive Lane, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 9RX
jeep.promotions@btconnect.com www.chelmsfordmilitaria.com
6 Newbury 4x4 & Vintage Spares Day
8-10 Lancaster Insurance Classic
2020
Newbury Showground,
Chieveley, Berkshire, Motor Show

January
RG18 9QZ. NEC,Birmingham
The biggest Land Rover Autojumble in Europe www.necclassicmotorshow.com
plus large vintage section, more than 800 sellers.
£7per adult. 10am-2pm. 17 Malvern Militaria Fair 5 Military, Aviation and Model
www.4x4sparesday.co.uk The Three Counties Showground, Wye Hall Collectors Fair 2020
(brown gate), Malvern, Worcestershire, UK. Aviation and military collectables, book and
6 Aerojumble Please enter the showground via brown gate and model collectors, plastic kits and diecast models
Raf Kenley proceed to Wye Hall. and toys
Surrey 07976 777117 Doors open at 10.30am. Free parking
CR3 5LT info@militariashows.com Hallmark Hotel, Purley Way,
www.aviationantiques.co.uk www.militariashows.com Croydon, Surrey, CR9 4LT

49
Too little,

50
, too late
words Tim Gosling pictures archive

Tim Gosling looks at the

role of the United States
Anti-aircraft Artillery
Service, which
was formed
in 1917

A De Dion-Bouton of Battery B
of the 1st AA Battalion goes into
action near Montreuil June 15, 1918

W
ith few trained personnel, borrowed weapons, and poor gun sights it was a
wonder the United States Anti-Aircraft Artillery Service hit anything at all. But
as the war progressed, the unit established a success rate far exceeding that
of their allies. The capability of the United States in engaging enemy aircraft from the
ground was somewhat restricted prior to entering World War One as they had neither
any mobile anti-aircraft (AA) artillery nor a dedicated anti-aircraft service (AAS).
Although the Model 1902 3in gun had been adopted as an AA weapon, these were
heavy guns which were emplaced in fixed mountings near potential targets (ports
and cities) and were operated by the corps of heavy coast artillery. Up until this time
the risk from the air to the United States was always thought to be enemy airships
undertaking bombing raids. There had been no anticipation of the kind of aerial
conflict which was now taking place over Europe.

‘Devising a way to make such a

heavy weapon mobile would always be challenging’
51
 LEFT: The steering wheel of the De Dion-Bouton folds
down to allow the gun a full 360 degree traverse
BELOW: The De Dion-Bouton gun trucks were
brought back into service in 1939. This one has
been captured by some bemused looking Germans

Prior to its involvement in the war, the

United States sent a team of observers to
the Western Front in order to undertake a six
week-long tour. It became apparent to one of
the attendees, who reported back to Newton
Baker the secretary of war that air power would
become a critical component of any American
Expeditionary Force (AEF) and accordingly so
would AA defence.
The first American troops landed in France
in June 1917. Among them were a handful

‘When it came to
of officers and men who would go on to of Schneider but was updated for an AA role by
form the AA Artillery Service. Their first task fitting them to either a two-wheeled trailer or to

the manufacture
was to establish a headquarters which they a two-ton De Dion-Bouton truck.
conveniently placed next to the French AA The trailer-mounted version had three

of AA artillery
school at Arnouville-les-Gonesse. outriggers for stability, but this was
At this school they received instruction on cumbersome and took time to set up. In

the US Ordnance
French AA artillery methods and equipment. comparison, the De Dion Bouton was an
Graduates from the school went on to gain first- engineering masterpiece.

Department really
hand experience with French artillery batteries Designed in 1913, it was fitted with a powerful
while new recruits arrived who had received 60hp V8 engine. From the radiator to the scuttle

had provided too

some initial training within the United States. it was protected by armour plate while the rear
As there was no suitable AA artillery available of the chassis carried a revolving platform on
from the United States, the first gun used by which the gun was mounted. In order to allow
the AEF would be the French Soixante-Quinze
75mm gun. This gun had been developed back
little, too late’ for the platform to rotate fully, the steering
column folded down to one side.
in 1897 by the renowned armaments company Three crew members would sit with the
gun on the platform while the rest of the
crew would work on the ground. The gun
Designed by the renowned had a rate of fire of 12 rounds per minute,
Walter Christie this front so the primary task of the crew was to
wheel drive gun carriage bring ammunition to feed the gun from a
had a top speed of 12mph supporting De Dion Auto Caisson.
This truck was the GO model, but
instead of carrying a gun it was fitted
with four ammunition lockers (which held
a total of 180 rounds of ammunition);
additional lockers for fuse setting and
ranging equipment as well as seats for
transporting the reminder of the gun
crew.
While the American crews were
receiving training in France the design
and construction of suitable AA guns
in the United States was progressing
slowly. It was only intended that the
French guns were to be supplied on
short-term loan until the American-built
replacements arrived, but as the war
progressed it seemed less likely that
any of the American AA guns would
arrive in France before the war ended.
The AEF desperate for AA guns
asked the French to supply them with
42 of their 75mm guns. Due to their
complexity and slow build rate only
196 of the De Dion-Bouton gun trucks

52
‘Five examples of a front SPECIFICATIONS

wheel drive motorised Make De Dion-Bouton

Model FZ

gun carriage Nationality France

Year 1913 to 1918

were built’ Used by Great Britain, United

States and France (up until 1940)
Production Run 196
Engine V8 cylinder
Fuel Petrol
Power 60hp
Transmission Manual
Gears Three forward,
one reverse
Suspension Leaf spring
Brakes Drums on rear
Wheels Cast metal spoke
Tyres Solid rubber
Crew/seats Four

Dimensions(overall)
Length 5.85m
Width 2m
Wheelbase 3.3m
Weight Approximately 6 tons
fully loaded

Additional Notes
Fitted with a 75mm gun which
could fire a 14.3lb shell at a velocity
The White Model TBC was the American-built competitor of 1,830ft/sec to a maximum range
to the De Dion-Bouton. Just 51 examples were built of 10,595yds.

would be completed by the armistice of which
the French War Department would sell just two
to the AEF, but they did lend them a further 16
along with the corresponding Auto Caisson
trucks. This would be enough to equip two AA
battalions which had four batteries of two guns
each.
The AEF was split into two armies with one
mobile AA battalion assigned to each. The
batteries were completely independent and
able to pack up and change location very
quickly. They were assigned the tasks of
protecting potential targets (such as supply
dumps, headquarters, observation balloons etc)
from enemy aerial activity.
As they were operating within the range
of enemy artillery they might be required to
relocate shortly after going into action. For
protecting the rear areas where mobility was
not considered necessary the French provided
some of their 75mm artillery pieces. No AA
mounts were available for these guns, so the
trails of the gun were dug into a large round
hole with the wooden wheels raised up onto
a rotating wooden platform in the middle.
Although the gun could be elevated, and it
could be traversed by rotation the sites were
completely inadequate when aiming at a
moving target.
Desperately requiring munitions of all types, the
American arsenals were overloaded with orders
and AA guns were not considered top priority.
Despite this, a gun carriage was developed to
mount the 3in Model 1902 gun. In order to speed
up the delivery of this weapon it was improvised
to take the French 75mm Model instead and a
total of 50 of these were shipped to France for
assembly but having only open sites they were
considered to be almost useless. The idea of a
3-inch gun carriage mount was not abandoned
though and 612 of an updated four wheel
carriage were under construction to mount them
on when the war ended.
Other adaptions for the 3in gun mount were
quite innovative. Five examples of a front-
wheel drive motorised gun carriage were built.
Designed by the highly regarded Walter Christie
it had a four-cylinder 60hp transversely

Photographed in January 1919 at the New Britain

Machine Co factory, these newly completed White
TBC gun trucks would never see active service

53
 The 3in gun mounted to the Holt 55-I could fire a
15lb shell a distance of over five miles
‘The first
American troops
landed in France
in June 1917’
The Holt 55-I had tiller steering and the driver
certainly appears to be enjoying taking this unusual
machine for a drive
Without its gun in place the Holt 55-I looks rather
unusual, but it was the United States first fully
tracked gun platform
Even with its significant weight the Holt had
outriggers to stabilise the gun
Carrying the ammunition and crew
for each De Dion-Bouton gun truck
was a De Dion-Bouton Auto Caisson
mounted engine which despite the total weight
just exceeding 16 tons gave the machine a top
speed of 12mph. This very heavy machine had
minimal ground clearance and would no doubt
have proved difficult to control either off-road
or on hills. These five examples remained in
the United States and were used by the Coastal
Artillery Service.
Devising a way to make such a heavy weapon
mobile would always be challenging, but it
seems this problem was resolved when the
company of Holt (now known as Caterpillar)
designed and built a fully tracked chassis as
a platform for an anti-aircraft gun. Powered
by Holt’s four-cylinder 75hp engine, the model
55-I had a length of just under 21ft, was 10ft
wide and a top speed of 5mph. This speed
may seem a little ponderous but the concept
was innovative, and it was the first American-
designed self-propelled gun on a tracked
chassis. Unfortunately, it arrived too late in the
war to see action.
In an attempt to develop a mobile weapon
similar to the De-Dion, the US Ordnance
Department contracted the New Britain
Machine Company of Connecticut to design
and build a mount for the Model 1916 field gun
which was then sleeved to take the smaller
French 75mm ammunition round.
The truck chassis selected to carry the
gun was the highly respected two-ton White
Model TBC. Positioning the mounting directly
above the rear axle allowed greater travel for
the guns 33in recoil enabling it to be fired
almost vertically. To make the gun platform
level the front wheels were chocked into
Before going into action the White is driven up two metal ramps to create a level firing platform
54
position on metal ramps and to improve
stability four outriggers were positioned at
the rear of the truck.
The gun had seats for four crewmen and
there would be a similar number of crew who
would stand on the ground to load and set
fuses. There was no provision for carrying
ammunition, equipment or more than two of
the crew, so there would have been a second
truck for this purpose.
Sadly, there are no photographs of these
machines in action as shortly after the
first White gun trucks arrived in France the
Armistice was declared and the need for
them evaporated. Just 51 were ordered and
photographs show one of them being tested
at the Paris Ordnance Depot on November 9,
1918, additional ones lined up at St Nazaire
docks and rather sadly a room full of unissued
gun trucks at the New Britain Machine
Company factory in January 1919.
Just after the Armistice was signed the
French took back all of the guns they had
loaned to the AEF, leaving them with just the
two purchased De-Dion gun trucks, the newly
arrived Whites and the 50 gun mounts built to
take the French 75mm gun. The mounts were
thought to be useless though and were
immediately scrapped. Although the American
AA Service established an average kill rate of
one aeroplane for every 605 rounds fired,
throughout the entire war not one enemy plane
was shot down by an American manufactured
gun. When it came to the manufacture of AA
artillery the US Ordnance Department really had
provided too little, too late.
GrahamSykes_FP.indd 1 01/12/2017 16:47
 words John Teasdale pictures archive

In this, the second of a two-part series on

the High-Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled
Vehicle (the Humvee), John Teasdale looks
at some of the other variants

Recently fitted with explosive resistant coating armoured doors, this US

Marine Corps M998 is seen here at Camp Fallujah, Iraq, in July 2004. The
cargo bay is protected by armoured panels each side. The Humvee has also
been retro-fitted with truck–type mirrors (introduced with the A1 version of
the Humvee), a brushguard and a roof rack. As is standard for Humvees fitted
with a deep-water wading kit, the engine air intake is in the raised position.
GUNNERY SERGEANT E RIOSMATA / NATIOANL ARCHIVES

A
ll Humvee variants were built on the same basic rolling chassis,
though this developed over the years: original version; A1, A2 and
Expanded Capacity Vehicle. A body was fitted to a rolling chassis
suitable for its intended role. There were three ambulance variants. The
M1035 was a soft-top vehicle accommodating two stretchers (litters in
American terminology).
The M996 mini-ambulance had a telescoping body. With the body lowered,
there was space within for two stretchers; with the body raised, there was
space for four stretchers. The M997 maxi-ambulance had a rigid body with
space within for four stretchers. The maxi-ambulance was fitted with basic
armour comprising Kevlar or steel internal panels depending on location. The
armoured windows were made of polycarbonate. The M997A3 up-armoured
ambulance was built on the expanded capacity vehicle rolling chassis.
Even though the Humvee is now being replaced in many roles by the joint
light tactical vehicle (JLTV), the US Army placed a large order for new-build
M997A3 ambulances as recently as September 2018. This was because

56
 The
Load-bearing
Humvee

‘Initially, units
improvised armour
from what could be
found in country’

57
 THE WORLD’S BEST-SELLING
CLASSIC LAND ROVER MAGAZINE
September issue
OUT NOW
Featuring:
THE SHOOTING PARTY
A lord’s 107in Station Wagon
rejuvenated

CLASSIC COILER
110 backhoe restored - can you
dig it?

LAND ROVER SOS

Series III - an 88in Station Wagon

MILK MONITOR
Phil the Milk’s Series One truck
cab

OVERLAND LEGENDS
First Overland’s Tim Slessor meets
JUS Camel Trophy winners Bob and
£4.6 T Joe Ives
0
AND MUCH MORE!

September issue AVAILABLE NOW from and other newsagents

then on sale every first Wednesday of the month*
Alternatively, you can order Or call UK 01780 480404 LIKE US ON FACEBOOK
Search Classic Land Rover Magazine
your copy or subscribe at: Overseas +44 1780 480404
www.keypublishing.com/shop Lines open 9.00-5.30, Monday-Friday FIND US ON TWITTER
@CLReditor

SEARCH
ALSO CLASSIC LAND ROVER READ ON iPhone & iPad Android

AVAILABLE TO FREE APP PC & Mac Windows 10 kindle fire

DOWNLOAD IN APP ISSUES £3.99 Visit for more information

Requirements for app: registered iTunes account on Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Internet connection required for initial download. Published by Key Publishing Ltd.

Customer code: The entire contents of these titles are © copyright 2019. All rights reserved. App prices subject to change.*UK On sale date.

www.classiclandrover.com
506/19
CM0919
 Humvees are now
being cast and
offered for sale to
the public… and
prices are very
reasonable’
Members of 3/4 Marines erect a high-frequency antenna on their M1097A2 cargo/personnel Humvee prior to a
patrol in the vicinity of Hadithah, Iraq, following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s government in 2003.
KC GUIHUIS / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
there is no ambulance version of the JLTV.
The cargo/personnel variants of the Humvee
were the most numerous; most of these were
soft-topped. Initially, the basic types were:
M998; M1038 (the same as an M998 but with
a front-mounted winch); and M1042. The M998
and M1038 could be variously fitted with one
or two rows of seats with a cargo bay behind.
If two rows of seats were fitted, obviously the
size of the cargo bay was reduced. Folding
bench seats could be fitted in the cargo bay
to carry additional personnel. The M1037
(M1042 if fitted with a winch) was designated
Serving with the Iraqi Army, this M1114
Armament Carrier is providing local security in
March 2007 in the town of Hit during a meeting
between local sheiks and coalition forces.
CORPORAL JM ODETTE /
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
the S250 Shelter Carrier. An enclosed body
was permanently installed behind the single
row of seats, fitted out internally for electrical
equipment that required protection from the
weather or for such as tools that required
protection from pilferage.
As the Humvee was developed through the
A1, A2 and expanded capacity vehicle stages,
so too did M-series designations change. Some
of these changes are noted in the captions to
the various photographs reproduced here.
As noted in the earlier article on the Humvee
armament carrier, vehicles serving in
59
M998 cargo/personnel Humvees assigned to the
US Army’s 7th Light Infantry Division are seen
here on May 12, 1989, awaiting deployment to
Panama. A1C SR GIBSON / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
A sub-variant of the cargo/personnel Humvee is
the S250 Shelter Carrier. The box bodies are used
to accommodate such as electrical equipment
or tools. Here we see in May 2000, M1097A2
Humvees being fitted with bodies suitable for their
intended use as contract maintenance trucks.
T LOPEZ / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Mechanics assigned to the US Marine Corps’
Combat Service Support Battalion 18 repair an
M1097A2 cargo/personnel Humvee. The photograph
was taken in March 2003 at Camp Viper, Iraq.
MASTER SERGEANT ED KNIERY / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Members of the US Army Reserves’ 329th
Chemical Company prepare a stripped-down
M1097A2 cargo/personnel carrier for lifting by a
CH-47 at Fort McCoy Airfield in June 2005. STAFF
SERGEANT BD LEHNHARDT / NATIONAL ARCHIVES

Lt Curtis Anderson, a US Navy doctor serving
with the US Marine Corps’ Combat Service
Support Detachment 15, is seen here in Somalia
in January 1993. In the background is an M997
ambulance. Note how the ambulance body is
slotted into the standard Humvee rolling chassis.
PHCM TC MITCHELL/ NATIONAL ARCHIVES
‘The M997A3
up-armoured
ambulance was
built on the
Expanded Capacity
Vehicle rolling
chassis’
These cargo/personnel Humvees are assigned
to 1/6 Marines, members of which are seen
here preparing to engage Taliban snipers in the
mountains of Afghanistan in June 2004. GUNNERY
SERGEANT KA MILKS / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
A US Navy M1097A2 cargo/personnel carrier
assigned to Beach Master Unit 1 drives on to
LCU 1666 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in
December 2005. Note the rear bumper introduced
with the A2 Humvee. This vehicle is fitted with an
overall Amertech Helmet Hard Top and a substantial
roof rack. JO2 Z BADDORF / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
This US Marine Corps M1097A2
is fitted with an Avenger
(Pedestal-Mounted Stinger) anti-
aircraft system. L-CPL M VALDEZ /
NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Afghanistan and Iraq in the early years of the
21st Century were steadily up-armoured.
Cargo/personnel Humvees were up-
armoured in a similar fashion. Initially, units
improvised armour from what could be found
in country. When up-armour kits began to
arrive from the US, they came in various
types and in order to acquire a large number
of kits quickly, they were widely produced.
Thus, the variety of Humvees in service
increased enormously. Taking the basic
cargo/ personnel carrier with a single row of
seats as an example, versions could be seen
with: armour plate protecting the sides of the
cargo bay, but no side doors at all; armour
plate protecting the sides of the cargo bay
and armoured side doors with an open cut-out
for side wards vision; armour plate protecting
the sides of the cargo bay and armoured side A US Marine at the wheel of an M1123 cargo/
personnel carrier at Al Kut, Iraq, in August 2003.
doors fitted with armoured windows.
Note the small steering wheel – the power assisted
In a short article such as this, we can only take steering does not need a large-diameter wheel. L-CPL
a glimpse at the variety of Humvees that served A WILLIAMS / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
the US military.
Humvees are now being cast and offered carrier with a starting bid of $5,000 and
for sale to the public. See the website www. 34,000 miles on the clock. The vehicle was
govplanet.eu for information. more or less ready for the road. Many
At present, there are none listed on the Humvees that have been up-armoured are
website as being for sale in Europe – all are offered for sale without their doors and
in continental USA. Prices are very windscreens. Humvees are wide but will still
reasonable though. A vehicle that caught my fit within an ISO container. If you buy one,
eye was a 1993 M998 cargo/personnel please let us know.
On the left we see an M1114 armament carrier, and to the right an M1123
cargo/personnel carrier fitted with an overall Amertech Helmet Hard Top and
an STD-810 Stiletto telescoping communications mast. The vehicles are part
of a US Army convoy driving from Kandahar Airfield to Kabul, Afghanistan, in
May 2003. SARGEANT V HALL / NATIONAL ARCHIVES
60
               

F E AT U R I N G T H E
JACQUES M. LITTLEFIELD
COLLECTION

The Collings Foundation designed the new American Heritage Museum to fully engage people in understanding our
turbulent past. In this remarkable place, military history will be explored, studied, and most of all, remembered.
Through educational interpretation, and a chronologically arranged series of dioramas and exhibits, the American
Heritage Museum will bring the history of our veterans to life. Among the staggering variety of over 85 rare relics, the
American Heritage Museum has over fifteen tanks and artifacts that are the only ones on public display in North
America. These include: M1A1 Abrams Tank, T-34/85 Tank, Matilda MK.II Tank, Jumbo Sherman Tank, IS-2 Tank,
Panzer 1 Tank, SCUD Missile and Launcher, Ho-Ro Tank and many more.

568 Main St re et, Huds on, MA, USA 800.568.8924

w w w.amer ic an her it agemus eum.org
Collings.indd 1 30/07/2019 09:58:50
 The section lined up, in those peaceful days the
regiment liked to have itself identified on the turret

A
n article by two Royal Tank Corps
officers that appeared in the Royal Tank
Corps Journal around 1931 discussed
the problems facing the commander of a
two-man light tank which, they felt, could be
overcome if the tank’s crew could be increased
by at least half a man.
Since half a man was not feasible, the War
Office decided that in future they would
concentrate on the development of a three-man
light tank.
So that, in addition to the driver there would
be a new man to operate the weapons and the
wireless, leaving the commander free to keep
a look-out from his hatch, navigate, direct the
driver and generally command.
This was not an entirely original idea. In
1929 Vickers-Armstrongs had produced an
ugly looking tank designated A5E1which had
a crew of three but ultimately disappeared
without trace while, three years earlier the Royal
Ordnance Factory had been responsible for the
design and construction of A3E1, sometimes
referred to as the three-man light tank. This
was a peculiar contraption featuring a machine
gun turret at each end which must have been
more difficult to command and fight than

‘Naturally the new turret was larger,

in order to accommodate two men and as a result the
tank’s hull was wider to carry it’

A Light Mark V on the road at

Bovington. The two-man turret crew
is visible and the commander has his
map reading frame erected

62
 words David Fletcher pictures archive

The
B u s i n e s s
of Tanks
David Fletcher delves into the history of the Mark V and the L4E1 Light Tank

Mark V Light Tanks being

inspected by a group of soldiers
on Salisbury Plain

63

A Light Mark V in service with 9th Queen’s Royal Lancers, notice the smoke grenade discharger on the turret side
and the wireless aerial on the folding mount at the back
the two-man machines that came after it.
A3E1 appears to have been the first and last
tank to have been designed and built by Royal
Ordnance between the end of World War One
and the appearance of their Medium tank A7E1
in 1928.
They built tanks of course to other people’s
designs, mostly Vickers-Armstrongs but as far
‘Firing armour piercing rounds the gun was said to be able to
penetrate 11mm of armour at 100 yards’
as design was concerned, they seem to have
been limited to turrets and gun mountings
which might be said to be their specialties.
Evidently the War Office preferred Vickers-
Armstrongs’ designs over those of Royal
Ordnance and this clearly rankled with certain
senior personnel at the latter. This was given
voice by Maj George MacLeod Ross in his book
64
The Business of Tanks published in 1976.
MacLeod Ross, who was a Royal Engineer
had been appointed assistant superintendent
of design in 1933. He joined Col E M Campbell
Clarke, a Royal Artillery officer, the deputy
superintendent of design who, in 1938 was
promoted to vice-president of the Ordnance
Board. MacLeod Ross was a devoted disciple
of Clarke, as he makes clear in his book. Clarke
was credited with the design of the 25-pounder
gun and the range of British anti-tank guns. No
mean achievement, even for a gunner although
his record on tanks such as A7E1 to A7E3, the
Light Tank L4E1 and the Morris armoured car
did not redound to his credit.
Meanwhile Vickers-Armstrongs, under the
direction of their head of tank design Sir John
Carden had gone ahead, in its customary
fashion, with the design of a new three-man
light tank, based upon accumulated experience.
First, it produced two prototypes, designated
L3E1 and L3E2, both of which went to MWEE
for testing. The former carried a much larger
turret, topped off by what was known in
those days as a Bishop’s Mitre cupola for the
commander and armed with a pair of machine-
guns in a dual mounting; Vickers water-cooled
weapons of .303in inch and .5in side by side
and therefore co-axial although it seems that
only one or the other could be selected for
firing at any one time. Evidently when they The Boulton and
Paul anti-aircraft
incorporated the third man the designers saw
turret fitted to a
to it that he had plenty to do. L3E1 went on to Light Mark V
become the prototype scissors bridge layer,
without its turret of course.
L3E2 had a different style of turret not so large
at the back but sloped and fitted with a drum
shaped cupola with a hatch alongside on the
left for the gunner which gave him a chance to
stick his head out when required.
Naturally the new turret was larger, in order
to accommodate two men and as a result the
tank’s hull was wider to carry it. Otherwise the
hull layout was as one might expect and was
essentially the same on the production tanks.
The driver sat alongside the engine, a
Meadows type ESTE straight six rated at 84bhp,
driving through a five-speed gearbox to a front
driving axle and drive sprockets.
In addition to the two prototypes 22
production tanks were built by Vickers-
Armstrongs to a contract dated February 1934
and entered regimental service, mostly with
newly mechanised cavalry regiments. Primarily
their role was reconnaissance, scouting ahead,
guarding the flanks and if necessary, covering reconnaissance is communication and for was little chance of actually hitting anything.
the retreat of the main force. this the tanks relied on a wireless set located We come now to one of the most inexplicable
Of course, the essence of good at the back of the turret and operated by the of developments in the British tank story; the
gunner. Strangely, in contrast to most previous involvement of the tank design department at
Light Tanks, and what came after the turret Woolwich. The very fact that the government
of the Light Mark V was not well suited to and the war office had such a department
A section of 9th Lancers in their Light Tanks. Each accommodating a bulky old valve set such under their direct control calls into question
one has a spotlamp fitted to the cupola and the guns as the No. 1 or No. 7 and it was a tight fit. On the need for the War Office to go off doing
of the leading tanks on full elevation. The .50 calibre
the other hand, the provision of the larger .50 business with a private firm like Vickers-
Vickers is on the left as you look at it
Vickers machine-gun did at least give the tank a Armstrongs and one can only assume that they
very modest anti-armour capability. were better at what they did.
Firing armour piercing rounds the gun was As we have seen, most earlier efforts at AFV
said to be able to penetrate 11mm of armour production by Royal Ordnance had not been
at 100yds and although this was not sufficient particularly successful while Vickers had a long
to disable a German light tank it was adequate history of getting it right. Certainly, there were
to deal with some of the smaller German features, such as gun mountings and turrets
armoured cars although it was, of course which were developed at Woolwich and which,
necessary for the tank to halt in order to fire incidentally Vickers were forbidden to use on
accurately since the suspension caused it to any of their commercial designs. But, when
bounce around so much on the move that there it came to producing whole tanks, Royal

L3E2, the second prototype Mark V outside

some sheds at Lulworth, the purpose of the
suspension modification is not known

65
 ‘One Mark V
from the British
batch was
shipped out to
the Middle East
for desert trials’
Ordnance did not have a very good track record.
It is not easy to see why, but there is a clue in the
MacLeod Ross account of the design of their light
tank L4E1.
Compared with the commercial firm, Royal
Ordnance called in a lot of external experts for
advice whereas Vickers-Armstrongs seems
to have found the information it needed from
its own resources. Although L4E1 was touted
by Royal Ordnance as a new and much better
tank when compared with Vickers-Armstrongs’
design it seems quite clear that in many
respects there was not a lot to choose between
them. Despite claims to the contrary both tanks
had the Meadows engine, although in the case
of L4E1 this was the Meadows Type ESTR, rated
at 115hp but prone to develop faults, notably in
the failure of head gaskets.
Yet for all that L4E1 had several interesting
features, let us start with the suspension. Because
it was virtually hidden behind the external skirting
plates the temptation is to dismiss it as a copy of
the type fitted to the Mark V, as it was in principle
except that it had an extra road wheel on each side,
in effect a separate idler wheel of larger diameter.
This gave the tank a much steadier motion; it did
not pitch up and down so much as on a typical
Vickers tank. This made it a much better gun
platform which was remarked upon favourably
when it was sent to Lulworth on gunnery trials.
Inside, the big difference was the location of the
radiator and cooling fan. Instead of being mounted
horizontally above the engine, as on the Mark V, it
was moved to a vertical position, behind the engine
ABOVE: L4E1 from the rear, the escape door is in the
centre at the back. It weighed 5.3 tons against 4
tons 15cwt for a light Mark V
BELOW: The Light Mark V sent out to India with
enlarged cupola and flag holders on the side of the
turret but no weapons at this stage
with the fan located directly behind it. This was
effectively at the very back of the tank on the off
side, counterbalanced by the position of the fuel
tank, at the rear on the near side.
This left room for a rear door in the hull between
the two, a very useful escape door for the crew,
which was another feature that attracted very
favourable attention from those whose job it
was to evaluate the tank. Yet, as we have seen
when it came to placing orders the authorities
settled for the Vickers design and L4E1 was never
seen again. Perhaps this was due to the chronic
unreliability of the chosen engine and the poor
performance of the one selected to replace it,
or maybe it was the cost. Whatever the reason,
this marked the end of L4E1 and, therefore the
last attempt by the tank design department to
produce a new tank for the British Army.
Perhaps it was the favourable attention of the
improved suspension on L4E1 that prompted
L4E1, the Royal Ordnance tank with a
civilian driver, speeding along at Lulworth
66
Vickers to try extending the track base on a Light
Mark V. This was done first by moving the drive
sprocket forwards, with a chain drive from the final
drive and then inserting a single sprung bogie unit
between the two double ones on each side.
This gave the tank a very odd appearance with
a two-wheeled bogie at the front, a single wheel
behind that and then another two-wheeler at the
back, the top run of the track was now supported
on two return rollers, mounted independently of
the bogies. Whether it was a serious attempt to
improve the performance of the Mark V we don’t
know but it doesn’t look like it and it only appears to
have been applied to a single example.
One Mark V from the British batch was shipped
out to the Middle East for desert trials while
another, a new construction, was sent out to India
but did not result in any further orders. Indeed, even
at home no further orders followed because an
improved design was already in the pipeline and to
that extent the Light Mark V was the last in the line
of light tanks to come from Vickers.
The new model, the Light Mark VI was very
similar, albeit with a better turret design but, most
important of all thicker armour in keeping with new
General Staff requirements.
To round this account off there is just space
to mention two other modifications carried out
on Mark V tanks. Both are early examples of
light anti-aircraft tanks developed at a very early
stage of World War Two. The first of these was
designed and built by the staff of the Gunnery
School at Lulworth. It featured an open design
of turret and mounted a pair of 15mm Besa air
cooled machine guns. In fact, the suspension
arrangements look more like a Light Mark VIA,
with an independently mounted return roller
rather than one attached to the top of the leading
bogie, but it is referred to as a Light Mark V in the
little surviving literature there is about it.
The other one is a Light Mark V and when it
first appeared it had what looked like the
complete turret from a Boulton Paul Defiant
fighter on top of the hull. That is complete with a
Perspex cover and four .50 Browning machine-
guns. Tests revealed that the Perspex turret was
a bit of a nuisance and the tank was adapted so
that the four Brownings were now exposed. The
tank was modified by the addition of folding
front, side and rear plates which entirely hid the
gun mounting when raised but could be lowered
to lay flat when it fired. The point of this is
difficult to fathom since the essence of
anti-aircraft work is instant readiness for action.
In fact, there are accounts of trouble with the
ammunition feed to these guns which may have
put paid to the project in any case.
Gaijin.indd 1 18/07/2019 12:51:05
 words and pictures James Kinnear

In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union began

development of a new divisional air defence
missile called Osa (Wasp).
James Kinnear finds out more about it

TOP: A BAZ-5937 chassis during a military exhibition

at the NII-21 proving grounds at Bronnitsy, near
Moscow in 2003. ANDREY AKSENOV
Stin
IN THE T

ABOVE: A 9A33BM3 SPU vehicle in

Ekaterinburg in May 2005 (VYACHESLAV BELOGRUD)

68
 T
he surface to air missile (SAM) system,
known in the Soviet Union as the 9K33
‘Osa’ (Wasp) and as the SA-8 ‘Gecko’ by
the US and NATO, was accepted for service
in October 1971 and made its public debut on
Moscow’s Red Square in November 1975.
The pace of concurrent rocket system
development was such however that by the
time the original version of the Osa was being
demonstrated on Red Square, a significantly
modernised system was already being tested
for service.
The final chassis for the Osa SAM system,
The 9K33 Osa system was subsequently
now designated BAZ-5937, with an enlarged full width crew cab
modernised several times during its relatively

ing
short service life. The original range and The least well known of the Osa vehicle
altitude ceiling remained largely unchanged, but series was the 9V210/210M technical
with reaction time and minimum engagement support vehicle based on the
distances being significantly reduced on later BAZ-5938 chassis
versions of the system.
While the missile system was a logical
development of earlier SAM systems such as
the 2K12 ‘Kub’ (NATO: SA-6 Gainful) fielded
by the Soviet Union in the mid-1960s, the
9K33 Osa system was mounted on
an entirely new chassis that had
little commonality with any earlier
Soviet military vehicle – wheeled or

BAZ-135. The BAZ plant subsequently
built the ZiL designed 8x8 wheeled
chassis for the 9P140 “Uragan” multiple
rocket launcher and the 9P113 ‘Luna-M’
(NATO: FROG-7) tactical rocket as the
BAZ-135LM (LMP).
The delegation of all-wheel drive special
purpose military vehicle production to
BAZ was not incidental. The BAZ plant had
prior experience of all-wheel drive vehicles,
having earlier produced the ZiL-485/485A
(BAV/BAV-A), a Soviet modification of the GMC
DUKW amphibian, a number of which had been
provided to the Soviet Union under the wartime
Lend-Lease program. The plant was also by the
mid-1960s producing the ZiL Moscow designed
ZiL-135 as the BAZ-135 so all-terrain and
amphibious vehicle development experience
was latent at the plant.
BAZ was thereby more than able when tasked
to undertake the development and production
of new and smaller 6x6 amphibious

HE TAIL
The original prototype BAZ-937 SPU
vehicle for the Osa SAM system, 1969

tracked.
The new
self-propelled
launch vehicle
was a wheeled
6x6 configuration
that was capable of
crossing the same terrain as
tanks and was also fully amphibious. It was
developed and built by a manufacturing plant
which was largely unknown in the West at the
time – the Bryansk Avtomobilny Zavod (BAZ),
located logically enough in the city of Bryansk
in western Russia near the border with modern
day Belarus.
In Soviet times, the BAZ plant in Bryansk The 9K33 Osa SAM system was provided
officially built heavy industrial tractors, but in with a dedicated 9T217 TZM reload
reality the great majority of development and vehicle based on the BAZ-5939 chassis
production was for the Soviet armed forces.
The basic technical specifications for the new
6x6 all-terrain chassis for the Osa air defence
system were defined at ZiL in Moscow as early
as 1961.
Meanwhile, in the early 1960s the decision
was made to undertake series production
of special (ie primarily military) chassis at
Bryansk rather than in Moscow, hence the
re-designation of vehicles such as the ZiL-135
developed at the ZiL plant in Moscow as the

69

A 9A33BM3 SPU vehicle for the Osa-AKM SAM system
awaits the Moscow VE Day parade on May 9, 1995
chassis for other military applications. The
decision was accordingly taken in 1966 to have
development work on new amphibious military
vehicle designs transferred from Moscow to
Bryansk.
In the mid-1960s, the Special Design Bureau
(SKB) at BAZ began work on a new and top
secret wheeled missile transporter and launch
vehicle (SPU in Russian) for the next generation
of operational tactical rockets (OTR) to replace
the previous generation of such systems
armies thereafter. The systems both remain
in service today in former Soviet states and in
several other countries.
The new launch vehicle chassis for the
forthcoming Osa SAM system was originally
developed at the SKB in Bryansk under
the overall direction of R A Rozov, with
development before 1968 being directly under
the supervision of D V Petrovsky and thereafter
under the direction of I L Urin.
The first prototype 6x6 amphibious vehicle

‘The new self- known as ‘Mars’ and ‘Luna’ in the Soviet Union
and generically as free rocket over ground(
chassis that would later be used for the new
Osa air defence system was completed in

propelled launch FROG) by the US and NATO.

The new OTR missile system, designed to
1969, subsequent to which it underwent
plant and military trial evaluation. The

vehicle was a wheeled

replace the final production Luna-M (NATO: prototypes were designated BAZ-937 for the
FROG-7) on the wheeled BAZ-135 chassis Samokhodnaya Puskovaya Ustanovka (SPU)

6x6 configuration
would ultimately enter service as the 9K79 or self-propelled launch unit, BAZ-938 for the

that was capable of

crossing the same
terrain as tanks’

The later “Osa-AK” version of the Osa SAM system

featured 9A33BM2 SPU vehicle with six 9M33M2
rockets located in transport/launch containers. The
later 9A33BM3 SPU vehicle for the further modified
Osa-AKM was externally identical
The public debut of the modified 9A33BM3 Osa-AKM
was on Moscow’s Red Square in November 1982
The BAZ-59222 was an experimental amphibious cargo variant of the BAZ-5921 chassis used for the 9K79
“Tochka” tactical rocket and closely related to the BAZ-5937 chassis used for the Osa SAM systems
‘Tochka’ (Point), with the 9P129 SPU vehicle technical support vehicle and BAZ-939 for the
being based on the newly developed 6x6 BAZ- TZM transport-reload vehicle.
5921 chassis built at BAZ. The prototypes featured an all-welded
In parallel with developments for the new OTR hermetically sealed hull with a centrally
tactical rocket, work was undertaken at BAZ on mounted single cab for the driver, the vehicle
a related chassis for mounting the new mobile being powered by a diesel engine developing
short-range air defence system designated 300hp. During trials of the original prototypes,
Osa. The related BAZ-5921/5923 and the the Soviet official plant numbering system for
5937/5939 series vehicles were both developed military vehicles was changed to a four-digit
to production stage in the late 1960s, and both designator, with the prefix 5 added to the
served with the Soviet Army from the 1970s vehicle designations, which were henceforth
until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 known respectively as the BAZ-5937, BAZ-5938
and with the Russian and former Soviet state and BAZ-5939.
Two 9A33B Osa SAM system SPU vehicles on the BAZ-5937 chassis, accompanied by a 9T217 TZM reload
vehicle on the closely related BAZ-5939 chassis

Tony had to replace the semi-unitary floors with new

ones from Champ
9A33BM3 Sparesfor
SPU vehicles andthe
hasOsa-AKM
restoredSAMdetails
such as the wooden
system boarding
on parade, in the
Moscow, rear9,and
May felt-
1995
lined rifle holders

70
The original production version of the 9K33 Osa SAM system had its public debut
on Red Square in November 1975, by which time its replacement had already
undergone field evaluation trials
The Osa SAM system mounted on its new
BAZ designed and built 6x6 chassis was in of
itself a major change from earlier air defence
missile systems, in that the acquisition and
targeting radars were mounted directly on the
launch vehicle, greatly increasing autonomy of
operation. The Osa short-range SAM system
had an altitude ceiling of 5km and a range of
9km, later extended to 10km, providing close
support defence for armoured units against
aircraft flying at a speed of under 500m/s,
namely attack helicopters and slow-moving
ground attack fighters. Subsequent upgrades
provided a slightly improved range of 10km
but reduced the minimum engagement
altitude to 250m and also reduced the reaction
time. The vehicle was provided with a 40hp
gas turbine auxiliary power unit for operating
the vehicle systems when the main engine
was shut down.
With the trials successfully completed, the
The 9T217 TZM vehicle mounted a small hydraulic crane for reloading 9M33 series rockets onto the 9A33 series
SPU vehicles, with the cargo area covered by a frame and tarpaulin when not required
new BAZ 6x6 amphibious vehicle was accepted
for series production, albeit in modified form
with a larger full width cab with vastly improved
internal space and visibility. Series production
of the chassis began in 1972 as the BAZ-
5937 (SPU launch vehicle), BAZ-5938 (9V210
technical support vehicle) and BAZ-5939 (TZM
trans-loader vehicle).
The 9K33 Osa missile system, with its
9M33 missiles was at the time still under
development, and the Osa missile system and
its dedicated BAZ chassis were to be one of
Another early production 9A33B SPU vehicle
for the original 9K33 Osa SAM system, at the
Artillery, Engineer and Communications Museum,
St Petersburg
‘The 9K33 Osa
the most dynamic of Soviet weapons systems,
undergoing a series of upgrades, with several system was
subsequently
changes of designation for both the 9K33 SAM
system and the vehicle chassis.
modernised several
The SPU launch vehicle for the first series
production Osa SAM system was designated
times during its
9A33B, with later modifications designated
9A33BM2 and 9A33BM3. The BAZ built chassis
relatively short
were delivered to the city of Izhevsk, best
known for producing Mikhail Kalashnikov’s
service life’
Model-1947 (AK-47) and subsequent designs.
Final assembly of the 9A33B launch vehicles
for the 9K33 Osa SAM system was undertaken
at the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant - today
within the structure of the ‘Almaz-Antei’ rocket
design and production concern. The BAZ-5937
series was powered by a UTD-20 V-6 diesel
engine developing 300hp (the same engine
as used in the BMP infantry combat vehicle),
linked to a five-speed gearbox and providing
the vehicle with a 60km/h road speed. The
The Obiekt-685 was a potential replacement for
the original BMP series. Armed with a 100mm
2A48 gun.
The early production model Osa SAM system
9A33B SPU vehicle at the Central Armed Forces
Museum, Moscow. Note the distinctly flat nose
section, which was modified on later vehicles
all-terrain vehicle was also fully amphibious by
means of a hydro-jet propulsion system, and
could swim at 8km/h.
The first pre-series 9A33 launcher vehicle
chassis used with the original 9K33 Osa SAM
system had a distinctive blunt nose. By the
time the Osa system had its public debut on
Red Square in November 1977, the 9A33B
chassis had been modified significantly, with This 9A33BM3 vehicle is returning from a Red
the most obvious change being a modified hull Square parade on November 7, 1986.
front, which primarily improved the vehicle’s MIKHAIL BARYATINSKY
amphibious characteristics. Both vehicle
71
An early prototype BAV amphibian. The vehicle was
an almost direct copy of the US GMC DUKW but
with an extended cargo area and rear loading ramps
allowing artillery and light vehicles to be loaded
The 9V210 technical support vehicle was, as with
the 9A33 series launcher and the 9T217 series TZM
vehicle, constantly modernised - hence a plethora
of designation suffixes apply to all the Osa vehicles
depending on the latest version
ABOVE RIGHT: A 9A33B SPU vehicle on a train, with
the turret rotated to the rear and the radar antenna
folded for transit
ABOVE: A rear view of the same vehicle, showing the
ports for the hydro-jet water propulsion system
‘The Osa short-
range SAM system
had an altitude
ceiling of 5km and
a range of 9km’
Production of the Osa and its dedicated BAZ-5937
series chassis ceased in 1990, but the system
has continued to be maintained and updated. The
Osa-1T is a modernised version with electronics
upgrades developed in Belarus
modifications were displayed together when
the system had its Red Square public debut in
1977.
Work on modernisation of the original Osa
system resulted in a modified Osa-AK version
mounting six rather than four rockets, with the
rockets now located in hermetically sealed
containers and thereby protected from the
elements.
The modernised Osa-AK was introduced from
1973, mounted on the modified 9A33BM2
SPU chassis. The speed of development was
such that the modernised Osa-AK had been
accepted for service long before the earlier
Osa was seen in public for the first time on Red
Square in November 1975.
The system was further improved with regard
to targeting, tracking and data management
systems, with the further modified system
accepted for service in 1980 as Osa-AKM
mounted on the 9A33BM3 SPU vehicle, which
was first seen on Red Square in November
1982. The related TZM transloader vehicle was
designated 9T217, with the later variant for the
Osa-AKM designated 9T217BM2.
Production of the Osa SAM system ceased
in 1990, by which time the system was in
service with 25 countries, as the Osa, and
also sometimes known abroad by the export
version designation ‘Romb’. In the post-Soviet
era several Russian and non-Russian upgrades
have been developed for the system, including
The 9M33 rockets for the original Osa SAM
system were originally mounted on launch rails
open to the elements
72
the OSA-1T developed in the former Soviet
Republic of Belarus.
A single later production 9K33 Osa SPU
vehicle liberated from Iraq has for many years
been in the Imperial War Museum reserve
collection at Duxford near Cambridge.
The BAZ plant built a whole range of other
specialised vehicles, some of which were
built in quantity and others not. Such vehicles
include the 8x8 BAZ-6944 chassis for the
9K714 ‘Oka’ (NATO: SS-23 Spider) that was
intended to replace the 9K72 ‘Scud-B’ on
the MAZ-543 chassis. Deployment of the
missile system and its specially developed
and fully enclosed SPU vehicle was scrapped
due to the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF)
agreement between the US and the Soviet
Union on intermediate and short range
nuclear capable rockets. The enigmatic
BAZ-6953 wheeled 8x8 artillery tractor was
however built in moderate numbers and was
used by the Soviet and post-Soviet Russian
armies, though the vehicle was always one
of the most rarely observed of all Soviet-era
developed military vehicles.
The BAZ plant continues to produce
specialised military vehicles to the present time,
which still retain the quirky look that seems to
have been designed into vehicles produced at
BAZ ever since it began building specialised
military vehicles at the height of the Cold War in
the early 1960s.
 HISTORIC SPECIALS ESSEN T IA L R E AD I NG F R O M KE Y P U B L I S H I NG

D-DAY75th RAF SALUTE: HISTORY D-DAYINTHEAIR WAR IN THE

A tribute to the aerial assets
ANNIVERSARY AND HEROISM of D-Day, in this 75th EAST
The story behind Operation This impressive £26 million overhaul, The dramatic story of the
which explores the first 100 years of the Anniversary year. War in the East.
Overlord, the greatest amphibious
invasion in history. RAF and its roles today.

£6.99 inc FREE P&P* £5.99 inc FREE P&P* £6.99 inc FREE P&P* £6.99 inc FREE P&P*

REMEMBERING ARMISTICE MONTE CASSINO ZULU

THE FALLEN
Remembering the Fallen details
the plans put in place to honour
the victims of The Great War.
This 156-page photographic tribute This 116-page special magazine Battle tactics, the weapons of the war,
looks at the war from the outbreak to tells the story of one of and how Britain’s bold Victoria Cross
the most brutal battles of heroes earned their acclaim.
that fateful day in November when
World War II.
the guns fell silent.

£6.99 inc FREE P&P* £7.99 inc FREE P&P* £6.99 inc FREE P&P* £6.99 inc FREE P&P*

HISTORIC SPECIALS
ESSENTIAL reading from the teams behind your FAVOURITE magazines
FREE Aviation Specials App

HOW TO ORDER Simply download to purchase digital versions

of your favourite specials in one handy place!
VISIT PHONE Once you have the app, you will be able
www.keypublishing.com/shop UK: 01780 480404 to download new, out of print or
ROW: (+44)1780 480404 archive specials for less than the
cover price!
*Prices correct at time of going to press. Free 2nd class P&P on all UK & BFPO orders.
Overseas charges apply. Postage charges vary depending on total order value.
440/19

Specials.indd 1 30/07/2019 14:46:47

 words Andrew Stone pictures Mark Burley

Snatch Land Rovers first appeared

in 1992 and have gone on to serve in
various conflicts around the world

Mark Burley’s
Snatch Land Rover
is considered one of
the very few complete
examples there is on
the circuit

‘The armour was still intact,

but the soft-skin all around
had melted away’
74
 Old School
Warrior
H
aving previously seen action in both Northern
Ireland and Iraq, Mark Burley’s Snatch Land Rover
can today be found traversing quiet English
country roads instead of the rutted and dangerous
desert tracks it used to patrol in the Middle East. The
Not long after entering service in 1993, the armoured
V8 Land Rover survived an attack during the Troubles
and later could have possibly been used in a daring
raid to rescue two SAS soldiers captured by Iraqi
forces. “The places it has served interest me more than
vehicle diligently served the armed forces for nearly anything else,” said 49-year-old Mark. “I’ve got pictures
20 years before being sold into private hands in 2011. of it sitting outside my house in Bromley, then there are
Its history is what makes owning a vehicle like this so pictures of troops around it near a wadi in Basra. That is
appealing. what makes owning a vehicle like this so great.”

75
 76

076_CMV_SEP19_ad.indd 1 30/07/2019 15:20:45

 ‘The places it has
served interest me
more than anything else’
ABOVE: The vehicle is a regular
at military shows
LEFT: A copy of the map found under a seat
and thought to relate to the rescue of two
SAS members
BELOW LEFT: Two members of the RAF
Regiment returning to Basra Air Station in
May 2006 providing top-cover in a Snatch
Land Rover. Both are wearing the short-
lived Kestrel Body Armour suits, nicknamed
‘Elvis Suits’ because of the high collar.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
BOTTOM LEFT: The vehicle saw service in
Northern Ireland and Iraq
Developed for use in Northern Ireland in 1992,
the lightly armoured Snatch Land Rover is a
protected vehicle based on the Defender 110
chassis. Intended for patrolling in low-threat
areas, they featured Camac Cav 100 composite
glass-fibre armour produced by NP Aerospace
and provided some degree of protection against
small arms fire and some types of improvised
explosive devices (IED).
The enclosed rear body area was used for
transporting troops or prisoners or even to carry
sensitive electronic equipment. Believed to
have been given the ‘Snatch’ nickname during
the Troubles when used by squads trained to
arrest suspected leaders of demonstrations,
six versions were eventually produced. This
included 994 Snatch-1s of which 278 were
upgraded for use in Iraq and named the
Snatch-1.5. Most of the originals were upgraded
to a second variant standard and include the
following:
• Snatch-2 12v, LHD
• Snatch-2A 24v, RHD
• Snatch-2B 24v, RHD and
• Snatch Vixen
Most Snatch 1s were fitted with the 3.5-litre
V8 petrol engine, which was replaced with
the 2.5-litre 300Tdi diesel power plant in later
variants. Mark’s 1993 Snatch-1.5 still retains
the original V8. The vehicles would go on to see
service in Iraq and Afghanistan and despite the
Vixen upgrades featuring an automatic gearbox,
reinforced chassis, a new suspension system
and extra protection, they became known
as ‘mobile coffins’ due to their poor level of
protection and were eventually withdrawn from
frontline service.
Many have since being sold off by the military
and have become sought-after by private
defence contractors, security companies and
collectors. Parts are relatively cheap and

THE LAND ROVER STORY

Written in a fast-paced
and entertaining style, The
Land Rover Story by Dave
Phillips tells the story of the
iconic brand from its humble
beginnings in 1948 to the
world-wide renown it
enjoys today.
Dave, a former editor of two
national Land Rover magazines,
provides unique insight into
the company’s successes and
failures in addition to touching
on the men behind the brand.
Importantly, this is not just a
book that sings the marque’s
praises but is also critical
where Dave has felt it due.
The Land Rover Story has been
divided into 19 chapters and
is illustrated with a mixture
of colour and black and white
images in the centre ‘photo
section’. There’s a handy, quick
reference timeline at the rear
which covers all the important
dates. Dave’s easy to read style
and his wealth of knowledge on
the subject make it a must have
for Land Rover fans. Published
in hardback, the book retails
for £25. ISBN 9781910505359.
For more information visit
www.evropublishing.com.

77

SNATCH INTERNALS
An interior view of the Snatch Land Rover (below) vs a Foxhound (above)
ABOVE: The interior was home to sensitive electronic countermeasure equipment
BELOW: Seats and gear in the back of the vehicle
78
widely available, and a quick online search
revealed that a IIA with a 300Tdi engine could be
picked up for around £10,000.
“I’ve had mine for nearly two years now after
buying it from a friend,” explained Mark. “He had
it for about four or five years and had been the
second owner after it was sold by Withams in
2011. I’ve got all the Merlin reports detailing its
time in Northern Ireland and its later use in Iraq,
which makes for interesting reading.”
Mark said that during its service in Northern
Ireland it suffered considerable damage during
an attack while parked at a football match.
“Someone threw a blast bomb over a wall,”
he said. “There were two Land Rovers over
the other side, one of which was mine, and it
suffered fire damage around the lower half of
the vehicle. The armour was still intact, but the
soft-skin all around had melted away.”
The vehicle was sent away for repairs and
ended up being completely rebuilt before
returning to Northern Ireland.
“Records show it was initially used by 1
Parachute Regiment in 1993,” said Mark. “It
then went over to the Royal Logistics Corps and
the Royal Irish had it in ’95. I’m not sure when
it suffered the fire damage, but it was sent to
Iraq in 2004 as part of a fleet of light armoured
vehicles.
“It was only there for a month or two at max
before they realised the heat of the desert made
them unsuitable to use.”
Having been developed for colder European
climates, the heat build-up in the armoured
Snatch Land Rovers from the blisteringly hot
desert sun was severe.
“There were stories of soldiers passing out
in the back because the heat inside exceeded
55 °C,” said Mark. “They realised they could
not operate the vehicles in the extreme
temperatures, so they shipped the whole lot
back to the UK where they were fitted with
thermal barriers to stop the heat from the sun
getting through. They were also fitted with air-
conditioning. The lockers on each side of the
vehicle which normally carry Jerrycans were
used for the air-conditioning systems.”
After undergoing refitment, Mark’s Snatch
Land Rover returned to Basra in Iraq in August
of 2004. It remained in the country until at least
2006 before returning to the UK.
“Considering all it has been through, it is in
excellent condition and one of the very few
complete examples there is on the circuit,”
said Mark. “Everything is in there, even the
curtain used to protect and keep the electronic
countermeasure(ECM) stuff cool in the back.”
When pulled down, the curtain kept the air-
conditioned air in the vehicle to protect and keep
sensitive electronics cool.
“In a patrol of four or five Land Rovers, two
would normally supply the ECM ‘bubble’, which
was used to block signals from mobile phones
or other sources that could trigger an IED,” said
Mark. “They normally had two vehicles with full
ECM gear, which this one had.”
Since taking ownership, Mark has discovered
an interesting story related to its time in Iraq.
“When the first owner got it from Withams
he found a map under the seat. It is said to be
related to the capture of two SAS soldiers in
2004 by Iraqi forces.
“There was some toing and froing between
 The Snatch Land Rover is based on SPECIFICATIONS
the Defender 110 chassis
Make Land Rover
Model Snatch
Nationality UK
Year 1992 onwards
Production Run 994
Engine Land Rover
Type V8(original) / 300Tdi
Fuel Petrol / Diesel
Power 83Kw
Speed 100 km/h
Gearbox R380(later versions)
Gears Five
Dimensions(overall)
Length 4.8m
Width 2m
Height 2.37m
Wheelbase 2.79m
Turning circle 13.25m
Weight 4,050kg

‘The cost of buying one today

is nothing compared to what was spent on them’
government and the forces on the ground as to
A member of Roebuck Company, Territorial Army, Princess of Wales’s
what to do because word had come through that Royal Regiment (PWRR) is shown providing top cover in a Snatch Land
the soldiers were going to be given to a splinter Rover, during a move from Basra Airport to the city. CROWN COPYRIGHT
group of insurgents and probably executed.
“The commanding officer on the ground took
the decision to mount a quick reaction force to
break these blokes out. The map is said to show
the area where these two SAS soldiers were
being held and apparently my Land Rover was
part of that quick reaction force. That’s what
I’ve been told, but to date I have not been able to
verify if it’s true or not.”
On the bad press Snatch Land Rovers received
during their time in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mark
said: “I’ve spoken to a few owners who served
with them and they have all said that it was
still better than patrolling in a soft-skin vehicle.
You’ve got to consider it was the only vehicle
used in bulk numbers out there (Iraq) because
the army did not want to project a war-like
image.
“So, for patrols around towns and villages
they opted for a Land Rover. A lot of the streets

and roads in the smaller towns and villages

were narrow and could not take big armoured
vehicles and the only thing that could get down
the alleyways was the Land Rover. Also, the
IEDs being used were very powerful and there
were few vehicles that could withstand them
adequately.”
Mark has no plans to offload his anytime soon.
“It’s one of the cheaper military vehicles to buy
and maintain,” he said. “The cost of buying one
today is nothing compared to what was spent
on them. I’m told the initial costs of the purchase
and upgrades with all the armour was said to be
around £80,000.
“It’s top heavy, the vehicle weighs just over four
tons so you need to be cautious when driving
Decent examples and, on the motorway, you can’t do excessive
sell for around £10,000 speeds.
“It’s comfortable at around 50mph and it

79

even states that on the dash. It’s not a vehicle
you can throw around a roundabout. You’ve got
to take care and be wary when driving it.
“I use it regularly, at least once or twice a
month to keep everything going and keep the
aircon running.
“ It’s a big air-conditioning system and it
requires a lot of gas, so you got to use it
regularly to keep all the seals from leaking. I get
Mark has spoken to ex-army personnel who
served with these vehicles to keep it as
authentic as possible
‘Considering all it has been
through, it is in excellent condition’
A Foxhound light protected patrol vehicle in Patrol Base
Wahid, Helmand Afghanistan. Foxhound is bigger than
the Snatch Land Rover. CROWN COPYRIGHT
LEFT: A Snatch Land Rover deployed on Op TELIC 5.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
RIGHT: The Land Rover Snatch-Vixen variant on
show at the Urgent Operational Requirement (UOR)
equipment demonstration in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
CROWN COPYRIGHT
around 12 or 13 miles to the gallon.”
The vehicle was in good condition when
Mark bought it and he’s only had to add a few
“bits and pieces” to it. “There were certain
aspects I wanted to get right to make it more
authentic, so I spoke to former soldiers who
served with them.
“ For example, if they were patrolling at night,
they would use a sandbag to cover a headlight. need to be checked out regularly in addition
From a distance it would look like an old truck to looking for rot in the bulkhead and potential
bumbling along the road with one headlight and damage to the chassis.”
enemy forces would not be alerted to the fact Mark is a regular at various military shows so
that a British Army patrol was close by” there’s a good chance anyone wanting to see
Mark said anyone considering buying one this fine example of a Snatch Land Rover will
should look out for rot and chassis damage. come across him at some stage.
“They are old vehicles. The armour itself holds SOURCES: MILITARY LAND ROVER ENTHUSIASTS’
up pretty well, but the components around it MANUAL AND WIKIPEDIA
80
 cmvclassifieds email cmvads@keypublishing.com

ENGINEERING SERVICES SERVICE, REPAIR & RESTORATION VEHICLE PARTS

Whitedell green machine surplus CHRIS MORTER

BEDFORD SPARES
engineering ltd Specialising in military and commercial MW, OY, QL, K M O, A D & J type,

vehicle spares and manuals

S type, RL, early TK.
MAINTENANCE
28hp & 214 reconditioned engines.
ENGINE & GEARBOX REBUILDS
RESTORATION WORK Tel: 01782 729112 Brake, clutch, engine, electrical & service parts.

Email: enquiries@greenmachinesurplus.com
Transfer/gearboxes, exhausts, water pumps,
MOT WORK petrol pumps, carburetters, gaskets, etc.
GRIT BLASTING Visit our online shops: Find
us on Windscreen & Cab Rubbers.
PAINTING
TRANSPORT
www.greenmachinesurplus.com J type Cab Panels.
VEHICLES FOR FILMWORK www.vintagemvmanuals.co.uk Many other original parts available
DRIVING SERVICES VINTAGE MILITARY VEHICLE SPARES
Tel: Barry 07747 466 296 or
01953 602581
To advertise please call
morter766@btinternet.com
Email: www.vintagebedfordspares.com
Whitedellengineering@icloud.com

TOM LUNN
Fareham, Hampshire

ARE YOU
http://www.facebook.com/militaryvehiclerepairs

01780 755131
REPAIRS & SERVICES
Steering Wheel Restoration
READING
Email: tom.lunn@keypublishing.com THIS?
OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE Then this advert
Steering wheel restoration, vintage to
modern cars, tractors, lorries, buses, boats. Copy Deadline: Thursday 29th August has worked!
Bluemels, Celluloid, Bakelite, Wood & Plastic.
tel: +44 (0)1843 844962 On-Sale: Thursday 19th September CALL TOM NOW!
www.SteeringWheelRestoration.co.uk

Come
find us on Stand
B17 at The War and
Peace Revival

TEL: 01233 770007

MOBILE: 07770 836438
WEBSITE: www.jeffreyeng.com Email: nick@jeffreyeng.com
Berry Court Farm, Smarden, Ashford, Kent. TN27 8RQ

81

Classified.indd 80 31/07/2019 11:35

Echoes of War Jonas Savimbi
T
he former leader of Angola’s rebel group
Unita was reburied earlier this year,
more than 17 years after his death. The
charismatic, but controversial Jonas Savimbi,
who fought Angola’s socialist government
in a civil war lasting 27 years, was killed in a
battle against the People’s Movement for the
Liberation of Angola (MPLA) government forces
in February 2002. At the time he was hastily
buried in a cemetery in the town of Luena,
which led to later calls by Unita for him to be
given a more prominent funeral.
Unita first waged a guerrilla war against
Portuguese colonial rule from 1966 to 1974
before confronting the MPLA during the Angolan
Civil War. The conflict played a major role in the
Cold War with the US and South Africa backing
Unita and the Soviet Union and Cuba throwing
their weight behind the governing MPLA.
An estimated 500,000 people died over the
27 years the war was fought while some major
battles saw leading armour from the time
deployed on both sides. This included T55/62
tanks, BRDM-2 armoured vehicles and BM-21
Grad Rocket Launchers on the Angolan side
against Olifant tanks and Ratel infantry fighting
vehicles on the Unita/South African side.
In what would turn out to be the biggest
conventional battle in Africa since World War Two, the
Battle of Cuito Cuanavale was fought intermittently
between August 1987 and March 1988.
For Unita and the South African Defence Force
(SADF), it consisted of four phases. The aim of
these phases was to: 1. Stop a major Angolan
government offensive; 2. Inflict maximum
casualties on the retreating forces; 3. Drive
government forces back; and 4. Protect Unita
from future offensives.
Prior to this, the Soviet Union had supplied the
Angolan army with advanced military hardware
and advisors in anticipation of a major offensive
to crush Unita. In order to stop this, the SADF’s
61 Mechanised Battalion moved into Angola
in August 1987 and along with Unita forces
confronted an Angolan army force consisting of
an estimated 6,000 men, 80 tanks and artillery
and support vehicles.
Decommissioned Unita BMP-1 and
BM-21 Grad at an assembly point. WIKIMEDIA
In a series of fights that took place from early
September into October, the SADF and Unita
inflicted heavy losses on government forces
including 61 tanks and 83 armoured vehicles
for the loss of five armoured vehicles. A
sophisticated SA-8 anti-aircraft missile system
was also captured. As a result, the Angolan army
retreated to Cuito Cuanavale, a town located in
the central region of the country.
Further attacks in November 1987 saw more
‘Savimbi’s remains
were finally handed
to his family in late
May of this year
for a formal burial’
President Ronald Reagan meeting with Jonas
82
words Andrew Stone pictures archive
Further Reading
Several books have been written over the
years on the Angolan Civil War and the
South African Border War. These include
Leopold Scholtz’s book ‘The Battle of Cuito
Cuanavale. Cold War Angolan Finale,
1987-1988’.
A war of words has raged since the battle
about who actually won and in the book, a
South African military historian and retired
journalist examine the campaign, the
adversaries, and their achievements on the
basis of research in SADF archives, which
results in interesting conclusions. Another
that will interest military vehicle enthusiasts
is ‘South African Armour of the Border War
1975–89’ written by Kyle Harmse and Simon
Dunstan. The Border War saw the biggest
armoured battles in Africa since World
War Two and with the aid of illustrations
and photographs, the book details the
characteristics, capabilities and performance
of the wide variety of armoured vehicles
deployed by the SADF at the time.
heavy losses inflicted on the Angolans, who were
desperately defending Cuito Cuanavale. The
battle continued intermittently into 1988 with
neither side gaining the upper hand, but Angolan
government forces continued to suffer heavy
personnel and armour losses. The operation was
eventually wound down in late March, although
the SADF maintained a small force in the country
which continued to harry government forces
until August 1998.
The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale is credited by
some as opening negotiations which led to a
peaceful settlement and the withdrawal of
Cuban and South African troops. It also ensured
the survival of Savimbi’s Unita, which fought on
despite several efforts at brokering peace during
the 1990s. It was only after Savimbi’s death in
2002 that a settlement was reached. Savimbi’s
remains were finally handed to his family in late
May of this year for a formal burial on June 1.
While there were no government officials at the
ceremony, his coffin was draped in Unita’s flag.
- SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
Savimbi in The Oval Office in 1986.
WHITE HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHIC
COLLECTION / WIKIMEDIA
 The Allies’ objective was Rome but the
road from Naples to the Eternal City was
dominated by the hill upon which stood
the abbey of Monte Cassino, which had
been fortified and integrated into the
Gustav Line.

For four months the Allied forces, almost

a quarter of a million strong, bombed
and assaulted the exposed slopes of the
hill and the battered ruins of the abbey
of Monte Cassino, only to be repeatedly
repelled with heavy losses.

The fighting was brutal and often hand-

to-hand, with the Germans refusing to
be driven from the dominating hilltop.
Monte Cassino was finally taken on May
18, the Allies losing more than 50,000
men. The road to Rome had been kicked
open. This 116-page special magazine
tells the story of one of the most brutal
battles of World War II.

Features include:

THE ROAD TO ROME

Joseph Stalin was demanding a ‘second
front’ to help the Soviet Union. Churchill
urged a strike at what he called ‘Hitler’s
soft underbelly’ – Italy.

RIVER OF BLOOD
To link up with the planned amphibious
landing behind the Winter Line, the US
36th Division would move up the Liri valley,
crossing the River Rapido.

THE ASSAULT UPON MONTE CASSINO

With the abbey in ruins and the town of
Cassino severely damaged, now was the
time to deliver the attack that would break
the Gustav Line.

ORDER DIRECT
271/19
*Free 2nd class P&P on

PLUS FREE P&P* all UK & BFPO orders.

Overseas charges apply.

Free P&P* when you order online at Call UK: 01780 480404
www.keypublishing.com/shop OR Overseas: +44 1780 480404
Monday to Friday 9am-5:30pm

SUBSCRIBERS CALL FOR YOUR £1.00 DISCOUNT!

MonteChristo.indd 1 30/07/2019 14:45:44
BAIV.indd 1 25/07/2019 16:31:47