Aircraft starter truck of Japanese origin.
Advance parties of R.A.A.F. mobile works units were among the first to land on Noemfoor Island, in North-western New Guinea. Two days after the main body landed, R.A.A.F. Kittyhawks touched down on the captured Kamiri airstrip.
Date
[ca. 1944]
Identifier(s)
H98.100/4474
Found on wiki. Appears to be a Toyota KB. The similar KC model had flat fenders.
One special use for the KC truck was to start aircraft engines on Japanese military airfields, after being equipped with a Hucks starter. A power take-off was taken from after the gearbox. It rose behind the cabin and then projected forward. This was mated to the spinner on an aircraft's propeller to start the aircraft engine. Because this version of the KC wasn't used for heavy cargo, its cargo bed was narrow and the rear wheels were singles instead of the normal doubles. Also, the cabin was very basic, having plywood sides, no doors and a canvas roof. The starter truck was unique in having running boards, due to its narrow cargo bed. Hasegawa made a 1:72 scale plastic model of the KC starter truck labelled as "Starter Truck Toyota GB", even although the real GB had a curved radiator grill and more complex bodywork
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_G1#KC