Tim,
Just talked to my old Dad about this.
His angle is : When he went to the Middle East early on he recalls the term Blitz Buggy or just Blitz were used by the British to refer to the Morrix C8s and the other small British trucks of that style. The Australians of course just continued the tradition. He thinks they may have got their name from their early France and Dunkirk heritage.
He says when he went to Palestine and Syria with the 7th Division they were still calling the small British trucks Blitz Buggies and the CMP's Chevs or Fords. Apparently the name just went across by osmosis when they gave back their British vehicles and were almost entirely replaced by CMP. He thinks the two wheel drive vehicles (conventional cab) did not get branded as well for they were considered "civilian" types and not conducive to nick-names.
Another thing he has mentioned many times in the past is that the 15cwt CMPs were not commonly referred to as Blitz. This name was attached to the heavier CMP,s. The 15cwt was referred to as a four-by-four.
He thinks it was sheer weight of common usage and the fact most people could not tell the difference between a 15cwt and a 60cwt that by the end of the war every CMP was a Blitz.
Probably lost in the sands of time like JEEP but that is the old boy's two cents worth.
Regards
Lang
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