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					Originally Posted by Les Freathy  The second lifting a halftrack, now that looks like the remains of a packing case underneath so would the vehicle be as complete as seen straight from the case | 
	
     Y'know Les, I think you're right, the crane is picking the halftrack directly out of a crate.  There are no external stores whatsoever and the M3 is clean as a whistle with additional smaller crates stored within suggesting that it is new.  I am surprised that the crane operator isn't using a spreader bar of any sort to relieve the strain across the back of the halftrack, however I see they have placed some timbers in an effort to spread the strain across the entire back of the halftrack.  
     While we're on the subject of cranes, I have an interesting picture from 1940 of an airfield engineer battalion.  I posted pics of a similar small tipper a while back asking for an ID and received a reply of a Muir-Hill tipper.  In fact it may have been you who identified as such.  In this picture there is a similar small tipper being loaded by one of the smallest shovels I have ever seen.  Would you be able to identify it by any chance?
CHIMO!  Derek.