Dirk. What a fascinating Staghound you have to work on!
My wife's Father and Uncles served with the 12th Manitoba Dragoons during and after the war and a neighbour down the lane from my parents also served with that Regiment.
Your vehicle is interesting from so many levels. The US Army was definitely not a major user of this vehicle during the war. I believe a number served with US Forces in Australia and may have been used post war by the Australian Army and I think some were based in the United States during the war, to serve what purpose I do not know. The US certainly sold a number of Staghounds to Central and South American counties post war, but where those vehicles came from I do not know.
I have seen pale blue US Army markings on a few wartime vehicles but it does not seem to have been a common practice. This is the first time as well that I can recall ever seeing a US Army number on a vehicle using the decimal point system of numbering. It would be interesting to know when and why US vehicles used pale blue markings and when the decimal numbering system was in use.
I am not familiar with how other Canadian Regiments that used the Staghound came by their vehicles other than the 12th Manitoba Dragoons. They did not get their vehicles until the Regiment arrived in England, and they were apparently drawn from existing British stocks of the vehicle already in England, so those at least, should not have passed through US Army hands.
I cannot wait to follow your restoration story of this vehicle!
Best regards,
David
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