How did this get there?

[Bill Murray]

Interesting shot of an IH which I think is an M-1-4, shot at, of all places, Weymouth just prior to D-Day.

IH vehicles were, in the main, used by USMC but the Navy and Coast Guard also used them. This one is not in the traditional Navy/Coast Guard Grey.
Any ideas?
Bill

[cliff]

Bill some of these if I remember rightly were sent out as lend lease as well. This may be one of them.

Cheers
Cliff

[Crewman]

Originally posted by Bill Murray
This one is not in the traditional Navy/Coast Guard Grey.

Hello,

There are a little more exceptions when WWII-era USCG vehicles are in OD sheme rather than grey

[Bill Murray]

Cliff/Crewman:

Thanks for the input.
Cliff, I have no information on IH being supplied to the "European Theatre" although some were supplied to Russia and I think to maybe a few small countries that were more or less neutral.

Crewman: Although it is certainly possible, I can find no reference to the US Coast Guard being involved in the Normany Landings.
I also do not think the US Navy had to provide their own logistical vehicles for that effort but I may be wrong. In any case, the Navy seemed to standardize on their own grey colour.

Somewhere, way back in time, I think I remember a reference to a small contingent of US Marines who were attached to Eisenhower's staff either as observers or as consultants for the Normandy invasion. I suppose it is possible that the vehicle photo I posted may represent a vehicle belonging to USMC forces involved in this matter.
Bill

[Crewman]

Originally posted by Bill Murray
I can find no reference to the US Coast Guard being involved in the Normany Landings.

Hello Bill,

There were 97 vessels manned by the US Coast Guard at Normandy. USCG operated at Normandy beaches the ships serialled as follows:

LST Nos. 16, 17, 21, 27, 261, 262, 326, 327, 331, 381.
Total 76 USCG LSTs were used during D-Day preparations but not all were first line ships.

LCI(L) Nos. 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 349, 350.

Large AP Nos. AP-21, 61, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 121, 123.

Small AP Nos. AP-134, 135, 136, 141, 142, 143, 144, 155, 156, 124, 125, 176.

Large APA Nos. 12, 13, 14, 25, 26, 33, 35, 36, 37.

USCG Rescue Flotilla One operated also sixty 83-foot cutters serialled USCG-1 through USCG-60.

For more USCG-related data on the subject of the USCG at Normandy I highly recomend you Jonathan Gawne's book "Spearheading D-Day. American Special Units of the Normandy Invasion", Histoire & Collection, Paris 1998, ISBN 2-908-182-793.

Here it is also the link with some USCG at Normandy data.

Originally posted by Bill Murray
Somewhere, way back in time, I think I remember a reference to a small contingent of US Marines who were attached to Eisenhower's staff either as observers or as consultants for the Normandy invasion.

Yes, you are right. In the book I recomend you there is also an info about small USMC detachments at Normandy and about the greatest of them on board of USS Texas battleship.


Best regards

C.

[nuyt]

Crewman, your CG pic is fantastic. Is it from the book you mention?

The sailors appear to be armed with shotguns, Reising 50 SMGs, a couple of Springfield or Enfield 1917 rifles with bayonets fitted amd two machinguns that look like the old Colt potato diggers!

Kind regards,
Nuyt

[Crewman]

Hi

Originally posted by ericnuyt
Crewman, your CG pic is fantastic.

All military history hobbyists I know love this photo

Originally posted by ericnuyt
Is it from the book you mention?

No, this book does not contain this pic. It is the USCG-taken WWII copyright-free photo distributed also online but I can not remember now unfortunately what link it comes from.

Originally posted by ericnuyt
The sailors appear to be armed with shotguns, Reising 50 SMGs, a couple of Springfield or Enfield 1917 rifles with bayonets fitted amd two machinguns that look like the old Colt potato diggers!

Oooh yes, all possible US-Mexican wars can be seen at these jeeps


Best regards

C.

[Bill Murray]

Thanks, Crewman and yes, I need to do better research on the Coast Guard involvement in the Normandy landings. Sometimes I get a bit lazy.

As to whhich branch of the service the vehicles belong to, I am now leaning toward the Navy. I believe I can spot two M-5-6 tippers in the photo as well and I know the Navy had these, especially the SeaBees. As the photo was taken at a port of embarkation it would make sense the SeaBees would be involved in building out auxilliary docking facilities, roads from the beaches etc. They were perhaps repainted to go along with everyone elses colours.

As to the Coast Guard photo, and their equipment, I can tell you that the Marine Corps was only surpassed by the Coast Guard in being on the bottom of the ladder when it came to funding for equipment prior to and during WWII. And, the Marines are probably on the bottom now as the Coast Guard has been given
Incredible funding for the "Defense of the Homeland" or whatever we call it now.

To add another historical footnote to the above issue, at the end of WWII, most branches of most countries military forces could not wait to get rid of their vehicles. We are all aware of the tremendous vehicle auctions in Europe and Britain and this took place in Asia as well. Not to mention the thousands of vehicles and other equipment dumped into the sea or scrapped.

The Marine Corps, on the other hand, in areas that they "controlled", brought back everything they could lay their hands on and that included thousands of vehicles, not only their own but also leftover Army and Navy vehicles. They were transported however they could do it, including filling aircraft carrier decks with trucks etc. They were taken to the Marine Corps Supply Depot, Barstow, California and stored under open sheds (Barstow is in the California Desert) and restored over several years. It was with these vehicles that the Marines went to Korea in 1950. I visited that base several times with my Dad in 1949-1950 and it was quite a sight.
Bill

[Crewman]

It is me, one more time

For those of you who like the USCG vehicles…


US Coast Guard anti-saboteur patrol.
Photo: Library of Congress LC-USE6-D-008963


Detroit (vicinity), Michigan. The US Coast Guard ship on truck for land transportation.
Photo: Library of Congress LC-USW3- 021657-C


USCG 0102

[Bill Murray]

Thanks, Crewman:
Your last photo is also an International Harvester, most likely a 1938/1939 D-2 or D-3 model.
Bill