Canada’s biggest industrial contribution to victory

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Quote from ARMING THE NATION CANADA’S INDUSTRIAL WAR EFFORT 1939-1945 by Dr J L Granatstein (2005):

"the Canadian and Allied armies were huge beneficiaries of the production of Canada's factories. The major contribution - indeed, arguably Canada’s biggest industrial contribution to victory was in the form of trucks, most particularly Canadian Military Pattern vehicles. These CMP vehicles, produced in huge numbers by Ford and General Motors (along with some 180,000 military versions of Chrysler’s D60 truck model), came in a bewildering variety. There were three types of wireless trucks, four of ambulances, thirteen of field workshop vehicles, and 90 types of army vehicles on twelve different chassis. In all, Canada’s General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler auto plants produced 815,729 military vehicles that equipped the Canadian and British Commonwealth armies. Britain’s Eighth Army, fighting in North Africa and Italy, used huge numbers of CMP vehicles."

Read the full article linked below.

Arming_the_Nation_A_Paper_Prepared_by_Dr_Granatstein_May_2005.pdf

[Bob Carriere]

...AND still being good enough Post War in Spain, Portugal, Israel, South America and a whole bunch of third WORLD COUNTRIES DICTATORS......

[Bob Phillips]

A very interesting read, thanks for posting this Hanno.
Bob I would point out the many CMPs that made it onto farms, to the corner gas station as snow plow trucks and recovery vehicles and even forklift conversions, for many years after they were surplused in Canada. I remember a time when they were to be found almost everywhere in rural Ontario.

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Bob Phillips

A very interesting read, thanks for posting this Hanno.
Bob I would point out the many CMPs that made it onto farms, to the corner gas station as snow plow trucks and recovery vehicles and even forklift conversions, for many years after they were surplused in Canada. I remember a time when they were to be found almost everywhere in rural Ontario.

The Cold War Collection was driving around rural West Quebec doing crew training, recovery practise, and otherwise hanging out with our other volunteer crew member pals. At one halt, after I did my walk around the vehicle looking for anything loose or flapping, MLU member Robin Craig asked me sagely if I'd seen anything in 'that' woodline from my driver's seat. Umm. No. Why? He then directed my gaze to a CMP front end sitting quietly with the brush growing out and around it. That was only 3-4 years ago.