CMP Umbau-Wagen

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Originally posted by Rolf S. Ask in CMPs first used in action: June 1940, France
And regadring vehicles. Would it be unlikly to assume that the Germans also used F15A's, C15 and C15A with the same bodywork?? We know of those who went to Russia (F15's). But since there were such big losses of vehicles would it be likely that many of them were rebuilt, wouldn't it??

And is there any chances of seeing such a bodywork from the rear??

And David is there any records abouth CMD numbers? Guess I have asked you before, but I have a C60S cab # 12 with CMD number 60204. Any idea where and to whom it went?

I would have thought that there was a standard Umbau body that fitted all and was modified to suit chassis. That said there were different types of Umbau...personnel carriers, cargo, etc. We know that thousands of captured/sequestred vehicles were used on the Russian front and these were prepared in the various former assembly plants that we have already discussed. We also know that Ford in Antwerp built new 1943 Ford V3000 style trucks to the same basic design as Ford Koln/Cologne. I cannot believe that given the desperate vehicle shortage after the onset of winter in 1941 that the Germans did not use the various plants to rebuild war-weary captured vehicles. The Ministry of Supply set up a rebuild programme from late 1941 and General Motors Limited had a huge undertaking that spilt into two facilities to provide the facilities required. I seem to remember that Opel in Russelsheim undertook rebuilds in addition to new build, and of course Mercedes-Benz produced their own version of the Blitz truck under licence.

As to the CMD number...Rolf where WAS the number found? I assume on the side of the hood? Underneath paint? The CMD number was allocated to new-build Canadian order trucks even if US sourced when assembled in the UK. This was a sort of census number, namely a sequential number that started probably with CMD 1 but may have started with # CMD 1001, at the Southampton Canadian Mechanization Depot. I know that # C.M.D. 3269 was a 1940 Chevrolet sedan that was destroyed in the 30 November 1940 attack. That makes me think that the starting number was CMD 1. What we do know is that when Slough started Ford production again in December 1940 the first off the line was # CMD 15001..a big jump up. An early Canadian order Jeep has # CMD 26914, and that was assembled in Slough. I have a photo of it next to a # 12 F60S, with a CMD # that is unreadable but could be 38495. In addition we know that Tom Garner Limited of Manchester assembled CMPs..there is a photo of a park full of trucks in Wheels & Tracks. One has a # cMD 62774??? number but they are # 13 Cabs.

I believe that the truck may have been assembled by LEP Transport Limited at Chiswick, London W.4 but it could have been assembled at one of a number of facilities around England and Scotland. It is just that LEP assembled more Chevrolets than anyone else, whereas Citroen Cars/CMD Slough handled Fords.