Universal carrier pulling a 17pdr.....HOW? Arnhem

[Alex van de Wetering]

A good friend is preparing a new Market Garden book. While doing research, he found multiple accounts of Airborne MkIII Carriers being used to pull 17pounders from their positions around Arnhem.
I hear you say....."the Morris C8/AT was the tractor for the 17pounder, not the carrier"..... and that's exacty that why I am posting it here! From the accounts it seems more than one Morris broke down and carriers were used as replacement.....but how?

As far as I know the Airborne carriers had their towing hook removed, so how would they have pulled a 17pdr? I don't think they would go to the trouble of removing the towing assembly from the Morris and putting it on the carrier....so....could they have used chains or a cable to secure the gun to the rear axle? or maybe the loops on the front armour and pulling it backwards? Any ideas?

There are rumours that airborne carrier crews were trained to use rope or chain to move different loads, including guns. Is anyone able to confirm this?

Last but not least....a 17pdr is a pretty heavy gun, if a carrier is used to pull it, wouldn't it point towards the stars with the nose, due to the heavy load???

Guys, any ideas are more than welcome.

regards,

Alex