1940 SA Fords

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by David_Hayward
Still no word on any Ford plant in the Netherlands East Indies. It would have been a Ford of Canada subsidiary if it was. I found that there were several hundred Ford Jeeps delivered in summer 1941 and assume that there must have been a Ford presence but where was it? Batavia? Nuyt can you track down please as this is annoying me that I am not getting an answer!

David,

I agree with Nuyt. Although the chassis for Overvalwagens werre procured and modified locally, military vehicles such as Ford GP jeeps, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and White M3A1 Scout Cars were supplied through US Ordnance as military aid (although I believe they were paid for by the NEI government). Actually, because the Netherlands Purchasing Commission could not get the required numbers from the US government (who themselves were scrambling to build up their military forces), vehicles were procured locally (like the Overvalwagen) of from commercial firms like Marmon-Herrington in the US and Vickers in the UK. I have not seen any indication the Ford/Marmon-Herrington vehicles were delivered through a Ford agent or assembly plant in the NEI.

Hanno