Western Desert images

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by zemsi

.. wonderful images, there are even more if you search for "Western Desert"

. . . or for Bob Landry.

[cletrac (RIP)]

These pics come in two series; War in the Western Desert and Western Desert after Axis Retreat. Each series has over 200 pics and Google will only show 200. To access the others a person might have to search by year also. There aren't any captions to search for key words.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

David,

The third pic in the last series you posted is interesting as it shows a F15 with canvas-covered square roof hatch, a typical North African theatre modification. But pictures of CMPs with this type of hatch are few and far between.

Hanno

[Lynn Eades]

It also appears to have recently rained. How common was that?

[Kuno]

Mud? Very common in wintertime in Libya!!!

[cletrac (RIP)]

One thing I notice on these images is the paint jobs on the vehicles. The majority of them are plain desert sand with the rest being caunter or MTP46 camo schemes.

[cletrac (RIP)]

There's something else I noticed. Several vehicles either have the sloping windshields painted or have canvas covers with vision holes and the side windows or vertical windshields don't have anything. This is obviously to try to avoid detection by airplanes. Here we have the real reason for the sloping ahead windshields on 13 cabs!

[cletrac (RIP)]

That canvas hatch is interesting. I guess you wouldn't have to worry about rain getting in in the desert!

[Howard]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

The third pic in the last series you posted is interesting as it shows a F15 with canvas-covered square roof hatch, a typical North African theatre modification. But pictures of CMPs with this type of hatch are few and far between.

Also interesting, this is a 12 cab, but with 11 cab tow hooks, the same as mine. My truck also has 11 cab engine covers (a recent discovery!)

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Howard

Also interesting, this is a 12 cab, but with 11 cab tow hooks, the same as mine. My truck also has 11 cab engine covers (a recent discovery!)

I once bought a cab from a F60L cab 12, the chassis of which was being made into a forklift, and it had the early type towing eyes in the bumper mounts but had normal cab 12 engine covers.

[Mike K]

The chap standing on the bonnet of the CS8 Morris with field glases would likely be a Kiwi . The Kiwi fern leaf tac logo is seen on the near side guard. The same pic is in the Alexander Turnbull collection in NZ.

Mike