Chevrolet photos wanted

[Alex van de Wetering]

Lang,

Great vehicle and great to hear you plan on coming over to Normandy, again!

Did you check the extensive LIFE picture collection posted here?: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Radio.WW...os/?tab=albums

There are some early war albums with pictures taken in the US, that often show very interesting, and rare, vehicles.

Alex

[Lang]

Thanks Owen and Alex

This gives me a few clues. Best I have found is a 9th Air Force "Flight Line Photographic Laboratory" - they got the film from the gun cameras on the tarmac and started developing them on the way back to the debriefing.

There is a photo of an International Metro van with that writing and the back of what looks like my vehicle parked beside it. Could be from the photographic unit or just the catering vehicle delivering sandwiches!

I will find something suitable.

Mike O'Sullivan (who drove his C15A to Normandy from Istanbul with us) is restoring the same type of Panel Delivery except his is a Dodge SNL G-613.
We are doing the work on both vehicles in his workshop in Texas then will ship together to Europe in May next year.

Any other brilliant suggestions always welcome.

Lang

[cletrac (RIP)]

Regarding the chrome, the US and Canada quit using chrome on vehicles from 1942 to 1945 since it was needed for more important stuff at the time.

[Lang]

Cletrac

That was the general policy but there were many civilian model based vehicles still produced with limited chrome trimming, including the Chev Panel and Carryall. Many of the Dodges also had the vertical centre strips still chrome while the rest of the bars reverted to paint.

Here are some photos of a group of new Chevrolet staff cars in New Guinea in 1944 all with chrome grilles. The posed factory photos of the chrome grille Carryall and Pickup are dated October 42. I suppose they would have had thousands of chrome grilles in the system when the stop order came. Maybe they decided to use them on the light truck orders? Most of these would have been for US home issue or at least rear areas.

Lang

[Lang]

Best photo so far of a Chevrolet in use but a Carryall not very useful! It has chrome hubcaps.

Aberdeen Proving Ground 1943

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Hello Lang,

Always amazed by your intercontinental automotive projects. This panel van is a rare beast, it is hard to find a reference in my library which includes books like Fred W. Crismon's U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles. But they were a military vehicle, as listed in TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles (1943). See attached pages for details - TM9-2800_G-616.pdf:

TRUCK, PANEL DELIVERY, 3/4-ton, 4x2
Technical Manual: TM 10-1287. Parts List: SNL G-616
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Motor Div. (General Motors Corp.)
Classification: Limited standard
Purpose : To transport light cargo.

TRUCK, PICKUP, 3/4-ton, 4x2
Technical Manuals: TM 10-1163, TM 10-1167, TM 10-1305. Parts List: SNL G-616.
Manufacturer: Chevrolet Motor Div. (General Motors Corp.)
Classification: Limited standard
Purpose: To transport general cargo

A quick search yielded a reference to a manual listing G-616:

Ord 8 SNL G520, G612, G616 Bus 15 Passenger G520, Car 5 Passenger 4 door (G520), Truck 1/2 Ton 4X2 (G612), Truck 3/4 ton 4X2 (G-616) 1944 102 VG $40

The ad dates back to 2017 but maybe the seller still has it, or you snapped it up already?

This is an interesting class of vehicles: while acquired by the military, these are basically civilian vehicles with slight military modifications like matt paint and possibly military black-out lighting. In the government supply systems they are listed as "Limited Standard" military vehicles, typically to be used at home bases or at least non-combat units. Being basic civilian vehicles, they are better to drive long distances than heavy all-wheel drive military trucks.

I think it would look great in US Navy gloss medium gray No. 123 on all exterior metal surfaces with the exception of chrome plating (source). When repainting vehicles, the US Navy would often paint the chassis and underbody with black bituminous paint.

All for now, looking forward to seeing the restoration progressing - and to meeting you again in Normandy!

Regards,
Hanno

[Lang]

Hanno

Thank you for all that info.

The later edition of the US Military standard vehicles book lists the Chevrolet and Dodge 1/2 ton Panel vans as "Standard" . Maybe when they get a certain number in service they become "Standard"?

Here is a photo that might interest you - a gang of Dutchmen sitting on a chrome grille Chevrolet.