Wartime pictures wanted: CMP F15A

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Larry Hayward

More photos anyone?

Here you go Larry:

Two Ford F15A 4x4 15-cwt trucks, one Ford staff car and two CMP 3-ton trucks by the railway overpass at the Ringbaan-Oost - Bosscheweg intersection at Tilburg, 10-1944. They are on their way to the battles along the Wilheminakanaal.

No noticeable camouflage that I can see.

Those chunky tyres made me think for a second these F15As were F22s......

12375.jpg

Source: https://hdl.handle.net/21.12103/7dfe...9-4bad5d5e999e

[Alex van de Wetering]

Lovely picture, Hanno!

It looks like the first 3Ton truck of the two is a MACH-M1 Machinery truck.

Alex

[Alex van de Wetering]

Utrecht F15A Bedford Portee2.jpg

Cross reference: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/at...8&d=1542234336

Utrecht 1945
source: https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/

[Owen Evans]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Utrecht 1945
source: https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/

Nice photo Alex!
Is that front diff painted white? I thought they generally only did the rear one.

[Maurice Donckers]

Front diff can be painted white again , My F15A had rear diff painted white with black number on , and front axle had a white bar painted on it .

[Owen Evans]

Originally Posted by Maurice Donckers

Front diff can be painted white again , My F15A had rear diff painted white with black number on , and front axle had a white bar painted on it .

Thanks Maurice, I didn't know that about the front diff. I wonder: what did they do with the 4x2 trucks? A white band on the beam axle maybe?

Owen.

[David Herbert]

This is only speculation but I think it is possible that there was a general instruction to paint white patches on diffs (meaning REAR diffs) but that some squaddies, having been programmed to do what they were told and not to think too much, got carried away and painted them on front diffs as well.
Certainly you never see convoy lights to illuminate the front diff.

I think white front diffs is not correct practice although certainly was sometimes done.

David