Swedish Umbau

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Here a civilian bus pressed into military service and fitted with gengas generator. On top of front you can see the route number display marked SJ = Statens Järnvägar = State Railways. Reg nr M = Malmö county.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

With this one I have sweet memories. I was serving as a Sergeant with 3rd Signals Bn in Boden. In spring 1965 I was ordered to bring this bus to Kalix and 2nd Army Corps HQ.

The bus was a mobile signals centre. It was a 1939 Volvo with Fruehauf trailer. The coach was built by ASJ = Aktiebolaget Svenska Järnvägsverkstaderna = Swedish Railway Factory Ltd/Inc.

The memories are sweet for three reasons: 1) I met a lovely girl in Kalix, 2) I was promoted Warrant Officer and 3) the bus was very comfortable to work in. The temperature was ranging between some -15 to -20 centigrades but we managed to hold the coach warm.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Sweden still has National Service. In the 1960-ies with the "cold war" getting warmer we had an Army of approx 800.000 men on the war estabishment. Conscript age was 19-47 years.

In 2nd Army Corps HQ the conscripted soldiers were all older than 40. One corporal in my unit was 40+. He had a full beard and taught me a lot. I was only 21 and was promoted Warrant Officer just some days before. I am amazed that those "old" men were so loyal to me. Anyhow this Corporal was in charge of the telephone switchboard.

Why I write about him is because he had been poisoned by gengas during WW 2 and still suffered from that. He was also a car collector with his own small museum in Västerås.

The gengas was very dangerous. An uncle of mine died of gengas CO in a garage.

I was just temporarily posted to 2nd Army Corps HQ. My normal unit was 3rd Inf Div Signals Bn. In that Bn we had a lot of ex D-day equipment such as GMC 6x6 wich were called m/46 in the R Sw Army. I remember that one truck had canvas doors wich was horrible because sometimes the temperature fell to - 30 degrees centigrade.

Myself i had a GMC 6x6 with a very comfortable coach built in 1954. The coach was fitted with a) One 250 W shortwave transceiver b) One 3 W ultra-shortwave transceiver c) One 40-lines telephone switchboard d) One Siemens teleprinter e) One electrical generator - and best of all - f) One wood-burning stove (heated from outside of coach).

My unit was just 14 men. We were the Div Cdrs advanced HQ taking orders directly from him. Establishment:

1 Lieutenant
1 GMC 6x6 heavy radio (1-250 W, 1-3 W USW) 1 Sgt, 1 Cpl + 3
1 Volvo 915 "Sugga" (1-10 W SW, 1-3 W USW) 1 Cpl + 2
1 Volkswagen mini-bus (cipher) 1 Cpl + 3
1 Motorcycle orderly (250 cc Java)

Photo: Another ambulance bus. The markings on the side tells us that this bus is going to Germany to evacuate jews from the concentration camps.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

This Scania-Vabis of 1930-ies vintage was rebuilt as a mobile Army Postoffice. It was however not operated by the Army but the GPO. Civil registration.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

This mobile crane on a GMC 6x6 (in Sweden m/46) was used by 3rd Eng Bn in Northern Sweden. In 1946 Swedish Army bought ex D-Day equipment by arcres disregarding types.

So I wonder it this mobile crane was rebuilt in Sweden or did the US Army have such vehicles.

The crane was used for building balkbro 2 which i think was also known as Bailey bridge.

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

A closer look at the same vehicle.

[cliff]

Yes the US Army had these as crane trucks. Pictured is a restored 1945 model. I think this came from the Weare Rally web site in the USA but am not sure.

cheers
Cliff

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Thank You Cliff!

That was a nice picture.

Field Marshal Hindenburg said> Ein Soldat muss auch Gluck haben. A soldier must also have luck.

A retired colonel phoned me some minutes ago asking some questions about the defence of Stockholm during WW 2. Since he is an engineer I asked him about the GMC crane and he told me it was called Quick Way.

Enclosed
Picture of a regular Army ambulance bus. 12 stretchers. Used for evacuating jews from concentration camps in 1945.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Stellan, thanks sharing your info on this interesting subject. Did not realise Sweden's role in this technology.

During WW2, the few vehicles which remained in operation in the Netherlands were fuelled with either wood gas or natural gas (carried in big balloons!). The gas generators were either grafted on the vehicle or even carried on a trailer.


Source: http://www.herdenking.nl/houtgas.htm

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Thank you Hanno!

I did not previously know that also NL used the gengas system. Houtgas could be translated wood gas.

Also Finland used gengas. Here is a truck loaded on a ship going to Tornio during the 1944 Lappland war between Finland and Germany.

What type of truck.

[Bill Murray]

Stellan:
Most likely a Ford of 1935-1936. Hard to tell with the grill covered up. The contemporary Volvo trucks looked very similar but had different wheels and a more slanted grille based on my photo collection. I will try to post some Finnish Ford pics tonight when I get home.
Bill

[Bill Murray]

A rather poor quickie.
Bill

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Thanks Bill!

The "Bulldog" type of coach was introduced by Scania-Vabis in 1932 as model 8305.

Photo: One of the first "Bulldogs". Reg no B = Stockholm County.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Stellan Bojerud
Also Finland used gengas. Here is a truck loaded on a ship going to Tornio during the 1944 Lappland war between Finland and Germany.

And here is a picture of a surviving Finnish Ford truck with wood-gas installation:



Source: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~pc6m-wkn/Suomenlinna.htm

[maple_leaf_eh]

A coworker tells how his father survived the long retreat from the Eastern Front in a gengas truck. From time to time they'd have to stop and fight, or stop and refuel their truck. The old fellow eventually moved to Canada and started his family.

I also recall reading wartime Popular Science and Popular Mechanics magazines that had disparaging stories about the German's use of non-petroleum fueled vehicles. It didn't seem stupid or backwards to me, only different and somewhat less efficient. My childhood included flashlight reading through cases of old magazines, some of which are still at my father's house.