1941 Chevrolet Portee

[Rookie]

Tony

Beleive it or not I could have had that plate for $300 when I registered a 1975 Chev Corvette (since turned into a bathroom, kitchen and chev portee). Being smart as I bought the Corvette for my wife for our 25th anniversary I got the plates 25THAN (dumb) as she hated the car as much as the rifle I bought her for her birthday (she bought me a sewing machine).

Still working on it. Its in chassis and engine phase, all going, still learning to weld so I can finish the body, as usual lack of money and the bloody weather have slowed things a lot. Have completed two wheels which were a real bastard getting the tyres off we have now had the problem of lots of trees (big bastards) falling down around us in recent storms. Time is spent on clearing them. Totally unusual as the trees had stood for 30+ years. My neighbours were also hit bad so time off is spent on fixing things.

Appreciate your interest. Have now a camera will try to show progress as at about three months ago

Rookie bugger didnt work

[Attilio]

Hello,

There is any evidence that the Chev NZ portee was used in North Africa Campaign?

I haven't found any photo of this kind of Chev portee with the two ramps for loading and unloading the 2pdr gun in North Africa

Thanks

Attilio

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

If you mean the 2-pounder No. 42 Cab Portee based on the CGT, I have no definitive proof but can say that they were acquired under Demand S/M 2028, and then a large proportion were sent to the Middle Wast. This must have been direct, and involved assembly in Alexandria. From AIF records, we know of L 4623008, L 4623053, L 4623061, L 4623452, L 4623541 being issued to the AIF. In addition thanks to Shane Lovell, we also know of the following AIF 'Portees' that were in the Mid-East undergoing repairs:
L4516072 L14418712 L4516466 L4514359 L4516492 L4413524 L4514782 L4514865 L4514809 L4514803 L4412964 L4412889 L4514860 L4412893 L4516467, although this could of course include trucks converted to carry the 2-pounder en portee.

If the AIF had them, for which they would have subsequently paid the British, then is it reasonable to assume that the NZEF had a quantity issued that they then paid for?

[Attilio]

Thanks David for your very detailed response.

In my opinion there is a reason for the scarce use of this vehicle in North Africa. The trucks were shippend form Canada to Britain in early 1942 when the 2 pounder gun was obsolete as AT gun. Furthermore the gun cannot fire directly from the platform of the CGT chassis.

Well, in North Africa the gun of portees was more frequently used directly from the truck though the HQs recommended the fire only after the gun was dismounted from the trucks.

The CGT was probably unpratical in North Africa battlefield.

Regards

Attilio

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Buongiorno! I am not sure when the Portees arrived in the UK. The official photos were taken in the snow, so winter time? Or autumn? 1941 or 1942? I suggest late 1941 but may be wrong. By then I think Regina Industries, GM's Regina, Saskatchewan, plant had been turned over to munitions work and I think 6-pdr production work had started there.

[Rob Beale]

I have just been in Waiouru at the National Army Museum, where they have obtained a portee. It is disassembled , but I got to get the census number - L4595399. This was painted on the left front guard forward of the headlight.


I also had the opportunity to do some forensic work with some fine grit sand paper, and sanded down through the layers of paint till I hit bare steel.
(this was above board as I was on a course run by George Bailey of the Canberra War Museum - and he had done the same to their Lancaster!)


Under the headlight mount, there was a single layer of drab khaki green.

Between the headlight and the engine cover, were multiple layers of green in various shades, with the same drab khaki green as the last layer.

This suggests to me that the truck was not sent to the middle east.
The 7 digits of the census number suggests a later production date than 1941.
Any comments on this David? Did they renumber them when the trucks were converted?

(I will try to get info on the data plates if they have them).

cheers
Rob

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

That Census Number is in the batch L 4594498 to 4595497* which was of course to S/M 2028 which covered the Portees Now, the 'L' prefix shows that it's a 'Lorry', which would be appropriate since it was a 3-ton chassis as we know though the Portees were officialy initially at least 30-cwt). This would be the case if there had been a rebuild of an obsolete CGT chassis to a G/S lorry; the same applied to rebuilds of MCC C.8/MG 2-pdr Portees to G/S lorries by Morris Commercial Cars Ltd in late 1942/early 1943. It appears that some were also converted to 17-pdr tractors (see WHEELS & TRACKS) [Imperial War Museum PHOTO NA 19787] Census Number H 4594682 ... note the 'H' prefix added. MCC Portees were also converted to airportable 17-pdr tractors of course. I have no evidence from the Parchute Regiment archives that any Chevs were but they may have/must have tried, surely?

I can understand it was not an ex-Mid East vehicle if it was rebuilt in the UK in late 1942/early 1943 and then 'sold' to the NZ Government, being one of the 219 NZ Portee rebuilds (Morris-Comercial and Chevrolet). I was going to ask if any data was known but I see that I might have it already:

NZ23375/ L4595399 [SENT TO NZ]

GENERAL MOTORS OF CANADA
MADE IN GM CANADA
OSHAWA WALKERVILLE REGINA
MODEL 84-40x2
SERIAL 1844031615
ENGINE 3758552 BODY SERIAL __
TRIM XR PAINT F.C.98

A Gotfredson plate was used on CGTs but I have no idea who built the Portee bodies.


* Plus the direct to Mid East series L 1441XXXX. One of these days I'll get down to Bovington to check their record cards to see if they show the actual allocations.

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Rob Beale

I got to get the census number - L4595399.
cheers
Rob

Originally Posted by David Hayward

That Census Number is in the batch H 4593648 to 4594497..

David, ...5399 is actually outside the range of 3648 to 4497!