Lend Lease vehicles not returned to the USA at the end of WW II

[cliff]

Originally Posted by alamotex

I read somewhere on this forum that all Lend lease vehicles not returned to the USA (Canada ?) at the end of WW II had to be scrapped....is that statement correct ? or would this be applicable only to vehicles which could be used for civilian purposes ? Brian

The US Auto makers convinced the US Govt. not to bring back any vehicles that were sent overseas so as not to flood the market and stop sales of new vehicles. Under the Lend Lease arragements the vehicles had to be returned to US ownership or scrapped although some were 'Sold' to Allied Armies. Some vehicles did return with some units and the US Marine Corp. grabbed all they could fit into their homeward bound ships and stored it in the desert. Most of these vehicles then went to Korea with the Marines. This is why one often sees photos showing lines of aircraft being scrapped and reading stories about arms and aircraft been dumped at sea.

As to Canada I think you will find that it was more the cost factor in bringing so many 1000's of vehicles home from Europe is more the reason they stayed in Europe along with the need to reaquip the newly appearing European Armies.

There are photos elsewhere on site showing piled up British vehicles in Germany waiting to be scrapped among them Austin K7 ambulances and Bren Gun Carriers. It is also well documented that a lot of US Army supplies and vehicles were dumped into the sea off a point on one of the Islands in the Pacific when the French and British started fighting about who was to get it creating a divers paradise today. Much of this was near new as it had been stockpiled for the invasion of Japan.