Dingo's in NW Europe

[Neil Ashley]

Other than the Dorset's example featured in one of the current MV Magazines, were Dingo's used much by British Infantry Battalions in NW Europe.

I always thought no as supply never kept up with demand and Armoured Car and Recce Corps Regiments had priority. The latter of these did not see all their Humbers replaced before the end of the war.

Infantry Battalions presumably had no fixed establishment for wheeled armour and tended to use Humber Scouts or LRC's where they could be aquired.

Is the Dorsets example a one off they aquired or were they offically issued?

[Neil Ashley]

I assume by the lack of replies that their use by Infantry Battalions was very rare.

[lssah2025]

Holding 30 Dec 44
3rd Infantry Division had 53

Holding 30 Jun 45
3rd Infantry had 21
5th Infantry had 17
15th Infantry had 22
43rd Infantry had 15
53rd Infantry had 18

1st CDN Infantry had 1
2nd CDN had 14
3rd CDN had 7

[singeager]

Niel

Dingos were used by almost every conceivable unit for some reason or another.

With regards to infantry usage pre Dunkirk, Rifle brigades used them to carry radios and transport officers. For example Padres would sometimes use them to visit the front lines.

After Dday they were more commonly used for Recce work but were also used for general liaison purposes, the RAF used them, the germans used them and so did the Navy!

For more information and photographioc proof see my web site
www.daimler-fighting-vehicle.co.uk

cheers Singe

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

The Germans certainly used them! Father of a Childhood mate drove a Dingo during WW2, and I can remember it being one of the the few things he discussed with us kids, that during the fighting they were able to "Re posess" one of there own Dingoes, complete with German markings. The impression I had was that it must have been in eney service for a couple of years.
For the record, the other item he discussed was being pinned down by enemy fire for sometime (at least a day) and hearing one of his comrades out in no mans land crying for help, and obviously in a lot of pain. The noise eventually stopped, when they finally moved up they found the soldier patched up, with rations and "resting comfortably as can be expected". A German army doctor had managed to get to him first!

Rich.

[Neil Ashley]

Remember from those official holding figures that the vast majority if not all of those vehicles would have been allocated to the Reccy Corps Regiment attached to every Infantry Division.

My question is how widely did British Infantry Battalions use Dingo's in North West Europe. All the photographic evidence seems to suggest use primary by Reccy Corps and Armoured Car Regiments.

Your link is not working Singe but I am looking for photographic evidence of common use rather than the odd vehicle acquired from time to time.

[singeager]

note to self....MUST TYPE BETTER!

Try www.daimler-fighting-vehicles.co.uk

I dont want to post them here, because they are very much a work in progress, but i am typing up all of the Bovington Tank museum records related to Dingo's (its taken two years so far!)

of the early cars (those issued before dunkirk) there are at least 50 or so cars issued to rifle brigades or other infantry units that do not spring to mind as being associated with the recce corps and were not part of the RAC at that time.

examples are


1st Queen Victoria Rifles. As part of the BEF

2nd Queen Victoria Rifles. (latter KRRC)

2nd Kings Royal Rifle Corps as part of the BEF 1940.

2nd Kings Own Royal Rifle Corps.

12th Kings Royal Rifle Corps

1st Rifle Brigade as part of the BEF 1940

7th Rifle Brigade

8th Rifle Brigade

5th Loyals

2nd Tower Hamlets

1st Rangers

2nd Rangers

1st Queens Westminster

1st London rifle Brigade

1st Motor MG Brigade

1st Guards

Grenadier Guards

4th Coldstream Guards

2nd Irish Guards


plus

1st Field Squadron Royal Engineers

9th Field Royal Engineers

10th Field Royal Engineers

11th Field Royal Engineers

12th Field Royal Engineers

13th Field Royal Engineers

getting photographioc evidence is hard due to the lack of recognisable markings on cars used by the above regiments, however on my site you will find captioned photo's from the IWM and other sources that give the unit recorded at the time the photo was taken.

hope this helps

singe

[Neil Ashley]

Singe

Thanks for the information.

The Reccy Corps did not exist at the time of Dunkirk and the Dingo was the only Scout Car in production at the time so they had no choice if a vehicle was required.

The Carrier Platoon is meant to be the main Reccy vehicle in an infantry battalion so any thing else is normally associated with liaison duties rather than true reconnaissance. Hence why for these subsidiary duties Humber Scout Cars, or Light Reconnaissance Cars (Humber and Morris) appear a lot more regularly in photographs.

Some of the assault Division destined for the first wave on D Day were also equipped to a different scale to other divisions.

It would be nice to see some more photographic evidence to stand along side the pictures of other vehicles in use but if clearly it does not exist. Obviously don't take as Gospel any captioned photograph without good supporting evidence.

[singeager]

Hi

If on my site i have given a IWM or other reference number then be assured that the description is exactly what the historic records state.

That said, ive found many errors for example...
Morris gun tractor (quads) being referred to as Armoured vehicles!
Locations being incorrectly stated ( I have modern photos' of the same locations and unless the buildings moved to the next village then there is no explanation except the caption is incorrect).

Where in doubt or a matter of conjecture you will see the words ‘reputedly’, ‘possibly’ etc in any description stated.

Its very difficult to be accurate over 65 years after the event,
Stuart Hills states in his book that he drove a Humber scout car named ‘Hurstwood’.
On a web site for his particular regiment someone has posted two photos of a Dingo with the words ‘HUSRTWOOD’ painted across the front of it in big letters.
So was it a Humber, or was it a Dingo incorrectly remembered?

We can only try our best to record what there is before those who witnessed it first-hand are gone.
singe