Vehicle Data Book: pre-March 1944 edition??

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

Judging by publication dates, The Data Book series of manuals appears to predate the Overseas edition by two years. This is just one of the titles from the series.

Data Book Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles is one of this series (see the link for an original which went to Grant Hopkins);

Data Book Tank type vehicles of Canadian manufacture is another (I have a laserprinted copy for sale if anyone is interested);

Are there any other manuals in this series?

data book 1 (2).jpg 16623342101.jpg

[Alex van de Wetering]

I will have a look with the link Hanno posted to see if there are differences between the december 1944 issue and Bill Greggs book based on the March 44 edition.

So far I haven't noticed any differences; even the page numbers and index pages match. The only differences are the pictures from what I see, but as Rob mentioned this is mainly a difference between the original publication and Bill Greggs publication. What is interesting though is that some pictures were not just replaced by the non-edited pictures, but sometimes completely different ( and incorrect in some cases) pictures.
So, it seems the March 44 and December 44 editions are identical. Or maybe Bills mentioned of "March" is just incorrect and it was actually december 44(?)

Alex

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Or maybe Bills mentioned of "March" is just incorrect and it was actually december 44(?)

I hope Mike Cecil chimes in re.:

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

Bill Gregg was quite open about the source being that data book. This from his introduction: 'The first part is essentially a photo facsimile of the original Vehicle Data Book issued in March 1943...'

[Alex van de Wetering]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

I hope Mike Cecil chimes in re.:

Hanno, this is what it says in the second edition of "Canada's Fighting Vehicles", March 1944. Can anyone check in the first volume if it says 1943 or 1944?

[Alex van de Wetering]

Alex, here is a sample page Ed posted in an earlier thread. It looks like the Data Book Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles contains interesting info re. the C60X Machinery that you've been looking for?

Hanno, yes, you have me there....I was indeed interested in what the book says on the C60X Machinery C, but just much as what it says on other early material....C8, early LAAT, Machinery ZL etc.

Ed, is that page from the Manual series data book, or the december 1944 Data book? The reason I ask, is that the page doesn't match the scanned december 1944 data book that Hanno posted earlier. Could it be that it's actually a page from the Manual series Data book?

The dates are pretty confusing to me. It seems the Manual series data book has "1M-6-1942 D.L.L." printed in the left lower corner of the cover, while some of the contents says "issued 1 March '44" and I understand even "issued 1 december 1944" and "issued 1 August '45"(?)

Alex

[David Dunlop]

Alex.

It might just be an initial print date in loose leaf format and any new information pages added, came with their own date. Sometimes the word “Revision” was only added to a new page if the new page was actually replacing a preexisting older one.

David

[Alex van de Wetering]

It might just be an initial print date in loose leaf format and any new information pages added, came with their own date. Sometimes the word “Revision” was only added to a new page if the new page was actually replacing a preexisting older one.

Hi David,

Yes, it sounds like it was more of an "active" data book as Hanno also described regarding the "Tank data book", but that means the "Manual series Data book" and the "Vehicle Data book" were used (and updated?) simultaneously.
Bill Gregg writes that "the original handbook was piblished to list vehicles chosen to serve in the imminent European invasion" (As Hanno also mentioned above), so was the Manual series data book the complete catalogue of all Canadian vehicles.....also including stuff like the many F60H special bodied vehicles as seen in Clive's Vehicles of Victory, for instance?

[Ed Storey]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Data Book Canadian Military Pattern Vehicles is one of this series (see the link for an original which went to Grant Hopkins);

Data Book Tank type vehicles of Canadian manufacture is another (I have a laserprinted copy for sale if anyone is interested);

Are there any other manuals in this series?

I am not sure if there was a March 1944 edition of the Vehicle Data Book, but I know Bill borrowed the original book from what was back in the 1980s, the Department of National Defence Land Technical Library. This library was a fascinating collection but is long defunct with some of the holdings having been sent to the CWM.

Here are two more titles from the Data Book series as well as a sample page from the Canadian Armoured Vehicles book.

Data Book - Canadian Armoured Vehicles - 1943 copy.jpg 20. Universal Carrier MkI+.jpg Data Book - Canadian Manufactured Modified Convential Vehicles and Trailers copy.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Ed Storey

I am not sure if there was a March 1944 edition of the Vehicle Data Book, but I know Bill borrowed the original book from what was back in the 1980s, the Department of National Defence Land Technical Library. This library was a fascinating collection but is long defunct with some of the holdings having been sent to the CWM.

Here are two more titles from the Data Book series as well as a sample page from the Canadian Armoured Vehicles book.

Fascinating stuff, Thanks Ed!

The Data Book Tank type vehicles of Canadian manufacture which I copied is owned by David Herbert. The ID No of this publication is M&S 1877 and it is dated 1-44. It has a revisions and additions sheet issued February 15th 1945, and the revised pages on the Ram, Sexton, Skink, R975-C4 engine, Polsten gun and Mk.9 Sight added, replacing the pages issued January 1944. Each vehicle has a section of its own, comprising of several pages with detailed technical information.

The Vehicle Data Book is more generic, describing the vehicles used for the invasion of mainland Europe on only one page each. Much more like a recognition manual than an extensive technical publication.

Now, who is going to reproduce these Data Books, please?

I would buy the whole set.