Highway tread tyres

[Hanno Spoelstra]

An example of highway/ road pattern tread tyres on a Ford F15A Cab11. More often seen on trucks used domestically (in Canada) than overseas.

What is under the tarp on the cargo box?

CVA 586-275, Vancouver Archives. May 1944. Lots of details: Dominion Royal Tires, specifications stenciled on the open door. Browning .50 cal M2 on anti-aircraft mounting under the tarp on the back deck. Soldier is wearing a combination of coveralls and battle dress blouse, rather informal.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/8596...9412634794836/

[Grant Bowker]

It may be a Ford, but it looks to have a Chevrolet front axle...

[rob love]

I had a cab11 Ford that had the Chev front axle as well....was quite common on the early Ford trucks.

Re the tires, I read in one of the war diaries at work about the directions to conserve rubber. The early cab11 would have had runflats when made, but these were to be reomoved and replaced with regular tube tires and the runflats only used on the more front line type vehicles (artillery tractor perhaps). They were even to remove one of the two tires on dual equipped truck and run the trucks as singles, again to conserve rubber. The highway tread tires may have been to help conserve rubber, but having driven with the bar tread tires for a lot of years now in this god-foresaken province, I can guarantee they provide better handling in icy conditions.

[David Dunlop]

Trust me to notice the signpost.

Based on a current map of British Columbia, that truck was very likely parked at what is now known as the intersection of BC Highway 93 and what is now called Highway No. 1 (The TransCanada Highway) at Lake Louise. At that point, the angles of the direction signs are a pretty close match to the highway junction. Banff, Calgary and Windermere would be to the East, Golden, Field and Yoho to the Southwest and Lake Louise roughly North, behind the camera.

That raises the question of what was an early CMP Canadian Army Truck doing there in May, 1944. Was there a Training Base in that area? Or perhaps a POW, Work Camp or Internment Camp operating in that area?

As for the tyres, I suspect a set of chains was probably somewhere on board that CMP. Not a place to be without them at that time of year.


David

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

What is under the tarp on the cargo box?

"Browning .50 cal M2 on anti-aircraft mounting under the tarp on the back deck."

That looks way bigger than an M2 .50. The Tombstone Drum for the .50 mounts to the side, not on top. I'd think more like the size of a 20mm Polsten? Anyway, remove the tarp and show us in the next pic, please Hanno!

And the Note inside the door? "Tires F50 R15" Surely that can't be the correct front and rear pressures? What else could that read?

[rob love]

It would appear to be 55 or more likely 65 for the rear tire pressure. The R overlaps the first number.

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

That raises the question of what was an early CMP Canadian Army Truck doing there in May, 1944.

With the demands for equipment during the war, the early trucks remained in service throughout in domestic service. After-all, they were only a couple years old.

[David Dunlop]

This photo also raises an interesting question as to why a Polsten Gun was in that particular location, if no logical camps were in that area.

Given it is May, there is still evidence of snow on the ground and the truck is located on the Eastern rise to the pass at Golden, would this truck be part of an Avalanche Control Team? The area between Field and Golden is a bad one for avalanche activity, but when did the Canadian Military get involved with proactive control of this annual problem?

A 20mm seems a bit of a light gun for such work but maybe it was effective under certain circumstances on its own. Or could it have served more for target spotting, in support of the crew of a larger field piece like the 25-pdr?

David

[Ed Storey]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

This photo also raises an interesting question as to why a Polsten Gun was in that particular location, if no logical camps were in that area.

David

Both the Vernon and Sarcee Camps are in the area and you cannot rule out something as mundane as driver training.

[Jordan Baker]

If you go to the Vancouver Archives and do a search for that photo number a very large number of other pictures come up. Sadly none of the same truck.

https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/...Type=inclusive

[Phil Waterman]

Hi Jordan

Always good to find another photo archive. There is the same shot of the truck, wonder if the head title Convoy to Banff is the expectation with all types of vehicles taking part.

The picture title I found interesting was the one of Canadian Woman's Army Corps standing at attention, like so many photo captions they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Or did the Canadian Army use the terms Parade Rest and Attention interchangeably?

But again thanks for the new archive to explore.

Cheers Phil

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jordan Baker

If you go to the Vancouver Archives and do a search for that photo number a very large number of other pictures come up. Sadly none of the same truck.

That's strange. Once scanned, one would expect the photo to show up in the online archive.

There's only one photo with CMP trucks I could find:

"CVA 586-2753 - Army convoy [to Banff National Park]"

Source: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/...ational-park-8

[Bruce MacMillan]

This may be the same truck:
https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/army-convoy-31

Has XT2 in lower left windscreen in both photos

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Bruce MacMillan

This may be the same truck: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/army-convoy-31

Has XT2 in lower left windscreen in both photos

Well spotted! Here is the original as shown in the first post: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/...ational-park-2

And here are some more CMPs: https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/vehicles-military

[Alex van de Wetering]

I am positive I have seen this picture before.....but I never noticed the Polsten in the back..... nor can I remember where I saw the picture!!!!.....Could it be the WW2radio facebook page that used to have lots of Life magazine pictures???

[Ed Storey]

Originally Posted by Phil Waterman

Hi Jordan


The picture title I found interesting was the one of Canadian Woman's Army Corps standing at attention, like so many photo captions they need to be taken with a grain of salt. Or did the Canadian Army use the terms Parade Rest and Attention interchangeably?

Cheers Phil

There was Attention, At Ease and Easy.

ED

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by rob love

Re the tires, I read in one of the war diaries at work about the directions to conserve rubber. The early cab11 would have had runflats when made, but these were to be reomoved and replaced with regular tube tires and the runflats only used on the more front line type vehicles (artillery tractor perhaps). They were even to remove one of the two tires on dual equipped truck and run the trucks as singles, again to conserve rubber. The highway tread tires may have been to help conserve rubber, but having driven with the bar tread tires for a lot of years now in this god-foresaken province, I can guarantee they provide better handling in icy conditions.

More photos of CMP trucks with highway tread tyres in the snow in BC, courtesy of Phil Waterman.



http://canadianmilitarypattern.com/C...20Columbia.htm