French Navy reserve CMP trucks

[Alex van de Wetering]

A little over a year ago Hanno, Egbert and I went to view a Ford Ambulance in Belgium; another ex-French Navy CMP with only 576 miles on the clock! It was on display at the For Freedom museum in Knokke-Heist for a while, but it's now for sale.

"342 714" on the Navy licence plate.

Pictures are a mix of Hanno's and my own. The truck was also offered on Milweb.

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[Alex van de Wetering]

This F60L Machinery M mkII was pictured at Saumur, France in 2012.

Ex French Navy, "78-370", "641 897", FMO 107/57 (?)

Another time capsule.

source: http://maquettegarden.free.fr/Vehicu...lier/index.xml

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[Ed Storey]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

This F60L Machinery M mkII was pictured at Saumur, France in 2012.

Ex French Navy, "78-370", "641 897", FMO 107/57 (?)

Another time capsule.

source: http://maquettegarden.free.fr/Vehicu...lier/index.xml

These are some attached scans from the May 1944 Manual.

Machinery 'Lorry' M Mk II - General Information - 1944 copy.jpg Machinery Lorry 'M' Mk II Interior - Front copy.jpg Machinery Lorry 'M' Mk II Showing Interior copy.jpg

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

A little over a year ago Hanno, Egbert and I went to view a Ford Ambulance in Belgium; another ex-French Navy CMP with only 576 miles on the clock! It was on display at the For Freedom museum in Knokke-Heist for a while, but it's now for sale.

"342 714" on the Navy licence plate.

Pictures are a mix of Hanno's and my own. The truck was also offered on Milweb.

See pictures of 342-714 when it was in display at the For Freedom Museum at Knokke, Belgium here: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...038#post172038

It is still for sale - e-mail me for direct contact with the owner; or see the proxy advertisement here: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...068#post289068

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[Alex van de Wetering]

This is the Ford at the Overlord museum in Colleville, Normandy.
No clear visible door numbers or licence plate, but pictures do show a glimpse of the lettering "DISCHARGE CHERBOURG" on the rear body, the maple leaf on the door and number "3049" on the bumper. I presume that it's ex-Franch navy, but I am not sure.

It's a Machinery body, but on this example the tools have been removed.

source:https://www.flickr.com/photos/michae...-YWMgtf-BTEMAW

https://www.alamyimages.fr/vehicules...551323334.html

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[Alex van de Wetering]

Two tankers, Chevrolets this time.....the "desert" coloured one, I think, is from the Saumur tank museum, but currently displayed at the "Mémorial du Général De Gaulle". It shows French navy number "641 895" on the bumper.
source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/65005481@N06/6895502370 | https://servimg.com/view/18800623/6213#

The other is one we have seen on the forum before: http://www.mapleleafup.net/forums/sh...951#post294951
It's for sale on MilWeb, apparently in Belgium.
Door number "82 058" (?) with a maple leaf and number 2065 (?) on the bumper, same style as the Ford Machinery in the Overlord Museum.
source: https://milweb.net/webvert/a3239/93877

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[Alex van de Wetering]

A couple of CMP pictures from the French Defence Archive: https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/

First F60L shows "86 097" on the door and some weird telescope thing in the back. I guess this pictures also shows where the low mileage on these trucks came from.....only used for parades(?)
source: https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/nem...litaire-5.html

Two more pictures of a pair of 60CWT's. The front one a F60L with stirrup step. the one behind it seems to have a roof painted white or yellow. No other markings visible.
source: https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/dep...terarmees.html
source: https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/dep...rarmees-1.html

Last picture shows that life didn't end well for all CMPs in french service.
source:https://imagesdefense.gouv.fr/fr/

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[David Dunlop]

It does seem odd all these vehicles were under French Navy control on some form of long term basis. Also seems odd such a high number of them were essentially field support vehicles and the larger GS CMP's.

If we look at the immediate 20 postwar years, many countries that emerged from World War Two were desperately trying to reassert their colonial interests. France was one of them. So is it possible at that point in time, the French Navy/Marines would have been the service tasked with getting combat troops into their former colonies not only equipped for fighting but equipped for maintenance of their equipment and large scale casualty clearing, knowing the normal military infrastructures for dealing with these issues on the ground in their former colonies were badly damaged, or none existent after the war?

Perhaps the situations in their various colonies unfolded faster than they could effectively respond to, fast enough, so the vehicles ended up just sitting in storage un til sold off.

David