lend/lease vehicles ????? Diamond, tyres, Jerrycans

[Alex van de Wetering]

Can anyone tell me a little bit more about lend/lease vehicles delivered to Great Britain, Canada, Australia, India and New Zealand?

I have seen pictures of American Diamond T's and Ward La France wreckers delivered to the Britisch with Britisch type tread pattern tyres and Micky Mouse Camouflage. Were this vehicles delivered like this by the Americans or were the vehicles fitted with other tyres and repainted by the Brits before putting it into action? Or were the new tyres and camouflage only fitted when the old (american) tyres were worn?
And what about Jerrycans? Did the British replace all the American type Jerrycans with their own?
Or were all the lend lease vehicles delivered without tyres and jerrycans?
And what about the Diamond T's delivered to Canada?

Any thoughts?

Alex van de Wetering, The Netherlands

[Mike K]

Alex ,

This may be of some help , from the AWM war diaries archives .

This memo is from Egypt where the 9th Aust. div was .

The British camo schemes were applied in the UK , I would think .
Normally hand brushed on ,with dark tarmac as the disruptive colour , it was a dark grey / black .

The directional pattern tyres were not exclusively British , I have seen early US pattern vehicles with directional tyres fitted , 1/2 ton Dodges and early 3/4 ton had the chevron V tread fitted at factory .

Mike

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I have photographs of UK assembly of Dodge D15 and D30, Ford F60S and Diamond Ts for British account from 1943-4. It clearly shows the 'Mickey Mouse Ears' camouflage being applied by the assembling company or depot. The staff seem to be a mix or men and women and they must have had fun painting what must have seemed a cartoonish patern at the time.