1940 SA Fords

[nuyt]

Hi David,

About the 3-ton trucks: according to Bart Vanderveen's 1989 Historic Mil Veh Directory "thousands were built on locally-assembled Canadian sourced rhd chassis with detail modifications" (p. 280).
So Port Elizabeth was mainly supplied by Canada?

Hi Hanno,

About the Reconnaissance Car SA Mk III: as you know 49 were delivered to the NEI where they were known (more correctly than the British denomination) as Zuid-Afrikaanse pantserauto's or even Afrikaanse pantserauto's. Contrary to popular belief all vehicles were operational by March 1942 and organised in 3 independent squadrons (with additional softskin vehicles, jeeps and motorcycles), two in Western Java and one in Eastern Java. Another three pantserauto's acted as the recce squad of the Mobiele Eenheid at Bandung. All units are mentioned in Nortier's book about the fall of Java.
The only thing I am not sure of is their armament. On pictures (at AWM as well) from the end of the Japanese occupation Boys AT rifles can be seen. If these had been there on delivery the cars would have been ME version instead of MFF (which only had Vickers I think).

Kind regards,
Nuyt