RAF Radar

[Noel Burgess]

Didn't know where to put this, so I started something new. My 15 year old son thinks that it is "sad" that his father gets excited about pictures of "Army lorrys"
Another shot from http://omahabeach.mulberry.free.fr/ this said to bepart of the GCI unit which landed with the US troops at Omaha - seems to be right to me

[Les Freathy]

Hi Noel

Now thats a strange photo a RAF Crossly Q tractor trailer combination in US service, quite possible though as the US were supplied a number of British vehicles on reverse lend lease. It still sports a RAF number
cheers
Les

[cliff]

I would say it was not a reverse Lend Lease vehicle but an RAF unit attached to the US forces landing at Omaha Beach but then again I may be wrong as well but if the truck was in US service I am sure the RAF numbers and name would have been painted out.

[Noel Burgess]

Clif is correct. There was an RAF Radar unit landed at Omaha {type 15 Radar}, some of the vehicles landed on D Day - many of which were damaged (cant find a referance right now but I know there is something on the BBC "peoples War" site) The picture I posted will probably be one of the units which landed later.

Here are pictures of a Type 13 (sory about the poor qualiy) and then a model of a Type 15

[ted angus]

Gents, the MoD website states a GCI unit landed late on D-Day, I don't think there is anything really unusual about an RAF vehicle emerging from a USN craft. Loads were prioritised for the first few days, as usual the US had greater capacity. The trailer is still a bit of a mystery, most of the office type bodies of the mobile radar units of 2 TAF were on rigid Crossley Qs. With the Austin K6s coming along later. The artic trailer shown is more akin to a MFPU convoy, but as with many of the unglamerous units, period photo are few and far between.
TED