Beute Bedford MW Umbau-wagen

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Further to a picture posted in the thread Under New Management, I'm looking for pictures of Bedford MW's captured and rebodied with the Kübelwagen body (Kfz 12 and 15) by the German armed forces.

The picture below shows a Bedford Umbau-wagen with license plate SS-10556, most probably taken in the Balkans, April/May 1941 (source).

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Line drawing plus picture from "German WWII Buete-Fahrzeuge and Umbau-Wagen (Britisch)" by Paul Hocking, which appeared in Windscreen issue 90.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Another picture found on the Axis History forum

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Spotted by Niels Vegger on eBay:

"FOTO - BEUTE-KFZ - LKW -Kübelwagen- Beutepanzer Komp.223 (Versailles) -14x9cm
FOTOS VON EINEM PANZER-OFFIZIER / ARZT IN DER PANZER-ABTEILUNG 223 / BEUTEPANZER-KOMP.223"

Beford Umbau - ebay 373990896998.jpg
Source: https://www.ebay.de/itm/373990896998

[maple_leaf_eh]

I understand some German, but was curious about a more thorough translation. The word "Beute" I recognize as "Trophy" or "Captured" in the context of German reissue of captured vehicles. But Google Translate says, "Beute" is "booty" or "loot". I wonder if this isn't the word origin of that fine old fashioned English word for something taken in battle as a prize?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

I understand some German, but was curious about a more thorough translation. The word "Beute" I recognize as "Trophy" or "Captured" in the context of German reissue of captured vehicles. But Google Translate says, "Beute" is "booty" or "loot". I wonder if this isn't the word origin of that fine old fashioned English word for something taken in battle as a prize?

Beute means "die Dinge, die sich jemand illegal oder mit Gewalt nimmt", in English: goods which have been taken illegally or with force. Beute fahrzeug is a word used for captured vehicles and equipment, which the German army had to rely on heavily during WW2. These were spoils of war, not legally obtained of course.

As for the origin of booty, I found:

booty (n.)

mid-15c., bottyne "plunder taken from an enemy in war," from Old French butin "booty" (14c.), from a Germanic source akin to Middle Low German bute "exchange." Influenced in form and sense (toward "profit, gain," whether taken by force or not) by boot (n.2) and in form by nouns ending in -y.