lvt buffalo

[luc désormeaux]

hi everyone,
i'm looking for information and pictures on the lvt buffalo used with the canadian army in europe.If anyone can help with info like markings, unit who used that vehicle, maybe some reference book title, etc....
This is to help me starting my next modeling project.
thanks

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

BUFFALOs were used almost exlusively by RE units within the British 79th Armoured Division, in service of 21st Army Group. I can give you details later, not now (must be up in five hours to prepare for air show). BTW, we had both the rear-engined LVT-2 and the front-engined LVT-4.

[luc désormeaux]

hi geoff,
what RE stand for ??????

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Luc;

RE - Royal Engineers (British Army)

RCE - Royal Canadian Engineers

Cheers

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Luc;

LVT (Buffalo) use in NWE Sept 1944 to May 1945:

British 79th Armoured Division:

4th Royal Tank Regiment

11th Royal Tank Regiment

1st Northamptonshire Yeomanry

1st East Riding Yeomanry

5th Assault Regiment, RE

6th Assault Regiment, RE

42nd Assault Regiment, RE

General Notes:

LVT's (Buffalo) - first used off south bank of the Scheldt in early October 1944

Capacity: one field gun, Bren Carrier, bulldozer or two tons of cargo.

One Buffalo equipped Regiment could carry an Infantry Brigade.

There were approx 600 LVT's in Twenty-First Army Group.

Will dig out info on unit markings and post later.

Cheers

[John McGillivray]

Here are two photos of some Buffalos on the Schedt in Oct.44.

http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a136754.jpg
http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a136823.jpg

Also a photo of the PPCLI with Buffalos near the Ijssel River in april 45.

http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a140693.jpg

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

Bonjour Luc,
J'ai fini mon projet sur le char blinde Sherman"Bomb".Only have to add the name "Bomb" & serial numbers on the sides when I get the fine point pen to do it.My next project is sitting next to me still in the boxes-a Testor Aliteri(very rare now) Chev Fat I obtained from Brian Gough(HUP owner in the club),Yesterday I received by mail the limber & 25 pounder by Tamiya.I am going to color it in the markings of "A" Battery RCHA,during the Italian Campaign(My two uncle's unit.The decals for this unit are included in the kit.I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them.
Bonne chance

[luc désormeaux]

Originally posted by John McGillivray
Here are two photos of some Buffalos on the Schedt in Oct.44.

http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a136754.jpg
http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a136823.jpg

Also a photo of the PPCLI with Buffalos near the Ijssel River in april 45.

http://data2.archives.ca/ap/a/a140693.jpg

thanks john for the pics .They are very welcome because my reference material on the lvt with canadian is almost inexistant.
If you have any sugestion for pics or book title , let me know!!

[luc désormeaux]

Originally posted by Garry Shipton
Bonjour Luc,
J'ai fini mon projet sur le char blinde Sherman"Bomb".Only have to add the name "Bomb" & serial numbers on the sides when I get the fine point pen to do it.My next project is sitting next to me still in the boxes-a Testor Aliteri(very rare now) Chev Fat I obtained from Brian Gough(HUP owner in the club),Yesterday I received by mail the limber & 25 pounder by Tamiya.I am going to color it in the markings of "A" Battery RCHA,during the Italian Campaign(My two uncle's unit.The decals for this unit are included in the kit.I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them.
Bonne chance

hey garry!!
can't wait to see pics of your work!! For my part, my sherman project is going slowly but surely! I have almost finish to put all the ABER photoetched stuff. Man what a job!! But the result is pretty good.
Today i went to the 12th canadian armoured regiment museum in Three-Rivers city.They have a sherman firefly on display and again i was thinking about another modeling project....i just can't stop!!!

The 48th Highlanders were ferried across the Ijsel 12 Apr 45 river near Deventner in Buffalos. The most common comment seem to be "Why didn't we have these at the Lamonie" I assume that other units of the 1st Div were also ferried across in Buffalos.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Art, from all I've read, they sure as hell would have been useful in Italy from the winter of '43 onwards! I believe the problem was a general shortage due to priorities in the Pacific, no doubt complicated by staff wallahs not understanding the requirements and thus not escalating accordingly.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Luc;

Markings for 1st East Riding Yeomanry:

[Mark W. Tonner]

Hi Luc;

Markings for 11 Royal Tank Regiment:

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Note the examples... the first pic is the later LVT4, with the 7-cylinder radial mounted right behind the drivers (the racket must have been positively unholy), but allowing a dropping ramp which permitted the loading of vehicles.

The second pic is of the earlier LVT2, with the same engine mounted at the rear of the vehicle. All cargo and troops had to be loaded/off-loaded over the sides.

Thanks Mark, good finds. Precious little on LVTs (as WE used them) is available.

[John McGillivray]

The following is from David Bercuson’s book “The Patricias”:

“The battle opened on the afternoon of 11 April with the 3rd Canadian Division forcing a crossing near Deventer. When that was accomplished and the right flank of 1st Canadian Division secured, the Patricias and the Seaforths led their division across the IJssel, some five kilometres south of Deventer, attacking on a two-company front. British Buffaloes, large tracked amphibious vehicles, carried them across the river. Sydney Frost, in command of D Company, later recorded the moment:

‘April 11 – 1430 hours. Dog Company quickly loads on the Buffaloes. We’ve practised this so many times we can do it blindfolded. I speak to the platoon commanders and wish them luck. The Buffaloes roar into life and fill the woods with their heavy fumes. The great beasts snort and lurch forward to the river. I look at my watch – 1530 hours. In [thirty] minutes the smoke screen will start. It’s a fine day for smoke, just a light breeze. Ten minutes to smoke – five minutes. We emerge from the woods. The artillery opens up. Shells drifts across the whole front, completely shielding us from enemy observation.’

The Buffaloes were into the water and across the river in minutes. The Germans, who had not expected an attack from across the IJssel were taken by surprise.”

This is from Farley Mowat’s “The Regiment”;

“At 1000 hours on April 12, the Regiment (Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment) tasted action in Northern Europe for the first time. Loaded aboard Water Buffalos (a species of amphibious tank), the troops were ferried swiftly across the Ijssel River close to Zutphen. There was no enemy opposition, but this did not detract from the excitement of the hour. The very prelude to the battle, even before it had been joined, was enough to surprise the men from Italy.
There were the Buffalos; ponderous armoured carriers that took water obstacles in their stride. Men marvelled at the safe and effortless crossing of the river.
And overhead; not just a single flight of war-weary Kittyhawks against the German Army, but an endless stream of aircraft – a ceaseless, returning, flowing stream.
And the armour; not just a single squadron of worn old Shermans, but an entire reptilian army of fighting tanks, armoured troop carriers, self-propelled guns, flame-throwing tanks, bridging tanks, mine-clearing tanks, bulldozer tanks and many other strange and novel types.
And the guns; there was no ammunition shortage here. The fire of division and corps artillery was thickened into a steel mattress of destruction by the guns of the army and the army group; by batteries of rocket projectors; by regiments of heavy anti-aircraft artillery no longer needed against the defunct Luftwaffe, and throwing their airburst shells over the flat farm lands to reach down, viciously, into the slit-trenches of the enemy.”

[Garry Shipton (RIP)]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
Art, from all I've read, they sure as hell would have been useful in Italy from the winter of '43 onwards! I believe the problem was a general shortage due to priorities in the Pacific, no doubt complicated by staff wallahs not understanding the requirements and thus not escalating accordingly.

Too bad the First Div didn't have LVT's at the Po,Sangro & Moro River crossings.Would have saved a lot of boys" lives

[Kuno]

...there are as well LVTs in the desert....

http://www.afrika-korps.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44

[Kuno]

"Desert LVT"

The wreck is about 150kms landinward, away from the beach.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Kuno,

Again a very interesting picture. But this one raises some questions. How did that thing get there???
I always thought these LVT 3's were only used in the Pacific Theatre. They were build from 1943 to 1945. So this one probably arrived here post-war????

Any suggestions?

[Kuno]

The story sounds a little bit strange - anyway, but your assumption is correct:

Somebody informed me once, that he had seen a foto of German WW2 tanks in the desert in somebody elses house....etc.

It took me about 2 months to go back the line and get at least a b/w fotocopy of the foto. already there, even only seeing a part of the vehicle, it was quiet clear to me, that it can not be of German origin.

Some weeks later I met the man whose uncle shot the foto. We went there one day and found ---- LVTs.

Most of them have been shot to pieces by many different calibres of weapons. This was suspicious for me. It makes no sense to shoot the same vehicle several times.

The next thing: Why somebody should drive such vehicle deep into the desert?

The conclusion I have found much later: After WW2 the britisch as well as the US-forces have maintained big airforce-bases in Libya. For ground-attack training they used old vehicles, which they have placed out in the desert.

That is all about!

[Stewart Loy]

Originally posted by Alex van de Wetering
Again a very interesting picture. But this one raises some questions. How did that thing get there???

"How did it get there?"

The easy answer is 1-word:

High Tide



Stewart