Early CMP Van? - Car, Heavy Utility, 4x2 (Ford C011DF-F8)

[Alex van de Wetering]

Oeps, sorry Hanno

I admire you for keeping track of all those "old" posts in the forum. How do you do that?

When I came across this picture, I launched a search on the forum, because I knew I had seen the truck before. But because "F8" is to short for a search-word, I didn't find the other posts.

well.....I'll just keep on searching.

Alex

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Alex van de Wetering
Oeps, sorry Hanno

I admire you for keeping track of all those "old" posts in the forum. How do you do that?

Alex, don't be sorry - just make sure you're not as sad as I am . Been here (and on the old forum) from day one, and with an average of 2.96 posts per day there's not much that flies under the radar, so to speak.

Keep at it, we need more pics of that rare Canadian-built, British-bodied, US-used CMP!

Groet,
Hanno

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Can I also add that I posted a photo earlier today but the message came back indicating that I had already used it! It directed me to a previous thread, and I suddenly thought I had better be careful as Thread King Hanno might pick up that I had already made a similar posting before!

I am pretty expert now at finding old threads using search tactics but goodness knows how our Dutch friend uses his omniscient prescience to track 'em down! Perhaps you have a MLU equivalent of a divining rod? Whatever it is, as we used to say in London "Power to your elbow"!

[Les Freathy]

Found this photo of the Ford 8cwt with the british built Mulliner body that has been modified to a 1950s style minibus

[Hanno Spoelstra]

I have merged all the threads related to the C011DF-F8, and cleaned it up a bit.

See Early CMPs in NW Europe for a couple more pictures.

H.

[PPS]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Steve -this looks like the F8 with a body built by Duple (sp?) in England mostly for the RAF

The spelling of Duple is correct. Duple were a well known body and coach building firm, starting life in 1919 and closing down in 1989.

As another part of the war effort they built fuselage sections for the Halifax bomber.

http://www.petergould.co.uk/local_tr...body/duple.htm

Paul.

[PPS]

Is this where some of the details were found?

http://bcoy1cpb.pacdat.net/Station_w...n_WWII_Rev.jpg

Paul.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by PPS

Is this where some of the details were found?

Paul,

Yes, Bart Vanderveen was the first to document this type of CMP.

Now, who is going to unearth the manufacturing drawings for this body?!?!

Hanno

[PPS]

What would be the chances that the two concerns named at the bottom of:-

http://www.petergould.co.uk/local_tr...body/duple.htm

would still have "historical" documents?

Paul.

[Alex van de Wetering]

Now, who is going to unearth the manufacturing drawings for this body?!?!

Hanno, you know that I recently bought a Chev C8. A few months before that I did a search for leads to Stewert&Ardern as well as Mulliner in a quest for information about the van bodies. Which was before I realised only Ford Cab 12's were used, no chev's and no cab 11's.
Stewart & Ardern were later involved with Morris cars and made customized mini's after the war. The only current lead I found, was an involvement in sale of Land Rovers. H.J.Mulliner seems to be more involved in coachbuilt luxery saloons like Bentleys and Rolls Royce and was later taken over by Rolls Royce. The company probably still exists in some form within the BMW company.

Keith, does the vehicle mastership, give any details of the interior of these vans?
The pictures in this thread should give a pretty good measurement of the body.

Alex

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

Keith, does the vehicle mastership, give any details of the interior of these vans?

From memory no, the only interior pics are the ones looking forward at the driver unfortunately.

[welbike]

Came across this one today, and couldn't place it, any idea's??

Cheers,

Lex Schmidt

[Grant Bowker]

As far as I know, all HUP / HUW / HUA were of the cab 13 style front end. There were some earlier CMP modified in UK to do the same personnel transport functions. This could be one of those. I don't remember the name of the bodymaker(s) involved with certainty, possibly Mulliner but that is a guess from memory.
Something about the posture of the vehicle in the photo suggests 8cwt but I wouldn't rule out a 4x2 15cwt. To my eyes it doesn't look to have the tyre to fender relation of a 4x4 but I don't by any means guarantee that.

[welbike]

Ok, the photo seems to have been taken in Algiers if that helps?

Found it in this photo album: http://www.historical-media.com/id1024.htm

Thanks,

Lex

24. US ARMY Photo Album - AFRICA & Italy - MONTE CASSINO - NICE!
Nice album of US GI i,radio operator n Africa and Itlay in WWII, 258 photos, almost all overseas, very well captioned. Gerat photo of a captured VW Kubelwagen with US markings, in quarters in Algiers, GI wearing German helmet and holding his captured Luger, troosp posing with Black French troops, British troops, Jeeps, signals and radio equipment in use, original photo of EISENHOWER'S Staff car, French coastal pill boxes, several photos of troops at MONTE CASSINO, captured German STURMGESCHUTZ at CASSINO, captured German heavy PAK at CASSINO, warning signs at Cassion of mines and booby traps, troops visiting Pompeii, many photos in Casserta, Italy, some captured Italian photos of Mussolini, grave and helmet of British Tank Crewman, baseball games, more.
275 Euro - $395

[Keith Webb]

Certainly looks like a "Car, Heavy Utility" based on the F8:



From my site: Link

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by welbike

Came across this one today, and couldn't place it, any idea's??

Lex, I merged your thread "Is this a HUP??" with the one on the subject vehicle. It is (indeed) a Car, Heavy Utility, the forerunner of the C8A HUP.

I can't tell how this one made it to Algiers of all places

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Quoted Al Davis' posting in "In the background" here. Compare this lovely "bubble headed" F8 with the one shown on page 1 of this thread. . . the same one?

Originally Posted by alvin5182

A couple of recent "finds"
Somewhere in England

Originally Posted by T. Metsovitis

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Cross-referenced entries from Early CMPs in NW Europe:

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

A 8cwt Ford CO11 utility with British built body by Mullineror Stewart and Ardern, photo taken somewhere in Belgium could be Brussels
cheers
Les

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Scenes in Brussels. Little is seen of this British tank when the people of Brussels swarmed onto it as it passed through the liberated city, Taken by Sgt Midgley (September 1944)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

If you look closely I think you will see another Ford F8 Heavy Utility under this USAAF bomber crew hitching a ride:



The picture was published in KTR Magazine in a photo spread of USAAF jeeps.

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

If you look closely I think you will see another Ford F8 Heavy Utility under this USAAF bomber crew hitching a ride:
The picture was published in KTR Magazine in a photo spread of USAAF jeeps.

And here is the original picture:

[Hanno Spoelstra]

One more picture of a Heavy Utility in "checkerboard camouflage":

[Alex van de Wetering]

See Early CMPs in NW Europe

Originally Posted by Alex van de Wetering

A rare Ford F8 Heavy Utility in Polish service, Ter Apel (Holland) april 15 1945!

source:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TZs...dex=66&list=WL

From about 3:21

Alex

[Stuart Kirkham]

England 1944. Is that a Martin Marauder nose cone on the roof?

[David Dunlop]

Hi Stuart.

I think I have read a story about that vehicle many years ago. It might have been in part of an article written about “Follow Me” vehicles in either WHEELS AND TRACKS or perhaps ARMY MOTORS.

David

[Hanno Spoelstra]

IWM Catalogue number FRE 296, captioned as:

"A Chevrolet truck fitted out as a mobile air traffic control unit. In the background is P-47 (WZ-A, serial no. 42-76329) of the 83rd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, which was based at Duxford air base. Passed for publication 11 March 1944. Printed caption on reverse: 'Discard bomb(er) nose as control tower. Associated Press photo shows: A home made black and white checkered truck fitted with a dome made of a discarded plexiglass bomber nose is used as a portable control tower on a P-47 field in England. It is radio and telephone equipped and the dome gives protection from the cold. A P-47 is seen taking off after being given the green light from the cotrol tower.'"

[David Dunlop]

Mobile Control Towers seem to have been a popular conversion for these vehicles, Hanno. At least three different ones in this thread: two with scavenged nose cones, one without.

I wonder if they were common crew transport vehicles on a lot of Air Force Bases and their ready availability led to this alternate use? Fixed control towers would be an obvious target in an air attack on a base in an effort to disrupt base ops. Going mobile would be an effective countermeasure.

David

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

One more picture of a Heavy Utility in "checkerboard camouflage":

Better version of the pic posted earlier:

[Tony Smith]

Interesting to note in most of the photos that while the original lighting consisted of one Blackout headlight, but when replaced, it seems that 2 non-standard headlights were fitted.

[David Dunlop]

Supply system availability perhaps, Tony?

Looks like this vehicle might be named. Side of cowl TDC of front wheel?

David

[Alex van de Wetering]

Interesting to note in most of the photos that while the original lighting consisted of one Blackout headlight, but when replaced, it seems that 2 non-standard headlights were fitted.

Supply system availability perhaps, Tony?

It seems most of these early CMP vans ended up in USAF use, so maybe the US had other requirements and fitted US style lights as they were easier for them to "order"?

Alex