RCEME signs

[florprien]

Hello: i´m restorating a truck to carry my Canadian T16 carrier. I want to paint it with the emblems of the maintenance echelon, I believe that it is the RCEME, it is correct?. I attached a graph with the units of the division, can you let my know which is the correct one. thanks. best regards

[servicepub (RIP)]

Originally Posted by florprien

Hello: i´m restorating a truck to carry my Canadian T16 carrier. I want to paint it with the emblems of the maintenance echelon, I believe that it is the RCEME, it is correct?. I attached a graph with the units of the division, can you let my know which is the correct one. thanks. best regards

The Blue/Yellow/Red identifies RCEME

[Ed Storey]

Where did you get the organization chart with the tactical signs?

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by florprien

Hello: i´m restorating a truck to carry my Canadian T16 carrier. I want to paint it with the emblems of the maintenance echelon, I believe that it is the RCEME, it is correct?. I attached a graph with the units of the division, can you let my know which is the correct one. thanks. best regards

If I read your earlier post correctly, your T16 carrier is in the markings of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (MG), the machine gun battalion of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.

As pointed out by Clive, the RCEME background colours were Blue/Yellow/Red and you would have to have the serial ‘64' in white centred on these colours to depict your truck as belonging to the Cameron Highlanders ’maintenance echelon’, which was No. 6 Light Aid Detachment (Type B), RCEME.

Cheers

[florprien]

I´m very grateful for your help, Yes mark, i have a cameron highlander t16, so i put the "64" in the blue/yellow/red signal. Best regards

[florprien]

Originally Posted by Mark W. Tonner

If I read your earlier post correctly, your T16 carrier is in the markings of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa (MG), the machine gun battalion of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division.

As pointed out by Clive, the RCEME background colours were Blue/Yellow/Red and you would have to have the serial ‘64' in white centred on these colours to depict your truck as belonging to the Cameron Highlanders ’maintenance echelon’, which was No. 6 Light Aid Detachment (Type B), RCEME.

Cheers

Hello Mark: It is clear that you have big knowledge of the topic. Do you know in what models of trucks the damaged carrier were transported? I have the problem that here in argentine the big trucks of the commonwealth did not come, the bigger WW2 canadian´s truck that i can find here are CWT 15 ford Canadian or chevrolet Canadian. I believe that this truks (even the F60L) are too little to carry my carrier. What do you think about this?. On monday I will be going to check a GMC cckw 353, with the intention of buying it . Already I have asked in the forum and Ed storey response to me that Canada did not have gmc in service during WW2. But It is possible that the 6 Light Aid Detachment, RCEME, have used some gmc, in some special circumstance?. this way i can to paint my GMC Like Canadian truck too. thanks again. best regards.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by florprien

Do you know in what models of trucks the damaged carrier were transported? I have the problem that here in argentine the big trucks of the commonwealth did not come, the bigger WW2 canadiańs truck that i can find here are CWT 15 ford Canadian or chevrolet Canadian. I believe that this truks (even the F60L) are too little to carry my carrier. What do you think about this?.

This is the breakdown of load carrying transport that was available to:

- the Infantry Troops Workshop, RCEME - the Workshop headquarters had one Trailer, 6 wheel, 7-Ton, Light Recovery and the Workshop overall had seventeen Lorry, 3-Ton, General Service

- the Infantry Brigade Workshop, RCEME - the Recovery Section had two Trailer, 6 wheel, 7-Ton, Light Recovery for the transporting of universal carriers and other light tracked or wheeled vehicles to repair areas and the Workshop overall had twenty Lorry, 3-Ton, General Service

- No. 6 Light Aid Detachment (Type B), RCEME had one Lorry, 3-Ton, General Service

Originally Posted by florprien

On monday I will be going to check a GMC cckw 353, with the intention of buying it . Already I have asked in the forum and Ed storey response to me that Canada did not have gmc in service during WW2. But It is possible that the 6 Light Aid Detachment, RCEME, have used some gmc, in some special circumstance?. this way i can to paint my GMC Like Canadian truck too. thanks again. best regards.

As Ed pointed out earlier, the GMC cckw 353 was not used by the Canadian Army, so No, even in a special circumstance, one would not have been used by No. 6 Light Aid Detachment, RCEME.

Cheers

[Ed Storey]

Just to give you an example, this is a recovery combination being used in Canada in the spring of 1945 during Exercise Eskimo. In this case a Diamond T Wrecker is recovering an Armoured Snowmobile on a 7-ton Light Recovery Trailer. As Mark stated within the Brigade workshop in NWE, a 3-ton CMP with this Trailer combination would have been used to recover the T16.


This image is from a 1945 report on the Exercise.

As I told you and as Mark confirmed, the Canadian Army did not use the CCKW 353 in 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. Save your money and starting looking to purchase a CMP 3-ton and 7-ton Light recovery combination....

I am still curious as to where you got the tactical signs organization chart that started this thread.

[florprien]

Hello Ed: thanks for your help. you are very polite.It´s very difficult to me to find info here in argentine, so i need a Canadian friends to make good my work. i have a quite good pics of my t16, but i can´t attach it since are very heavy!.
About the truck, unfortunely, since is almost impossible to find the right combination 3 ton cwp - 7 ton trailer, i will buy the cckw, and make an historic mistake, painting it as canadian.
Probably a good Samaritan American gave his gmc to a Canadian comrade!!
All is possible!
About the tactical signs, i don´t remember who send me it, but was a MLU member of the carrier forum. i will find into my mail, but since this guy sent to me the graph more than 3 years ago, it´s almost impossible that i find it!
Maybe Geoff can help. Best regards

[Ed Storey]

Apparently you do not have much experience with the military or do not really know that much about the Canadian Army during the Second World War as having a CCKW within the Brigade workshop was not probable or possible. There are specific Tables or Organization and Equipment that were adhered to quite closely; and yes you may hear tales of the odd extra Jeep or perhaps even a stray Kubel or even a Bergpanther showing showing up from time time in use by certain units but you have to realize that Jeeps and the associated parts were common to the Canadian Army and that the other captured stuff was quickly left behind when parts and repairs became impossible. As well, even though there was a war on, there was some accountability and for an unauthorized CCKW, even if it could be kept running, to go completely unnoticed by superiors would have been highly unlikely.

Since you are pretty well set into purchasing the CCKW to haul around your T16, then do eveyone a favour and either paint the CCKW in proper Second War US markings or Canadian Korean War markings rather than trying to pass the vehicle off as some mythical traded favour between North Ameican allies.

If you are still bent on marking the vehicle wrongly as a 3rd Division vehicle then at least tell everyone the markings are ficticious and don't try to make up some story using faulty collector logic that it could have been given to the Canadians by some appreciative Yank...

With respect to your organizational chart which first started this thread, I was concerned when I first saw it that for some reason you had the chart and were e-mailing it around when you did not have the accompanying text to go with it. The chart looks suspeciously similar to a published version that is copywrite protected and I would just like to remind you that work, like the 3rd Division organization chart you used, is the result of hours of research and graphic design by private individuals. When this work is published, there is never any financial compensation for the time and effort involved in producing the work as the cost associated with purchasing the book covers the production. I know we live in a digital age that makes data sharing much easier but the next time someone offers you free data, give due consideration to spending the money on the book so you will at least get all of the information and more importantly show support to the person who did the research.

[George McKenzie]

I have a DT969 wrecker with a Western Command decal on the right fender and the blue yellow red REME decal on the left fender . This truck also has the Canadian five window cab . The truck likely worked on the Alaska hiway as to it's proximity to the hiway and the low milage on the truck ,towing a Fruehauf 8 ton trailer that I have , hauling small cats and carriers .The wood deck shows wear where the tracks would go .It should be easy to make the six wheel trailer if one had the plans for it .I think it would be very unstable because of it's higth .

[Wpns 421]

Originally Posted by florprien

Hello Ed: thanks for your help. you are very polite.It´s very difficult to me to find info here in argentine, so i need a Canadian friends to make good my work. i have a quite good pics of my t16, but i can´t attach it since are very heavy!.
About the truck, unfortunely, since is almost impossible to find the right combination 3 ton cwp - 7 ton trailer, i will buy the cckw, and make an historic mistake, painting it as canadian.
Probably a good Samaritan American gave his gmc to a Canadian comrade!!
All is possible!
About the tactical signs, i don´t remember who send me it, but was a MLU member of the carrier forum. i will find into my mail, but since this guy sent to me the graph more than 3 years ago, it´s almost impossible that i find it!
Maybe Geoff can help. Best regards

Hi I have read the comments on your markings and understand your confusion. Sometimes information is difficult to find and we must use what we have. There is always an expert to tell you what mistakes you have made but offer little concrete information. As to being correct there are two ways to look at this, you park your vehicles in a corner and wait until you are 100% accurate of your work and have everything absolutely correct as Ed said but by that time the vehicle will turn into a pile of rust. The second option is to be as correct as possible with the knowledge you have and enjoy your vehicle by driving and showing it. In todays world we can easily share information on the internet, go with what you have, be as correct as possible and don't worry about the rest. 98% of people don't know what is right or wrong on a military vehicle and don't care if it is not 100% right, they like the MV. There is the 1% perfectionist and I know a few at the Hammond Barn, Kudos to them because they are the real preservationists. Lastly there are the self proclaimed experts who have never turned a wrench on a vehicle or even own a MV. Believe me I have met quite a few and I am not impressed by them.
As to how you vehicles ended up in Argentina, that is the real story and mystery.
Gilles

[Barry Churcher]

Well said Gilles. Florprien all you can do is make your vehicle as accurate as possible and don't tell people it is something it isn't. It is amazing that you are even doing a Canadian vehicle. Most guys would be wanting to know if the US used them and mark them as such. If you look at the Dutch vehicles which are some of the best restored vehicles in the world, they are not 100% correct. They have to add certain lights etc to drive them on the road. They are still what they are, and people really enjoy watching them in parades. Unless you have a warehouse full of parts, like Dirk, or a field full of spare trucks, like the Hammond boys, you can only do what you can afford or find. In Normandy we saw a CCKW with a Weasel in the back and all I heard was "Wow, look at that!" No one ever said that they didn't think CCKW's ever carried Weasels. This is from people there with nicely restored vehicles. You efforts will be well received by anyone who sees the combination you have. I know most of us on MLU are waiting for photos of your work. Best of luck and get off the computer and get to work on the truck.
Cheers,
Barry