C60L tanker truck
 

This picture is captioned as “Chevrolet C60L 3-ton 4x4 800 gallon petrol tank truck.”

Is it? Or is it a water tank?

Has anyone seen a survivor? I think the French Navy had some of these in long term storage.

This one was pictured in 1955 when in use with the Netherlands Army.

Attachment 125967
Source: https://nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl/f...c-d0170b7786f1

Although this isn't a 100% guaranteed answer, I believe this can reasonably be taken as a 800 gallon petrol tanker with 5K1 body.
Your photo looks similar to that of the 3 ton Gasoline Tank found in the Observer's Fighting Vehicle Directory, World War 2 (1969 edition). It also looks like the 3 ton Bulk Petrol Lorry pictured in Canada's Fighting Vehicles Vol 1. (2nd ed.)
The statement of 5K1 body is based on the SBMA maintenance and parts manual (SB-11) for 800 gallon petrol tankers which shows all except the 5K1 body having a plain tank, without the pump and hose compartment at the rear that the 5K1 has. As a result, the tank on later models is placed further back on the frame. The tool boxes on the left side of the pictured 5K1 body in SB-11 are arranged a little differently but appear to be the same boxes.


The sources listed above didn't give any detail on a water tanker but the AEDB Design Record (vol. 6) does list 200, 350 and 450 gal water tankers (in addition to the 180 gal trailer). It makes sense that the water tanks should be smaller due to the greater specific gravity of water (1.0) compared to petrol (approx 0.75) to avoid overloading the chassis.

To me it is petrol tanker with 5K1 body, as said above. Well visible on the picture are the two manholes and locker at the rear.

Petrol Tanker
 

Thanks guys, I haven’t checked my references. It doesn’t have the exhaust routed to the front and a fire screen behind the cab as petrol tankers usually have. I wanted other people’s input as it seems the jury is still out on this one.

Here are some more pictures from the Netherlands institute for military history NIMH which are labeled as petrol tankers. They show the same C60L with registration number 38850:

Attachment 126001 Attachment 126002

Water Tanker
 

Here are two more tankers, both labelled as C60L Water Tank Trucks.
Photos from the NIMH database.

Attachment 126003

Attachment 126004

Thank you Ivan, I hadn't thought to count the manholes. I see one on the water tanker, two on the gas tanker.

Although the angles the photos were taken from weren't meant to provide this comparison, the gas tanks seem to be taller - close to the height of the cab while the water tanks were lower (fits with the smaller capacity of the water tanks though both are built to use a long chassis). As far as I can tell, only the 5K1 tank (and none of the water tanks) had the permanently mounted hand rails on the tank (also serving to hold a tarp for camouflaging the extra value of the fuel cargo). The later petrol and the water tankers had tarp superstructure mounted to the catwalks which would give a wider shape, closer to a GS body (with the superstructure in the low position).
Hanno, the photos aren't large or clear enough to either prove or 100% disprove a front mounted or side mounted exhaust with certainty though if the exhaust were mounted to the underside of the bumper I think it would have shown in at least some of them based on what can be seen.
On balance, I think the original caption writer is correct - 800 gal gas/petrol tanker.

Hanno, IMHO on the second picture is a petrol tanker. Who needs to split a water tank to two compartments? Also it looks on it the exhaust is re-routed (compare with the well visible exhaust pipe of the water tanker on the piture above it) and the tank looks bigger, 800 gal I guess.
Cheers!

Petrol Tank

Attachment 126039 Attachment 126040 Attachment 126041

Water Truck

Attachment 126042 Attachment 126043 Attachment 126044

AEDB 800 Gallon Tanker

Attachment 126045 Attachment 126046

Hi there,
Not to bring up the discussions on the C60S tanker (in model form by IBG - ups), but I find it remarkable that pictures of the C60L tankers in service with units at the front are almost non-existent (at least very elusive; I have not been able to find pictures).

AND following on another post here at MLU, I have on my hard-disk two pictures of an Aussie C60X 6x6 tanker refueling Mitchell bomber at an airfield in the Far East (my guess). In service!

I am new to this forum -- but have used it big style over the last years after starting building WW2 soft-skin models in Braille Scale. One very interesting find recently was that the Dodge D-series produced in Canada was only used in very few numbers by the Canadians. So back to CMPs!

Cheers, Martin

C60S Tanker
 

You might need to research the doctrine involved in refueling Canadian units in the field which will probably account for why there are so few images. It may have taken place at night or most likely the refuelling was done at the front via jerry cans. As well, photographing vehicles being refueled was probably not a high priority for the photographic unit.

I know this is slightly off subject, but a couple of weeks ago I took some photos of a C60X aircraft refueller at the Corowa military vehicle gathering in Australia and have attached a photo.

Attachment 133337 Attachment 133338

"IS C.W.T. petrol tender"

RCAF photo, No location, Date 22 Nov. 1941
Attachment 136578
Source: http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redire...81986&lang=eng

ex-French Navy Chevrolet Petrol Tanker
 

Judging by the stenciling I think this is one of the ex-French Navy CMP trucks. This Chevrolet C60S(?) seemed to reside in Belgium at the time of advertising on MilWeb.net:

C60S Tanker
 

What an excellent project and a unique opporunity to save the rare original NATO era paint and Canadian markings.