Lorry with the BEF 1940
 

Can anyone identify these trucks? I thought they were 1939 Bedford's but the grill has too many vertical bars, no radiator cap on the bonnet and the side vents look too short. The film is of the BEF entering Belgium May 1940.

I'll have a stab.
Austin K3?
Maybe civilian pattern, going by wheels and lack of nudge bar.
Standing by to be corrected.
Rich

I thought Austin as well looking at the grill :)

This is an impressed Austin K3, a 1939 civilian model. The later ones built for military use had a simpler grill with wire mesh.

BEF lorry
 

on 100% civilian Austin K3

K2 or K3?
 

Thanks for the good identifications. I did a search on K3 & K2 and found this photo that has the same exact grill, 4 short side vents and single drivers only wiper. It is supposed to be a K2.

Is there any good web page or book I can buy on these trucks? I'd like to model this and know little about the Austin trucks. The BEF used all sorts of civilian type transports and makes an interesting lot to model.

More from the film clip
 

More stills of these Austins.

More stills again
 

the rest of the stills

I forgot to mention....
 

The lorry has double type sandwiched wheels in the back and similar to those 1939 Bedford O class. It also looks like a long wheel base but I'm not sure which models were offered by Austin in the late 30's.

K3?
 

Birmingham Bedford, i.e. Austin! I have the Longbridge production figures so I'll see what they were offering in 1939.

Austin BEF
 

try this pages:

http://www.aliciadavies.supanet.com/

http://www.mapleleafup.org/forums/sh...ustin+register

I have a new windows and now I can´t add any pictures. I have to look in security center and brake the restrictions. :D
I have any Austins lorry from Dunkerque.

Hi Bob,

Austin started truck prduction of K series in 1939. The vehicle in question would be a K4, it is a civilian model that has been impressed ( census number on cab door shows this).

K4 was not a model used by the military, but was used by Auxilliary Fire Service, Civil Defence, etc and essential users. K4 was rated as a 5 ton payload.

IWM F4398.

This image is from Vilvorde to the north of Brussels. Markings appear to be RASC and troops are likely to be from 4th Division.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...LU/Scannen.jpg

Rich,

Yet another with a census number in an Impressed vehicle group.

At the risk of dragging the thread waay off topic, I thought that this extract from the 2 Div. Ordnance Mechanical Engineering War Diary from 1939 relating to the move to the concentration areas might be of interest - at least to those with a fascination for impressed vehicles.

http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/g...U/IMG_0770.jpg

It would seem that difficulty in obtaining spares and the correct tyres is not just a problem for modern MV owners but actually adds to authenticity !

Rich

Richard I also think it is a K4 but there is an outside chance it could be a K3.
I saw the attached with a display board saying it was a 1939 K3 impossible I said; Its a K4 Mnnn how wrong I was The reg is Jan 1940. I also attach its chassis number plate;

Hi Ted,

Well thanks for that. It is the first time I have seen one of the NFS /CD vehicles plated as a K3, will now take a closer look at others when I come across them.

Richard I spent about 3 years visiting various archives re pre 1941 AFS, NFS and CD vehicles.. I established the Heavy Pump Units were K2 long wheelbase , the Auxiliary Towing Units were K2 short wheelbase, The 60 Foot hand operated Turntables were K4 as were the dropsides converted to Mobile Dam Units. The Civil Defence Column Rescue Tenders were on the militarised K3. In all cases I found period records which enabled me to match Registrations to chassis numbers. So you could imagine how the wind was taken out of my sails by this one; I eventually found a couple more of FYY reg where the owners said they were K3 The penny then dropped FYY 288 is not a Heavy Pump Unit it originally carried a much less common Extra Heavy Unit and has an extra locker per side compared to the K2 mounted Heavy Pump Unit. A Heavy Pump Unit has 4 outlets on the pump whereas the Extra Heavy has 6; I then found that the unit mounted on FYY 288 in preservation is actually a substitute as it was originally obtained from scrap minus a pump unit.

TED

This is it
 

Guys,

Thanks for all of the feedback, some great responses. I found this K4 dropside photos on the net, a left and right side and it is nearly identical to the May 1940 BEF lorry which has only a single wiper arm, planks to build up the bed sides plus addition of a tilt frame, other than those modifications the restored dropside is identical.

I'm a bit confused as to what the changes are from K3 to K4 as the cabs I've seen at times are very similar.

-Bob

1939 Austin 30CWT 2-3 Ton Truck Sales Brochure
 

I found this on eBay and purchased it, hopefully will show something of use for modeling. Can post better scans after it arrives.

Wheelnuts
 

We have been told at VINTAGE ROADSCENE that the number of wheelnuts changes between K2 and K4 models...the latter have more?

David the K2 had 6 the K4 had 8 what muddies the water is the civvy K3 also has 8 ???

TED

Oooooo0h that looks very interesting

TED

I thing this one is the last in running condition.

Later Austin and other British vehicles abandoned in Dunkirk..

More Austins Bedfords Fords Humbers Hillmans in Dunkirk

More British vehicles pouring into Dunkirk..........May 2010

Austin
 

Austin trucks used by the Germans. Original photos from my collection/book.

Bef
 

I love the early opened cab on Austin K30 and K2. :thup2: