My interest in wartime diesels is because the General Motors Limited Southampton Plant was possibly going to assemble 6-71 diesels for the Royal Navy from 1941 but it was bombed 30 November 1940. However this is a quote from my text, based on GENERAL MOTORS WORLS April-May 1948, concerning the imediate post-war Southampton Plant activities:
Quote:
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[American manager] Hardy told GMW that the U.S. and Canadian Products Division expected to finish the post-war period to the end of 1947 with the best net-sales record and corresponding operating profit since the days of assembly at Hendon. The post-war activities restricted because of continuing wartime controls of imports, exchange restrictions and regulations, had had little or no connection with the pre-war job of importing G.M. U.S.-sourced products. Many profitable activities had been developed by capitalising on uses for war-surplus stocks of G.M. manufacture remaining in the U.K. However, in addition to the U.K. Government supplies, lots of surplus parts acquired included the bulk of the U.S. Army vehicle stocks at their main base in the U.K., the Admiralty’s surplus Detroit Diesel marine engine parts, parts for Detroit Diesel Series 71 Diesels as used in “Sherman”, “Vanguard” and “Valentine” tanks , and parts for the Cleveland Diesels. Series 71 parts from two depots alone was to amount to between U.S.$4 and $5 million U.S. list value [but in line with the disposal of U.S. parts, these would have been acquired at 25% value].
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