[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I have just thought that all this discussion about Aghan orders fits in with GM sales of miliatry vehicles to:
a) Belgium and Netherlands through GM Coninental, Antwerp and Rotterdam
b) France through GM France, Gennevilliers
c) Norway through GM International, Copenhagen [prize seizures by British 1940] and possibly Sweden
d) NEI through GM Java
e) Malay States through GM Java
f) Egypt through GM near East, Alexandria
g) Switzerland through GM Suisse, Biel/Bienne
h) Poland through Lilpop, Rau und Lowesnten, Warsaw
i) Afghanistan through GM India, Bombay
j) Burma & China through Rangoon

and then I found out some more information that I had no idea about until I had an e mail from Yugoslavia out of the blue:

'In 1939/40 the Yugoslavian Kingdom Army bought 400 Chevrolet, 1 1/2-ton trucks, with long wheelbase, double wheels at rear, straight 6 cylinder OHV, carburetor motor, 85 b.h.p. [216 cu. in.]. To minimize expenses these trucks were sent disassembled in two ships that sailed from New York City with main components and assembly was made in Kragujevac in the V.T.Z. (‘Vojno-tehnicki Zavod’ or “Military-technical Institute”) 120 km. south of Beograd/Belgrade in Serbia. Later, after WW II, this factory was renamed to ‘Crvena Zastava’, then to ‘Zavodi Crvena Zastava’ although it is now ‘Zastava-Automobili Zastava-Kamioni’

About 20 of these trucks were sent totally disassembled for personnel (Mechanic and Driver) training purposes. Sorry, no photos of this assembling - that was an Army secret, and all the Chevrolets were destroyed/disappeared during the War.

Note the brochure for the 1939-40 trucks was in German, which is rather ironical, and could have been produced by G.M. Suisse S.A.

‘Montage of Chevrolet Trucks in Kragujevac, 1940-1941’.

According to our Investigations and to available documentation from the Army- and Navy Ministerium of Kingdom Jugoslavia ordered Jugoslavia in the year 1940 a 1000 units of Chevrolet Trucks 3 Ton, Petrol motor, made by General Motors Company, complete with Body, Canvas-roof and removable seats, for military use, at the price of US$1.465,40 per unit with 10% Value in Spare Parts. The vehicles were transported in cargo of 250 units by the ships S.S. Serafim Topic and S.S. Joanis P. Gulandris from New York to Port Split in S.K.D. (Semi-knocked down) status – and so were partly dissembled for maritime transport. Assembly of vehicles and repares of transportation damages was made at the end of 1940 and beginning of 1941 in the Army-technical Factory in Kragujevac (‘Vojno-tehnicki Zavodi’ in Kragujevac, Central Serbia, circa 150 Km from Belgrade). At the same time they tried to produce also spare parts for these vehicles – i.e. the heavy foundry parts such as the motor/cylinder block and machined parts such as ring gears and driving pinions for differentials (Gleason gear). In the activities of the factory this was noted as ‘Montage of Chevrolet vehicles’.

This Factory had had experience and a tradition in servicing vehicles from 1903 and in 1953 they had also assembled "Willys" Jeeps and from 1954, under new name: ‘Zavodi Crvena Zastava’ they produced under License a range of FIAT cars, light trucks and off-road army vehicles. Today they produce small cars the YUGO (1,100 and 1,300 c.c.), FLORIDA (1,600 c.c.) and Light Trucks.

Miroslav Milutinovic, Member of Society of motoring Historians'

This illustrates that where possible locally-available components were used, and this seems to suggest that this may also have been the case in the NEI.

There were of course also Ford contracts and from memory trucks were supplied through Ford in Egypt, Romania, Hungary, India, et al. From June 1940 GM had established offices in NYC, Detroit and Washington that dealt with the conversion of civilian assembly plants to US Government contracts. Of course that also meant that Chevrolet assembly plants in Flint, Michigan and Tarrytown, NY and possibly Bloomfield, NJ Boxing Plant, were geared-up for military vehicle sales through the offices. All for US$ as cash sales and then with Defence Aid and then Lend-Lease GM contracted with the US Government instead, and the USG dealt with foreign governments. What may be appreciated is that NYC also appear to have handled pre-DA, DA and then L-L sales to Canada, and also orders for Canadian vehicles.