Dutch Truck Identification

[Lang]

A friend of mine has just bought from a farm in far west Queensland a 3/4 ton Dodge Weapon Carrier. It is in excellent condition and runs well.

It is painted a fairly dark blue and on both sides of the bonnet (hood) there are the following markings:

A flag of three horizontal stripes Red on top, white and blue.

After the flag there are the letters RNF

In a separate group after the RNF there is A138 and what could be 2.

Is this a vehicle from the Netherlands East Indies B-25 squadrons which operated out of Northern Australia from strips south of Darwin?

Lang

[nuyt]

Sounds very interesting indeed. A Royal Netherlands Forces truck in original condition...!
Would it be possible to get some pictures?
Kind regards,
Nuyt

[Lang]

I will try to get a couple of photos over the weekend.

Lang

[nuyt]

Great, thank you!
Nuyt

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
In a separate group after the RNF there is A138 and what could be 2.

Lang, sounds like an exciting discovery!
I'll await the pictures, after which I will foward them on to a Dutch specialist on military vehicle registration numbers. Maybe he can tell more.

Thanks,
Hanno

[nuyt]

Hi Lang, did you have the chance to take any pics yet?
Kind regards,
Nuyt

[Lang]

Erik,

I could not get the photos small enough for MLU to accept them so I emailed to Hanno.

Maybe he can reduce them for the forum.


Lang

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Lang,

Thanks for sending me the pictures. Sorry for the late reply, was busy.



For large size pics click here.

This is a very elusive part of Dutch military history to which I do not have an answer readily available. I will ask a specialist on Dutch registration numbers to see if he knows more.

Thanks & regards,
Hanno

[nuyt]

Thanks!
Nuyt

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Until now, I have drawn a blank on this truck.

Looking at the pictures again, it seems to me the truck was painted with the RNF markings while it was Olive Drab. The blue paint seems to have been painted over it. An ex-RAAF Dodge? See Col's remark below:

Originally posted by Col Tigwell in Bring a tear into Max's eye :
Again the powers decreeded the weapon carrier be painted blue,
The painters used it as a training aid, and it came back with a gloss finish, that was well above the finish on new cars.
(...)
I do know that it came out of "War Reserve" stock at Dubbo, and most of the vehicles there were very low milage. It was the only "weapon carrier" I ever saw in the Air Force.

[Lang]

Hanno,

I went and looked at the Dodge again. The owner let me scrub away gently with steel wool with soapy water to get through the paint layers very slowly.

I think this is the story.

Layer one is standard olive drab as the factory would have delivered.

Layer two is a dark blue ON TOP OF WHICH is painted the Dutch marking.

Layer three is another similar dark blue (looks like light blue in photos but after scrubbing away faded top coat is similar to the first blue layer). This coat is OVER the markings.

My guess is it was repainted by the Dutch or went to the RAAF after the war although I can't see any RAAF markings - they stopped putting numbers on the bonnet (hood) so that is not conclusive.

I can remember quite a few 3/4 ton RAAF weapon carriers being sold at disposal auctions at Cannon Hill Brisbane in the early 60's.

Lang

[Lang]

Hanno,

I have had a look through the book "Up in Darwin with the Dutch" by Gordon Wallace - the story of the Dutch B-25 Mitchell squadrons (mainly Dutch aircrew and mainly Australian groundcrew but a mix in both areas).

Most of the photos taken by Gordon in his time as a despatch rider with the Squadron were taken in the early days and the vehicles are all the early stocks. You can see many 1/2-ton Dodges, 1 1/2-ton Chevrolet 4X4, GMC hardcab 6X6 and 3-ton CMP along with the usual Chevrolet and Ford staff cars and 4X2 utilities (pick-ups).

All seem to be painted olive drab no disruptive patterns.

Our mystery Dodge being 3/4-ton is obviously a later issue but I still have not found photos of dark coloured (blue) vehicles.

Lang

[Lang]

Dutch Train Convoy Central Australia

[Lang]

Dutch B-25 pilot Northern Australia

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
I have had a look through the book "Up in Darwin with the Dutch" by Gordon Wallace - the story of the Dutch B-25 Mitchell squadrons (mainly Dutch aircrew and mainly Australian groundcrew but a mix in both areas).

Lang, I do not know the book and must admit I know frightfully little about my fellow countrymen in your country during WW2. My grandfather's brother was one of them.

I found a site with detailed information on the NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES AIR FORCE IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2, this will keep me busy for a while.

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Hanno Spoelstra
I found a site with detailed information on the NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES AIR FORCE IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2, this will keep me busy for a while.

Interestingly, a Dodge WC-51 was pictured next to Netherlands East Indies Air Force (NEI-AF) B-25J Mitchell N5-217 (#43-27925), which was severely damaged in a belly landing at RSU at Gorrie airfield, near Batchelor on 9 February 1945.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
the vehicles are all the early stocks. You can see many 1/2-ton Dodges, 1 1/2-ton Chevrolet 4X4, GMC hardcab 6X6 and 3-ton CMP along with the usual Chevrolet and Ford staff cars and 4X2 utilities (pick-ups).

They had a jeep as well. Note "RNF 948"(?) on front bumper. Cannot tell from this picture whether it was anything else than Olive Drab. Source: No. 18 (NEI) Squadron, RAAF.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by Lang
I think this is the story.

Layer one is standard olive drab as the factory would have delivered.

Layer two is a dark blue ON TOP OF WHICH is painted the Dutch marking.

Lang,

Thanks for your effort trying to find out more evidence on this truck. Judging by this evidence, it surely must have served with the Royal Netherlands Forces painted dark blue. Did you get a chance to nail down the exact number on the hood?

Can the owner offers details on it's history? Like where/when he and/or any previous owners bought it?

I will continue my search on this side of the globe. Surely someday the snippets of information must fit together to finish the jigsaw puzzle. . .

Thanks,
Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Looks like the Dodge has been restored: http://s325.photobucket.com/albums/k...ont/?start=140

Or is this another one?

H.

[Snowy]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Looks like the Dodge has been restored: http://s325.photobucket.com/albums/k...ont/?start=140

This RNF Dodge belongs to one of our club members Ackie here in Brisbane, yes it's restored now and you can see a short clip of him driving it offroad in the last 15 seconds or so of this video from last year's MJCQ annual gathering at Canungra: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ve-CkTL4wUs

There are a number of pages of interesting info on the Dutch Squadrons operating under the RAAF in the Top End in the book 'Boston, Mitchell and Liberator in Australian Service' by Stewart Wilson, for what it's worth.

Steve.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Thanks Steve,

Good to see it's alive and kicking!

Hanno

[Snowy]

Yes it certainly is still alive and kicking. I went through my pics from the MJCQ Winter Swim-In held in Bundaberg, Oz last June and found these.

Steve.

[Jeroen Sleijpen]

I remember a dodge of a friend of mine that had the same colour as the one on the unrestored Dodge. Although that one had usaf markings....?

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Jeroen Sleijpen

I remember a dodge of a friend of mine that had the same colour as the one on the unrestored Dodge. Although that one had usaf markings....?

Like this one you mean (first pic)?

I just heard of another Dodge WC-52 from Norway that was once blue in colour, painted over olive drab later for Norwegian Army service (one in the line up in the second pic).
Interestingly, it was rebuilt by Rootes in the UK in 1955.

H.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Snowy

Yes it certainly is still alive and kicking. I went through my pics from the MJCQ Winter Swim-In held in Bundaberg, Oz last June and found these.

Steve,

Good to hear, I just found another picture dating back to 2009 also, captioned as follows:

This Dodge weapons carrier with Dutch markings and flag (RNF = Royal Netherlands Forces) was found in Darwin. Perhaps used by the 18 Squadron NEI/RAAF at Batchelor

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/raticho...7622049032366/ (it seems the photographer knows Lang)

Hanno

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Lang

Most of the photos taken by Gordon in his time as a despatch rider with the Squadron were taken in the early days and the vehicles are all the early stocks. You can see many 1/2-ton Dodges, 1 1/2-ton Chevrolet 4X4, GMC hardcab 6X6 and 3-ton CMP along with the usual Chevrolet and Ford staff cars and 4X2 utilities (pick-ups).

All seem to be painted olive drab no disruptive patterns.

Our mystery Dodge being 3/4-ton is obviously a later issue but I still have not found photos of dark coloured (blue) vehicles.

Bringing this topic back to top: as usual, the vehicle side of air forces is badly documented, so I have to revert to some online sources to get an idea of the type of vehicles used.

Here's an example of a staff car (source: http://www.marsethistoria.nl/artikelen/b25_nei.htm)

Captain W.F. Boot, CO of the ML Det Archerfield, organised the transition training of pilots of
the 3rdBomb Group. The photograph was taken at Charters Towers probably in May-June 1942
when Boot wasposted as a liaison officer with the 3rd Bomb Group
(collection Alexander Evanoff, via Edward Rogers)

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Official vehicle line up during parade, probably on 15 September 1942 at RAAF Canberra (source: www.sobatsbollenstreek.nl) captioned "Dutch Auto Company" and "Car Comp".

Second picture shows (some of) the vehicles have registrations starting with "NEI", e.g. "NEI-39", "NEI-40", "NEI-41".

[Hanno Spoelstra]

From the same source, "Relocation of material by rail from Canberra to Darwin".

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Again from the same source, a lone half-tonner Dodge Carry-All.

Although an interesting source, it does not give us any new sightings of Weapon Carriers or any further indication of blue-painted vehicles in use with the 18th Sqn NEI (RAAF) .... the search continues!

H.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Hanno:

Regarding Capt. Boot's car, it appears to be a 1941 Canadian/Australian Dodge.
These were essentially badge engineered Plymouth vehicles with Dodge grille etc.

Happy New Year.

Bill