Vehicles used by Dutch Prinses Irene Brigade

[Rogier Peeters]

This week I visited the Nationaal Archief and recorded some more info from the March 1943 vehicle listing. However please note the brigade also received lots of new vehicles before the invasion of mainland Europe.

Ford 4/6 ton
The Ford 4/6 ton trucks had census numbers L1284652 - L1284657. Hanno posted a photo of the well-known L1284657, the one that's after the twin in Berlin .

Some more details about the 15 cwt trucks
The March 1943 list mentions the following 15 cwt trucks:
- truck 15 cwt 4x2 GS Ford (Platoon truck) census numbers Z1284570 - Z1284618 (Chassis numbers in the 7042xxx range)
- Fordson 15 cwt (platoon truck) 34 trucks numbered L1284700 - L1284714, L1284754 - L1284765, L1284769 - L1284771, L1284773, L1284780 - L1284782 (chassis numbers in the 5801xxx and 6144xxx range)
- Morris 15 cwt office L1284718, L1284750, L1284772
- Bedford 15 cwt (watertank) L1284766
- Bedford 15 cwt (truck) L1284744 - L1284745, chassis numbers MWD.29815 and MWD.31335

CMP trucks
The listing includes a number of lorry 30 Cwt 4x4 anti-tank portee Chevrolet, with the body work listed as ‘lorry' (probably portees converted to lorries). The census, engine and chassis numbers are as follows:
L1283906 - 3756113 - 1844031739
L1283907 - 3757924 - 1844030844
L1283908 - 3758799 - 1844031632
L1283909 - 3761417 - 1844031892
L1283910 - 3757652 - 1844031707
L1283911 - 3743653 - 1844032550
L1283912 - 3757996 - 1844030616
L1283913 - 50686 (?) - 1844031330

The chassis numbers are similar to the ones found on the 30 cwts in contract S/M 2028 as given in http://mapleleafup.org/forums/showthread.php?t=3824 .

Unidentified car
Finally, I would like to invite for opinions regarding the make and type of car in the attached picture. The photo found on the Haagse beeldbank at http://www.haagsebeeldbank.nl/hga:col1:dat254377 .

1191a01.jpg

[Bill Murray]

Hi Rogier:

Your vehicle is a Skoda, almost for sure a Popular of 1938 manufacture.
Thanks for an unusual photo, it is amazing where some of these cars ended up in 1945, 7 years and thousands of kilometers from home after a brutal war.

Bill

[Rogier Peeters]

Thank you very much Bill.
Very amazing indeed!