Chevys of the Indian Long Range Patrol

[Kuno]

I could only find out a vague statement telling that they were equipped similar as the LRDG patrols. Any information regarding the trucks in the pics above?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

They look as though they have the 1940 deeper top grille bit, so are 1940 Models, WA I think rather than 1939 Models. I don't believe that these were supplied by General Motors India Ltd in Bombay, and shipped but rather those assembled to WD order in GM Near East, Alexandria. If they were Indian Army then I believe that they were paid for by the WD through the Treasury in London: AIF and NZEF, plus the SADF were allocated vehicles and were then paid for by the respective Dominion Governments.

L 39000 to 39515 Contract V 3352 LORRY 30 CWT. 4 X 2 GS / WATER TANKERS: 266 UNITS GS AND 84 WATER 133-INCH WHEELBASE

[Kuno]

...the manufacturing / assembling of allied trucks will always remain one of the big misteries of WW2 to me ;-)

[Lang]

David,

I am very interested in who's up who and who pays the rent during the 20's,30's and particularly WW2. It seems very convoluted with all sorts of purchase, lease, trade and loan schemes in operation.

From what I understand India had a stand-alone budget fully sourced from within India despite being a British possession at the time. Of course right to the moment Mountbatten stepped onto the last boat out of town the British continued milking the country. It would seem that even in the most expensive times, such as fighting the Indian Mutiny, Britain did not have a single year in the red on her best investment by far. I have read many accounts of the Indian treasury paying for equipment and activities during the early 20th century period.

The most notable was when the British were involved in Iraq just after the First World War in circumstances almost identical to the current debacle. Churchill, in one of his numerous political reincarnations, decided the operation was sending UK broke and they could not afford to maintain a huge force in Iraq in an unpopular endless campaign. The simple solution was to withdraw the British troops and order the Indians to replace them (at India's expense). Churchill is recorded as boasting of this sleight of hand as maintaining British presence at someone else's expense!

The point of my comments are, no matter who actually paid the factory for the trucks, I am sure the Indians finished up with the final bill in the same manner as the dominions.

Lang

[Mike K]

If you carefully look at the close up.... that's a 13" wheel and they are 900 -13" tyres .

They seem to be on the 113" wheelbase .

The AWM has nice pics of those model Chevs... could be these ?

Mike

indian1.JPG indian3.JPG indian4.JPG

[Lang]

I think you have a winner Mike.

Lang

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Lang, you may be right...but the information I have from various papers acquired over the years does suggest that the War Office were responsible for the Indian Army and as regards vehicles, they were to be responsible for payment.

Now, two files come to mind in the National Archives that are of relevance here:

a) A Treasury Exchange Requirements Committee file which relates to providing dollars to pay for the Egyptian Chevrolets.

b) A file relating to vehicles assembled for Afghanistan paid for by the Afghan Government Purchasing Commission inn New York including in 1940-41, which were assembled by Ford and GM of India in Bombay. These were US-sourced and assembled by the respective subsidiaries: Fords were a GM OF CANADA subsidiairy, which itself was only partly-owned by Ford of Dearborn, although GM India was a subsidiary of the New York GM Corporation. This tying-up of assembly capacity, which the companies rigourously defended, rankled the WO and yet nothing could be done. That is until a decisionn was made that all output was required for the war effort, that the Afghans could 'poke it' and be paid for their purchases which would be diverted to the British (for the Indian Army and British Army in India). It rankled that these vehicles were being assembled in Bombay then driven north over the Khyber Pass..and there was concern that German agents were around as well.