Did Canadian army in ETO use 4x2 CMPs?

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

. . . as this picture shows the same type of CMP in May 1945. This definitely is a Canadian Army truck as only (a) Canadian unit(s) liberated my home town.

Hanno, this business of studying old trucks has a different emotional impact when you put it that way. Which regiment(s)?

[George McKenzie]

I have an original Department of National Defences instruction book. Fifth Edition , printed July 1941 by General Motors of Canada for the, 8CWT 4x2,15CWT4x2, 15CWT 4x4,30CWT4x4,3TON4x4 ,FA GUN Tractor 4x4.Would this mean they usde the 8CWT 4x2 CMPs inthe war ?

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Both C.8 and F.8 initially to my knowledge.

There is of course a photo of a F[?].15 in Dr Gregg's book when it mentions that they were obsolete.

[John McGillivray]

When the 5th Cdn Armoured Division was deployed to Italy in late 1943, it was equipped with old British wheeled vehicles. Besides being in very poor condition, many of the vehicles were 4x2s. It is most likely that some of them found their way to NWE when 1st Cdn Corps moved there in March 1945.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

There is of course a photo of a F[?].15 in Dr Gregg's book when it mentions that they were obsolete.

Ah yes, that one - see quote from CMPs first used in action: June 1940, France below. While its census number CZ 4204396 denotes overseas service, this picture was most likely taken in the UK (possibly at Borden, Hampshire). But according to the vehicle data book which was reproduced in Gregg's book, by 1944 4x2 trucks were no longer used in operatonal commands, but limited numbers were used in the UK as general purpose load carrier for supplies and stores by CRU or other base units.

Hanno

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

David, I think this could even be an actual example of that batch. The countryside in the background looks like it could be in the UK, but there are not enough clues to be sure of that.

However, its census number CZ 4204396 implies overseas service. Do have have a list of the census numbers that were applied by the CMD?

Also note that the paintwork is weathered (especially on the roof) and the left front fender is somewhat battered. So it must have been in use for some time, possibly as a runabout / barracks hack. A truck looking like this when assigned to an active unit would certainly not pass inspection by the RSM.
F15-Cab11-CZ4204396.jpg

[gordon]

Reading through the scheduling of the 4 x 2 and 4 x 4 changeover above, it would seem to me that they concentrated on 4 x 4 CMPs from 1942 on because of the huge quantities of 4x2 Dodge trucks, D15 and D60, that they had available from that point. It would be relatively easy to concentrate production of 4 x 4s as Chev and Ford, and leave Dodge to churn out all the 4 x 2's.

In fact Canadian Dodge production pretty much went the other way, starting with the 4 x 4 D8A, and swapping over to 4 x 2 D15 and D60 types at around the same time the Chev and Ford production changed.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Here are two more pictures of a Ford F15 4x2 with a British cargo body:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21640011@N07/4360903714

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21640011@N07/4360186567/

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Here are two more pictures of a Ford F15 4x2 with a British cargo body:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21640011@N07/4360903714

https://www.flickr.com/photos/21640011@N07/4360186567/

Granted, this truck seems to be in use with the British Army and not the Canadian Army.

These Cab 13's with British 15-cwt body could well be chassis/cabs delivered for completion as Polsten AA trucks, which were no longer needed when the Allies gained air superiority, and converted into GS trucks.

4360903714_1a53a9e636_z.jpg 4360186567_19a047a9a1_z.jpg