GM/Ford? based armoured vehicles of the Dutch East Indies

[Stellan Bojerud (RIP)]

Originally posted by ericnuyt
The Vickers (of which only around 20 were delivered I think) are mostly seen towing Boehler 4,7cm AT guns on NEI pictures.
There was also an AA Battalion that used the same Vickers for towing Rheinmetall Flak 30 20mm AA gun, of which KNIL possessed some 30.
It has been heard that KNIL also had another type of VIckers tractor but I am not sure of this.

I think the KNIL Vickers Utility Tractors (agree they were 20) were used as training vehicles in Bandoeng as substitute for tanks until the series of 20 VCL tanks arrived.

There is a picture showing Vickers Utility Tractors towing 20 mm AA guns Rheinmetall on a parade march-past. That picture is from April 1940 when a large parade was held on Andir AFB (Bandoeng).

So I think that the training Vickers were used on that occasion just for propaganda.

As the KNIL had 30 x 47 mm Böhler AT-guns and only 20 Vickers Trucks, it was not logical to use them for towing 20 mm AA guns. For redeploying av AA gun you can use almost every type of vehicle, but to tow an AT-gun under combat conditions is someting totally different.