In the background

[Keith Webb]

This one with the cab 12 portees is interesting as pictures of these seem to be fairly rare. I remember Bart Vanderveen covered them in W&T.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

This one with the cab 12 portees is interesting as pictures of these seem to be fairly rare.

Yes Keith, I thought it rather unique coming across an image of these.

Cheers

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Have we seen this pic on here before?

Name the three vehicles in the first picture.

Second picture has the same vehicle in the forground plus a CMP in the background of course.

H.

[wim sikkelbein]

Vickers Utility B tractor
LVT-3 bushmaster
cmp

p.s. next time remember to change the photo names.

[Mike Cecil]

I came across this image while tidying up a recent acquisition of paperwork from my uncle's estate. He was an Army engineer in the late 50s and early 1960s (Capt MJK Lodge, RAE), who was seconded to the RAAF to manage airfield runway works at East Sale and Darwin.

The image was taken at East Sale in 1961. Just beyond the Blaw-Knox concrete spreader (RAAF registration 218142) are three vehicles: the FE or FC GM-Holden Utility is easy to spot. These were a common vehicle in RAAF, RAN and Army service. They were contract vehicles built specially for the services and equipped with a number of minor modifications from the standard Civilian utes, such as a grill over the rear cab glass, and no car radio. Obscured by the Blaw-Knox is a standard CMP truck, probably the RAAF 'heavy tender' with demountable drop sides (the rear edge of the body is just visible).

The truck in the middle distance is unique to Australia and indeed, to the RAAF. While many will recognise it as a soft top HAR-1, few will know the designation....... anyone want to have a try?

In the far background, through the early morning mist, is the outline of a C-47 Dakota and some other vehicles that are just toooo blurred to recognise with any accuracy.

Mike C

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Mike Cecil

I came across this image while tidying up a recent acquisition of paperwork from my uncle's estate. He was an Army engineer in the late 50s and early 1960s (Capt MJK Lodge, RAE), who was seconded to the RAAF to manage airfield runway works at East Sale and Darwin.

The image was taken at East Sale in 1961. Just beyond the Blaw-Knox concrete spreader (RAAF registration 218142) are three vehicles: the FE or FC GM-Holden Utility is easy to spot. These were a common vehicle in RAAF, RAN and Army service. They were contract vehicles built specially for the services and equipped with a number of minor modifications from the standard Civilian utes, such as a grill over the rear cab glass, and no car radio. Obscured by the Blaw-Knox is a standard CMP truck, probably the RAAF 'heavy tender' with demountable drop sides (the rear edge of the body is just visible).

The truck in the middle distance is unique to Australia and indeed, to the RAAF. While many will recognise it as a soft top HAR-1, few will know the designation....... anyone want to have a try?

Mike ..Does this ring a bell..??
42: 120 pages NO NUMBER FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AUTO CO. PARTS BOOK, FWD MODEL HAR TRUCKS, RIGHT-HAND STEER, (March '42). Illustrated.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the far background, through the early morning mist, is the outline of a C-47 Dakota and some other vehicles that are just toooo blurred to recognise with any accuracy.

Mike C

Got any tough ones..??

[Mike Cecil]

Alex,

Apparently this one is a tough one: yes, its a HAR-1 (I said that) ...... but what is its actual designation??

I did give a big hint: unique to the RAAF!! I'll go even further: unique to Airfield Construction Squadrons of the RAAF!

Mike C

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

This one with the cab 12 portees is interesting as pictures of these seem to be fairly rare.

Yes, they're woefully under-represented in public collections, especially when you consider the role their crews played in North Africa. I'm pretty sure there was even a VC earned on a cab 12 portee (British from memory).

Somewhere amongst all my saved images I have some lesser known pics of cab 12 portees, which I shall dig up and post in due course. Not being strictly "in the background" I shall post them on Keith's cab 11/12 thread, which seems to have fallen into disuse of late (hint, hint!)

Meanwhile, speaking of rarities....you'd be hard pressed to find a more unusual CMP image than pic 1 below - a RAAF C60X aircraft refueller attending a Tachikawa KI-54 "Hickory" full of Japanese officers! (is it just me, or do I detect some hostility from the troops in pic 3....?)

[Richard Coutts-Smith]

The last pic at least looks like the Jap surrender at Borneo, from another angle see:
http://www.oldcmp.net/borneo.html

Keiths Quote "Japanese aviators looking surprisingly comfortable amongst so many Aussies!"
Rich.

[Tony Wheeler]

Originally Posted by Richard Coutts-Smith

The last pic at least looks like the Jap surrender at Borneo

Apologies Richard, I forgot to include the link to these pics, which gives the location as Lae, not Borneo as in Keith's pics. Nice work on your part to make the connection - it's definitely the same a/c as can be seen in the camouflage detail on the fin (pics 1 and 2 below).

Here's the link to the Lae pics: http://www.antiaircraft.org.au/photo...new-guinea/lae

It took me a while to identify the a/c type but eventually I found pic 3 on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tachikawa_Ki-54 (aircraft recognition is even more fun than identifying CMPs!)

[Tony Wheeler]

Here's another "CMP in the background" from the same site, this time a CGT 8 at Buna. I've come across other pics of CGT 8s being landed here, and even some brief footage of a CGT 8 with short 25 pdr in tow, turning off the beach into the jungle. From memory it's on the ANZAC 3-disc series - I shall locate again and post here.

Here's the link to the image below: http://www.antiaircraft.org.au/photo.../buna/buna-657

On the same site can be found some rare pics of cab 12 FATs in Australia:
http://www.antiaircraft.org.au/photo...ure/townsville

[aj.lec]

On the same site can be found some rare pics of cab 12 FATs in Australia:
http://www.antiaircraft.org.au/photo...ure/townsville

This raises a question -Did these featured gun tractors stay in Australia or where they deployed overseas and not return ?
Where are they now I wonder?

[cliff]

There is a fully restored one here in Gympie