Cargo body F60S LAAT pictures from inside

[David Dunlop]

Hanno.

My thought would be specific late war contracts for this specific type of CMP. End users in moderate climates would have no need at all for Arctic Heating and would not want costs incurred related to same.

It is possible all vehicles could have been factory prepped to have the kit installed at a later date, but to maintain weather integrity to the vehicles I would expect to find evidence of punch-out plugs and blanking plates installed at the factory over installation holes. I don’t think any such surviving CMP’s have ever turned up.

So, I would vote for specific Order Contracts submitted for a certain number of these CMPs. I lean towards Canada having made the request but the end of the war ended production. The majority of the completed vehicles were likely sold off brand new and possibly production continued to some extent to support sales of specific quantities to such countries like Norway and Argentina to use in their cold winters. Canada would have had a huge surplus of CMPs with existing Cold Weather Kits to fulfill their postwar needs.

A similar example would be the last, winterized version of the HUP built in 1945. A number have turned up across Canada over the years, a large number being sold off out of MacDonald, Manitoba after the war. None have been found bearing Canadian Army markings and all were built to a British Contract. They were built, sat and sold off.

Canada and England probably anticipated a drawn out campaign in Norway at some point and wanted to be well prepared equipment wise.

Still a fascinating development of the CMP however.

David

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

It is possible all vehicles could have been factory prepped to have the kit installed at a later date, but to maintain weather integrity to the vehicles I would expect to find evidence of punch-out plugs and blanking plates installed at the factory over installation holes. I don’t think any such surviving CMP’s have ever turned up.

David,

I have never seen the SCWE (Special Cold Weather Equipment) fitted, but many of the late Cabs I have seen have these blanked off holes. Many of their owners have pondered over their purpose.

So I think the late ones were factory prepped to enable fitting SCWE if and when required without having to drill holes etc.