Lend Lease Studebaker US6s

[Rod Diery]

I have talked to a couple of old and bold exRAEME mates who served in Vietnam in the mid 1960s.
Both were certain that no Studebakers were sent to Vietnam for use by the Australians. They thought that the first Australian Army vehicles sent to Vietnam were International Mark 3s sent with 1 RAR in 1965. These Mark 3s were apparently factory fresh having been received by 1 RAR literally days before their departure from Australia.
One of the old guys though, thought that some Studebakers may have been sent to Vietnam as aid to the SVN government at some time. He remembers seeing Studebakers being rebuilt at Northern Command Workshops at Bulimba, Queensland about 1967-68. When completed they were painted in what he describes as a darker shade of olive drab. At the time most Australian Army Studebakers were painted gloss Mid Bronze Green. He also remembers that the Studebakers at Bulimba did not carry an ARN and that when last seen were on the wharves at Hamilton across the Brisbane River from Bulimba.

Regards
Rod Diery
Kulin, Western Australia