wreckers and recovery

[Les Freathy]

2nd

[Les Freathy]

Wartime Austin K6 in early british army PW service

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by Les Freathy
Wartime Austin K6 in early british army PW service

Les,

Looks like its at the seaside, and they are fitting the overall tracks to the rear axles, so presumably going to venture out on the sand.

[Marco C.]

Here is a Ward La France from my best Friend

[Les Freathy]

Time for a couple of Scammell Pioneers, top the early SV/1T and below the later model SV/2S

[martineaton]

From War and Peace show

[Noel Burgess]

Spent some time this weekend browsing through the Sikorski pictures at the "Le March in Guerra" website (details elswhere)
Here's the first pair of interesting recovery photos.

Seems like a "home made" recovery rig - is it a Mack truck?

[Noel Burgess]

Next on doesn't have a clear shot, it's just in the background.
Is it a Dodge T110 ?(they seemed to have quite a few as GS trucks).
The recovery body looks like the earliest CMP type with a small rectangular rear body.
Any ideas?

[Noel Burgess]

There were quite a few phtos of this one - is this the second CMP body? - wooden body but with sides sloping to the front, hand winch

[Noel Burgess]

Finally (at last I hear you cry) - a wheeled ambulance.
There was some discussion on these on another thread here
Les - is this evidence of there use mid-war? If I understand correctly all these photos were taken in Italy so thas 1943/44

Hope you all like thiis batch of photos and that someone can expand on and probably correct my assumptions

Noel

[Alex van de Wetering]

Hi Guys,

Here is a copy of one of the pictures in the 3.7inch AA thread, but this time the subject is the crane in the background. Noel Burgess contacted me about the crane and both of us would be interested in more information about the use of these things.

They seem to look a lot like the ones used on airfields, but the one on the pictures below is tracked. I have seen more pictures and even some movie footage, of these things being used on the Normandy beaches to recover stranded landing craft. Were they specificaly designed for this role?

Alex

[Alex van de Wetering]

Here is another shot with one of the cranes in the background.

Alex

[Jeroen Sleijpen]

Originally posted by Noel Burgess
Spent some time this weekend browsing through the Sikorski pictures at the "Le March in Guerra" website (details elswhere)
Here's the first pair of interesting recovery photos.

Seems like a "home made" recovery rig - is it a Mack truck?

Thats indeed a Mack NM with a "home made" recovery rig...

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing!

Jeroen

[Rolf S. Ask]

Noel

The equipment on the Dodge I think is a Holmes W590 that was the first type. They were produced between 1940 - 42.
The equipment on the CMP wrecker you think is the second type I think is aFord F60L BRKD2 with Gar Wood CA5, body is by Brantford and the type is 5L1. Used in the period 1942-43.

Chers

Rolf

PS: I had an article on wreckers in the first english issue of Mud & Snow that was handed out at "The War & Peace Show" this summer. Next issue is out shortly!

[Radek]

My friends Diamond.

[Les Freathy]

Alex, heres a pic of one of the towed cranes you mentioned a while back, if i am correct i think there were two types with differing loading capacities and to add to that a small number of local built units have been seen in various photos. I believe Le Tourne were involved is that correc Bill?
cheers
Les

[Noel Burgess]

Les & Alex
Thanks for further pictures of these towed cranes - I caught a glimpse of one when reviewing a video I recorded from the TV some years ago; series called "World War Two in Colour" brief shot in the D-Day section.
Were they used exclusively for recovering landing craft or as a general lifting attachment for dozers?
Thanks also to Rolf and Jeroen for your info on the Polish items I posted.
Finally I attach a picture of a device definately designed to lift landing craft (cant remember where on the web I found this - so hope I havn't upset anyone by posting it

Noel

[Bill Murray]

Les/Noel:
I believe this is what you are looking for, from TM 9-2800 dated Oct. 1947.
Sorry for the skewed photo but I have a problematic scanner and I was trying not to break the spine of a rare original copy of the TM
Bill

[James Baxter]

While I was living in Mombasa I acquired an F60 breakdown from a chap in Nairobi, in a sorry state (the truck, not the chap) and had it transported to Mombasa, where it is now awaiting shipment to UK. While there, a friend has been doing some restoration work on it. Hopefully it will be in UK in spring next year.

I am looking for a 1940s Ford civilian style truck instrument cluster for it. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Attached photo if it on arrival in Mombasa.

James

[Rod Diery]

I found this pic on the National Archives of Australia site of what appears to be a GM C60X aircraft recovery crane. The aircraft is a CAC CA18 Mustang Mk 23 A68-176 which forced landed at Redbank, Queensland in May 1955 after an engine failure.

Cheers
Rod

[Noel Burgess]

Just found this photo at http://omahabeach.mulberry.free.fr/

[Goncalo Mendes]

Originally Posted by Rod Diery

I found this pic on the National Archives of Australia site of what appears to be a GM C60X aircraft recovery crane. The aircraft is a CAC CA18 Mustang Mk 23 A68-176 which forced landed at Redbank, Queensland in May 1955 after an engine failure.

Cheers
Rod

Hi, I just to finf this picture in the archives, but I didn't find it, Do you have it in higher resolution? Thanks!
G_Mendes

[Jan Mostek]

The vehicle I want to show you belongs to those less known pobably. It is a Praga V3S, made in Czechoslovakia from late 50´s till 70´s years, mostly for militay use. Powered by air-cooled 6-in-line Diesel (Tatra). The crane is a copy of war 3-ton Gar Wood swinging boom crane. It was soon superseeded by heavier Tatras.
Photo is from my friend´s collection

Jan Mostek

[Darrell Zinck]

Hi

x3 nice videos of Scammell Recovery operations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvgkqdQvqq8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e8Hxh9jW7c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-W8FSUFE_g

regards
Darrell

[Les Freathy]

I believe this to be a early pre WW2 gantry recovery for light equipment based on a Morris D seen here towing a single axle recovery trailer. It must have had its limitations.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Les Freathy

I had a search through the forum on wreckers and recovery vehicles and came to the conclusion that all were directed at specific items ie certain types of truck or recovery unit. As this is a broad subject thought it would be a good idea to start a thread on these vehicles in general leaving any specific items for the said threads. Prehaps if we take this thread up to 1945 and include any pre or wartime produced vehicles including demobbed post war items could go in to the military heavyweight thread or maybe start the same over there.
So to kick off here are a few Ward La France photos

Les, here are two Ward LaFrance wreckers hard at work pulling something heavy (unidentified) out of the mud with what appears to be a Scammel waiting behind. Derek.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Has anyone got any photos please of the Pacific tractors that I could use? I need three that can be published. Suitable remuneration available!

[Chaser]

Here's one from my collection with the Weasel on the trailer.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by David_Hayward

Has anyone got any photos please of the Pacific tractors that I could use? I need three that can be published. Suitable remuneration available!

Try these pics on for size Dave, they're all from non copy-righted websites. Derek.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

Thanks! If only I could find the original of this shot taken post-war! Shots of British Dragon Wagons are ultra-rare! So is the Book! Seems it's out of print now from Ampersand Publishing.