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  #1  
Old 07-10-07, 16:18
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Default Transporting the Clarkair CA-1 bulldozer

I came upon some interesting pics of the Clarkair bulldozer while researching an article I'm writing for the Pintlehook newsletter. I thought I'd share them with everybody as it shows how the bulldozer was stowed in a Horsa glider (OP Market-Garden?) as well as some very interesting pics of an experimental trailer to allow the CA-1 to be towed by a Jeep. Quite a load for the doughty Jeep as the bulldozer alone weighs over 4,000 lbs!
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File Type: jpg clark air towed by jeep.jpg (19.0 KB, 987 views)
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Old 07-10-07, 16:20
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Default Re: Transporting the Clarkair CA-1 bulldozer

Quote:
Originally posted by sapper740
I came upon some interesting pics of the Clarkair bulldozer while researching an article I'm writing for the Pintlehook newsletter. I thought I'd share them with everybody as it shows how the bulldozer was stowed in a Horsa glider (OP Market-Garden?) as well as some very interesting pics of an experimental trailer to allow the CA-1 to be towed by a Jeep. Quite a load for the doughty Jeep as the bulldozer alone weighs over 4,000 lbs!
Trailer identified as being manufactured by Winter Weiss.
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File Type: jpg clarkair trailer winter weiss two wheel tilting.jpg (20.7 KB, 840 views)
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Old 07-10-07, 16:24
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Default Re: Re: Transporting the Clarkair CA-1 bulldozer

Quote:
Originally posted by sapper740
Trailer identified as being manufactured by Winter Weiss.
Side view of the trailer. Apparently this was an experimental trailer tried by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
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File Type: jpg clark trailer as tried by corp of engineers.jpg (18.6 KB, 795 views)
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Old 07-10-07, 16:26
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Default Re: Re: Re: Transporting the Clarkair CA-1 bulldozer

Quote:
Originally posted by sapper740
Side view of the trailer. Apparently this was an experimental trailer tried by the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
This last pic shows the bulldozer stowed in a glider. I'd appreciate any further info and pics regarding the Clarkair for my article. Thanks, Derek.
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File Type: jpg clarkair in glider.jpg (53.1 KB, 845 views)
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  #5  
Old 07-10-07, 17:28
Phil Waterman Phil Waterman is offline
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Default More Airborn Clark

At the same time that you were posting this thread about the Clark Airborne Dozer some one e-mailed me a link to this Airforce web site. Take a look at page 16.

http://www.afcesa.af.mil/shared/medi...070606-026.pdf

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  #6  
Old 07-10-07, 20:05
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Default

Here's Phil's picture by itself.
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  #7  
Old 27-10-07, 00:16
Larry Hayward Larry Hayward is offline
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Default Dozer

I remember reading that it was planned for the US 825th Aviation Engineer Bn to take some of these dozers by glider on Operation Market Garden in order to build an airstrip near Nijmegan, which was to be used by Allied fighters. I think their mission was scrubbed at the last moment.
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  #8  
Old 27-10-07, 07:56
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Default picture

heres a picture of just the dozer
I think its a clarkair
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  #9  
Old 27-10-07, 14:23
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Default Re: Dozer

Quote:
Originally posted by Larry Hayward
I remember reading that it was planned for the US 825th Aviation Engineer Bn to take some of these dozers by glider on Operation Market Garden in order to build an airstrip near Nijmegan, which was to be used by Allied fighters. I think their mission was scrubbed at the last moment.

I'm sure you're right abut the 825th. There is scant reference to an "American Engineer unit" that was to be flown in to construct an airfield after members of the 261 Field Park Co. of the Royal Engineers used their Clarkair to clear the landing zone. Events overtook the troops in Arnhem and the Clarkair was never used


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  #10  
Old 27-10-07, 14:31
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Default Re: picture

Quote:
Originally posted by aj.lec
heres a picture of just the dozer
I think its a clarkair

Thanks for the pic. Yep, it's definitely a Clarkair CA-1 and it's long ways from home. Any ideas how it ended up in Dubbo?
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  #11  
Old 27-10-07, 23:29
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Default not really

not really .It belongs to a private collector in the area . He owns somewhere between 40-50 old tractors and dozers of varied marque and description. Havent actually met him
It is possible however that he might have aquired it when the Dubbo RAAF stores depot closed and auctioned off some gear about 20 years ago. They had some interesting items there apparently
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  #12  
Old 28-10-07, 04:40
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Default

Here's an interesting Clarkair photo towing a scraper. The caption read:Clark Airborne CA-1 towing a CAB-1 LaPlant Choate Pan Scraper —Burma in the Spring/Summer of 1944.
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File Type: jpg clark-scraper.jpg (48.7 KB, 545 views)
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  #13  
Old 28-10-07, 17:26
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Default

Quote:
Originally posted by cletrac
Here's an interesting Clarkair photo towing a scraper. The caption read:Clark Airborne CA-1 towing a CAB-1 LaPlant Choate Pan Scraper —Burma in the Spring/Summer of 1944.

Great pic Dave, thanks! With your permission, I'll use it in my article. Most of the pics I've downloaded from the 'net are quite small...15-16 kbyte range and don't enlarge well.
The very versatile CA-1 really got around as I've found pics of it in Burma, Guadalcanal, and N.W.E....as well as Oz (thanks aj). I'll upload some more pics:

here's the Clarkair in a C-47 at Ramsbury airfield preparatory to D Day.
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File Type: jpg clarkair in c47 ramsbury.jpg (24.9 KB, 470 views)
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Last edited by sapper740; 28-10-07 at 17:41.
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  #14  
Old 28-10-07, 17:30
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Default Gettin' back to Burma

Here's an interesting shot of a Clarkair CA-1 after it was ejected from it's glider at landing zone "Broadway" during the night of April 5-6 1944. The bulldozer was undamaged and no injuries resulted from the unplanned ejection.
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  #15  
Old 20-07-08, 21:58
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Default Clark-Airs and Chindits

Quote:
Originally Posted by sapper740 View Post
Here's an interesting shot of a Clarkair CA-1 after it was ejected from it's glider at landing zone "Broadway" during the night of April 5-6 1944. The bulldozer was undamaged and no injuries resulted from the unplanned ejection.

Here, I assume is the same Clark-Air hard at work on LZ Broadway. The RE's that were with the Chindits are most likely overjoyed to have use of the dozer as opposed to clearing the strip by hand.


CHIMO! Derek
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File Type: jpg Clark-air Chindits LZ Broadway.jpg (83.1 KB, 129 views)
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  #16  
Old 28-10-07, 17:32
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Default If you don't have a trailer...

...you can turn the Clarkair into it's own with the addition of stub axles.
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File Type: jpg clarkair close up of stub axle.jpg (17.6 KB, 513 views)
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  #17  
Old 28-10-07, 17:34
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Default Re: If you don't have a trailer...

Quote:
Originally posted by sapper740
...you can turn the Clarkair into it's own with the addition of stub axles.
Next pic shows the stub axles installed. If anyone has any further info on either the stub axles or experimental trailer, I'd be much obliged.
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File Type: jpg clarkair stub axle3.jpg (18.3 KB, 517 views)
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  #18  
Old 28-10-07, 17:39
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Default British Columbia connection to the Clarkair CA-1?

This last pic is of the United States Forestry Service "Trail Tractor" which was the predecessor to the Clarkair CA-1. This picture was taken from the British Columbia provincial archives suggesting that the Trail Tractor saw service in B.C. I will investigate this connection further and ask for any info that any of you B.C.ers may be aware of.
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File Type: jpg trailtractor u.s.f.s. cortesy of b.c. archives.jpg (24.3 KB, 513 views)
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  #19  
Old 28-10-07, 19:51
Phil Waterman Phil Waterman is offline
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Default Restored Clark and Scraper

Quote:
Originally posted by cletrac
Here's an interesting Clarkair photo towing a scraper. The caption read:Clark Airborne CA-1 towing a CAB-1 LaPlant Choate Pan Scraper —Burma in the Spring/Summer of 1944.
Here is a unit that was at the Aberdeen, Maryland show in the spring of 07
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File Type: jpg copy of clark scraper aberdeen 07.jpg (119.7 KB, 378 views)
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  #20  
Old 28-10-07, 20:34
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Default Re: Restored Clark and Scraper

Quote:
Originally posted by Phil Waterman
Here is a unit that was at the Aberdeen, Maryland show in the spring of 07
Thanks for the pics Phil. That particular Clarkair looks like the one from Rhinebeck, N.Y.
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  #21  
Old 19-02-08, 02:23
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Default Stub Axle for CA-1 on un-ID'd kit

The post "Bulldozer question" resurrected my interest in the ClarkAir dozer. I knew I had seen the stub axle that was shown in the picture in my earlier post before. A lengthy search led me to a picture I had archived about LSTs. There on the shore is a piece of unidentified kit which looks like it has the same stub axles as installed on the CA-1. Can anyone identify what is shown in the picture? It looks like a piece of Engineer kit to me. Thanks, Derek.
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File Type: jpg LST 1.jpg (100.5 KB, 261 views)
File Type: jpg Copy of LST 1.jpg (50.3 KB, 257 views)
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  #22  
Old 19-02-08, 03:00
Kent Aist Kent Aist is offline
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Default Road Grader

The picture you have is of a road grader, a grading blade with fine adjustments mounted between the front pair of stearing wheels and a quad set of power wheels under the engine. The driver is just ahead of the engine so he can control the blade.
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  #23  
Old 19-02-08, 03:12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kent Aist View Post
The picture you have is of a road grader, a grading blade with fine adjustments mounted between the front pair of stearing wheels and a quad set of power wheels under the engine. The driver is just ahead of the engine so he can control the blade.

As Homer Simpson is wont to say, "DOH!" There I was thinking I was looking at some unknown tractor with a scraper in tow. I missed the front wheel completely. I'm a wee bit of a berk tonight! Thanks Kent.
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  #24  
Old 21-02-08, 22:39
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Default

This picture was taken last year in The Liberation Park at Overloon, The Netherlands.


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  #25  
Old 14-03-08, 22:10
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Here is a shot of a Clarkair with British markings on the top of a Horsa ramp. It was taken at the RE Museum at Chatham.
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  #26  
Old 14-03-08, 22:24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bodston View Post
Here is a shot of a Clarkair with British markings on the top of a Horsa ramp. It was taken at the RE Museum at Chatham.

Great picture Boddie, thank you! Did it mention anything about the units that used that Clark-Air? I know the 286th Field Park Co., R.E. landed in Normandy at 0335 hours with two dozers and proceeded to clear the LZ of crashed gliders and other impedimentia so as to allow the 6th Airlanding Brigade and their Divisional troops access. Derek.
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Old 14-03-08, 22:37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sapper740 View Post
Great picture Boddie, thank you! Did it mention anything about the units that used that Clark-Air? I know the 286th Field Park Co., R.E. landed in Normandy at 0335 hours with two dozers and proceeded to clear the LZ of crashed gliders and other impedimentia so as to allow the 6th Airlanding Brigade and their Divisional troops access. Derek.
No mate, no mention of units. That Horsa Mk I is a training mock-up fuselage I think, not an operational glider. I have seen other similar pictures of it being used to test loading weights and other physical sizing issues.

Edit: link added: http://www.remuseum.org.uk/campaign/...aign_6adiv.htm

Last edited by Bodston; 17-03-08 at 12:24.
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  #28  
Old 15-03-08, 17:24
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Default clarkair at arnhem oosterbeek

The 261 field park company used one clarkair in operation market garden. it was brought in by glider and driven a few miles into oosterbeek were it was parked by a fence at 9th field company hq never to be used again, it's hydraulics were demolished when the sappers withdrew over the rhine.

i'm not sure about the next bit but if i understand it correctly then the clarkair currently on display in the airbornemuseum hartenstein in oosterbeek is the original bulldozer that was left behind there.

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  #29  
Old 16-03-08, 15:54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wim sikkelbein View Post
i'm not sure about the next bit but if i understand it correctly then the clarkair currently on display in the airbornemuseum hartenstein in oosterbeek is the original bulldozer that was left behind there.
Wim, I don't believe the bulldozer in the museum is the same as the one that arrrived on Landing Zone "Z" on Monday, Sept. 18, 1944. The one in the Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein' was bought in 1999 from a seller in Belgium and as far as I know has never been presented as such. Interestingly, the original Clark-air is shown in a German newsreel taken in Oosterbeek after the germans re-occupied the town. Derek.
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