Austin K5 4x4 information / images

Adding to my theory that 4th Armoured Brigade units were issued with Austin K5's before D-day is this photograph by Major WHJ Sale of the 3 CLY which was taken in Worthing in the spring/early summer of 1944 and which can be found on the Army Museum website on-line:



3rd/4th County of London Yeomanry (Sharpshooters), Worthing, 1944 | Online Collection | National Army Museum, London

Not the best quality photo but definitely a K5.

Regards

Tom

 

Austin K5 of HQ 9 Fd Amb on board LST 361 (LTIN 381), Gosport Hardway, 1 Jun 44:


Source: IWM H38983

Perfectly matches the Landing Table which lists:
1369/381 LST(2) – 9 Fd Amb – 8 vehicle parties with:
1x 3 ton GS Austin
2x amb lt fd 2 stretcher
1x 15 cwt GS 4 x 4 HUP

Michel

 

Michel,

Good spot!

So both 8th and 9th Field Ambulances had at least one K5, I wonder about 223 Fd Amb. Another war diary to look out whenever I can get back to Kew.

Thanks.

Regards

Tom

 

And another one that I noticed tonight - photo taken on 16 September 1944 at Beeringen on the Albert Canal. But wait, weren't all the K5's meant to have been lying broken down at this point I hear you cry!

Obviously not.

REINFORCEMENTS FOR THE GROUND INVASION OF SOUTHERN HOLLAND CROSS THE ALBERT CANAL AT BEERINGEN [Allocated Title]



That chap Chester Wilmot has a lot to answer for.

Regards

Tom

 

The Landing Table First Tide does list three "3 ton GS Austin" from 223 Fd Amb, three for 9 Fd Amb & two for 8 Fd Amb, so I suppose they must all be K5's. Main decks of various SWORD-bound LSsT are full of K5's, but the markings are seldom visible.

The total for the First Tide is 150 "3 ton GS Austin", "3 ton GS Austin 4 x 4", "3 ton Austin" (just two) & "3 ton Austin 4 x 4" (just one), all of which I suppose are K5's, from a total of 41 units and sub-units.

Michel

 

AoS 0f 147 Fd Regt was 1177. 1147 was the AoS of another Army Fd Regt, 86 (Anglian) which also served closely with 8 Arm Bde and with 50 (Northunbrian). Photos of 86 Fd Regt clearly show 1147 in Robert Kiln's book of his service with the regiment - D-Day to Arnhem - With Hertfordshire's Gunners.

 

This is a conversion of the 6pdr Portee back to GS - identifiale by the soft top cab.

 

And I found this snip in the war diary of 346 Coy RASC (50th Northumbrian) Division which adds more to the use of Austin K5 within that Division:



I've got a feeling one platoon from 346 Coy (with 16 Austin K5s) was attached to one of the other RASC Coys for the actual landings as the rest of the company didn't make it over to France until 18 Jul 44.

Regards

Tom

 

That's a portee to GS conversion of course, Tom. This thread has slipped under my personal radar for a while. Keep up the good work !

 

Whilst this thread has concentrated on Army units - who used the greater number of K5's - the RAF was also a user. Here are 2 photos of AMES Type 9 vehicles. The Mobile Radio unit on the far right of the panorama photo and in the single vehicle photo, which has the railway carriage type roof seen in lots of RAF special types, and what looks like a GS but which could be Transmitter/receiver vehicle for the radar. (The little trailer in the panorama is probably the generator: the larger 4-wheel trailer could be GS or part of the radar team. AMES Type 9 is better known a Chain Home (Mobile) and was used to replace the original CH radars if any were knocked out by air attack, etc. I believe some went over the Channel but I've never found any confirmation!

 

Christian that is a Crossley. I have been researching vehicles of the RAF. Since 1970 and have only found one k5 in use by the RAF

 

Aargh! Me bad! The other GS truck would also be a Crossley? Both IGL8's? That's great - I've listed Crossley Q30 fire engines, an early IGL RAF Recovery vehicle and one IGL3 Photographic body as RAF types, no IGL8's.

 

It's designated Crossley fwd.

 

It's been a while since I've seen a new photo..Post-war service with the German Civil Labour Organisation... it proves that another one got that far rather than breaking down on the way.

 

A K5 Portee to GS conversion at 0.09 in the run up to 'Veritable'. Sorry that it's a Facebook link.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=951151632192819&extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&ref=sharing

The Austin K5. Still up at the sharp end in February 1945.

 

K5 bogged on the beach on D-Day. PM me if you want a higher res version.

 

And another Austin K5 spotted on the "Sherman Tanks in the Juno Beach area" thread - Sherman tanks in the JUNO beach area | WW2Talk

Thanks to EKB for this one - can anyone explain how to find the film from which it came? Canadian archives? Is that on-line?



Regards

Tom

 

Both K5s seem to belong to 282 GT Coy (AoS 1375b), like the one previously posted here.

The films are from HD Archives:
TITLE INVASION WWII 6/2/44 - 6/11/44, ADVANCED BEACHHEAD. POSSIBLY JUNO BEACH. FRENCH - LMWWIIHD264
Just type the film short number (eg 264) in their Search box to find other films.

Michel

 

Plenty more K5s on film 163 too:

Unidentified Beach Group unit:


On the right, a K5 from 5 R BERKS (AoS 69 + Beach Gp sign) but with unclear WD No (maybe L5824799):


followed by two K5 without visible unit markings. The WD No can be read however.
L772557:


and probably L772565:


Finally, yet another lorry from 282 GT Coy, L772535:


Michel

 

AoS 1238 would be 51 Mech Eqpt Sec RE, which had one '3 ton GS 4x4' planned to land on JIG GREEN West Side from LCT LTIN 2158 at H+90 plus one '3 ton GS' on KING RED Beach from LCT LTIN 2564 at H+120.

Michel