BEF 1940 Vehicle markings.

Discussion in '1940' started by Owen, Oct 18, 2006.

  1. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    This is another one form the same set.

    [​IMG]

    No guarantee that it was anywhere near. This Morris looks to have a '17' on the front but my 'reading round corners' glasses are not letting me see a formation sign.

    Definitely a mixture of British and French here and those oh-so-poignant boots. I wonder who left them there and why ? I hope just removed at capture.
     
  2. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    Cracking photos , what a great historical archive ebay is turning out to be! Stating the obvious maybe but some of the vehicles in pic 1 are definetly French.
     
  3. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    WO167/142 I Corps Troop Supply Column:

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    This is a tool box from a Matchless G3/WO which has recently turned up in Normandy. It is original Khaki Green No.3 and carries the early 1st Armoured Division marking. Bearing in mind that it is from an early vehicle and that they were largely evacuated from Cherbourg, it is highly likely to be a BEF relic.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. idler

    idler GeneralList

    From Hammerton's The Second Great War:

    First up, if this is a divisional code, it's the junior troop leader of the third battery of the anti-tank regiment (assuming they used the same system as the field regiments) - but which division?

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42343&stc=1&d=1293025892

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42344&stc=1&d=1293025892


    Not a very clear photo, but the eye of faith sees a 3 Corps fig leaf and a 42:

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42345&stc=1&d=1293025892
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42346&stc=1&d=1293025892
     

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  6. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Nice pictures idler. From which book are they ?

    The stags head is the early 51st (Highland) formation sign so it would be 51st ATk Regt. RA.

    I'm struggling with the second image. It looks like a '42' which would be an RASC Corps Ammn. Park Company. I'd like to see a decent copy of that one. I wonder who has the originals ?
     
  7. idler

    idler GeneralList

    Hammerton's The Second Great War is a contemporary nine-volume history of the war. I'm not sure if it was published as a part-work like War Illustrated. These pictures are out of Vol 3, print quality isn't great, as you can see.
     
  8. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    Would you believe it? One of the ECPA newsreels that Jan found - Journal de guerre n°35, semaine du 30 mai 1940 - had this fleeting shot.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=42356&stc=1&d=1293041242

    Andrew
     

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  9. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Well spotted ! It's not an easy marking to see in B/W Presumably it was red on blue as per the later marking ? It seems to match the RA AoS colours fairly well.

    The credit to Section Cinéma de l'Armée on the still photo suggest that the two French camera types were present.

    I'm intrigued by the light coloured patch on the left hand side which also seems to be frequently visible on the front wings. Could it be early type bright yellow gas-detector paint ?
     
  10. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    I had always assumed this was white paint either for better nightime visibility or as some sort of equivalent of the white square BEF marking used on carriers and tanks.

    Andrew
     
  11. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Apparently I forgot to post this image here - A couple of WM20 BSAs belonging to 51st Divisional Provost that made it down onto the promenade at St. Valery-en-Caux.

    [​IMG]
     
  12. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Nice shot Rich,

    I suspect the Germans are from a AA unit being Luftwaffe for what its worth.
     
  13. Cisse

    Cisse Member

    OK, not a wartime picture, but this is my M20 taken at Sint Valery exactly 70 years later on the same spot.
    Had a great time there.

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Trust a BSA rider to knock the railings down !
     
  15. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

  16. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    I have found that these colour pictures come from a collection related to German photographer Otto Kropf. Putting his name in as a search term in the image bank section mentioned here CEGESOMA - Image Bank... produces a list of the pictures which can be trawled through.

    It was here that I found a picture of an AEC Matador at Dunkirk which I have posted in a new thread.

    Andrew
     
  17. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    Fresh from eBay: 2 Corps BSA M20 somewhere around Dunkirk:

    [​IMG]

    Jan
     
  18. rewdco

    rewdco Senior Member

    And a 4 Div Morris Commercial. Judging by the lampposts, this must have been De Panne:

    [​IMG]

    Jan
     
  19. May1940

    May1940 Senior Member

    Fresh from eBay: 2 Corps BSA M20 somewhere around Dunkirk:


    Jan

    Good spot! It seems that 2 Corps sign had some variations - eg this Austin K3 at Malo Terminus.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=43224&stc=1&d=1294403099

    Andrew
     

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  20. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    There are some excellent colour pictures of BEF vehicles posted on Missing-Lynx here:


    These really are superb , anyone know what make/model the staff car is ?
     

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