American M10 Td With 17 Pounder In British Service

There was a series of restricted technical histories published that are variously known as the 'staff histories' or the red book series:

HyperWar: British Army Staff Histories

It's probably best to think of them as organisational histories on how the corps and their war office components functioned. Some of them explicitly avoid covering the wartime technolgy on the basis that it will have and has already moved on, so we're left with 'interesting examples' rather than the full story in many cases.

They do turn up from time to time but their scarcity can bump up the prices. Some of them I've never seen... Some, however, have been republished by MLRS so they may be worth a look - they'd stopped doing print versions some time ago but might still do CDs.

 

What specific workshops are being referred to here?

My information is that the Achilles was designed by the DTD, and if that is correct then the REME would have been working to drawings, and not "developing" anything.

 

It's the workshop attached to the Fighting Vehicles Proving Establishment which was itself under the MoS. It was used for experimental, development, prototyping and limited production as well as repairs.

REME-built prototypes have also been mentioned in the context of ARVs MkII, though that's much closer to home. Though it predates REME, folding seats for the early TCVs were manufactured at, from memory, the RASC's Heavy Repair Shop, so there were precedents.

 

Thanks very much. The REME workshops at the FVPE were run by Lt.Col. A.M. Stacey and did do a certain amount of development work, but I'm VERY surprised that they undertook serial production!

The FVPE were part of the DTD, so in this instance I suppose it could be argued that the REME were working on behalf of the DTD. From what I understand the Cromwell ARV was entirely the work of the REME, but I had always presumed this was at Arborfield.

 

Yes, the ARVs were developed at Arborfield - they were mentioned elsewhere in the book, not under FVPE.

ARV II in service?

 

Idler - does the staff history book give a breakdown of the various ME branches within the War Office?

I'm curious to know who ME 8 were. They seem to have been particularly interested in tank transporters, but I'd like to confirm if this was their specific brief.

 

Ta-da!

Not sure if I can get the whole thing small enough to post with current technology...

 

Brilliant! Thanks very much Idler.