Dunkirk 1940. Inland. France & Belgium. Photos, some never seen before

Discussion in '1940' started by morrisc8, Jan 23, 2018.

  1. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Is it the smoke from Dunkirk photo if so, this is on the back in German. It could be the smoke from the oil tanks?
    Keith.
    smoke from Dunkirk.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2020
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  2. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

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  3. battleofassche

    battleofassche Well-Known Member

    Hi Keith, what is the AI colour software you used?
     
  4. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    it was this Pixbim ColorSurprise AI, you can have 7 days for free, and i take a photo from my pc screen of it. link. ColorSurprise AI Pixbim Downloads | PixBim.
    Photo of a ww1 blown up house.
    Keith
    ww1 lux.JPG
     
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  5. Nido

    Nido Active Member

    Would rather agree, it reads as Strand in Dünkirchen (the shore/the beach at Dunkirk).

    smoke from Dunkirk 2.jpg
     
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  6. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    British Veh dump. The truck in the 2nd is a Ford 7V tipper they we used by the RE and RAF ,
    Photos from my collection.
    Keith
    british veh dump bef 1940.jpg bef truck 175349 veh kb.jpg
     
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  7. MongoUK

    MongoUK Junior Member

    Looks more like an 8 than a 3 to me...
     
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  8. Wobbler

    Wobbler Well-Known Member

    I think you’re right, the top half of the number definitely looks like a complete “circle” and there seems to be a line looping downwards through the centre to form the lower half of an eight.
     
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  9. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Think you guys , you are right 3928, is that the shipping number?
     
    Last edited: Dec 27, 2020
  10. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    I've never seen any 30000 series BEF movement serials. The location is correct for a movement serial to have been painted, although they should have been overpainted on arrival. I really should get round to making a spreadsheet, but based on what I can see from a quick look through the movement lists, there are the following arrivals in March / April 1940.

    3921 - 4 Forward Butchery Company RASC
    3922 - 2 Works MT Coy RASC
    3923 - 3 Works MT Coy RASC
    3924 - 4 MT Works RASC
    3925 - 3 Bulk Petrol Company RASC
    3926 - 8 Res. MT Coy RASC
    3928 - 5 Scots Guards - I think we can safely say this lorry didn't belong to them unless it was for transporting skis !

    I suspect that it's 3923.
     
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  11. MongoUK

    MongoUK Junior Member

    Ok... on another look, it looks like a wire between lights has thrown me off...

    Looking at the shape being similar between the last 2 characters, I'm now more inclined to think 3922...
     
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  12. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    It certainly seems likely to be one of the Works Mechanical Transport Companies. Mike (Trux) summed up their BEF establishment as follows, it included 110 tipper lorries :-

    MT WORKS COMPANY
    WE III/1931/44A/1
    A MT Works Company consisted of a company headquarters, five works sections a supply section and a workshop section.

    This company is designed to support Royal Engineers employed on engineering works. It provides a pool of tipping lorries plus a pool of supply vehicles for the delivery of supplies and RAOC stores for twenty Royal Engineer and Auxiliary Military Pioneer Companies employed on engineering works.

    For each additional Royal Engineer or Auxiliary Military Pioneer Companies provided for RE works a further subsection of five 30cwt lorries may be attached.

    Major
    Captain
    7 X Subaltern
    Mechanist Serjeant Major
    Company Serjeant Major
    Mechanist Staff Serjeant
    company quartermaster serjeant
    8 X serjeant
    2 X serjeant artificer
    31 X corporal
    2 X corporal artificer
    corporal technical clerk MT
    293 X driver IC for vehicles (including driver mechanic)
    65 X driver IC
    42 X artificer
    4 X technical clerk MT

    22 X motorcycle
    8 X car 2 seater
    1 X car 4 seater
    8 X 1ton lorry
    29 X 30cwt lorry
    10 X 3ton lorry
    110 X tipping lorries
    2 X 3ton 6 X 4 breakdown
    2 X 3ton 6 X 4 workshop
    2 X 3ton 6 X 4 stores
    7 X 15cwt water trailer
     
  13. JCB

    JCB Senior Member

    Always wondered why they seemed to major on 4x2 tippers like the Dennis Ace and Fordson 7V when 4x4 or 6x4s would seem much more useful on engineering works.
    Their is a famous D Day pic of a Dennis Ace floundering on the beach.
    5030588_orig.jpg
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2020
  14. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    There must surely be an H.M. Bateman cartoon "The Man who posted a D-Day photo on the 1940 sub-forum":-P
     
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  15. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    Germans with captured Morris with radio. D 12 on side of morris. Photo from my collection.
    Keith
    captured morris bef 1940 Germans with radio..jpg
     
  16. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    Listening to the BBC, I bet ! :)
     
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  17. morrisc8

    morrisc8 Under the Bed

    3.7 AA gun Photo from my collection.
    Keith
    AA  bef kb.jpg
     
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  18. Nido

    Nido Active Member

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  19. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    What an interesting and remarkable historical film to watch.

    Was Hoffkes an "embedded" reporter with the Wehrmacht.
     
  20. Nido

    Nido Active Member

    Well, no, he was not. Karl Höffkes began collecting photos, films and videos in 1980-s. The period 1916-1946 is in his main focus. By now his agency has gathered the biggest and most comprehensive collection in Germany. Real treasure!
    I've been slowly plowing through those materials. Images of Dunkirk appear from time to time. One more video, not coloured though. Dunkirk comes from 00:07:37 to 00:14:29.

    Filmarchiv | Agentur Karl Höffkes
     
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