Postwar Civil & Civilian use of WW2 Vehicles.

It seems to be a hybrid chassis with the drive sprocket and track from a T-62 and the rest of the running gear of a T-34...interesting to see that they could make the combination work.

 

I knew you'd like that one.

At first I thought it was too big to be a Holmes W-45 but maybe it just has bigger post war wheels and derricks? Tires look like US military tread pattern though. Whatever it is I like it too.

 

Goring's Mercedes in Boston

 

Renault UE Chenillette - Wikipedia

 

FF = Freiwillige Feuerwehr/voluntary fire Brigade
FF Gersfeld, 1948


FF Oberstorf, 1947


FF Reitern, 1948


Taxi Service Zuers, Vorarlberg, 1949

 

My favourite post-war Civilian use of a WW2 vehicle - the “Freedom Tank” which was a German WW2 Sd.Kfz. 254 (Saurer RK-7) used to cross from Czechoslovakia behind the Iron Curtain into West Germany on the 25th of July 1953

 

Everyone’s favourite - French Panther converted into a mobile crane

 

Some shots form down-under

 

Whilst my uncles served in WW2 my father being slightly older and employed by the LMS Railway Company. He was in St John Ambulance Brigade which was heavily sponsored by the Company.
LMS withheld permission for him to join up so he spent the war working in the daytime often loading whippet tanks etc onto trains at the local station when not delivering to local businesses, then going on ARP standby to attend air raids in the town and in Birmingham. The vehicles were delivered from the nearby Austin works at Longbridge and other south of Birmingham locations. Many Universal Carriers were stored at Hewell Grange an estate owned by the Earl of Plymouth and now a prison, awaiting delivery to various Railway stations..
Towards the end of the war he was driving an American left hand drive Estate Car type ambulance ( possibly a Dodge) used by American Forces at their hospital in Bromsgrove Worcestershire.
The vehicles were I believe owned by the local council but manned by volunteers from St John and Red Cross.
Would anyone have an idea what this vehicle might have looked like. It was still in use in 1947.
In1948 the National Health Service took over the ambulance service.

 

Some variant of Mack N, I think. Might be only a 5 tonner?

 

King Michael of Romania loved Jeeps - on display at Savarsin Castle in Romania are a Ford GPW gifted to the King in 1944 and General Patton's 1944 Willys MB Jeep who gave it to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg at the end of the war

King Michael also restored a 1941 Ford GP and a Bantam BRC 40 which were purchased as wrecks in the USA in 1977

 

One of the nicer M26 conversions.

 

Catalina

All Aboard the Incredible Flying Yacht, circa 1950

 

GMC AFKWX hard cab?