Soft skin vehicles in China 1935-1945

[Bill Murray]

Thank you again, Peter for your participation in this thread.

Very interesting photo you have here.

Looks to be a 1939 Chevrolet chassis/cowl brand new on the way to be delivered to somewhere.
Also of interest is that it is RHD. I know that China drove on the left up until 1945, but a good many of the photos I have or have seen of street scenes show most cars with LHD.

Very nice shot!!

Bill

[Bill Murray]

Here are a couple more civilian shots.
One, showing left hand traffic in Shanghai ca. 1936 and the other showing the personal car of a Hollywood producer that was resident in Shanghai for a few years.

bill

[YC Chen]

Army truck of Chinese 29RA, abandoned after the battle of Nanyuan(南苑) near Peking.
Note the dead donkey in front of it.

[Peter H]

Street scene,Occupied China

[Peter H]

Street scene 2.

Traffic control point.I assume this was put in by the Japanese.No traffic around though.

PS Bill,your Dad wasn't Raymond Murray?

[Bill Murray]

Hi Peter and all:

Thanks for the new photos.

And, yes Peter, my Dad was Ray Murray. Luckily, he my Mom and I got out of China in October of 1940.

Bill

[Peter H]

Thanks Bill,a great Marine.


Another pic---burning Chinese convoy.

[Bill Murray]

Hi Peter:
Thanks for the kind thoughts.
Here is his abbreviated biography from Wiki.

Bill
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Murray

[Peter H]

Thanks Bill.

Another traffic control point---at least this one shows a vehicle.

[Peter H]

Looks like visiting Japanese officials,journalists

[Peter H]

Life Magazine 22nd Nov 1937.

Shanghai "steel traffic towers".

1st photo--used as a Chinese observation point
2nd photo--killed in air raid,Sikh police officer who was directing traffic

Such elaborate traffic control points support the case that Shanghai,with its large European/foreign population,had substantial vehicle numbers.

[Peter H]

Takeover of Shanghai International Settlement 7th Dec 1941

[YC Chen]

In Wuhan(and probably Shanghai, can't remember exactly), many Chinese pillboxes were disguised as traffic control point before the fight broke out.
P.S. The photo "burning Chinese convoy" is really interesting, any date or location?

[Bill Murray]

Hi YC:

The burning truck, as well as an earlier photo of a similar truck, should be Dodge trucks of the year 1936.

I have not researched the subject, but as I am working on this time period now rather a lot, I keep seeing Chrysler Corp. vehicles which leads me to believe that Chrysler must have had a strong marketing company in China.

The last double photo shows a Chevrolet of 1937 I believe, need to check again.

The Japanese car is a Toyoda as seen below.

Bill

[Peter H]

In Wuhan(and probably Shanghai, can't remember exactly), many Chinese pillboxes were disguised as traffic control point before the fight broke out.
P.S. The photo "burning Chinese convoy" is really interesting, any date or location?

Hunan province,Oct-Nov 1938.