► Soft Skinned Vehicles

[SIS 5]

Hi Bert,

You are right, it is a Büssing-NAG type 500 S. To the use: You can see the license plate with the two letters "RP" = Reichspost. It was a special vehicle for the transport of parcels, a so-called "Gepäckwagen". During the war these vehicles were used by the Deutsche Feldpost (German Army Postal Service).
Here a pic of such a vehicle (source: ebay).

Best regards

Bert

[SIS 5]

Hi Jose,

thank You very much for posting these very good and interesting pics of the Büssing-NAG and Ford. To the Ford: Your doubts are legitimate: it cannot be a German Ford. But I don´t know where it is from. B.t.w.: it is the model 817 T.

Best regards

Bert

[the Rocketman]

Reply to message 2071

Thanks Bert

I was not thinking about a Bussing NAG as a Gepackwagen did know it as a Magirus L145 did learn something new thanks

Magirus-L-145-reichspost gepackwagen.jpg (125.31 KiB) Viewed 2445 times

Magirus-L-145-reichspost gepackwagen-01.jpg (82.42 KiB) Viewed 2445 times

Pictures taken from the WWW 2012

Greetings Bert

[ilfil]

Hi Jose,
...
To the Ford: Your doubts are legitimate: it cannot be a German Ford. But I don´t know where it is from. B.t.w.: it is the model 817 T.

Best regards

Bert

You're not right, Bert. The grille is of 1939 model, so it is 917T (or 997T):



It isn't Köln-produced for sure, also it definitely isn't of Benelux origin; the body isn't typical Scandinavian and the long running boards aren't a feature of the Hungarian and Rumanian-assembled Fords, so most probably the only other European candidate is F917T or F997T Matford, an ex-civilian vehicle with custom cab.
Cheers!

[SIS 5]

Hi ilfil,

thank You very much for Your reply. You are right, that the grille is of the 1939 model. But the bumper is of the 1938 model. And I have some pics of this type of truck, all with the grille of the 1938 model. Here four examples. Maybe the grille as changed during the use. Or the bumper was changed.

Best regards

Bert

[Jose85]

Hi,
thanks for the photos Bert!
That means that it is some kind of small series production, either commercial or military, using different models.

The full length running boards are very unusual feature on a "normal" truck with cargo bed. Some French trucks have em, so...Matford??

Danish Ford with a 20mm gun. Only (strange) similarities are the running boards and quite big rear fenders.
http://www.armyvehicles.dk/fordlvg1939.htm

[ilfil]

Hi Bert,
Theoretically you're right. The '38 and '39 grilles are interchangeable, the same for the bumpers. So it is impossible to say for sure what model it is without seeing the manufacturer's data plate. But because of the grille the truck in concern is 1939 model visibly.
BTW, never use those bumper guards as ID feature. They aren't factory-fitted but offered separately as accessories:



Note the price (from 1940 catalog).
Quite logically such unnecessary "extras" weren't fitted to military trucks. Now take a look at all pictures: on them all trucks are with custom cabs, i.e. they are ex-civilian vehicles captured or pressed into service. Apparently their ex-owners were rich and have had couple of dollars to buy those fancy guards.
Cheers!

[SIS 5]

Hi ilfil,

thank You very much for the information about the bumper guards. From now on I will never use those bumper guards as ID feature. Maybe it is interesting for You that many Ford trucks were assembled by Ford´s Amsterdam plant.

Best regards

Bert

[Maxschnauzer]

One of the special rigs built by Magirus for Hilfzug Bayern,in this case a mobile hospital (see also viewtopic.php?f=132&t=44612&start=1440 and viewtopic.php?t=44612&start=1455):

[SIS 5]

Hi Max,

thanks for posting this interesting pic. This is the ambulance truck of the "Hilfszug Bayern", inside divided in a sterile operating room, a room for stretchers and a waiting room for up to six persons. In the trailer were 18 beds. Here a pic with a view into the operating room (source of the pic and information: "Reichsautozug "Deutschland" und Hilfszug "Bayern" by Horst Hinrichsen).

Best regards

Bert

[Maxschnauzer]

Hi Bert,
Thanks for that pic and accompanying information. Just a minor semantic comment; in English an ambulance is normally considered to be a (usually fast) vehicle used to transport a patient to hospital. I would consider this vehicle/trailer combo a full blown mobile surgical hospital. As you no doubt know these "help trains" were deployed at large party rallies and sent to annexed territories as "good will" (and propaganda) missions prior to the war. A very interesting historical footnote.

[SIS 5]

Hi Max,

thank You very much for the correction. Of course, You are right, it is not an ambulance, but a mobile surgical hospital. In a publication of the Reich Propaganda Office You can read:
" ... The purpose of the "help train" is catering major crowds fast and trouble-free on the national holidays, mass rallies and all kinds of deployments, caring for ill people and treating immediately injured persons." To give a demonstration of the helping function of the "help train" they put the mobile surgical hospital with the clearly visible "Red Cross" to the top of the column. Here a pic of such a situation. Have a look on the plate beside the license plate: "Achtung Kolonne!" (Attention column!).

[Maxschnauzer]

Hi Bert,
Thanks. I had not seen that picture before.
Maybe you can help me with a question. Do you know if any of these vehicles were moved into the Wehrmacht after hostilities began? I would seem logical that these large field kitchens and medical facilities would be "conscripted" as support vehicles, at least for deployment in non-combatant zones, but I have seen no pictures indicating such.

A couple more pics:

[SIS 5]

Hi Max,

an interesting question. Unfortunately I have no pics of these "help-trains" during the war. And in the book "Reichsautozug "Deutschland" und Hilfszug "Bayern" by Horst Hinrichsen there is only the information, that the Hilfszug "Bayern" was in France, in July 1940 in Paris. And obviously it was in use in the year 1943. That´s all I could find.

Best regards

Bert

[Maxschnauzer]

Hi Bert,
Thanks for the information and you jogged my memory that I had a pic that confirms they operated in France in 1940: