Soft-skin vehicles in service with the Hungarian Army 30/45

[Bill Murray]

Hi All:

Well, this thread is 8 years sleeping so I thought I would wake it up again.

First post is an ID question. I know the vehicles are 1937-1938 Chevrolets, panel trucks and 4 door convertible kubel type vehicles.
These are the only such photos I have ever seen, I got them off the internet last week, and wonder if anyone can add any details.
As there are several photos, I will split them into two posts.

Bill

[Bill Murray]

Next group.
Bill

[Bill Murray]

Here are some more from the archives since 2006.

Bill

[Bill Murray]

A few more.
Bill

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

Can somebody identify this truck posted by Bill on 16 Jun 2014 ? Raba-Mercedes ??? Any information ?

Sturm78

[SIS 5]

Hi Bill, hi Sturm 78,

first I want to thank You, Bill, sincerely for this extraordinary pic. The one and only pic of this truck I have seen till now. I think it is a Rába Super, a truck for 3,5-tons, 444 were built from 1936 until 1942 under Austro-Fiat license (source of the information: "Historic Military Vehicles Directory" by Bart Vanderveen.

Regards

Bert

[Bill Murray]

Hi Bert:

Sadly, I think we are both wrong. I accepted the description when I downloaded that photo, the only one I have of that vehicle type, and only after your question did I start investigating. I could not find any more photos of that type, but found several written descriptions of the MAVAG-Mercedes and one photo caption identified the truck as a MAVAG, not a RABA.
Further, MAVAG had a fairly long relationship with Mercedes which I do not believe RABA did.

I am still looking and I hope Denes Bernad is looking on and can perhaps help us out on this one.

Bill

[peeved]

The closest I can find is a 35 M Rába AFi 1,5 tonner. Photo from A Magyar Királyi Honvédség fegyverzete by Attila Bonhardt, Gyula Sárhidai and László Winkler.

Markus

[Bill Murray]

Hejsan Markus and Hi Bert and Sturm:

Well, the mystery deepens. Below is another photo of what is said to be a Raba AFi 35M but the original poster was not sure.
I also found your photo today and it seems to be a fairly "positive" identification.

Certainly, all of the photos we have been discussing seem to be the same vehicle type so it pretty much has to be one or the other.
Using the original listing at the beginning of this thread, the only other MAVAG-Mercedes photo I have found so far shows a fairly normal looking "Mercedes looking" LO 2000 or 2500. In that case, it may well be a licensed Austro-Fiat we are dealing with.

Bill

[SIS 5]

Hi Dénes,

here a pic of a Krupp L 2 H 143 of the Hungarian army.

Regards

Bert

[bocage_44]

Bill, I believe the top photograph in post #18 is a Polish Fiat 508

[Sturm78]

Hi all,

I found this image on Fortepan archives: Opel Blitz trucks in service with Hungarian Army at works.
Was the Opel Blitz manufactured in Hungary during WW2 ??

Sturm78

[Sturm78]

Nobody??

Well, can somebody identify these vehicles ??

Image from Fortepan archive
Sturm78

[Pz III]

Sturm these are Skoda Popular Command cars

[Bill Murray]

Hi Sturm/Pz III:

Here are two good detail photos of the Skoda.

Bill