Normandy War Wagons !!!

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Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:35 pm

War Wagons !!
Found these pictures online some time ago,
Right out of the Old West !!
Looks like US Troopers :D
Wagons are loaded up with equipment, in convoy with GMC CCKW's .
Normandy Combat Zone, 1944
Montebourg, Normandy
Update : I googled the town and found some info on pics:

"Plusiers attelages de récupération utilisés par les Américains sur la place Saint Jacques"

This website in France had these captions for the Signal Corps Pictures, plus many interesting pics.
http://www.dday-overlord.com/mediathequ ... montebourg





War Wagons Normandy.jpg
War Wagons Normandy.jpg (215.9 KiB) Viewed 4018 times

Very nice, with White Stars painted on the side boards.
The other close up picture is too large to post, will try to figure out.

Raymond
Last edited by 70th Division on Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:58 am, edited 2 times in total.


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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:54 pm

Here is the close up picture of a War Wagon !!

Very nice !
photo(60).JPG
photo(60).JPG (127.71 KiB) Viewed 4015 times


Update: " Un attelage sur la place Jeanne d’Arc "


Raymond
Last edited by 70th Division on Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:56 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by horrocks » Tue Aug 15, 2017 3:14 am

Undoubtedly inherited from the German forces, which were largely horse-drawn even that late.
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by JIMN » Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:44 am

Sure seems odd, like the soldiers went back in time. especially the 2nd photo.
Noticed the rubble also.
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:36 am

Hello,
Yes they are great pictures,
likely the soldiers had good farm experience from home, with horses and wagons .

I like the fact that they put big stars on the wagons !
Plus they are carrying heavy cargo, maybe their truck was knocked out, and they had to improvise.
It would be nice to locate the story behind the pictures from a Veteran's Association of the unit that these men belong. :D
The pic does remind one of that old Twilight Zone episode where the Stuart tank and crew on maneuvers near Little Big Horn,
somehow ended up back in time, and ended up listed on the monument to Custer's men :D

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:40 am

At least now, if someone brings a horse and wagon to a WW2 vehicle gathering,
likely painted green with a star on it,
well it would be legitimate, and all in order, representing the Normandy Campaign ! :D


Ray

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by horrocks » Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:52 am

70th Division wrote:
Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:40 am
At least now, if someone brings a horse and wagon to a WW2 vehicle gathering,
likely painted green with a star on it,
well it would be legitimate, and all in order, representing the Normandy Campaign ! :D


Ray
No, Ray, it would need to be painted feldgrau, with a star on it.
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:02 am

Hello,

Yes that would work !!

Yes they were captured German wagons according to another pic,
with a caption in French on a website I just googled to find info on this town.
They have an additional horse and wagon pic there.

http://www.dday-overlord.com/mediathequ ... montebourg


Raymond

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by horrocks » Wed Aug 16, 2017 7:39 am

Well found, Raymond, I must have spent an hour looking for the location of these photos yesterday!

The first couple of photos show a Morris Commercial (I think) under (late) German ownership. It may well have fallen into German hands at Dunkirk, four years before.
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 70th Division » Wed Aug 16, 2017 9:18 am

Hello Toby,

These pictures are an amazing snapshot of how things were, on the battlefront !
Those British vehicles I hear were well used by the Germans.

I remember several years ago, I was at a Napa auto parts store looking for Dodge WC brake parts, and the very nice man behind me in line,
I discovered was a WW2 Veteran and was pleased to see someone rebuilding a WW2 Dodge.
He said he was in the Pacific, in the jungle on the islands with the Marines,
and he said he put Japanese trucks into service as they were always short of vehicles.
He laughed and said try getting parts for those, but said he got several running and used them fully !

Last night I was at the grocery store, and met a wonderful 4th Infantry Division Vet, who landed at Normandy, shopping with his wife.
I thanked him for his service, and mentioned I am restoring a jeep.
He was happy to hear that, and said " get it out there and drive it around, so people don't forget the WW2 veterans and what that war was all about" !

Best Regards,

Ray

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by tango021 » Thu May 17, 2018 9:57 pm

Hello,

The buildings on the first picture are still there ...
Capture3.JPG
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by tango021 » Thu May 17, 2018 10:06 pm

... And here is an other wagon in the main street of Sainte Mère Eglise ...
g.jpg
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by Mark Jesic » Thu May 17, 2018 11:23 pm

These are amazing, thanks for posting.

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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by W. Winget » Fri May 18, 2018 5:03 am

12 Spokes usually German (or British/ Japanese) , 14 Spoke French, 16 Spokes US.

Horses and Wagons were still being used up into the 40's by anyone outside a city in the US, so no shortage of experts on horsemanship and wagon repairs, Europeans only had animals or the train, unlike Henry Ford selling cheap Model T's for the masses in the states, and they had suffered two Wars many being driven off their land and homes by invaders, usually on foot or cart as we've seen in thousands of shots. Had to have good money for a car in Europe for most of the 20th century.
Tractors on small farms in the US didn't really take off until after Wartime production allowed them to be mass produced (Ford 8N for example) So lots of multi-horse teams pulling equipment.

Remember the jeep replaced the horse in the Cavalry, so these guys may have had horses up until about 42+.

Likely a unit that had a relief break and no one wanted to try and borrow a vehicle as they were purposely issued, not just randomly available, and these guys were out 'hunting' local supplies, not waging a campaign action.
Neat photos, very hungry horses from the looks of them.
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Re: Normandy War Wagons !!!

Post by 1943Willysgpw » Fri May 18, 2018 5:11 am

70th Division wrote:
Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:40 am
At least now, if someone brings a horse and wagon to a WW2 vehicle gathering,
likely painted green with a star on it,
well it would be legitimate, and all in order, representing the Normandy Campaign ! :D


Ray
Great pics. However, I feel that restoring a War wagon would cost you more than a jeep in the long run. Unless you did not have the propulsion devices in the front. (horse team) :lol:
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