Canadian Military Pattern Truck
| Canadian Military Pattern Truck | |
|---|---|
Canadian Military Pattern Truck of the Australian Army |
|
| General properties | |
| crew | Driver + infantryman |
| length | 5.2 m |
| width | 2.12 m |
| height | 3.0 m |
| Dimensions | 4.1 t |
| agility | |
| drive | 8-cylinder with 3922 cm³ 71 kW (96 PS) |
| Top speed | 55 km / h |
| Power / weight | |
The Canadian Military Pattern Truck is a military truck model that the companies Chevrolet in Oshawa and Ford manufactured in Canada from 1944 .
Technical data and history
The rise of Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP to power in Germany in 1933 sparked discussions between the British War Department and the Canadian Army regarding the possible production of military vehicles in Canada in the mid-1930s. During the First World War , Canadian land forces were involved as a corps in the British Army. For a future conflict, it was believed that the Canadian armed forces would be reintegrated closely with those of the mother country, and so it would be important that Canadian-made equipment should be compatible with British standards and specifications.
The Canadian Military Pattern (CMP) truck was manufactured in large numbers in Canada during World War II to British Army specifications for use in the armies of the British Commonwealth and its allies. The planning for this vehicle was drawn up shortly before the start of the war.
CMP trucks were sent to the Soviet Union after the Nazi invasion and to the Western Allies as part of the mutual aid programs. During the Second World War, the CMP trucks were used around the world: In North Africa, during the Allied invasion of Sicily, on the Soviet front, in the Burma War, in the Battle of the Philippines (1941–1942), in the Liberation of north-western Europe and the western Allied invasion of Germany. CMP trucks were also used in post-war conflicts in Indonesia, French Indochina and the Portuguese colonies in Africa.
Just over 500,000 CMP trucks, or around two thirds of the 815,729 military vehicles, were manufactured in Canada during World War II. The most common type was the 3-ton truck 4x4 with a little over 209,000 vehicles. In addition, around 9,500 CMP 4x4 chassis were built, which were mainly used to build armored vehicles. CMP truck production in Canada exceeded all military truck production in Nazi Germany. British history of World War II recognizes the production of trucks, including the CMP class, as Canada's most important contribution to the Allied victory.
Most of the CMP trucks were manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors of Canada Ltd and the Ford Motor Company of Canada. Vehicle manufacturers were able to quickly ramp up production because of an unusual level of inter-company collaboration in Canada, the use of interchangeable parts, and the large amount of idle manufacturing capacity. These were underutilized because of the previous Great Depression. A smaller number of CMP trucks were assembled from the Canada-built chassis in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa (2600), India (9500) and Egypt. By British convention, the CMP trucks were right hand drive, although most of them were built in Canada where left hand drive vehicles are common. The CMP specification proved to be versatile and formed the basis for a wide variety of different vehicle types and armored vehicles. In the Australian service, these vehicles were known as "Chev Blitz" or "Ford Blitz".
Newly manufactured or modified CMP trucks from war surplus production were used in several European armies after 1945 (e.g. in the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Spain), as well as in the whole world (e.g. South Africa, Argentina, Jordan, South Vietnam, Malaya). CMP trucks were rebuilt after the war for a variety of civilian roles including forestry, hauling grain, or into fire trucks and snow plows. In Malaysia, after the Malay War of Independence, many CMP trucks were converted into vans or off-road trucks for construction sites in the jungle with improved braking systems and more powerful engines.
Gasoline-powered, 6V on-board voltage, cabin structure with bridge. Designation in the Swiss Army = Lastw gl 2t 4x4. Such a truck is now in the Zuger depot technology history .
Types built in Canada
The CMP trucks built by Ford had a 239 cubic inches (3.9 liter), 95 hp (70.8 kW) V8 engine, while most of the CMP trucks built by Chevrolet had a 216 cubic inches (3.5 liter) , 85 PS (63.4 kW) OHV engine. An American 270 cubic inch (4.4 L) GMC engine was used to power the 3 ton C60X truck.
The Ford and Chevrolet trucks shared a standard cabin design that evolved over the years of production. The first (designed at Ford by Sid Swallow), second and third cabin designs were named number 11, 12 and 13, respectively. The first two were similar, the main difference being a two-piece grille on cabin number 12 (where the top section, with an open hood, became known as the "Alligator Cab"). The last number, cabin number 13, was an all-Canadian design that was produced from late 1941 until the end of the war. This had the two flat panes of the windshield angled slightly downwards in order to minimize glare from the sun and avoid strong reflections that would otherwise be noticeable to aircraft. All CMP cab designs had a short configuration called "cab forward" which gave the CMP trucks their distinctive bulbous-nosed profile. This draft was necessary in order to meet the original British specifications for a compact truck design, according to which the trucks had to be efficiently transported by ship. The specifications also called for right-hand drive vehicles. The interior of the cabin had to accommodate the comparatively large North American engines. The standard cabs were then matched with a variety of standard chassis, powertrains and body designs. The Chevrolet-built vehicles could be identified by their diamond-pattern grille , while those Ford-built had a square-mesh grille.
Production outside Canada
To meet the urgent need for military vehicles during World War II, several Commonwealth countries developed light armored vehicles based on CMP chassis, made in Canada.
- Ruskin Motor Bodies Pty Ltd and Ford Motor Company of Australia Rover light armored car (4x4, 134.25 inch and 158.25 inch wheelbase) - built on Ford 3 ton CMP chassis
- General Motors Holden Ltd Rhino heavy armored car (4x4, 101-inch wheelbase) - prototype only
- General Motors Holden Ltd 6x6 heavy armored car (6x6, 158 inch wheelbase)
- Indian Railways Armored Carrier, Indian Pattern (ACV-IP) (4x4, 101-inch wheelbase) - Most commonly used on CMP chassis
- South African Reconnaissance Car, also known as the Marmon-Herrington armored car (4x4, various wheelbases)
- Beaverette NZ, the New Zealand version of the British Standard Beaverette armored car
- C8AX "Puddlejumper" (4x4, 101-inch wheelbase, 8 cwt), variant made in New Zealand based on the C8A chassis
literature
- William Gregg (Ed.): Blueprint for Victory: The story of military vehicle design and production in Canada from 1937-45 , The Canadian Military Historical Society, Rockwood, Ontario, 1981, ISBN 0-9690943-2-9 .
- Pat Ware: The World Encyclopedia of Military Vehicles . Lorenz Books, 2010, ISBN 0-7548-2052-1 , pp. 108-109.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jack Granatstein: Arming the Nation: Canada's Industrial War Effort 1939-1945. Canadian Council of Chief Executives, May 27, 2005
- ^ H. Duncan Hall and CC Wrigley: Studies of Overseas Supply, a volume in the War Production Series directed by MM Postan, published as part of the History of the Second World War. United Kingdom Civil Series edited by Sir Keith Hancock. Her Majesty's Stationery Office and Longmans, Green and Co., London 1956, pp. 51-52.
