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US WW2 vehicles in Taiwanese Army service


Deuceman

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I came across the two images attached here when I surfed on to the following:

 

http://taiwanimage.gio.gov.tw/en/index.html

 

Apparently all of the images on the site can be used royalty free if not for profit although i didn't find where it said that, just going on hearsay from the website I linked through from.

 

Don't ask why I ended up on this site, my excuse is I was looking for steam engine shots and I'm sticking to it!

 

Anyway Jack, looks like it might be a location where you can search for an elusive tractor unit judging by what they were using in 1953!

img-1.php.jpg

img.php.jpg

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Jack,

 

Don't assume they always sold it! Don't forget Lend lease and in this case what Taiwan is, where it is and whose side it is a thorn in!! I bet they didn't pay the US for all that stuff!!

 

Ditto they often gave it away so that they didn't have to bring it home, both at expense to themselves and to the detriment of their own auto and defense industries!

 

Lots of good tank shots on there too, Pattons I think!

 

Cheers,

 

Neil

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Actually the Marshall Plan was good economics. You have an economy on a war footing , going flat out twenty four hours a day. Full employment good wages. Into this you will be bringing a large number of men and women demobilised. They now need jobs. Add to this a lot of military surplus vehicles and other equipment, if you ship it back and sell in your economy, whose going to buy new if they can get stuff cheap?

 

On the other hand, you have the kit, give it away to former allies whose industries are in tatters. Result they are very grateful, and have to come to you for spares. Also as happned in Britian, heavy haulage equipment in the form of T's and Pacifics could be bought for about £200 as comapred to about £1500 for the equivalent Scammel, a technically inferior vehicle, not to mention the waiting list.

 

The overall result was a continuation of the US stated aim to seperate the European countries from their empires, especially UK from India. No matter what the declared reasons, wars are 'Economics by other means'.

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Taiwan also known as Formosa and Republic of China is a democratic country totally separate from the Peoples Republic of China. It comprises the main island of Taiwan and several smaller islands and came about after the Communist takeover in China in the late 1940's.

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Is politiks innit, but I think you will find that Communist China has the retaking and reabsorption of Taiwan as one of its sovereign intentions....... hence why the US have such a presence there! You don't want to be around when that one kicks off!!

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I think you'll find the Taiwan regime are fairly unpleasant, however "democratic". They are the vestiges of Chiang Kai Shek's reign and the corruption, theft and oppression were pretty awful - a bit of a much of a muchness with the PRC but without the smiling Mao fridge magnets.

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  • 11 months later...

The Taiwanese Army, has now moved on, producing a lot of it's own equipment, including improving US weapon systems/missiles. The US prescence is now virtually non-existence (apart from 7th Fleet manouvres in the area), and the only reason that Taiwan has not been "returned to the fold" is that the PRC didn't have much of an amphibious warfare capability. It was basicall a "Light Infantry" force - this situation has now changed drastically!

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