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Mystery Krupp ((?) vehicle


GoranWC51

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A newspaper clipping from Nov 12 1944 published on the G503 forum on Facebook is showing, apart from the Jeep equipped with a rear mounted 50 cal, also a mystery ARC, American Red Cross Clubmobile vehicle, claimed to be of ex German origin and made by Krupp.

It seems to be a COE, Cab Over Engine, model. Probably a former radio or command truck. I have very little knowledge on German vehicles, but a quick Google search came up with Krupp trucks and cars, with the, for me, typical snout nose, none were COE.

I have tried to make the photo as clear as I could.

Any help in pinpointing the model etc much appreciated

Clubmobile-Italy-ARC-St Petersburg Times-Sunday-November 12-1944.jpg

Clubmobile-Italy-ARC-Krupp Truck turned into Clubmobile-final-SMALL.jpg

Clubmobile-Italy-ARC-Krupp Truck turned into Clubmobile----SMALL.jpg

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That Clubmobile looks like a standard American truck with a body and cab by Montpelier or Metropolitan, which did such COE conversions through the 30's into the early '40's when manufacturers own COE cabs appeared.

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I doubt, though, that that is the case. It doesn't look American for one, and second the article gives the trucks origins as German, even if Krupp seems unlikely.

Do you have any photos of the US made COE trucks you're referring to?

I am with Johann on this one, and putting it's origins as French rather than American.  The Peugeot DMA, was one COE type trck used in large numbers by the Germans. They put their hands on thousands of vehicles at the start of the war. The Allies left scores of vehicles behind at Dunkerque, and the French army left all their rolling stock behind when they surrendered. It must have been a logistical nightmare to find parts and repair and service all these different vehicles, of very different origin. The Americans, on the other hand, used it to their advantage to standardise many of the items thaat could be used across the line, gauges, for example.

The search continues,

G

Peugeot trcuk COE.jpg

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International Metropolitan van:

1941_D15M_3.jpg

 

... and a late 1930's Dodge with a Montpelier body

oo1937DodgeCOE2.jpg

 

The truck could have been bought in the US with charity funds and forwarded to the Red Cross effort

Edited by Gordon_M
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 months later...
On 1/6/2019 at 4:39 PM, Ex-boy said:

Rereading this, I wondered whether the truck in the picture is just the sleeping van mentioned in the article, and the Krupp (together with the weapons carrier) is not actually in the picture at all!

Any thoughts anyone?

Steve.

I tend to agree that the Krupp is not in the pictures. Looking for “American Red Cross tea wagons”, I stumbled on the Daughters of the Revolution website and found a couple of pictures of mobile blood units, which show vehicles similar to the one in the newspaper article above, one of which has a clear Minnesota registration. So i guess the vehicle in the picture is american, but what is it?F5583EAA-EB54-4375-A896-4A79D53BFA15.thumb.jpeg.2c4aae0355e5a236e009870373ab4f09.jpeg

https://www.dar.org/national-society/celebrate-125/committed-service-dar-and-american-red-cross

D1C9F81A-CEB1-4267-BB49-5A9DC69D2F62.jpeg

Edited by ltwtbarmy
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In fact, could this be the “Krupp” in question? I don’t recognise the badge either! The Borgward badge is similar, but I leave this to the experts now.

https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/american-red-cross-clubmobile-girls-in-a-captured-german-news-photo/78603194

The caption obviously has a mistake, because unless I missed it somewhere, the d day landings were after 1942!

“American Red Cross Clubmobile girls in a captured German vehicle in France during World War II. circa 1942. They are serving with the 36th Infantry Division. From left to right, they are Dorothy Boschen, Virginia Spetz, Jane Cook and Meredythe Gardiner. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)”

 

189E7064-D50B-412F-953F-3C29ABAA1BF0.jpeg

Edited by ltwtbarmy
Added possible manufacturer
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3 hours ago, ltwtbarmy said:

In fact, could this be the “Krupp” in question? I don’t recognise the badge either! The Borgward badge is similar, but I leave this to the experts now.

https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/american-red-cross-clubmobile-girls-in-a-captured-german-news-photo/78603194

The caption obviously has a mistake, because unless I missed it somewhere, the d day landings were after 1942!

“American Red Cross Clubmobile girls in a captured German vehicle in France during World War II. circa 1942. They are serving with the 36th Infantry Division. From left to right, they are Dorothy Boschen, Virginia Spetz, Jane Cook and Meredythe Gardiner. (Photo by FPG/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)”

 

189E7064-D50B-412F-953F-3C29ABAA1BF0.jpeg

Looks similar/like a Renault AGK with suicide doors

https://myntransportblog.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/1936-renault-agk.jpg

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15 hours ago, ltwtbarmy said:

I tend to agree that the Krupp is not in the pictures. Looking for “American Red Cross tea wagons”, I stumbled on the Daughters of the Revolution website and found a couple of pictures of mobile blood units, which show vehicles similar to the one in the newspaper article above, one of which has a clear Minnesota registration. So i guess the vehicle in the picture is american, but what is it?F5583EAA-EB54-4375-A896-4A79D53BFA15.thumb.jpeg.2c4aae0355e5a236e009870373ab4f09.jpeg

https://www.dar.org/national-society/celebrate-125/committed-service-dar-and-american-red-cross

D1C9F81A-CEB1-4267-BB49-5A9DC69D2F62.jpeg

Link to a 1944 American Red Cross article that states these emergency blood supply and clubmobile vans were coachbuilt  on Ford truck chassis

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19440308&id=hqwfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nNYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3165,3417776&hl=en

Edited by Nick Johns
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4 minutes ago, Nick Johns said:

Link to a 1944 American Red Cross article that states these emergency blood supply and clubmobile vans were built on Ford truck chassis

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19440308&id=hqwfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nNYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3165,3417776&hl=en

I was looking at this newspaper article as you posted your reply. Who bodied them seems to be lost in the mists of time although they do look a little bit like the Montpelier Super Urban van, albeit with a higher roof line.

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I'd be happy to call them Ford 1.5 ton 4 x2 with Montpelier bodies.  Note that the original image, and the high level image in the DoR, both show the ambulance-style ventilator bolted to the rear side of the body - presumably one on each side.

The reason that the bodies are contractor-built is worth repeating; the major US manufacturers did not have their own COE cabs before about 1940.  1940-onwards Dodge and Ford ( presumably others too ... ) had realised how big the market for COEs was and engineered their own cabs.  I have always assumed that the contractors like Montpelier and Metropolitan not only built the bodies but had to rework steering and controls to suit too, which wouldn't have been that easy.  I remember the early GMC searchlight 6x6 trucks had completely different manifold and carburettor setups, for example.

Edited by Gordon_M
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  • 2 years later...
On 5/19/2019 at 3:21 PM, ltwtbarmy said:

I agree super6, thanks for that one. Any ideas on the original vehicle in the newspaper article and the ones I first posted (which i think are all the same make?)

 

Old thread, but more french vehicles, used by the red cross, and look at the census numbers on the doors!

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14710

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14711

58D46DF4-EC9F-495E-9C45-FF41EA6282E1.jpeg

18A59BCE-19FE-4AA3-B0E4-2ED1E3609244.jpeg

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2 hours ago, ltwtbarmy said:

Old thread, but more french vehicles, used by the red cross, and look at the census numbers on the doors!

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14710

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14711

 

 

These census numbers are in a batch on the Chilwell list for vehicles allocated to the Free French Forces.

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16 hours ago, ltwtbarmy said:

Old thread, but more french vehicles, used by the red cross, and look at the census numbers on the doors!

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14710

https://avarchives.icrc.org/Picture/14711

58D46DF4-EC9F-495E-9C45-FF41EA6282E1.jpeg

18A59BCE-19FE-4AA3-B0E4-2ED1E3609244.jpeg

I think they're Renault AGK 1's?

https://www.arquus-defense.com/renault-truck-cab-over-engine-replaced-bonneted-cab-truck

Edited by earlymb
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