john_g_kearney

The thought of ownership of something as wonderful as a Morris Commercial is indeed very tempting. John.

I think I'll continue to wave the flag from the driving seat of my Land Rover. Happily, that too is British and has plenty of character. Though not nearly as much, I freely admit, as a Morris Commercial... John.

I guess that the engine warmth was welcome on a cold winter's day (but the friction burns never were...) John.

I have long been fond of the look of Morris Commercials such as the CS8. (Did the one dumped behind Jackson's garage north of Morpeth in the 1970s ever get saved?) However, the driving position - on the floor on a miserably-thin cushion - makes me uncomfortable even to look at it. (I presume that this driving position was dictated by the desire to have as low a silhouette as possible.) I have never envied the drivers of the BEF who had to drive their Morris Commercials across northern France. Then I saw a photograph of a captured Morris Commercial that was being driven by the German Army across Russia; I didn't envy that driver at all... Can any owner of such as a CS8 tell us if the vehicles are as uncomfortable to drive as they appear, and how far one can be driven before the driver is crippled by cramp? John.

Are those Bailey bridge sections laid against the side of the Centurion? John.

I see what you mean, Pascal. Looking at the images of the U45 in the Lehn Collection, Moscow, on the Internet, the two vehicles do seem the same. The only difference appears to be the fuel tank on the running board on the one in German service, and this could have been a field modification. Many thanks to you and Sean for your inputs. John.

Yes, I stumbled across the Axis History Forum when looking for something else. Re the Soviet M1931 AA gun, the Forum has a very useful thread: Soviet heavy AA guns in german service. John.

Tommy or a local? John.

This one is so faded that you can make out nothing looking at the original print. Tweaked hard in Photoshop, it appears to show a tracked vehicle (a Holt tractor?) in the ditch. A column of ambulances passed the scene of the accident. John.

Interesting photograph, Rod, many thanks. The photographer who took the photos I have reproduced here also photographed Salonika after the fire that destroyed most of the town. John.

Re the French quarry complete with abandoned 'tank', why is the graffiti and the signage in English? John.

Thanks for that, Tim. I think I can see something painted in the same position on the photos I posted. Or I could just be kidding myself... John.

Could be the same gun. Though I doubt it... I take it from the lower case 'r' in the gun's designation that it was used by the Germans having been captured from the Soviets. Many thanks for the ID. John.

Fine photograph, Rod, many thanks for posting. I wonder what the disc at the front centre of the cab roof was for? My own maternal grandfather was at Gallipoli too (with 6th Leinster), then to Salonika, then to Palestine and finally to France after the Germans' 1918 offensive. Apparently, he threw all his souvenirs out of the train window on his way back home... John.

This gun seems to have been abandoned in the mud in the Soviet Union - that looks like a Soviet truck in the right background. Can anybody ID the gun please? John.

Even the ASC sometimes got time off duty... John.

'Some of our lorries'. John.

This lorry has petrol cans in a rack on the right-hand side too; most likely all the lorries will be the same. Note the contrast between summer and winter uniforms... The latter includes the 'Coat sheepskin lined' as issued to MT and wagon drivers. John.

This lorry is carrying at least six petrol cans in the rack below the front of the body. John.

It looks as though there is a line of tents in the field in the left background. John.

Local transport : the print is titled on the rear 'Returning from Morbet'. Note that the woman on the left is barefoot. Lots of tents in the background. John.

Interesting Bulgarian links, thank you. Thanks for the further tweaking of the scans too. Yes, it is two different wrecks. Driving those mountain roads with the lorries of the day must have been a nightmarish experience. I don't know how long the drivers lived under canvas during the campaign. John.

Sadly, these prints have faded away almost entirely. (I have worked up the scans in Photoshop.) I think they were taken during the Salonika Campaign. Note the '1st AID' on the breakdown wagon. John.

Is this a Faun ZR, I wonder? There are pantiles on the roof in the background, which suggests to me western Europe rather than the Soviet Union. Any thoughts please? John.

Not sure if this post should be on 'German Vehicles' or 'Trailers'... I can't read Sutterlin all that well; I think the first part says 'Auf dem Marsch...' but I can't read the last two words. I assume that the photograph was taken in 1940 during the invasion of France. Any thoughts re the trailer and the towing vehicle please? John.