Stefano

Yup, Strange as it may seem, there isn't a whole lot of room inside a tank at the best of times, I always seem to be banging into bits of metal in the sherman, and thats without the shells! God alone knows how they went to war in one... Happy New Year Everyone, or should I say BUON ANNO NUOVO!!!! Stef

It's a Fiat 508C 1100, The Regio Esercito had their own version but that's not one of them - it's still got it's civilian plates. Looks like CB prefix which makes it Campobasso, about 100miles due north of Salerno - that car was a long way from home... Stef

Hiya, June 1939 M.T.P. 20: The Candians apparently followed this scheme from the start, which called for a two colour camouflage in Khaki Green N°3 (BS 381C middle bronze green N°23) and Light Green N°5 disruptive (Light Bronze Green N°22). Occasionally Plain G3 or G5 were used. There are instaces known where a third colour acting as a border between the two greens was used. January 1941 A.C.I. 1559: This stipulated that whilst using the same pattern as M.T.P 20, bodywork should be painted Khaki Green N°3 with "Nobel's Dark Tarmac" replacing G5 as disruptive. Tilts, on the other hand, due to the detrimental effects these paints had on canvas, were to be painted in S.C.C 7 Dk. Olive Green (instead of G3) and S.C.C. 1A Very Dk. Brown (instead of Dk. Tarmac). Now that must look odd! November 1941 A.C.I. 2202: This ran to July '42 until replaced by M.T.P.46. Maintains the M.T.P. 20 standard but introduces S.C.C.2 Khaki Green (Brown to you and me) with S.C.C. 1A Very Dk. Brown disruptive, both introduced to obviate the shortage of Chromic Oxide (used to make green paint) which was reserved for the RAF. S.C.C. 1A was also used to completely cover the upper surface of the body and tilt. In absence of S.C.C. 1A, it was possible to use S.C.C. 14 Charcoal. Hope this helps, Stef

BRITISH ARMY COLOURS by Mike Starmer. OK, I've been asked to write a review about these excellent booklets, so here we are. An infuriating aspect of military vehicle books to the restorer is a generally cavalier disregard for chronological order in the use of original photographs, and the use of photographs of restored vehicles manage to confuse the issue even further, seeing as there is no guarantee that the vehicle in question has been repainted correctly in the first place. As a result, a somewhat "free for all" attitude has grown, under the belief that units basically painted their vehicles as they pleased, and although this may well have happened from time to time, these instances are exceptions to a rule, rather than the rule itself. Basically, what the author sets out to do is chart the development of British military vehicle camouflage schemes during the second world war, and quite understandably, in order to avoid confusing matters, he has broken his research down into four volumes:- Vol. 1 - Desert Colours; The Caunter Scheme 1940 - 1941 Vol. 2 - Desert Colours; Alamein and After 1942 - 1943 Vol. 3 - Middle East Colours; Sicily and Italy 1943 - 1945 Vol. 4 - British Army Colours and Disruptive Colours in the United Kingdom, France and N:W Europe 1936 - 1945 The books contain the General Orders for camouflage of the various theatres of war, complete with the original diagrams, which are then bolstered by the authors' research. Thankfully, what emerges (with admittedly a bit of a grey area from the end of 1941 to the beginning of 1942) is a pattern in the way camouflage schemes succeeded one another during the course of the war, and miraculously, all those black an white photos of my Morris's start to make sense (and dare I say a lot of colour photos of restored vehicles cease to!) Another good point is that where the author has made an educated guess, he says so, and also takes the time to tell you why. Excellent. The books also include paint samples of each colour mentioned, complete with mixing proportions, and although the mixes are made up from modelling enamels, it would be an easy enough job to make some of the desired colour up that way and then get it matched by an automotive paint supplier, bearing in mind that a certain amount of leeway (but not too much!) is more than acceptable, given the varying nature of paint supply during the war. Obviously, when restoring a particular vehicle, there are any number of details that cannot be covered by a book like this (I'm thinking of the standard factory camouflage finishes of certain vehicles that sometimes didn't always adhere to the letter of General Orders, for example), but this is a great starting point. As you can gather, I liked these books a lot, they make a fascinating read, and I recommend them thoroughly. The author sells them direct, and can be contacted at:- mike_starmer@hotmail.com The usual disclaimers, don't know the author, never met him, didn't go to school with him, won't get a percentage, etc, etc. All the Best, Stefano

Richard, Quite right, I'm not actively trying to get people killed, just suggesting a solution to a problem... Stefano

Radek, The best you can do to get a good idea of what colours were used is to get hold of the "British Army Camouflage" books by Mike Starmer. (contact is mike_starmer@hotmail.com) These come with colour chips that are right on the money from my (limited) experience of mucking about with bits of MV's. However, it is also important to keep in mind the build date of the vehicle that you are painting, because a vehicle built in 1945 should only be painted S.C.C. 15, or if of American build, left in the original olive drab (with or without S.C.C. 14 disruptive), whereas a vehicle built in 1940 could theoretically be painted in the whole spectrum of camouflage colours used during the war. I say thoretically, because although Cat. A vehicles invariably kept up with the latest fashions, this was not neccessarily the case with vehicles lower down the pecking order, and disruptive patterns were less frequent. Another invaluable book is "British Military Markings 1939 - 1945" by Peter Hodges and Michael D. Taylor. All the Best, Stefano

A thought.... One way to get around the problem of only having a single light bulb to cater for both stop and tail functions would be to fit an inline resistor in parallel with the stop light switch. Theoretically, when the stop light switch contacts are closed the full 6v would travel through the switch, seeing as it offers the path of least resistance, and the rear lamp glow brighter as a consequence. I must admit to not having tried this out yet, but I can't see why it shouldn't work, as long as the resistor is mounted on a bit of metal to act as a heat sink. Next bike I do I'll give it a go. Best wishes for a happy new year, Stefano

Hiya, The bike at the left of photo N°2 looks like a Rudge Multi, but I wouldn't bet my Morris on it ;-) Merry Christmas to all, Stef

Chris, Looks very nice, your M20. No, WD bikes had no stop lamp fitted, from 1941 they used a Lucas MT3/WD/MCT1 rear lamp. Cornucopia had loads once (postwar, with a number plate illumination window, but what the hell), but I think they all got bought by a Greek outfit that sell them on Ebay for funny money. By the looks of it you're missing the canvas grips (Ark motorcycles used to do them) and the passenger's saddle, which could be a bit of a pain to find. I'd take off the kneegrips too, seeing as they weren't used at the time. I'm sure that you'll enjoy the M20, they're tough as nails, but never let you down. BTW, what size is the DR gear? Merry Christmas, Stef

Goran, There is a Brasilian reenactor group in Italy, they usually take part in rallies. the internet site is:- http://www.reenactors.it Then click on F.E.B. (Forca Expedicionaria Brasileira) and you can contact them directly. All the Best and maybe see you in April Stef if you need any help just drop me a line at samruggeri@interfree.it

Interesting to hear about the 25pdrs. I saw a photo taken in the 1980's of yard just full of hundreds of 25pdrs and 17 pdrs. I was hoping that they had all been saved. I guess i was wrong. Did any 17pdrs make it into preservation? Tim, Yes, a few 17pdrs have survived, but you're talking about single figures. Unfortunately I missed out at the time, but you never know, the italian army still has a few here and there.. Italy was awash with old MV's once, Dodges, GMC's, 1-1/2 ton Chevys, Jeeps and CMP's apparently everywhere in more or less advanced states of decay, after having worked for their living until the end of the seventies. Unfortunately during the eighties most got scrapped. It was tragic to see C30's, D15's and Chevy's disappearing whilst I had no way to garage them. Of course, now that there's nothing left, people are starting to look for old MV's, and I've got room...

Ooops, I forgot, The photo above is of a friend's SPA TM40 artillery tractor

Hello there, Quite a coincidence there, my dad was called up in Sept. '42, and to this day the words "Mark" and "Clarke" still drive him ballistic (as well as the words "Italian" and "Partisan", but I won't get started there) There is quite alot of interest in Italian WW2 vehicles out here, although ownership was a bit of a hush hush activity until quite recently, being deemed a bit politically incorrect, I agree that the SPA artillery tractors are splendid, although their four wheel steering make them a bit of a handful at anything over 30mph on tarmac. My personal favourites are the Fiat / SPA dovunque (probably because it looks alot like a Morris CDF) and the Lancia 3RO, which was a great lorry by anybodys standards, although it's probably got the most draughty cabin in the world.. I must confess to a liking of things Lancia as well, I've got a 3C Flaminia Touring which drives me mental and that I love to bits - perhaps the two are not entirely unconnected? As far as clubhouse duties are concerned, I'll do the cooking. All the best and thanks for the welcome, Stef

Hiya, Well more than a friend, there's a loosely knit group of four of us (of which I'm by far and away the junior parter), that between us count more vehicles than we can realistically handle. Including the stuff that still needs sorting, between them they've got two Shermans, a Priest Kangaroo, a Stuart, a Grant ARV, an M8 Greyhound, M2A1, M3, and M13 Half tracks, an M3A1 Scout car, Diamond T 969 and Ward La France Wreckers, two Diamond T M20 Tank transporters and M9 Trailers, A Pacific M26, CCKW 352-353 in various forms, a Chevrolet G 7100, the whole Dodge cross section and a couple of jeeps. Add to that a Chevrolet C30, a Dodge D60, a Universal Carrier, a Matchless G3/L and a Dakota(!) - no, it doesn't fly - so you can see what I mean when I say that I'm never short of a drive..... All the best, Stef Here are a couple of pics.

Yup, I think it's the "Catholic Guilt" thing, they're very good at that. They lull you into a false sense of security and then Zap! you're the worst person in the world AND YOU MUST PAY Full of redeeming features as well, naturally, every now and then..

Ciao Andrea, Nope, I'm in Emilia, on the other side of the mountains from Pontremoli. Stef

........of course having found that out might make the restoration a teensy weensy bit more difficult.......

OK... Cunningly spotted there, I must admit to having no great love of things olive drab, although I've been fighting a running battle with myself for longer than I can remember to not buy a CCKW-352, which is a splendid thing to drive. Besides, my mates collections pretty much cover the whole US spectrum so I get a turn at the wheel (or the levers) when I want (an excellent state of affairs) I bought the 25pdr about 12 years ago when the Italians decided to cut a load of them up, I remember more than a hundred in the scrapyard near Livorno (Leghorn to you lot) where I got mine, although most of them had been modified to accept Skoda barrels. The Limber on the other hand was thrown in when I bought the CD ( the seller took pity on me I suppose, he couldn't believe that I was going to try and restore it) A few pics: The Fox at a rally near Firenze (Florence to you lot) The CD/SW (it's moved on a little bit since) The Triumph in Normandy '04 The Triumph with yours truly after I drowned the mag crossing a river (deeper than it looked) The 25pdr.

hello there all, I've been asked to introduce myself, a pretty emabarrassing thing to do at the best of times, so here goes... Born in London 1965, and a diet of my dad's war stories (Royal West Kent / 56th London Div. - subsequently Royal Berkshire / 8th Indian Div. - N. Africa and Italy) and series one Airfix kits - remember how they used to come in plastic bags? - meant that I really didn't stand much of a chance and was smitten with MV's as well as anything that had an engine in it from an early age. Went to live in Italy in '79 and worked as a mechanic from the age of 17. Came back to England for two years ('87 - '88) to do a course in classic car restoration in Colchester. Worked for a company that specializes in restoring classic cars until '00 and then set up on my own restoring classic British Motorcycles (note capitals!). First MV I restored was a friends Universal Carrier back in '84 and since then I've accumulated:- Canadian Fox armoured car (half share with same friend) Chevrolet C15 Cab 11 (ditto) '42 Triumph 3HW (brilliant bike) '43 Matchless G3/L (almost finished) '44 James ML (used at Anzio) '45 BSA M20 (haven't started on it yet) '42 Bianchi 500M (looong way to go on that one) '41 Morris Commercial CD/SW L.A.D. (am currently restoring) '41 Morris Commercial CS8 (will do that after the CD) 25pdr Field Gun and Limber (will restore if I find a Quad) ...and if I'm lucky (!) I might be getting my mitts on a Humber scout car soon ...In a perfect world I'd also have a Humber Super Snipe, a Ford WOC 1, a British 6x4, a Fordson WOT 2, an Albion CX 22S, a Fordson WOT 6 and, of course, a Cromwell ....but it's not a perfect world A combination of work and the fact that Italian women have turned nagging into an art form means that I don't get about as much as I did, which means that it's as much as I can do to make it to Normandy every five years but I live in hope... On this domestic note, a big hello to everyone and I hope I haven't been boring your brains out. All the best, Stef

Mike, Excellent!! Yours makes mine look pretty good, but I'm sure you'll get it sorted. Infinite patience and a sense of humor will see you through. Us morris owners should set up a sort of consortium to get bits done, I'm convinced that alot of us are chasing after the same stuff. All the best, Stef