Jack Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Evening all. Not far from me (the other side of Dorchester) is an old WW2 wading tank/pit and I am going to take a run over and take a look at it. Dorset was crammed from hedgerow to hedgerow with " DUKWs, Shermans, Jeeps, WC's, Halftracks, trailers, Deuces and just about every vehicle you could think of" ready to leave for D-Day. Now the question is that I understand what the pits/tanks where for but how did they work......you drove your vehicle into the pit and then what? How would you know that your vehicle was waterproofed - apart from it stalling. Cheers. Jack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArtistsRifles Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 If you weren't drowned - it was waterproof ??????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Jack,I have some photos of such "Waterproofing Pits" in use,might even be the ones you refer to. The pics are in the history of the 341st Engineers and were taken in the build up/preparations prior to D-Day,they show Dodge WC's and CCKW's in the tanks. I also have some other original pics of the waterproofing work done to US vehicles,more extensive than some folks realise. Give me a couple of hours and I'll try to email you some. Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 Jack,I have some photos of such "Waterproofing Pits" in use,might even be the ones you refer to. The pics are in the history of the 341st Engineers and were taken in the build up/preparations prior to D-Day,they show Dodge WC's and CCKW's in the tanks. I also have some other original pics of the waterproofing work done to US vehicles,more extensive than some folks realise. Give me a couple of hours and I'll try to email you some. Matt. Oh perfect Matt - that would be wonderful! Email them to here jackAT@hmvf.co.uk - just remove the AT from the address otherwise will pick it up and just at this moment in time I am fine for extensions to various parts of my body :whistle: I am planning on taking the Jimmy down to the pit and do some 'period' pictures - once I have asked the farmer for permission :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hi Jack, The pics of the actual waterproofing on the vehicles should be with you now,but the ones actually showing vehicles "In the pit" are in a book published by the 341st in 1945 so I don't have them on my PC,I will have to xerox those and send them by post. Matt. PS. The pictures I sent you are unpublished and I have the copywrite on them,feel free to post them if you like on the forum but if anyone wants to print them off or use elsewhere please could they ask me first,Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share Posted March 10, 2007 Fasinating pictures thank you very much! Great work on the dash of the Ward La France. So now that I can see how they waterproof vehicles - what was the point of the pit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest matt Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 So now that I can see how they waterproof vehicles - what was the point of the pit? I guess to see if it worked,you wouldn't want to find out it didn't as you were coming off the ramp of an LCT,possible under fire :-o Matt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karoshi Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I am planning on taking the Jimmy down to the pit and do some 'period' pictures - once I have asked the farmer for permission They of course still have a working one at Bovington, up towards Clouds Hill. You could take some REAL pictures there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 I am planning on taking the Jimmy down to the pit and do some 'period' pictures - once I have asked the farmer for permission They of course still have a working one at Bovington, up towards Clouds Hill. You could take some REAL pictures there. Roger that. This one is next to the marshalling area - and would like to go back in time - plus that fact, I think it is a river :schocked: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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