WW2 British trailer wheels for airborne and 10cwt German made??

[Wolfy]

ok this is weird. I was prepping my standard 6 stud WW2 Mortar trailer wheels for paint and found these markings below.

 

 

I googled KPZ and it brings up a German company making among other things wheels of the type on British WW2 trailers.

 

http://www.kronprinz.de/english/company/history.html

 

So what's going on here? Maybe they were made post war but extremely unlikely, I'm certain they are the original wheels just like all the other 6 stud pattern wheels.

 

Does anyone else have these markings? What are peoples thoughts or is there a simple answer?

 

The 6 stud wheels with the reinforcing flutes are the later variant, anyone have these markings on the non fluted wheels?

 

 

[Wolfy]

Just had a thought, maybe after the war we took over the factory and made wheels for our trailers there??

 

The companies website doesn't cover the war years.

[Richard Farrant]

ok this is weird. I was prepping my standard 6 stud WW2 Mortar trailer wheels for paint and found these markings below.

 

 

 

I googled KPZ and it brings up a German company making among other things wheels of the type on British WW2 trailers.

 

http://www.kronprinz.de/english/company/history.html

 

So what's going on here? Maybe they were made post war but extremely unlikely, I'm certain they are the original wheels just like all the other 6 stud pattern wheels.

 

Does anyone else have these markings? What are peoples thoughts or is there a simple answer?

 

The 6 stud wheels with the reinforcing flutes are the later variant, anyone have these markings on the non fluted wheels?

 

 

 

 

It is very likely that the wheel was made in Germany post war, looks like it is dated 1950. A lot of industry in Germany was used to make parts to rebuild British Army fleet in the major workshops there. I recently stripped a Daimler Dingo engine that was rebuilt in 23 Heavy Workshop REME (Wetter I believe) and that had German made pistons.

[Wolfy]

Very interesting Richard, I did wonder if the 9 50 meant September 1950, quite fascinating our kit was made there.

[Richard Farrant]

Very interesting Richard, I did wonder if the 9 50 meant September 1950, quite fascinating our kit was made there.

 

I forgot to say, the Daimler engine was rebuilt in 1952. I guess to get German industry back on its feet they were using them to cover shortages of parts of our vehicles.

[Tony Lawrence]

ok this is weird. I was prepping my standard 6 stud WW2 Mortar trailer wheels for paint and found these markings below.

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]106708[/ATTACH]

 

I googled KPZ and it brings up a German company making among other things wheels of the type on British WW2 trailers.

 

http://www.kronprinz.de/english/company/history.html

 

So what's going on here? Maybe they were made post war but extremely unlikely, I'm certain they are the original wheels just like all the other 6 stud pattern wheels.

 

Does anyone else have these markings? What are peoples thoughts or is there a simple answer?

 

The 6 stud wheels with the reinforcing flutes are the later variant, anyone have these markings on the non fluted wheels?

 

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]106709[/ATTACH]

 

The wheels for my compressor trailer are non-fluted and completely devoid of any markings or stamps - I have just had them sandblasted and the correct tyres fitted (6.00 x 16). The wheels on my lightweight and mortar trailer are fitted at the moment so I cannot tell but they are all fluted. A spare rim I have is non-fluted and also devoid of any markings.

I would have thought that my compressor trailer is the latest of all of them but apparently fitted with the earliest wheels.

Probably like most military things, completely mixed up in the workshops.

[woa2]

It is very likely that the wheel was made in Germany post war, looks like it is dated 1950. A lot of industry in Germany was used to make parts to rebuild British Army fleet in the major workshops there. I recently stripped a Daimler Dingo engine that was rebuilt in 23 Heavy Workshop REME (Wetter I believe) and that had German made pistons.

 

I found some photos of Wetter at the REME Museum and they also overhauled British Ford Military vehicles in the 1940s. At least 1,000 WOT2 trucks as well as WOT6 and WOA2 vehicles were done there, also they rebuilt thousands of Solex Carburettors for the Ford V8.

Also, Jerrycans were made in Germany for the British Army after WW2 with WD marks. I had one once but passed it on. If they were making WD Jerrycans in post war Germany, then wheel production seems possible.

Edited August 10, 2015 by woa2
Added a bit

[Richard Farrant]

I found some photos of Wetter at the REME Museum and they also overhauled British Ford Military vehicles in the 1940s. At least 1,000 WOT2 trucks as well as WOT6 and WOA2 vehicles were done there, also they rebuilt thousands of Solex Carburettors for the Ford V8.

Also, Jerrycans were made in Germany for the British Army after WW2 with WD marks. I had one once but passed it on. If they were making WD Jerrycans in post war Germany, then wheel production seems possible.

 

Robert,

23 Heavy Workshop REME were situated in the Demag factory at Wetter in early 1950's. I did some restoration work on a WOT6 and both the truck and engine were rebuilt there in 1952

[Wolfy]

Very interesting guys, seems there could be a whole host of things made there just post war particularly if we could take over production of the VW factory and beetle car which has a nice link to the REME museum.

 

Tony it does make me wonder how many trailers actually have their original wheels, possibly the minority, maybe a puncture was a wheel/tyre swap rather than immediate repair.