Armoured Cab CMP

[john_g_kearney]

This looks to me like a CMP lorry fitted with an armoured cab. I think the photograph was taken in Palestine circa 1946 as it came with a photograph of a standard CMP labelled on the rear 'Hedesa, Palestine, Dec 1946'. Any thoughts please?

John.

 

 

[Nick Johns]

Indeed it as an armoured CMP truck, they were made locally to run supplies through the blockade on the road up to the besieged city ofJerusalem, 1947/8 the remains of some of the home made armoured trucks are left along the road side from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as a memorial to those who died trying to break through the blockade

I saw them many years ago when I was out in Israel

Edited March 19, 2018 by Nick Johns

[john_g_kearney]

Many thanks, Nick.

John.

[Tony B]

A number also ended up in Cyprus. The locals there used to lob stuff down from the mountains onto convoys. So a number of trucks had sandbags set on the floor and 3 inch mortars fitted as a detterent. The film Exeos based on the Leon Uris book has some very god shots of improvised and converted armoure dvehicles used at the time, not to mention a bloody good story.

[john_g_kearney]

It would be interesting to know what was in the rear body of the armoured CMP in the photograph - but the body was cropped off by the photographer. This is the complete photograph. The other two lorries are presumably civilian-owned and are in a convoy protected by the Royal Artillery gunners manning the CMP.

John.