1939-40 Chevrolet COE in British service

[Niels v]

I just found this interesting picture of a 1939-40 Chevrolet COE, apparently RHD in British Service,  the pictures are taken outside Copenhagen in May 45. 
I did not know these where used by the British. 
From arkiv.dk | Kirkevej 24 som britisk militært autoværksted 

[10FM68]

Certainly interesting photos - thank you for posting them.  Sorry for my dilatory response, but we have had no electricity until this afternoon following the storm in west Wales.  First of all, and I acknowledge your ownership of a 1941 Chevrolet, but are you sure this is a 1939 Chevrolet?  It looks very much as though it might be a GMC or even a Ford, both of which are similar.  I can't find any evidence that the British Army were issued with such lorries, but they did receive GMC forward control lorries - the AFKX-352 8G, for example.  Secondly, I'm not sure it's actually right hand drive - nor do I think it would be even were it in British hands.  Thirdly, the men in the photo don't look like British soldiers to me.  Yes, they're in BD trousers and one has a '37 pattern web belt, but they are in shoes, not boots, the shirts aren't British military issue as far as I am aware and they are wearing their sleeves down while British soldiers roll them up in shirt sleeve order and don't wear ties and, in those days, dark-coloured T shirts would be vry unusual. And the faces don't look particularly British.  The BD trousers look very new, but the shirts don't.  Could these chaps actually simply be Danes who have received (perhaps very recently) some British military clothing?  I see the apparent Airborne divisional sign on the front of the lorry, but it lacks a backing square and is on the wrong side.  I know British airborne troops 'zapped' other vehicles with their emblem - could this be the case here?  The vehicles to the rear certainly appear British, and they may well be - Denmark was liberated by them and so British troops would still be present in the country in May 45.

I don't know the answer to any of these questions, for that is all they are, but I do have my doubts but would be perfectly content to be proved wrong.  It's certainly worth discussing further, I think.

Edited December 10, 2024 by 10FM68

[Niels v]

On 12/10/2024 at 7:26 PM, 10FM68 said:

Certainly interesting photos - thank you for posting them.  Sorry for my dilatory response, but we have had no electricity until this afternoon following the storm in west Wales.  First of all, and I acknowledge your ownership of a 1941 Chevrolet, but are you sure this is a 1939 Chevrolet?  It looks very much as though it might be a GMC or even a Ford, both of which are similar.  I can't find any evidence that the British Army were issued with such lorries, but they did receive GMC forward control lorries - the AFKX-352 8G, for example.  Secondly, I'm not sure it's actually right hand drive - nor do I think it would be even were it in British hands.  Thirdly, the men in the photo don't look like British soldiers to me.  Yes, they're in BD trousers and one has a '37 pattern web belt, but they are in shoes, not boots, the shirts aren't British military issue as far as I am aware and they are wearing their sleeves down while British soldiers roll them up in shirt sleeve order and don't wear ties and, in those days, dark-coloured T shirts would be vry unusual. And the faces don't look particularly British.  The BD trousers look very new, but the shirts don't.  Could these chaps actually simply be Danes who have received (perhaps very recently) some British military clothing?  I see the apparent Airborne divisional sign on the front of the lorry, but it lacks a backing square and is on the wrong side.  I know British airborne troops 'zapped' other vehicles with their emblem - could this be the case here?  The vehicles to the rear certainly appear British, and they may well be - Denmark was liberated by them and so British troops would still be present in the country in May 45.

I don't know the answer to any of these questions, for that is all they are, but I do have my doubts but would be perfectly content to be proved wrong.  It's certainly worth discussing further, I think.

I am 99.9% certain that it is a Chevrolet, The GMC has a different Grill, a hatch in the bonnet, and a different ventilation hatch on the side, besides other other detail differences (hood ornament). 
There is off cause the possibility that the truck is a captured/Pressed in to service during the trip through NWE. Chevrolet COE 1939-40 here is one in German service.
The RHD suspicion was based upon the window heater that would not make senses sitting in the right side of a LHD vehicles. 

Denmark was liberated 5th of may, and there was a British presents for quite some time in Denmark afterwards eg. mine clearing at the west coast and gathering/destroying/sampling/selling German equipment.  
The pictures are also basis for this article REME History: REME in Denmark | REME Museum 
It is to early for Danes in British uniforms, they would have either been in pre war Danish or Danish brigade. 

[10FM68]

Definitely with you on it being a Chevrolet and my guess would be that it is ex-Wehrmacht - note that there has been some repainting of the front aspects of the cab - perhaps to remove German markings. Unusually for captured vehicles, it has no allied stars (but then, no census number either), but, being that the war was over perhaps there was considered to be no need at that stage.  I don't know why the windscreen heater is on the RHS - as you say, that makes no real sense, but I'm pretty sure the Chevrolet wouldn't have been RHD and the steering wheel looks to be on the other side.    So I can't suggest anything else as far as identifying the ownership of the lorry is concerned.  But, it seems that one of the chaps (rear right) in the photo is also in the photo of the Jeep on that REME page.  So, if the captions are correct that would make them REME from 1st AB Div, which also ties in with the Pegasus formation sign (which is on the wrong wing on the Jeep as well).  As for their dress - still a bit bizarre, but Paras did take more liberties than line regiments which may explain the odd shirts (US perhaps?) and the T shirts, but all the other photos in the Danish collection show British soldiers more correctly dressed. I notice, though, that the REME page isn't too sure about identification either, so, like them, I think we may not get to the bottom of this at all.