MOTORISED ARMY

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 108, 3 November 1939, Page 8

MOTORISED ARMY

NEW VEHICLES

SPECIALLY-BUILT BODIES

TRAINING PURPOSES

Delivery commenced today to the three Special Force mobilisation camps pf the first batch of 197 new motor vehicles of various types required for training purposes. They include Bcwt and 15cwt trucks Avith canvas cover edin bodies, and 30cwt • and three-ton lorries, all of which are of special design for army purposes. There are also a number of staff cars, which, except for their paintwork, are standard saloon models of a well-known English light make.

The bodies for the 197 trucks and lorries, with the exception of some being built in the Railway Department's workshops, have been provided by private motor-body firms, and senior officers at Army Headquarters today expressed appreciation of the expeditious manner in 4 which, the private firms concerned are executing the order, especially in view of the fact that most of the vehicles have required special fittings and equipment out of the usual running of motorbody construction. The order was placed only a "fortnight ago, and the last of the 197 vehicles will be delivered by the middle of next week.

On a war establishment basis something'over 1500 vehicles would be required for the Special Force, but by making use of an existing surplus pf Government transport and by so designing the bodies of the new vehicles that they can be used for many purposes, it has been possible to reduce the immediate purchase of new vehicles for . training purposes to about 250. The bodies for all the new vehicles have now been built or are nearing completion. Today a "Post" representative was permitted to inspect a number of the new vehicles at the Public Service garage, Aotea Quay, where they are being given a final check over and being fitted with number plates in readiness for delivery to Trentham. All are camouflaged in accordance with the latest idea of disruptive painting. On the left front mudguard of each is a white spot on which will be painted in black the New Zealand Divisional sign, a fern leaf. In addition, each vehicle will carry a Government number plate, a plate bearing the word "Army" and a distinguishing plate indicating the arm of the service with which the vehicle is operating. WIRELESS VANS. Some of the eight-hundredweight vehicles have been designed primarily for use as wireless vans, but they are also easily adaptable for other purposes such as troop transport or the carriage of materials or for reconnaissance. The wireless receiving and transmitting equipment will be installed on a panel in the covered-in part of the body immediately behind the driving seat and the operator will be provided with a bucket seat. The remainder of the body has been fitted with collapsible, removable seats, which can be installed or removed ac- ! cording to the purpose for which the [vehicle is used. The design of these vans has also embodied all necessary steps to suppress wireless interference from the electric equipment of the engine or from other causes such as static electricity generated by the chafing of tailboard chains. The 30cwt' and three-ton lorries embody front wheel drive and a special type of front axle. The bodies for the new vehicles have I been made in the four centres as folI lows:—Auckland 62, Wellington 93, j Christchurch 34, and Dunedin 8. In Wellington the work is being done by private firms contracting individually with the military authorities, but in Auckland and Christchurch the Motorbody Builders' Associations tendered jointly and then allotted the work among their members. From reports received it appears that this method of handling the work has operated exceedingly well. The Wellington contractors concerned are:—New Zealand] Motor Bodies, Ltd., New Zealand Railway Workshops, Standard Motor Bodies, Ltd.,. Stiles and Deans, Ltd.,; Crawley, Ridley, and Co., Ltd., and Carter, Sly Motors, Ltd. ! In addition to the vehicles already mentioned special types of Army mobile workshops and breakdown recov r cry vehicles are being built in the railway workshops and will be available for service shortly, also 40 front-wheel1 drive* vehicles to be used as artillery tractors for hauling field guns. • j