65th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne 2009
Hundreds of
collectors gathered with their vehicles in Bastogne in December to commemorate
the heavy battles of winter 1944-1945.
Saturday evening saw a parade and static show in the main street
Covered in mud was this 1942 Willys MB Slatgrill Ser#124675 from France
Another early MB from the Netherlands, bearing markings of a British Airborne
unit.
The steering wheel had been modified with a WW2 style quick release system.
Oddities which would not have made it to Bastogne in 1944:
a 1940 Dodge VF Series 1 1/2 Ton Truck (left) and an Oldsmobile Passenger Sedan
disguised as General Gerhardt's Staff Car (right).
The atmosphere in Bastogne around mid December has always been a mix of
remembrance and fun as many re-enactors team up with vehicle owners... The Snow
Camouflaged M29 came in handy the next morning as snow came down...
Belgium, September 2009: The 2nd Armored Roll on the Maas Tour
Commemorating
the liberation of Belgium 65 years ago, the British 2nd Armored Group took their
armored convoy through Belgium along the same route the division had followed in
September 1944.
They started out at Jabbeke where I saw them off on Sunday September 6th.
Armored Cars and Halftracks: always an impressive sight
on the road....
Organised as a Armored Reconnaisance Unit, the vehicles and crew are kitted out
as they would have been during WW2;
a very convincing appearance.
For more info on the
2AD Group, please visit their website by clicking HERE
Normandy, June 2009: The 65th D-Day Commemorations
The majority
of the vehicles in Normandy in 2009 were light ones like Jeeps, Dodges and
Motorcycles...
But some nice 'Heavies' showed up too....
Below is a selection of mainly US vehicles, but there were several nice
Commonwealth ones too.
Collectors from Australia and New-Zealand shipped their vehicles to Turkey and drove all the way down to attend the event.
The least you can say about Harley-Davidson Liberators
is that they are not rare anymore....
There were about a hundred of them roaming the Norman countryside with the three
above coming from Luxemburg
There must have been hundreds of Jeeps amongst which Bantam 40BRC Serial#
2647 (Left) and Early Willys MB Serial# 112219(Right)
There was a Willys MA from the Czech Republic and several Ford GPs too
This US Navy marked Willys MB was restored following the USN markings found
during restoration
The original number was still visible on one side of the hood
A nicely restored Dodge WC-52 outside Paratrooper
Vehicles
at Carentan
More interesting Dodge 3/4 Ton series at Omaha Beach and La Fiere:
WC-52 with Tactical Markings for the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th
Division (Left) and French 'Gendarme' Pascal D at the wheel of his WC-54
Ambulance getting the GO from a colleague (Right)....
The owner of this 6x6 Command Car was convinced it was an original prototype
while most people agreed it was a WC-63 frame fitted with a double Command Car
Body. The frame # 82024956 fits in perfectly with mid-production WC-62/63 series
Weird, to say the least......
Jeepest had set up shop in
a farm along the D514 coastal road and a Jeep was slung from a wrecker as an
attraction and signpost
There was a beautiful Ford GPA there too...
Beautifully restored Willys MB130607, DoD 26th March 1942 with original Chinese
contract Dataplates
The Caterpillar Tractor (Left) is one of different models supplied to the US
Army and its Allies during WW2
Next to the many Harleys and British bikes was an Indian Model741B as supplied
to the British under Lend
Lease Contract (Right)
This is Normandy too! Near Port-en Bessin, an FWD-HAR-1
is left to rot after earning its keep as a wrecker for many years...
On the right is how it would have looked upon delivery during WW2
The ultimate WW2 Military Vehicle?
Following complete restoration, C47 Serial# 43-15073 'The
SNAFU Special' is now on diplay outside the Merville Battery
