Good New Year to you all. Anyone know the type of softskins used in Burma? Principally near the end of the fighting '44-45.
Interested more in the trucks used. British, or whatever they managed to lay their hands on.
Also any sites with visual content.
Thanks in anticipation,
Tony

There is a vehicle called a 'Burma Jeep' but I don't know if it was ever used by the British Army

Here are a few examples :






"58 Field Company East African Engineers crossing the Chindwin River in November 1944" :





"A lorry loaded with pontoons arrives at the site of the 1,100ft floating bailey bridge over the Chindwin River, built after the capture of Kalewa, 2 December 1944" :



"A lorry of 36th Infantry Division enters the town of Tigyiang during the advance down the Irrawaddy Valley towards Mandalay, 22 December 1944" :



"Men of the 36th Infantry Division push a CMP truck up a muddy slope on the road to Mandalay, February 1945" :



"Sherman tanks and trucks of 62nd Motorised Brigade advancing on the road between Myaungyu on the Irrawaddy bridgehead and Meiktila, March 1945." :




"Supply trucks heading south near Pyawbe stop to examine a signpost that points them towards Rangoon, 312 miles away, 11 April 1945." :




"CMP 3-ton trucks make their way across a temporary bridge over a 'chaung' on the approach to Rangoon, 26 April 1945" :



H.P.

So, in short, the CMP series from Mirror will be your friend!

Most of the larger trucks in the photos are No 13 cab Chev or Ford CMPs, I see some C or F15s, a C60L, a C30 plus the ubiquitous Jeeps and a couple of Dodge WCs.

The C60 pontoon truck is interesting with it's very non-standard soft roof and the first truck crossing the bridge in the last picture is a CMP 15cwt, not a 3 tonner.

The caption is the one that can be found on the IWM website....I'm no expert

More Dodge trucks :

"Men of 2nd Division push a Dodge weapons carrier across the dry river bed of the Sipadon near Pyingyaing, between Kalewa and Shwebo, January 1945" :



"Men of the 36th Infantry Division struggle to push a Dodge weapons carrier through the monsoon mud on the road to Mandalay, February 1945." :




H.P.

Yes, it is seem, only CMPs, Dodge WCs, and Willys/Ford jeeps were in active use in that period in Burma. Other vehicles were used in very small quantities. For example, here is so-called "Indian type Ford" ambulance:



This image titled as "Along the newly widened Tiddim Road an ambulance goes up forward - in Burma".

Steve, Frenchy, Paul, Eduard, thank you all for your prompt replies. One other vehicle I believe I saw, was in a You Tube documentary, about Burma, was a Chevrolet 30cwt.truck. By the way the squaddies were dressed, I would suggest that it was in the very early stage of the campaign...possibly 1942.
Henri-Pierre (Frenchy) the photographs were great and very clear. Perfect reference and ideas.
Once again I thank you all.
Have a Good New Year.
Tony

[quote]The caption is the one that can be found on the IWM website....I'm no expert [quote]
Understand completely, just passing on the additional info; you did all the hard work finding the cool photos. For which, nmany thanks.

Paul

You're welcome guys. Finding pics is the part I prefer..Providing proper ID is sometimes another story, but I know I can always count on other Armorama members

H.P.

- the photographic unit in Burma in 1944


- stretcher bearers of the 2nd Durham Light Infantry at the Regimental aid post photograph taken around June 1944


- British and Indian troops with supplies on a forward airfield in Burma - Mack NR truck







And http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205205581

Also such "trucks" were used sometimes:


So, we can see again the jeeps, beeps and CMPs mainly in that period.

Another CMP picture (just in case you need one more ) :

"Men of the 15th Indian Corps help to bring ashore a 25-pdr field gun from a landing craft at Elephant Point, south of Rangoon at the beginning of operation 'Dracula', 2 May 1945".



The WC-62 was used there as well :

"Royal Indian Army Service Corps troops unload an American C-47 cargo plane at an airstrip in the Pinwe area, 21 November 1944." :



H.P.

Some very interesting stuff there. I love the photo unit image. The Corporal is at rigid attention and no-one else apparently gives a flying eff.

I think their vehicle is an Aussi assembled CMP, built using Cdn chassis and lower cab but a locally sourced upper cab and box. It's probably a 15 cwt size.

Paul

Ed; thanks for the photies. The 2 DLI look like WW1 squaddies.
Frenchy, thank you again. Good clear reproduction.Thanks you all.
Tony

I never tier of looking at all the great pics you
all seem to find. thanks for posting thease great pics.

More Burmese images:

- jeep and C47:


- not truck, but heavy crane - Thornycroft Amazon:

- Burma, March 1949. And jeeps, beeps and CMPs again. But note the hulks of GMC DUKW Ducks !: