NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 17 JANUARY 2011
Hi there everyone and welcome to this week’s newsletter with a sample of what’s new. We’re well into January now and like me I hope your used to writing 2011 instead of 2010 ! We start with an old favourite, the Austin K2 ‘Katy’ Ambulance, seen here at an airshow some years ago. You can just make out the Me108, yes 108, in the background.
Austin K2 Ambulance (ASV 146)
Next is a Land Rover 90 Defender speeding down the motorway with the latest version of our favourite Sankey trailer behind it. Not too sure about the sand coloured panel on the door though as a unit marking. Not very well camouflaged !
Land Rover 90 Defender (LT 42 AA)
Now we have the longer wheelbase version, the 110 Defender with a similar trailer giving it some welly down the motorway. Don’t forget if you’re a fan of Landies, we have quite a selection of 90′s, 110′s, 101′s, Series I and 2 and of the Lightweight or Airportable on Miliblog.
Land Rover 110 Defender (MB 77 AA)
Now we have one of the latest range of vehicles added to the British Army. It’s a huge Oshkosh close support tanker. Can’t wait for one of these to come available as surplus, although I don’t think either my wife or the neighbours would be too impressed with seeing it parked on the drive.
Oshkosh Close Support Tanker (DF 92 AB)
And finally for this week, we have a big Tonka Toy of a lorry. Rugged and functional, this Soviet Zil 131 looks the part and is very popular with enthusiasts that are fresh to our hobby.
Zil 131 3.5Ton 6x6 Radio Truck (Q 247 GJT)
So once again, my friends have a great week and we’re counting down the days to the Easter holidays, our next bank holiday here in the UK.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 10 JANUARY 2011
Hi there everyone and welcome to this week’s newsletter. Well we start off with a big THANK YOU to all of you out there in the ether who visited our little website in December. We had a record number just short of 17,000 visitors and between you looked at over 1.3 million photos. How does that work then ? Well, everytime someone clicks on a photo to look at it, it counts towards. This means on average, each visitor looks at 76 photos ! So I hope you will continue to enjoy visiting Miliblog into 2011 with some exciting things to bring you throughout the year.
Also I’d like you all to welcome Footman James to Miliblog, our first advertiser. I’ve been insuring my Ford GPW Jeep with them for many years and so can speak from personal experience that they do a fine job and at a good price too. When you’re coming to renew your Military vehicle or indeed your classic car, then click through to their website for a price. Much better than the tubby opera singer on British TV at the moment !
We start with an unusual photo of a Canadian CC60L 3 Tonner lorry shipped over to North Africa and then captured by the German Afrika Korps and put to good use. Then it’s been recaptured or liberated by the Allied Forces, and is possibly off to Base Workshops for a rebuild.
Chevrolet CC60L 3Ton 4x2 GS Captured by the Afrika Korps and Liberated
Next is a query one for you all out there. What is the vehicle below ? It’s in the Far East and with British Army markings on the door of L5143993. Is it a Dodge or a Ford ? Please email us at info@miliblog.co.uk if you can help !
Ford Van with British Soldiers
And now one for the motorcycle experts. At first I thought this was a Harley Davidson WLA 750, but on closer inspection, the front forks are different. Could it be an Indian 741B ? Again looking from the uniform and the trees in the background, I think this is another Far East photo.
Indian 741B Motorcycle
And finally yet another mystery for you to solve !!! Can anyone identify this vehicle ? Is it an M5 Half Track, a Bedford QLT troop carrier or what ? Clues are the locking mechanism for the door ! Sorry now prizes for the answer this week since I don’t know myself !
Troops with Cooker in a Mystery Vehicle
So I hope the snow and ice have all gone for you now and we’ll see you all again next week.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 3 JANUARY 2011
Hello to you all and a Very Happy New Year for 2011 ! This year is going to be an even better one for us all. The economy is getting better and it’s going to be a magnificant Summer.
While our main passion is for military vehicles, we love to see other areas of military hardware. These can be ships as well as aircraft, which is a whole separate area altogether covered by specialist magazines and websites I know, but I doesn’t harm to add a few here and there to Miliblog !
So to start the year off, I thought I’d just show some samples from our aircraft collection as a variety. So we start off with an old photo of mine taken at the Weston Park Airshow, in the mid 1980′s. These were great shows that used to feature some rare aircraft, but some how they just stopped. It’s an American Catalina flying-boat or seaplane, flying very low indeed over the trees.
Consolidated Catalina
A lovely photo of a German Junkers JU52, with German parachute troops (Fallschirmjager) helping unload it’s motorcycle cargo.
Junkers JU52 Unloading Supplies in Crete in 1941
Now one of everyone’s favourite aircraft, one of the British RAF V-Bombers of the 1960′s. The Avro Vulcan with it’s magnificant delta wing and anyone lucky enough to have seen one at an airshow will know how those powerful engines make the earth move, when on full throttle as the aircraft goes into a steep climb .
Avro Vulcan (XL-425)
And finally to complete our week of aircraft, we have another British RAF plave of the 1950′/1960′s. If you like to get close and actually touch aircraft, then this one is for you. It stands at the entrance to the aircraft museum at RAF Cosford and you can just park next to it and walk all around. No barriers or ‘Do Not Touch’ signs. Surprisingly, to tap your fingers on it is like tapping the side of an empty tin can !!!
Hawker Hunter (XG 225)
So have a great week and we will see you soon.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 27 DECEMBER 2010
Hi there and welcome to what’s new this week. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that you were all good boys and girls and Santa Claus brought you all the presents you wished for. Whether it be an original Carter carburettor for your Willys MB Jeep, an original 37 Pattern webbing belt to complete your British uniform or the latest Airfix plastic model kit of the two Bedford QL’s. If you got this last one, then you must have been very good indeed as they are selling like hot cakes and almost impossible to get. Which is fantastic news for Airfix, having the faith to invest in completely new tooling and to launch a new military model, deserves all our support and congratulations.
So another week of nostalgia in line for you, bringing some more photos from areas of Miliblog that you may not have discovered yet. We start with a photo of Grenadier Guards on exercise in 1957 standing next to an Austin K9 truck. Not in brilliant focus, thanks to the cameras of the day, but even so a nice photo showing the outline of this classic National Service vehicle.
Grenadier Guards on Exercise, Germany, March 1957
Following the theme of British Army guys by their trucks, we follow on with a wartime photo of a Bedford OY 3 Tonner with a crowd of soldiers
Bedford OY & Troops
We now move onto a couple of German Army photos but following the same theme of soldiers with their vehicles. A whole column of Bussing 6×4 Wireless Trucks.
Convoy of Bussing NAG G31 6x4 Wireless Trucks
Another one of our early photos is of a vehicle park on the Easten Front. Don’t forget, click on it to enlarge it to see more details.
German Vehicle Park Russia
And lastly, a very interesting photo of British vehicles abandoned in France after Dunkirk, with German troops looking over them for spares. How many of these I wonder were rebuilt and then ended their days somewhere on the Eastern front. Maybe even now, a tiny village somewhere on the Russian Steppes still has an a ancient Morris or Bedford performing an important task for the villagers !
German Troops with BEF Trucks
So until next year, we wish you all a Very Happy New Year !
Cheerio !
Simon
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Note:- Miliblog is owned by a UK based limited company and as such comes under the jurisdiction of English Law.
Tips for a successful advertisement:-
Good clear photographs in .jpeg format
Concise details of the vehicle/item for sale, avoiding text speak
Full name and contact details rather than nicknames
Next is the lucky black cat of British post-war 17th Infantry Division.
British 17th Infantry Division (Printed)
Anyone out there have an Action Man toy when they were little ? If so you may recognise the next badge from Action Man’s white winter camouflage snowsuit and helmet !
US Alaskan Department
If anyone of you remember the old black and white television series ‘Bilko’ of the 1950′s & 1960′s, then this is the badge worn by Master Sergeant Ernest Bilko played by Phil Silvers. If you do, then how about Colonel Hall, or Dobbermann too ! Have a look at this You Tube link !…..but don’t forget to come back to us !!!
http://www.youtube.com/embed/pwiirT5355A
US 69th Infantry Division
And finally a European badge. The Belgian 1st Infantry Division. I hope you came back to us after the Bilko video on You Tube !
Belgian 1st Infantry Division
So have a great week with your Christmas shopping !
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 13 DECEMBER 2010
Hi there and welcome to what’s new on Miliblog this week but with a difference ! Some are as of Miliblog are very popular with you all while other areas are often overlooked. With so many photos on Miliblog, this can sometimes be the case ! So this week we thought we would bring you five sample photos from our original British Army sections, WW2 and Post-War. These are all original photos collected over the years from antique fairs and military vehicle and classic car shows. First we start with a nice photo of a Dorchester ACV, or Armoured Command Vehicle. This was based on an AEC Matador chassis and I would not like to think what the top speed was with all that extra armour plate on top. According to my reference books, only 416 were produced of these.
AEC Matador Dorchester Armoured Command VehicleNext we have a group of chaps standing by their Chevy 15cwt with the earlier No 11 Cab in the North African desert. This photo came from a collection of over 50 photos in similar setting with the same chaps. I'll soon be adding some more of these on to Miliblog.Desert Group with Chevrolet C15 15cwt Early Cab
Another brilliant photo showing a later CMP vehicle but a Ford 15cwt with the later No 13 Cab. Next to it is a British Ford WOT2 15cwt and on the right, the leading vehicle is a US Dodge 1/2 Ton panel van. A good mix of vehicles from around the world used by the British Army in the desert campaign.
Ford F15 and WOT2 15cwtsNext is a truly British 6 wheel truck. It's a Morris CDSW Bofors Gun Tractor and probably familiar to any us that know the plastic model kit that Airfix produce of it. Look closely at the photo and you will see that the back wheels have a kind of track round them, which was something used to get extra grip on soft surfaces, such as the beach the vehicle was driving onto from this early landing craft. Judging from the shape of the sides, I think this is an early British LCM1 landing craft. Morris CDSW Bofers Gun Tractor And finally, a photo of a Karrier K6 3 Ton lorry photographed in Germany in 1946. This and a number of other photos were lent to me by a colleague I used to work with called Norman Yeomans. He, like many other teenagers, did his National Service for Britain just after WW2 and ended up in a camp in Germany working on maintaining all sorts of vehicles. Norman Yeomans Karrier K6 3ton Germany 1946
So next week we hope to bring yopu some more samples from Miliblog that you may have missed. Until then……
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 6 DECEMBER 2010
Hi there everyone. I hope you are all well and have started the winter rebuild of your military vehicle ready for 2011. Something a little different this week with some original photos taken in WW2, Post-WW2 and our first WW1 photo.
I don’t know about you other enthusiasts, but I am finding it more difficult to find some new photos of British soldiers, sailors and airmen actually in uniform. Loads of German stuff, but not much Allied photos. So I was very happy to find recently a number of photos to share with you here on Miliblog.
The first is a studio photo taken in Southend-on-Sea, in South East England. It shows Bob nervously smiling for the camera in his Royal Artillery uniform. It’s quite timely as he’s wishing his Mum and Dad a Merry Christmas !
Royal Artillery Bob
Next we have Norman, another British soldier. I’ve had a look with a magnifying glass but I just can’t see what the regimental cap badge is.
Infantry Soldier Norman
Next we have a photo from the USA and shows a GI sitting in his Willys jeep. Click and zoom on the photo and behind is a Dodge 1/2 Ton with the rounded nose and a huge stack of Coca Cola bottles in their wooden crates. Sorry but no payments to Miliblog for product placement, or free advertising !
US GI with his jeep
Another interesting photo with a captured Horch staff car being used by British Forces in Germany. The markings on the bonnet read X173171, which is unusual, as an X suffix was normally allocated to trailers. I can’t make out the markings on the front wing either, SAAP or BAAP ? email me at info@miliblog.co.uk with your thoughts !
Horch Staff Car in British Ownership
And finally. we arrive at our first World War 1original military vehicle photo on Miliblog. I just couldn’t resist buying from one of my friends in Germany ! It’s a German ambulance, which of course you can see ! However look closer into the photo and you will see it is towing a number of small trailers, with bicycle wheels. They appear to hold 2 or more stretchers and would be towed at a very slow speed from the front line back to the casualty dressing stations. Must have a been a bit claustrophoebic inside one of the trailers. Also just look at the marvellous moustache on the chap on the right, a proper Kaiser Bill !
German Motor Ambulance with Stretcher Trailers
So After this week’s exciting additions, I need a good strong cup of tea ! See you soon !
Cheerio!
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2010
Hello once again and welcome to you all from all over the World ! Well I am sure you want to get on with the Christmas shopping now, so we will keep it short thsi week with only three sample photos for you. Last week we mentioned our good friend, local photographer John Peckmore and included some of the photos Miliblog had bought form him. So here we have some more to look at.
Our first is of a Leyland Daf DROPS thundering down the motorway with a Royal Logistics Corps container loaded on the back. DROPS stands for Demountable Rack Offload and Pickup System and means that the back of the lorry lifts up at the front and allows the whole cargo area to be dropped onto the ground. Useful for taking fresh ammunition right upto the artillery positions or for small arms ammunition to be taken to a dispersal point.
Leyland Daf 8x8 Drops (76 KH 72)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
Next we have a Seddon Atkinson tractor and trailer. Judging from the propellor badge on the drivers uniform, then it must be a RAF vehicle. However I don’t think his sergeant would be too pleased to see him opening a bottle while driving.
Seddon Atkinson 1738tc Strato Tractor (NP 31 AA)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
And finally we have a mystery Dennis 6×4 Fuel Tanker, with RAF markings, but not sure of the exact model. Perhaps anyone could help ?
Dennis 6x4
So have another great week writing those Christmas cards !
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 22 NOVEMBER 2010
Hi there and welcome to what’s new on Miliblog this week. “Can we have some more photos of modern British Army trucks ?” said the email, so here we are ! We have recently bought some photos from John Peckmore, an excellent local photographer and so for your delight I’ve added a few samples below.
To start with, here’s an old trooper and well known truck used by the British Army for many years. Here perhaps looking a little tired and unloved and ready for one of us enthusiasts to give it a good home. It’s towing an Arrows trailer with another trailer inside that.
Bedford MJ 4Ton Cargo (89 KD 07)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
The next three photos feature the Leyland Daf 4Ton British Army truck in three guises. First we have a standard Cargo with the canvas frame attached which then has the canvas hood over the top.
Leyland Daf 4Ton Cargo (AN 36 AA)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
Following is a similar truck but with the canvas and canvas hoops removed. Anyone making a model of the truck can see more detail of the drop sides and how high the back is above the sides.
Leyland Daf 4Ton Cargo (01 KL 37)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
The whole point of these Leyland Daf trucks were to be as flexible as possible. The cargo body sides could be removed to create a flat bed to which could be added a number of different items. Here we see one kitted out as a Rapier ground-to-air missile support vehicle, complete with camouflage paint and a tactical sign painted on the door.
Leyland Daf 4Ton Cargo (GL 82 AA)(Copyright of JE Peckmore)
In fact here’s a photo I took at the Nesscliffe Military Vehicle show a few years ago. The show was held in the middle of an army training ground and during the afternoon a small convoy of these Leyland Daf’s drove throug the middle of the showground on their way back to the barracks. I remember seeing the bemusement on the faces of the troops at seeing the wartiem vehicles all on display as if they had travelled back in time !!! This photo shows an actual Rapier launcher being towed, with presumeably the missiles on the truck. Actually I do remember now that there were some MV enthusiasts that had collected all the kit and equipment for a Rapier missile battery, including radar, launchers, missiles – dummy ones of course – and the support vehicles to go with it. That is what the serving soldiers could not believe !!!
Leyland Daf 4Ton Rapier Support (09 KL 88)
So have a great week and we’ll soon be back again !
Cheerio !
Simon
