NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 7 FEBRUARY 2011
Hello once again and welcome to British Army modern heavyweight week here on Miliblog. We’ve recently bought a batch of photos from Colin Martin, a well known photographer of all sorts of heavyweight transport on the Britsh roads. So we thought we’d celebrate these massive vehicles, which probably at first glance on the photos look quite tame.Look further into the photos and compare them against things around them and you’ll see they are pretty big ! Look at our first photo for example, with a Foden heavy recovery towing a broken down Duro and then look at the car following !
Foden
Colin took this shot of a whole load of Leyland Daf DROPS lorries parked up with loads of bottled water on board. Could this be a scene from the War and Peace Show in 2020 perhaps ?
Leyland Daf 8x8 Drops (76 KH 86 + 88 KH 22)(Copyright of Colin Martin)
Next we have a Seddon Atkinson unit complete with a King trailer in RAF markings. Note the logo on the cab door of an elephant carrying a load. Not sure what unit this belongs to though. Judging from the excavator being at the front of the trailer, this suggests there would have been another vehicle behind that has already been dropped off.
Seddon Atkinson 1738tc
This next photo was taken at Cheltenham Racecourse, with the massive Oshkosh tanker dispensing fresh drinking water to campers. Can’t wait to see the neighbour’s faces if I bought one of these in an MoD disposal sale in a few years and it arrived in our front garden !
Oshkosh Close Support Tanker (DG 13 AB)(Copyright of Colin Martin)
Lastly, another Oshkosh product, the gigantic HET (Heavy Equipment Transporter). At 23 metres – that’s 75 feet – long, that’s a big beast to handle.
Oshkosh
So enjoy having a look around Miliblog. With all the different areas we have, I hope you find something you enjoy looking at.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 31 JANUARY 2011
Hello and welcome to this week’s selection from what’s new on Miliblog. We start with a nice photo of a Foden 10 Ton cargo lorry used by the British Army in the 1970′s for transporting supplies and ammunition close to the front line. Not as agile as the later 8 wheel DROPS lorries from Foden or Leyland used later on.
Foden 16 Ton 8x4 Low Mobility Truck (17 GB 16)
Now we have the famous Thornycroft Antar tank transporter but on this occasion transporting a bulldozer rather than the usual Centurion Tank ! The markings show a Robin Hood type archer, which is for the North Midland District and 19 Coy T, which I think is the 19th Transport Company. Perhaps it’s on it’s journey to Ruddington Camp just South of Nottingham taking the load for disposal ? Still a lovely period shot of the late 1950′s/early 1960′s.
Thornycroft Antar 60Ton Tractor (02 BD 17)
Another tank transporter with another bulldozer ! This time a WW2 American Diamond T M20, probably with an upgraded Rolls Royce engine. Similar to the Antar above, it’s towing a Dyson 8 wheeled trailer.
Diamond T980 M20 Prime Mover (03 ZC 75)
Another of our favourites is this AEC Matador, parked up in the company yard just waiting for the call to attend the breakdown of one of the fleet. It has the markings GBH on the door. Anyone know what company this is ? We’ve also got a photo of the same Matador in our WW2 British Gun Tractors gallery but painted red. Possibly a later owner.
AEC 0853 Matador (JSV 900)
Finally one for the fire engine fans. A recent Unipower Alvis 4×4 in Royal Air Force markings.
Unipower Alvis RW 4x4 Fire Tender (RH 01 AA)
So back to the old scanner to add some more photos onto Miliblog and we’ll soon be back with another what’s new.
Cheerio !
Simon
NEW THIS WEEK – MONDAY 24 JANUARY 2011
Hi there and welcome to this week’s samples from what’s new on Miliblog, and we start with a photo of a superbly preserved AEC Matador in the colours of Harris’s Fun Fair. Very popular with fun fairs and circuses after WW2, if you visit our WW2 British Gun Tractors gallery, you’ll find another Harris Matador along with many other Matador photos.
AEC 0853 Matador (WVS 488)
Next from the Home Front is a preserved Ford 10 NAAFI van parked up for an event and now doubt very popular selling it’s teas and cakes. These vans run by the Navy, Army and Air Force Institute – NAAFI – were the mobile catering vans of their day, taking food and drink to remote locations to feed the troops.
Ford 10 NAAFI Van (JNO 665)
Thornycroft Nubian 4x4 Crane (00 EX 21)
Looks like a nice summer’s day for a drive down the motorway in this RAF Seddon Atkinson with another tractor unit piggybacking on the back, returning to the depot.
Seddon Atkinson 401 4x2 Tractor (65 KD 02)
And finally, one for the fans of Eastern Block vehicles in the form of a Soviet Zil in Czech army markings.
Zil 151 2.5ton 6x6 Shop Van (139-42-69)(Czech)
So have a great week as we get closer to the Spring and the first outings of vehicles preserved during the Winter months.
Cheerio !
Simon
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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Tips for a successful advertisement:-
Good clear photographs in .jpeg format
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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
