Military Vehicles, January 1997,: Re: MB 130555
Re: MB 130555
Auke Dijkstra (auke.dijkstra@pi.net)
Thu, 09 Jan 1997 21:48:37 +0100
Auke Dijkstra wrote:
>
> john edwards wrote:
> >
> > Auke Dijkstra wrote:
> > >
> > > john edwards wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi Folks,
> > > >
> > > > I thought that this range of chassis was very close to ours in
> > > > Australia. We had a very early shipment that landed here in July 1942.
> > > > It would appear that your jeep MB 130555, may have been in the same yard
> > > > as our first 500 jeeps. We has 130554 & 130556. Small world!
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > John E
> > >
> > > Hi John,
> > >
> > > Very interesting story, if 130555 was delivered overthere, it made
> > > quite a journey.
> > > Would be nice to find the full story someday, wonder if someone can
> > > check it. There has to be someone who has access to certain
> > > documentation or files about the deliveries back then.
> > > If you have 130554 and 130556, then you could probably tell Maurice
> > > the registration number on the hood or a manufacturing date.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > Auke Dijkstra
> >
> > Hi Auke,
> >
> > DOn't forget we got about 16,000 jeeps & 12,000 trailers here during the
> > War. Early deliveries typically didn't have bonnet numbers recorded. In
> > some instances, including my own Script some jeeps (about 10% of ours)
> > have the original US number from the Aust Army records system. Mine
> > appears as ex-US Desert Training Centre, I think. The photos of jeeps at
> > this place with the book Jeep Jeep Jeep are awfully close bonnet
> > numbers.
> >
> > Whilst writing this I've had another look a my databases, and come up
> > with a date. MB 130555 falls half way between two other jeeps that I
> > have on my current ownership listing. Both of these two isolated jeeps
> > have the same build date 25th March 1942. I also had a look at the US
> > numbers that I do have and all I can say is that 2082xxx would be a good
> > range to go for.
> >
> > What I must add at this point is that US bonnet numbers were not in
> > sequence with the chassis number. Later built chassis' had earlier US
> > bonnet numbers. This is a fact, my fact, but a fact. I have the numbers
> > to prove it. You will get grouped US numbers in a chassis number range,
> > but they were never sequencial. All the factories were allocated blocks
> > of numbers & bodies to build up. Just think about running your own
> > assembly line, where to put the chassis' & engines, plus bodies etc.
> >
> > Hope it's got you thinking.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > John Edwards
>
> Hi John,
>
> I don't know what you mean by "early deliveries didn't have bonnet
> numbers recorded", does it mean that they didn't write down the
> bonnet numbers of the delivered jeeps??. You are right about the
> fact that US bonnet numbers were not in sequence with chassis numbers
> but I always thought that that started to develop in the mid-production
> period, just like the GMC CCKW production where there was a very big
> difference between chassis numbers and delivery dates. MB 130555 is
> a quite early production MB so maybe the registration number
> correspondes with the chassis number. The 16000 jeeps you mention,
> where they delivered to the Australian army?? or to the US army in
> Australia. The 1/2 ton Dodges that were delivered to the British
> army in '42 didn't have US bonnet numbers because they were not
> produced under a US QuarterMasters contract, I don't know if this
> was the case with the jeeps that were delivered to the Australian
> army.
>
> Regards,
>
> Auke Dijkstra