Two strange questions about british trucks

[modelldoc]

Hello,

 

sorry for that strange question about british military trucks in WWII.

 

On  flat - fronted trucks, like Leyland Retriver, Dennis Max or Foden DG4/6 for example is vertical plate under the windscreen. Sometimes left, sometimes right.

What was the reason for that?

 

Many british trucks during this time had a vertical bar in front of the radiator grill. Was that an bumper?

 

modelldoc

[Graham Boak]

There was a horizontal plate as you describe, which was painted in the gas detection paint, but I don't know of any consistent vertical plate.  Again there was a horizontal bar in front of the radiator, which yes was a bumper - or at least to brush aside branches, bushes etc.  Are these what you mean, or is there something I'm missing?

[modelldoc]

Thank you so much, that was my supposition but I wasn't sure.

 

Thanks

 

modelldoc

[bull-nut]

IIRC some vehicles did carry a vertical plate on the front, used to show the bridging rate of the vehicle. In which case it would be painted yellow and show one or more numbers, in black, depending on if the vehicle was towing a trailer/field gun or not.

[modelldoc]

Thanks for all these information.

 

What is a good book for trucks of that time and the postwar (coldwar) period?

 

modelldoc 

[Graham Boak]

The best book about British wartime trucks is from Tankograd, British Military Trucks of WW2, by Les Freathy.  There is another book from the same publisher about British trucks in Wehrmacht service, and I believe there is a third recently published on postwar vehicles, but I don't have that one.  Other than that there are not a lot of good works.  There are some about individual trucks or manufacturers, but little or nothing general.

[modelldoc]

Thanks a lot, the book from Les Frathy with the cold war is on my shelf, I look for the other one.

The books from B. Vanderveen are also helpful.

 

modelldoc