1/35 US Army Fuel Tanker - Red Ball Express

[Peter Browne]

What would be an appropriate kit in 1/35 to model a US Army fuel tanker in the Red Ball Express?

 

Would this be the Hobby Boss GMC CCKW 750 gallon Tanker kit #83830 - I suspect not as it's an airfield tanker...?

http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=product&a=show&id=140&l=en

 

 

 

[John Tapsell]

Are interested in that specific type or just an appropriate fuel tanker?

 

There are a couple of GMC two and a half ton CCKW 353 chassis fuel tankers to consider, the standard 'army' variant with two 375 gallon tanks (750 total capacity)) or the 'air force' variant F3, L1 or L2 tankers with a single 750 gallon tank. Ignore the old Italeri tanker truck as it's a water tanker. I've seen images of mixed convoys of both types so it isn't a rigid split between the two services. I think both types are available in 1/35 (Hobby boss do both I think?) - not sure what's available in resin.

 

Both GMC types also came in open-cab versions.

 

 

[Kingsman]

HB only do the one.  They call it 750 gallon but it is in fact the 2x375 gallon type.  This looks like a fair possibility for you.  Otherwise you're looking at a stack of £££ for one of the Autocar or Federal artics in resin from the likes of DES or Real Model.

 

[Peter Browne]

9 hours ago, Kingsman said:

HB only do the one.  They call it 750 gallon but it is in fact the 2x375 gallon type.  This looks like a fair possibility for you.  Otherwise you're looking at a stack of £££ for one of the Autocar or Federal artics in resin from the likes of DES or Real Model.

 

 

Thanks Peter.  I thought this was just an airfield refueler.  So these were used to truck fuel to Army units?  Any pics? 

[Peter Browne]

Can someone ID these vehicles?

 

[danbuoy]

3 hours ago, Peter Browne said:

Can someone ID these vehicles?

 

Autocar U7144-T tractor units towing F2B tanker trailers

[StuartH]

3 hours ago, Peter Browne said:

Can someone ID these vehicles?

 

The lead vehicle is a White or Autocar tractor coupled to a 2,000 gallon  (7,600 litre) tanker semi-trailer. The vehicle following is the very similar looking Federal 94X43.

[Phil Gollin]

.

 

The articulated vehicles mainly came late on in the running of the Red Ball Express.  For most of the time fuel was run in the backs of the standard 2.5 ton trucks, or the 6 x 6 cargo version of the Diamond T in Jerry cans.

 

The Canadians pioneered the use of Diamond T tank transporters and tank transporter trailers fully load with Jerry cans, this was copied by the British and Americans.

 

.

[Kingsman]

Mr Google will find you some period pictures on the GMC tanker, open and closed cab, but it isn't always easy to work out whether they're Army or Air Corps.  But I believe the long-haul tankers on RBE were mostly artics as they could carry nearly 3 times the quantity compared to the rigids.  The amount of fuel used on the RBE itself quickly became critical, so less vehicles with greater payloads was an advantage,  By the time Patton had to halt the RBE was using more fuel than it was delivering.

 

There was a fairly sophisticated fuel delivery system for road and aviation petrol once PLUTO was up and running.  Diesel remained "packaged" - i.e. in jerrycans - throughout NW Europe and petrol was initially also "packaged".  There were terminals in Normandy where the fuel from across the Channel would be decanted into road tankers for long haul.  The big tankers would then usually decant into smaller tankers like the GMC or directly into cans at a forward location for tactical distribution.  The smaller tankers would probably then decant into cans at further forward locations.  However, in areas further to the rear there was direct fuelling from tankers.  Tanker trucks of any size would not generally venture so far forward as to be at threat from indirect or direct fire. 

 

It is entirely plausible that the bulk can carriage on Rogers trailers mentioned above was diesel, noting that diesel did not come in tankers.  The M4A2 was the 2nd most common Sherman type in British and Canadian service in NW Europe.  With 170 gallon fuel capacity per tank and a notional 50 tanks an M4A2 Regiment needed about 8,500 gallons or about 1,700 jerrycans for a complete refuel!

 

From DES Resin.  Autocar 7114T and 8144T, Federal 94x43C, and 2,000gal tanker (with full trailer dolly).  Real Model do the same selection of tractor units with some cab variations like a closed-cab 7144T but they don't do the fuel trailer.  But you're talking €120-150 for the DES tractors and €100 for the trailer. 

 

    

[Kingsman]

Coincidentally this image just came up on Facebook.  Artic tankers decanting into thousands of British or German pattern jerrycans.  UK aviation petrol cans were a yellowy-green colour not unlike zinc chromate.  Could some of these paler ones be those?  Or maybe German Dunkelgelb.  I can't see them being mixed road and aviation: that was the whole point of the colour difference.