Question: Making a custom Flak truck...

[metalwar]

I have a 1941 Chevy flatbed 1.5 ton. I want to make it into a flak truck that maybe the Germans captured early in the war. Could this type of truck hold a 3.7 cm Flak cannon or would it be to heavy. The gun I have to use is from BMC. It is not completely accurate but close. The truck is one I got on E-Bay, not sure on the maker.

[Panzer_M]

why does it have to be captured?

The largest part of Ford vehicles in the stock of the Wehrmacht originated from the Ford works in Cologne.

Ford-Werke AG, Cologne-Niehl
The Ford Motor Company AG was created for the German market in Berlin in 1926. In 1931, it moved to Cologne. Starting from 1935, it was converted to an independent German automotive company. In 1939, it was renamed to Ford Werke AG. Ford passenger cars were far common, not only in Germany. The predominant portion of Ford passenger cars on German roads originated from the Ford factory in Cologne. On 1st December 1938, 101,837 Ford passenger cars were registered in the German Reich. In addition, Ford produced approximately 1,900 s. gl. Einheits-Pkw. The most important lorry models which were used by the Wehrmacht were the Ford BB and the different types of 3 tons lorries.
Ford omnibuses were quite frequent, too. Because Ford made lorries up to 3 tons payload, only chassis for light and middle omnibuses were made. Usually, the radiator masks of the standard lorries were used. Due to the popularity of streamline omnibuses in the 1930s, modified radiator masks of Ford passenger cars were used, too.

and now you know and know is half the Battle...

I take it your truck is something like this LkW?



^ 1939 model


The successor model Ford V 3000 S was manufactured from 1941 to 1945 in approximately 25,000 units. It differed from the American Ford 3 ton model 1940 by its one piece windshield. Ford 3 tons lorries were inferior to the competition models of Opel, MAN and Magirus.

[Panzer_M]

I have a 1941 Chevy flatbed 1.5 ton. I want to make it into a flak truck that maybe the Germans captured early in the war. Could this type of truck hold a 3.7 cm Flak cannon or would it be to heavy. The gun I have to use is from BMC. It is not completely accurate but close. The truck is one I got on E-Bay, not sure on the maker.

3ton is too light for the 3.7cm, you would need something closer to the MB L4500 4.5ton truck to mount the 3.7cm.

Most common would be a 2cm FlaK

2.0 cm Flak 28 and 29 (Designed by Oerlikon and purchased prior to the outbreak of war, many others adquired from Czechoslovaquia, France, but without Fremdegerät number asignation)

2.0 cm Flak 30 (Adopted in 1935 as main light Flak gun, and remained in service throghout the war)

2.0 cm Flak 38 (Developed by Mauser as a replacement for the Flak 30. In service from 1940. Nearly 18.000 made)

2.0 cm Gebirgsflak 38 (The same weapon as above, with a lightweight carriage for mountain use) < have a photo of this mounted on a schwimmwagen

3.0 cm Flak 103/38 (A makeshift weapon. Marriage between the Aircraft Mk 103 Kanone and the Flak 38 Mount)

Captured Weapons

2.0 cm Flak Madsen (Original Madsen M33 and M35, captured to Czech, Polish,Norwegian, Belgian and French armies)

2.0 cm Flak 282 (i) (Ex-italian Breda M-35, used in North Africa and after Italian surrender)

2.0 cm Flak Scotti (i) (ex-italian Scotti da 20/77, only limited use by German Army)

2.5 cm Flak Hotchkiss (Ex-french Mle 38 and Mle 39 Hotchkiss AA guns)

[krieglok]

Good info. The Ford trucks were very common in the German forces, being the second or third most common maker for the Reich. The 1 1/2 ton truck and 3 ton truck are virtually identical which makes the 1 1/2 ton model useful for such modeling ideas. The one spotting feature with these trucks is the windshield. German made trucks had a one piece windshield while US built trucks has a two piece screen with a trim strip down the center. You can see the inaccuracy in my 1:16 truck I converted from a 1 1/2 ton stake truck. You will need to add the Notek light and the "trailer in tow" triangle on the cab roof for a detailed German look...

TJ

[metalwar]

why does it have to be captured?

The largest part of Ford vehicles in the stock of the Wehrmacht originated from the Ford works in Cologne.

Ford-Werke AG, Cologne-Niehl
The Ford Motor Company AG was created for the German market in Berlin in 1926. In 1931, it moved to Cologne. Starting from 1935, it was converted to an independent German automotive company. In 1939, it was renamed to Ford Werke AG. Ford passenger cars were far common, not only in Germany. The predominant portion of Ford passenger cars on German roads originated from the Ford factory in Cologne. On 1st December 1938, 101,837 Ford passenger cars were registered in the German Reich. In addition, Ford produced approximately 1,900 s. gl. Einheits-Pkw. The most important lorry models which were used by the Wehrmacht were the Ford BB and the different types of 3 tons lorries.
Ford omnibuses were quite frequent, too. Because Ford made lorries up to 3 tons payload, only chassis for light and middle omnibuses were made. Usually, the radiator masks of the standard lorries were used. Due to the popularity of streamline omnibuses in the 1930s, modified radiator masks of Ford passenger cars were used, too.

and now you know and know is half the Battle...

I take it your truck is something like this LkW?



^ 1939 model


The successor model Ford V 3000 S was manufactured from 1941 to 1945 in approximately 25,000 units. It differed from the American Ford 3 ton model 1940 by its one piece windshield. Ford 3 tons lorries were inferior to the competition models of Opel, MAN and Magirus.

I said captured because it is a Chevy not a Ford. Thanks for all the good info. I gues I will have to find another use for the truck.

[Panzer_M]

Lorries:
Chevrolet G-7107 (4x4) 1.5 ton
1941-1945
Chevrolet 4x2 commercial (different variants)
1941-1945
Chevrolet COE
1941

those are 1940 Chevy trucks in the motorrad, no photos of them at the min.



something like that?? It looks to be most of the GMs were 1.5 ton in the photos I found.

The only guns trucks I found were British with 2cm Breda AA guns.

[cardenas]

Here are some Ford pics I found at www.achtungpanzer.com

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/votw/images/fordv3s.jpg

http://www.achtungpanzer.com/votw/images/ford1.jpg

[grunt1]

I also tweaked the design so that the beds of the Maultier and the standard truck were interchangeable allowing me to have a Flak-38 Maultier with a simple swap.

[krieglok]

About the conversion candidate being a Chevy, not a Ford, DO`OH, as Homer Simpson would say.

Besides the Brits having Chevy trucks, didn`t the French use them too before they were overrun by the Germans?

Nice work there, Grunt1...

TJ