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Station wagons were used as staff cars. Their use in North Africa was fairly common.
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| A station wagon in use in North Africa by a Special Liaison Unit, probably Phantom (GHQ Liaison Regt.) I am not sure which model is shown here. The WD number appears on the right side of the tail panel, but is illegible on my print. Photo from Ultra Goes to War. |
Canada made several versions. Often the question is asked, "How many were built?" I do not know.
Of the 857,970 military military vehicles built by Canada during World war II (1939-1945), just under 10% were "Station Wagons, Staff Cars and Miscellaneous 4 x 2s." They comprised 9.55% of Canadian production. 81,942 of all of these types and makes were made.
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| Early WWII Ford station wagon. | 7 passenger station wagon. WD number CM1164441. 1944 VEHICLE DATA BOOK (Bill Gregg reprint which has an unretouched version of the photograph.) | C11ADF 5 passenger station wagon - Data Book 1944, page __. (Bill Gregg reprint which has an unretouched version of the photograph.) WD number CM1165332. |
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| C11ADF listing in the British Army Data Book of 1945 pages 228-229 (page 111 in the reprint of 1983). | Bart Vanderveen's page on these vehicles in his THE OBSERVER'S FIGHTING VEHICLES DIRECTORY WORLD WAR II - REVISED 1972. |
The 7 passenger model was built on a car chassis and used 6.00x16 tires. These tended to have a roof rack.
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| 7 passenger station wagon. In UK about early 1944. 1944 DATA BOOK (Bill Gregg reprint) |
The 5 passenger C11ADF was built with right hand drive on a truck chassis and used 9.00x13 tires.
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| C11ADF factory photo. Bridge plate (5) and PASS plate, but no DND or WD number. (VINTAGE CANADA p. 15 Vol. 3 No. 1 September 1976) | C11ADF in North Africa. War Department number M4520310. This appears to be in British service. (BLUEPRINT FOR VICTORY by Dr. William Gregg p. 149) | C11ADF station wagon with War Department number CM1165332. Photo taken in the UK in early 1944 I believe. |
M1308323 - Field Marshall Alexander's staff car
The most famous C11ADF still survives. It is Field Marshall Alexander's staff car. It is presently on display in Vimy House of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. In North Africa, it was converted to a convertible, and the doors were sealed shut (I presume to give the body some strength as the pillars and roof were gone). I do not think it was armoured as the Canadian War Museum's web site was saying.
The car was restored by the Canadian Army for the CWM back in the 1960s (?). A photograph of tradesmen clambering over it showed up in an old SENTINEL magazine. That photo and the CWM photos show the brass plaque detailing its history.
The CWM's 1967 Guidebook p. 31 said "Alexander's Car - This standard military car was modified for General Alexander in Cairo Army workshops in 1941 when he took command of the 8th Army. It accompanied him from Egypt to Tunis and through the Italian Campaign. It was driven 180,000 miles, had four engine changes, and numberless overhauls. The tires appear to be German and the windscreen Italian." [I suspect that the tires are Canadian 9.00x13 desert tread tires, not German. If someone can verify this it would be appreciated. ]
According to Dr. Bill Gregg (I believe this is where I heard it), Alexander brought the vehicle to Canada when he was Governor General of Canada after WWII. It was too cold for the harsh Canadian winters so he apparently traded it to Ford Motor Company for a modern enclosed car. Ford later gave it to the Canadian War Museum.
Dr. Gregg told me about 1985 that he had located the war time driver of this vehicle as Alexander kept the same driver throughout North Africa, Sicily and Italy, and Canada. Details that emerged were that the weapons clips on the side upper sills have disappeared at some point. Bill told me that the CWM refused to bother to go to interview this man who drove their most historic vehicle through so many campaigns and miles. Bill also told me that the number on it now is incorrect. The correct WD number is M1308323 (M= Motorcar) although at least one WWII photo shows it as L1308323 (Same number but with an incorrect L for Lorry code letter instead of M for some unknown reason!). The number was repeated in Arabic on the Egyptian licence plate. Bill's story is that when the CWM had the vehicle repainted, the painter was Arabic. He did not write down the number on the hood, but simply translated it from the licence plate - which appears to have had an incorrect number in the Arabic version! It now reads 1307323 instead of M1308323. Although the CWM has been told of this error years ago, they have not corrected it yet as far as I know.
When CWM described this car on their web site in the late 1990s, they had several; errors. One was that they claimed the doors were sealed to make it more impregnable. I do not believe this. They also did not mention that it was MADE IN CANADA, simply saying that it was made in North America.
Why is this CANADIAN MADE very historic car not in an honoured place in the CWM galleries and Hitler's car is? That is for CWM to answer.
The car is almost unguarded now and one of the two flag staffs has now been stolen.
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| Field Marshall Alexander's staff car in a parade in North Africa with Winston Churchill as VIP passenger. (BLUEPRINT FOR VICTORY by Dr. William Gregg p. 150) The original WD number of M1308323 is legible. | Field Marshall Viscount Alexander's staff car. As it was on display in the main Canadian War Museum building in 1967 or earlier as it also appeared in the 1967 CWM Guidebook page 31. [CWM photo from VINTAGE CANADA p. 6 Vol. 3 No. 1 September 1976) It is shown here with the incorrect WD number of 1307323. | Field Marshall Viscount Alexander's staff car. As it was on display in the main Canadian War Museum building in 1973 or earlier as it appeared in the 1973 CWM Guidebook page 33. They mention that he served as Governor General from 1946 to 1952. Here it has the incorrect WD number 1307323. |
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| Field Marshall Viscount Alexander's staff car. As it was on display in the main Canadian War Museum building sometime after 1973 and before 1986 as it appeared in the undated guidebook page 42 with CWM sign, front of building, Sherman & Rheintocter missile on cover. Here it still has the incorrect WD number 1307323. |
SURVIVORS
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| Field Marshall Alexander's staff car - a cut down C11ADF, but certainly the most historic survivor. - Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA. | Digger Thomas of Nambour, Australia. His father bought it surplus in 29 April 1945. Markings "H.Q. 1" were on the front door. - Nambour, AUSTRALIA | Ex-Madagascar. Now in ENGLAND |
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| A photo was in a back issue of Wheels & Tracks. | No photo available. | Unrestored basket case. |
| Restored, with medical markings. Owner had rear axle problems. ?, ENGLAND | Mark Surman, in Australia has one under restoration that the
number on it indicates that it was General Blamey's. marksurman@optusnet.com.au
Mark is looking for door hands & rubbers .The old ones are worn are there reproduction ones? At least one Australian collector is restoring one out of three hulks. Is this Mark? AUSTRALIA
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Canadian C11ADF hulk ex-Nanaimo, and a body of a US Navy model salvaged by Harry from the Yukon. Future restoration project for Harry. Harry Eisenman, BC, CANADA |
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
From Hanno Spoelstra in the Netherlands.
"2002 AUGUST (on Maple Leaf Up Forum --- Thank you very much for
your Station Wagons page. It does help clearing up some points. However, I
wonder if there was a difference between chassis types: as far as I can
ascertain the Station Wagons with 9.00-13" tyres only had heavier axles
(same as F8?), not a heavier (truck) chassis.
This is what I have found out about Ford model identification:
C: Canadian production
11A: 1941 model, 90 hp, 114" wheelbase Passenger chassis
29A: 1942 model, 100 hp Mecury engine, 118" wheelbase Passenger chassis
But what about the "D", "S" and "F" - do they
denote special equipment? Am I right "D" stands for the 'ruggedized'
version with 9.00-13" tyres and heavier axles? If so, "S" might
stand for standard tyre size (6.00-16").
No doubt this list can be corrected and/or extended! Can anyone please help?
Regards,
Hanno
He then wrote:
I've been able to refine the technical specifications a bit:
Known Ford Station Wagon models:
- C11AD
- C11ADF
- C11AS
- C29ADF
in which:
C = Canadian design
1st digit = model year; 1 = 1941 model, 2 = 1942 model
2nd digit = engine type; '1' indicates the 85-hp engine, '9' the 95-hp engine
A = 4x2 car chassis with 114" (1941) or 118" wheelbase (1942)
D = unknown
F = right-hand drive
S = unknown
Pictures of the C11ADF show it with 9.00-13" tyres. Vanderveen notes the
C11ADF has a "full-floating truck-type rear axle with open propeller shaft
and semi-epileptic springs (as Ford C011DF - F8)". My guess is the
"D" denotes the 13" tyre + F8 rear axle combo.
The "S" probably denotes Standard, as in fitted with 6.00-16"
tyres. What did the standard 1941-42 car axle setup look like? Transverse leaf
spring with propeller shaft running down a torque tube?
I guess both types had a front axle with transverse leaf spring, common on Fords
of that era.
Re. the F stands for right-hand drive: this would mean the C11AD and C11AS were
left-hand drive Wagons similar to their US counterparts, supplied for domestic
use. Reading Vanderveen's and Crismon's books, I don't think the US military
used the Ford Station Wagon. Not in substantial numbers anyway; their 1/2-ton
Dodges would have catered for the "8-cwt Heavy Utility" type of
vehicle class. Could that mean surviving left-hand drive 1941-42 Ford Woodies
are likely be Canadian MCP Fords?!? Here's hoping the article "1941-42 War
(Station) Wagons" in Military Vehicles Magazine will answer some questions
(Tom Campbell is sending me a photocopy).
Let's keep scratching!
Regards,
Hanno
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