I know that soon after the war, thousands of MVs were rebuild by German
companies
like BMW, Daimler Benz (Mercedes), MAN and others for the Allies...despite
surplus,
still crated material available.
Also, through surplus sales many vehicles ended up with farmers in
Germany...I do not
know for sure, but you had to be qualified for purchase, e.g. run a vital
business like
farming / building and construction work, to rebuild the war torn country
to be selfsufficient.
Also, GMCs were rebuild with diesel engines by truck manufacturers like MAN
or Bussing,
for use in the needed transport in post war Germany.
A handfull of companies received vehicles to rebuild them into
tractors...e.g. Jeep and
Dodge vehicles were canibalised by a Hamburg based company using Axles,
Gearboxes and
Steering only and build into farming tractors...this happened in the
1950ies and many
ended up in South America. Tha Brand Name was NORTRAK...
A retired German Steelworker told me, that amongst all the scrap, they also
threw into
the furnesses US vehicles, which were still crated...
The Rebuilding schemes also were undertaken in the UK and France...
In the 1950ies, a second rebuilding scheme took place and many of the
vehicles were
intended for the use in Korea...
Many of the vehicles given under MAP or Lend Lease to Nations like Greece,
Norway,
Austria, Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Denmark came from theses
rebuilding
schemes. The Swiss bought 1,300 Jeeps and many Dodges, GMCs etc. outright.
Further,
vehicles were given to the UN and handed over to other countries, like
Chezeslowakia and
Jugoslawia. The Jugoslav peacekeepers in Israel were using MB Jeeps with Jugo
markings !
Many of these vehicles were sold as surplus to civilians in the 1970ies and
1980ies.
I think they were really used and not wasted or scrapped, as it now happens
with the
M 151s. I believe the "NO" to reimports to the US has to do with contracts
of the
manufacturers and the US Government, to make sure they get new defence
contracts.
In this context the civilian markets for the manufacturers are not so
significant. Otherwise
they would have prevented the use of the vehicles in Europe, as it is an
interesting
market also.
P.S.: after the Gulf War, a bunch of HUMMERs given to the Saudi turned up
in Europe
on the collector market !
Lars-Uwe Rudek
<RUDEK@SHH-HAMBURG.DE>
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