Feedback on this subject has come from an unlikely source; Godwin Hampton wrote in from Malta with startling news! 

The article about the War Train is most interesting, especially since I now know that I have something made by the South Afrcan Railways!

The bipod taken from the Small Arms Training pamphlet No.9, 1939 and 1943 editions.
 
Well, about a year ago I bought a 3" Mortar bipod over the internet from a guy in Greece, and when it arrived and I took it to bits for blasting, the South African acceptance mark (a crow's foot mark inside a U) appeared.

Crosshead, marked ML (Muzzle Loading) 3" MOR MK II*. SAR 1942
 
Now I know who made it.....and why it has the letters S.A.R hand stamped on it. The forgings have a mark which was a female on the die and so appears a male on the part. The mark consists of a capital B with the letter F inside the top half and the letter X inside the bottom half of the 'B'.

 
 
Now all I need for it are a base plate and a barrel!
 
How's that for GLOBALISATION...interesting to see how it is all coming together....
 
Thanks for providing interesting information,
 
Best Regards
 
Godwin Hampton

 The forging mark can be clearly seen, and near the bore, a 90 and the Union of South Africa Government Equipment sign, a pheon in a capital U.

Can anybody give any clues as to the forging markings? Can anybody help Godwin with the rest of his mortar? He has sourced a sight in the Netherlands.

The full Mortar, taken from the Small Arms Training pamphlet No.9, 1939 and 1943 editions.

In fact, the ‘crow’s foot’ is actually a broad arrow head, or ‘pheon’, used for around 500 years, maybe even longer, to identify government property. 

Andy Selfe

February 2010

Jan Fouche has provided the following photographs with captions on the ongoing work to the Oshkosh.

Winch spiraldrive with gear and broken segments of brass gear removed

We had the drive gear pressed to remove it from winch spiraldrive to replace oil seal

Right front fender being stripped of all paint and torn plate welded

Replacing broken winch mounting bolts

Repair kit for 4way valve

Rear end of chassis with stop segment plate replaced

Radiator back from cleaning and repairs

New brake booster fitted to rear diff

Left front fender removed to repair bent mounting

Left front fender ready to remove paint

Leaking 4way valve stripped for repair

Front view showing both fenders removed for cleaning and repairs

Floor cover plate removed to repair oil leaks and leaking splitter valve

Broken handbrake override valve on the right and new replacement on the left

Broken brake booster stripped and found that it had to be replaced

Bottom segment plate also replaced

Sandstone Heritage Trust has recently reached an agreement with the Armour Museum, Bloemfontein to restore an M20 Diamond T Tractor Unit and an M9 Rogers trailer , the combination being designated the 'M19 Tank Transporter'.

Between 1941 and 1945 about 6,554 M19 tank transporters were built to British specifications by the Diamond T Motor Car Company. The USA and the Soviet Union also used these vehicles. The combination of M20 tractor and 40/45 ton Rogers M9 trailer was capable of transporting all tanks then in use, so that even 30 years after the war these vehicles were still in service with Western armies including the German army.

The Diamond T was initially a marque of touring car with models up to 70 hp. The company later became known for its trucks. During World War 2, Diamond T produced a classic heavy truck in the model 980/981, a prime mover (tractor unit) which was quickly snapped up by the British Purchasing Commission for duty as a tank transporter tractor. Coupled with a Rogers trailer, the Diamond T gave sterling service with the British Army in North Africa, where its power and rugged construction allowed the rescue of damaged tanks in the most demanding of conditions.

By 1967, as a subsidiary of White Motor Company, Diamond T was merged with Reo Motor Company to become Diamond Reo Trucks, Inc.

Two Diamond T tractors with the correct specification trailed low bed units have been delivered to the Sandstone Heritage Trust workshops for restoration. This is in terms of an ongoing agreement we have with the Armour Museum in Bloemfontein to assist them with collecting, restoring, demonstrating and displaying Classic Military Vehicles with a South African historical background.

We have been fortunate in being able to trace manuals on the combination which have been purchased so that our technical personnel can restore them correctly. See this link.

On the following web site...

http://www.mheaust.com.au/IDF/Research/TT/DIAMOND%20T.JPG

...there is an excellent photograph of a restored Diamond T and Samson & Rogers trailer (identical to the one that we are restoring) which gives a good indication of what they look like when they are restored.

A model kit is also available for the M20 Diamond T low bed and M9 Rogers trailer on link: http://www.revell.de/manual/03226.PDF.

At the same time, friends in Malta are tackling the restoration of a similar trailer, rescued recently from the scrapman. Here is a dramatic photographic sequence of the rescue:

We hope to compare notes during the restoration!

One can already imagine Sandstone Heritage Trust's Mk IV Sherman loaded on the M19 Tank Transporter!

Last year we announced the fact that we had located a Oshkosh Tank Transporter in a scrap yard near Johannesburg. This item was duly moved to our Military Vehicle restoration facility where work has commenced. Jan Fouche and his team have given us the first update...

Battery box badly rusted and bent

All parts to be rechromed loaded and off to Jhb

Removing gear to stip winch

Rear winch roller removed

Rear end with roller removed

Rear end showing damaged roller and plates

Radiator showing visible leaks

Radiator connect hose showing sludge when removed

Radiator and front bumper removed

Pieces of broken teeth removed from winch gearbox casing

Old hoodlining removed

New airsprings received

Grillpiece to be re-chromed

Fuel tank being cleaned

Fuel gauge removed to repair

Front of truck after being stripped

Front fender badly rusted

Bonnet rusted and section to be replaced

Doorpanels removed and windows removed

Cab interior being stripped to rewire

Cab front showing rust and damage to bonnet mounts

Winch spiral showing damaged teeth

Winch showing oil leak

Winch drum after some cleaning

Winch being stripped to remove broken particles

Right hand step plate rusted and needs to be replaced

Removing rust from fuel tank

Aircleaner removed showing rusted mounting points

Our relationship with the School of Armour Bloemfontein continues to go from strength to strength.

Once again the Sandstone Heritage Trust has supported the School of Armour at the prestigious annual Bloemfontein Show. This year we sent an 88 mm Anti-Aircraft Gun and a Moffel. This is the Police version of the famous Buffel which demonstrated such versatility and reliability in Angola in South West Africa during the conflict years.

Here is a report from Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Hohls of the School of Armour Museum in Bloemfontein...

Charles Viljoen, a great friend of ours, sent us these pictures from his father's photo album taken at the end of the Second World War. These are brand new Spitfire aircraft engines which the men were instructed to throw into the sea near Port Elizabeth as being surplus to requirements...

We reported earlier on the fact that a Crusader tank, built just before the Second World War, had been offered to the Sandstone Heritage Trust. It had stood for years outside the MOTH Club House in Olifantsfontein. As a result of a cooperative agreement between the School of Armour in Bloemfontein, the Sandstone Heritage Trust and the people responsible for the tank to date, we have agreed to take it into preservation...

Click here to download the PDF

Follow up e-mail

Dear Mike, Gen and Raymond,

Excellent job done and nice article.

Just something regarding the Crusader article.

The one pictured in the article is probably a Mk VI Cruiser (A15) Crusader) (76.2mm/6pdr gun). The one moved to Sandstone (and typical of other in RSA) is probably a Mk I (A9), a Mk II (A10) or a Mk III (A13). It will be worthwhile to investigate these to know the real story.

Keep up the good work!

Kindest Regards

André

It is essentially a Buffel infantry support vehicle with extra protection for the troops on board. Modified for urban use during the apartheid era this vehicle was deployed in anti riot situations with the protection providing some insulation against projectiles such as petrol bombs etc. The army were not impressed and described the Police version as a Moffel... for a hint of the translation click http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/moffie

Like the Buffel the vehicle was of Unimog origin.

The well-known Unimog chassis is widely thought to be the best 4-wheeled offroad vehicle in the world. 'Portal' axles with reduction gears in the hubs give a combination of huge power transmission potential through a smaller differential and crown-wheel and pinion. Both these add up to give exceptional ground clearance. Coil springs allow each wheel to travel through a large arc, making sure that each wheel stays firmly on the ground. Selectable diff-locks prevent any slip between left and right and front and back, for when the going gets really tough. Into this chassis, the ADE (Atlantis Diesel Engines) equivalent of the 136 BHP OM 352 6-cylinder Mercedes Benz engine is built, which means there's no shortage of power to get away, and to achieve a top speed in excess of 90 km/hr. Thousands of these entered service with a number of armed forces.

On to this chassis is mounted a locally produced state-of-the-art two-cell mine-resistant body, specifically designed for Police use under the South African 'unrest' situations of the '80s and early '90s. What is immediately apparent is the all round visibility afforded through the enormous bullet-proof windows in both compartments. The vehicle's empty weight is 5.14 tonnes, hardly surprising that this is more than the 3.9 to 4.5 tonnes Tare for the 'normal' bodies! This allows for a 2.36 tonne load, to stay inside the 7.5 tonne design Gross weight.

Also noticeable is the lack of any wire-breaking steel upright in the front to prevent any crew-member foolish enough to ride with head or body protruding through the top from being decapitated!