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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 13, 2019 22:54:54 GMT 12
I realised tonight I do not think I have ever seen a photo of WWII aeroplanes in the RNZAF being towed. I know that the RNZAF had aircraft tugs like Clark Tractors, and Cletracs, which they towed the Hudsons and Venturas around with, and I guess also the Avengers. But I have never seen a photo of any of these types under tow.
I also know the RNZAF had a number of farm type tractors, Massey Fergusons, Fordsons,etc, many of them impressed, and I have seen them towing fuel bowsers but never aircraft.
What did they use to tow around the P-40's, Corsairs, Harvards, Oxfords, Ansons, Dauntless, etc? And are there any actual photos of towing tractors or tugs in action?
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jun 14, 2019 0:10:47 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2019 0:12:51 GMT 12
Thanks. I'm familiar with the second photo but had not noticed that it was hooked to a tractor before. Cool.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2019 0:13:50 GMT 12
I'm wondering if they might have used Jeeps to tow some of the lighter aircraft?
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jun 14, 2019 0:30:17 GMT 12
Clarktor with Avenger. tbf_10 by tankienz, on Flickr I've never seen a Jeep used that way. I think the most unusual RNZAF one is a tracked tractor towing the Meteor. Tracked vehicles generally only used to tow flying boats. The most unsual NZDF towing incident is the LAV towing a u/s US cobra in Afghanistan.
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Post by lesterpk on Jun 14, 2019 0:41:28 GMT 12
The most unsual NZDF towing incident is the LAV towing a u/s US cobra in Afghanistan. We used an Army Pinzgauer and tie down chains to tow a Seasprite out of a rabbit hole at Wanaka while a very nervous maintenance flight commander watched on.
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jun 14, 2019 0:46:07 GMT 12
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jun 14, 2019 10:11:34 GMT 12
In Somalia we used a Toyota Hilux to tow the Andovers. However they proved very heavy for the Toyota, and a Unimog 1300 was taken up to Mogadishu for security patrols and towing the aircraft if required
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2019 10:42:58 GMT 12
Tracked vehicles generally only used to tow flying boats. The Servicing Units definitely used Cletrac tracked vehicles to tow the Venturas around up in the Pacific. Great photos and stories coming through here, thanks!
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2019 10:43:31 GMT 12
So what did they use to tow P-40's?
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Post by davidd on Jun 14, 2019 17:34:52 GMT 12
Would be interesting to know just how often aircraft were towed, both in NZ as well as overseas. Remember that operational bombers, fighters and other heavier types would usually be taxied by their pilots to their revetments or normal parking areas after operations (often dispersed), and than left there until their next operation. It was of course just as easy to taxi aircraft under their own power if they were required to be taken to the workshops area, that is so long as the engines were also serviceable. The SU's in the field and the Base Workshops at Espiritu Santo probably had permanent vehicles available, as did the flying boat bases, the latter requiring both tow boats as well as Cletracs to get them up, or down the ramps. I imagine it would often be left to the senior engineer officer or his deputies to decide which was the most convenient (and/or safest) method of moving an aircraft some distance, and weigh up the pros and cons. From about the middle of the war, it was decided that some specially trained ground staff (technical) personnel would be authorised to taxi certain aircraft, but they still did not have the much wider experience of pilots, and there were several accidents. One of the most embarrassing ones was the last remaining DH 86 Express (in Fiji) which was taxied by one of the groundcrew in tricky wind conditions, but the aircraft got away from him, and it was seriously damaged. This aircraft was being prepared for return to NZ (December 1943 from memory) but I am fairly certain it was going home as deck cargo. David D
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 14, 2019 18:37:33 GMT 12
Yes I am sure in most cases the aircraft were simply taxied, and the likes of the P-40's and Harvards, etc, could have been manhandled in and out of the maintenance hangars.
The thing the actually sparked my train of thought was seeing a photo of the P-40 ZK-CAG at Ardmore being towed by the Warbirds' tractor with tow bars to each wheel. It's commonplace to see this with the fighters and the Harvards at Ardmore but I realised I'd not seen either being towed in that manner in WWII photos.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Jun 15, 2019 10:08:37 GMT 12
Dave, I seem to recall seeing a photo of a P40 being towed by a "puddlejumper" (small truck) in the islands using a rope bridle from each main gear and a brakeman in the cockpit and two wing walkers
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Post by curtiss on Jun 15, 2019 17:03:13 GMT 12
The 1944 Harvard /T6 maintenance manual 01-60F-2 shows the triangular tow bar system ( same as used by Warbirds), The tow bar even has a part number. Considering the number of Harvards used by the RNZAF during WW2, I would be very surprised if they didn't have the correct towbars. The RNZAF certainly had all the other special tooling/GSE.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 15, 2019 17:56:17 GMT 12
Thanks for that Mike.
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chrism
Squadron Leader
Posts: 128
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Post by chrism on Jun 16, 2019 11:18:13 GMT 12
p40n_nz3172 by Chris McDell, on Flickr I came across this picture of an RNZAF P40 on the back of a modified Diamond T 968 or 969. I found this interesting as I have a Diamond T 968 I am currently restoring. Diamond T's were never officially used by NZ forces overseas and this has been converted from either a wrecker or cargo truck to a tractor unit. The NZ army had 5 Diamond T's on the books locally that were left here by the US forces stationed here but I doubt this is one of them. Interesting sign on the door too. Any ideas of the story behind this truck?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 16, 2019 12:32:28 GMT 12
That's a great photo!!
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Post by camtech on Jun 16, 2019 14:52:01 GMT 12
fascinating - is the serial readable on the original?
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Post by 30sqnatc on Jun 16, 2019 15:03:38 GMT 12
I wonder it this is runway clearance team given the Autocar wrecking crane behind so not necessarily in NZ service. The large door sign is definitely not anything I've seen on an RNZAF vehicle. The Diamond T could have an 'A' frame on the front - not certain.
Why do you think this is not a Diamond T tractor unit as Bart Vanserveen's WWII vehicle directory includes a tractor version although I must admit I've only ever seen ballast body versions never a 5th wheel tractor.
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Post by htbrst on Jun 16, 2019 15:34:08 GMT 12
fascinating - is the serial readable on the original? He's named the file p40n_nz3172 . ADF Serials has the airframe on charge August 1943 then crashed at New Georgia on 18 November 1943.
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