OK, I hear some of you asking what does LRDG and 30cwt stand for. This post is due to a book that was recommended on Straightstack ( see my side bar) . The book is called "Killing Rommel" by Steven Pressfield. It is a novel about the British "special unit" known as the Long Range Dessert Group or LRDG. Their objective was to go after Rommel, to kill or capture him during the North African Campaign of WWII. The book is based on the memoir of R. Lawrence Chapman, who fought with this group.
Early in this groups existence, they used Ford trucks. But after 1941, they switched to, and preferred the Chevrolet 1 1/2 ton (or 30cwt). This was a Canadian built Chevrolet supplied without the cab and modified for dessert war fare.
As my friend on Straightstack pointed out, imagine driving one of these in sand and when temperatures during the day were over 110 F. My hats off to those that did.
1941 Chevrolet 30 cwt LRDG
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Actually, Chapman is a fictional character. He is surrounded by actual LRDG leaders in the book, however.
ReplyDeletePressfield's unique writing convention makes it really sound like an authentic memoir.
I just listened to the book on CD and was completely impressed by the work these men did with these trucks during WWII. I so believed that R. Lawrence Chapman was a real person I have spent a good part of the day trying to find out more about him. I came across your site trying to determine if he was real or not. I also wanted to look up the book that "Stein" wrote - the manuscript that Major Chapman carried throughout the conflict - and even tried to look up the motion picture that was eluded to in the book that was made from this manuscript. It is too bad he was not real, with his accomplishments, meeting Rommel, getting the DSO and the Military cross - but then again he was probably a composite of those who did do the deeds depicted in this book. Anyway, thanks for the picture you provided. It was interesting to see the vehicles fitted out - and to find out they were, like me, Canadian made.
ReplyDeleteR. Robinson
robnsons@shaw.ca