Practically Classics Forum

What did you do in the war?
Today someone told me that MG made single seater Tanks. Got to wondering what other car/bike makers did? thought it might make an interesting feature. Tried to research it myself but got lured away by the warm glow of the T.V.
Wonder if anyone else has ideas on articles they'd like to see but can't be ar**ed to do the legwork?

MG made much military equipment during WW2, as did many factories, not least the automotive and railway factories (R.J. Mitchell, the designer of the Spitfire fighter, started off in the railway industry). My grandfather worked for A.E.C. (The bus and lorry people) and they built military vehicles. My grandfather worked in the experimental department and worked on all sorts of things, including captured German tanks (We still have two small stools that he made using the cushions taken from one such tank; furniture was not readily available then).

So far as MG are concerned, amongst the many things they made, were turrets for bombers and I’m sure they assembled Matilda tanks. Post war they also built more than simply MG. Riley production moved to Abingdon, most Austin Healeys were built there and until 1964, so were Morris Minor Travellers. This book is on my to get list - http://www.veloce.co.uk/shop/products/p ... d_id=V4114.

I know (from reading a history of the subject) that Henry Ford supplied materials and armaments to the Nazis during the war.....

I take it that was prior to December 1941

Martin Evans wrote:I take it that was prior to December 1941

Now I can't quite remember, but he was a rabid anti-semite, and was very pro-Nazi before the war, so this may have started before 1939, whether it continued after 1941 (but against the wishes ofthe US government) I'm not sure, but I have a vague recollection that in fact it did!

He was a nasty piece of work at any rate, was old Henry.

Standard Motor Company built the de Havilland Mosquito Fighter/Bomber at their Canley site.

How about the French?







Système élastique breveté, eh?

Little known fact loosley linked to Fords "leanings" during the mid to late 30's.

One of the first missions of patrolling US submarines in the "Far Pacific" was to stop and sink several US Merchantmen within reach of Japanese waters.

6 such ships were carrying Aero engines and what could be deamed as possible "war Materials"under civilian contract's to japan from suppliers in the US including Ford, Grumman, General Motors etc.

All crews too close to the Japanese Islands were made to abandon ship, and join the sub crews, before the ships were either scuttled or sunk by the Subs deck guns.

Supposedly to prevent such materials reaching the Japanese!.

No one has ever reasoned why said vessels could not have been simply ordered to return to port with there cargo's!

MG Mal wrote: No one has ever reasoned why said vessels could not have been simply ordered to return to port with there cargo's!

I suspect money may have been behind it (Insurance perhaps). Seems totally bananas; afterall the US, USSR, Chinese, Australians or the British would, I am sure, have found a use for said cargo

Probably done so they could blame it on "zie germans" when they were asked where the cargo was