A LITTLE CCKW FUN

[Joe Gopan]

Some CCKW bang for your buck.
My WWII friend and mentor, Bill Knight, hauled bombs in CCKW's in the MTO and told of unloading them by backing up and stopping quick.

[Joe Gopan]

Anyone else have a 100# Bomb by Bombs Away LLC?
They can be ordered with a custom wood base with a brass plaque engraved to suit. It looked good on my fireplace mantle but my wife didn't think so. Am going to have a new plaque engraved in memory of Andy, one of our mechanics. Andy was assigned to the 14th Fighter Group during the 46-49 period and was sent to ground school at MUROC on the new P-84B Thunderjet the 14th was due to receive. While Andy was at MUROC he witnessed X-1 flights by Chuck Yeager in late 1947. Andy was also an F-80C Crew Chief for 3 years in Korea with the 8th Fighter Bomber Group, 80th Fighter Bomber Squadron (Head Hunters) and spoke fondly of the F-80.

[Joe Gopan]

What else is coincidental about this post War Dow Field history is that the Air guard CO, B/Gen Phillip E. Tukey was a former Squadron CO. of 56th Fighter Group Zemkes Wolfpack and a wartime CO of the 356th Fighter Group, Col. Harrison Thyng was Air force Adviser to the Maine Air Guard, and one of the Base Commanders during this time was Glen Eagleston, a famous WWII Ace.
The newly formed Air Force Reserve Squdron at Dow had just been delivered a P-51D and Col Eagleston wanted to take it for a flight, he wiped out the tailwheel along with other damage leaving the Air Force Reserve Squadron without their new P-51.
The connections to famous WWII personnel at Dow is endless.
More to come.

[Joe Gopan]

Anyone else have bombs by "BOMBS AWAY LLC"?
I am partial to 28th Division, My Uncle Joe was a RANGER assigned to the 28th. He went into action at Utah Beach just after D-Day and was captured while leading a patrol during the Battle of the Bulge on December 20,1944.
Only got abour 20 miles on the Jimmy this past year, too busy recovering from a big handful of major surgeries over the past year.
She's raring to go tho with a full tank of Ethanol Free Gasoline. The Jimmy (and my Jeeps) notice the difference.
My SWB is ex Danish Army, it got trucked to the port at Rotterdam and was shipped 35 years ago this date and landed in Newark 10 days later via the SS Polaski as roll on freight. It got loose during the voyage and bent the front bumper. Supreme Surplus at Metuchen NJ picked it out for me in Denmark.

[Joe Gopan]

CCKW's are fun. Dr. DEUCE thinks so too! Right Steve??? Show us your latrst one.

28th Div bumper stencils courtesy of RICK LARSEN.

[70th Division]

Hello Ben,

Great post, and it is great you have the history of your truck, being from Denmark !
I rescued a WC 54 last year from a South Florida scrapping yard, just in time.
It also came back from Denmark, and has a little brass plate on the dash.
The plate has a crown on it, and their also is a dime sized tag on the radiator from a rebuild shop in Copenhagen.
I actually found the company and address listed online in a 1952 Danish phone book.

Do you have any pictures of your beautiful CCKW when you first got it many years ago ?

Best Regards,

Ray

[Joe Gopan]

I do have a handfull of my CCKW taken after arrival in USA. Will post them as soon as I come across them.

[70th Division]

Hello,


Thanks Ben !

I will be looking forward to seeing them

Best Regards,
Ray

[Frank USMC]

Ben, I think I might even have a photo of your truck when it came into Route One Surplus...it was an open cab then correct?
One of the few, Frank USMC RET

[Joe Gopan]

SWB Open Cab w/winch. End of Nov., 1st of Dec. 1983. He included a Dutch Cab WC and a couple of IH Half Track engines. Seymore would be 99 years old. Nickname was Impy, those who knew him tell me he was quite a barroom brawler and wouldn't pass up a fight. His brothert founded Sealand, the shipping container outfit. He looked cool in his Commodore Uniform he wore to the Raritan Yacht Club.and was into world class Sailing. A gentleman, second to none.
Seymore was amazed at all the surplus dealer contacts I had at the time.

[Joe Gopan]

I do have pre restoration photos of my CCKW Will try to post them here soon as I get them copied onto the computor.

[Joe Gopan]

The reason the bomb is on the front bumper is so that my CCKW can blow you a kiss.

[Joe Gopan]

There is never a dull moment when Dr. Deuce is operating his CCKW's in the area. His Clark Airborne demo is, let's say, "interesting".

[Joe Gopan]

CCKW has only a face that a mother could love. Look's awful good to me tho.
1st Series CCKW's just like mine were used 80 years ago here at DOW FIELD (Bangor Army Airfield). My friend and mentor, Bill Knight was assigned to the 30th Quartermaster Truck at Dow from June 1941 to sometime in 1942. The 43rd Bomb Group was also at Dow with B-17 E's .during that period. Two Members of the 43rd BG, Jay Zeamer, and his Bombardier, Joe Sarnoski were later awarded the MOH while serving with the 43rd in the Pacific.

[Joe Gopan]

These WWII MV's all have a story to tell, if only they could talk.
Longtime friend Elward Worster (age 93)passed away a week or so ago. Elward served in the ETO at wars end. He told of driving into storage yards full of new CCKW's, swapping hoods from his unit's well used CCKW's, and driving off with fresh trucks. Speaking of the MTO, I used to call Col, Lew Chick of Checkertail Clan fame, 6 Bf 109's, and talk at length about his post war service in the 14th Fighter Group at Dow Field i their new P-84B Thunderjets.. His wife always prepared him a Martini to get him relaxed. The 14th was full of big name WWII Aces.