Whatever became of the Bantam Round Nose BRCs?

Bob N · Post by **Bob N** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 8:34 am

In studying the jeep surpluse article in LIFE January 3, 1944 I made a discover, perhaps noticed by others. I scanned the picture in at very high resolution so that I could blow the picture up larger than the orginal.

http://www.42fordgpw.com/bantamroundnose.html
See the closeups on the above page. So at least TWO round nose Bantams were sold as surplus. These in turn would have been resold to the public. Who? So it appears that at least two of the round nose Bantams survived the Army. What happened to them? They're out there or at least they were!

wcdowdle · Post by **wcdowdle** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:12 pm

This picture was taken in Chicago. Berg s jeeps on Wabash Street, I think, Berg bought the first surplus jeeps, he kept records of the jeeps sold. I am not sure who ended up with that I bought all the original pics off the wall and was asked if I wanted the paper work.

Bob N · Post by **Bob N** » Sun Nov 13, 2005 1:13 pm

Did you get the paper work?

blynch · Post by **blynch** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 7:00 am

Bob, Start looking in North Georgia, that is where 2/3 of them went..as I'm sure you know. is it Fort Oglethorpe? (poor memory)..... and yes, Wayne has all those original Berg pix..........some of my favorite stories are Hybicki and his crew digging through the basement of that place after the road had fallen in!!Sure wish I was with them just to see a real piece of history. that was probably fifteen years ago. time flies......

pierino · Post by **pierino** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 7:03 am

blynch wrote:....some of my favorite stories are Hybicki and his crew digging through the basement of that place after the road had fallen in!!Sure wish I was with them just to see a real piece of history. that was probably fifteen years ago. time flies......

...

...I started flying to Chicago on 1982...I guess I missed a chance...

ciao
maurizio

Bob N · Post by **Bob N** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 7:06 am

Yes, but I'm interested in what happened to them when they were surplused to Berg.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 7:35 am

Yes, but I'm interested in what happened to them when they were surplused to Berg.
Code: Select all
Or after.... 8)    Who isn't? :shock: 

Ted Gates · Post by **Ted Gates** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 8:02 am

Not that I know anything about Bergs, I do know that Lloyd White in OR has some paper work from Bergs. Perhaps he can shed light on some of this.

Another surplus company was Wilenski in Minneapolis. I think they were responsible for some of the GPs in Northern MN but I have no proof (use to go to them as a kid...oh to be young again!).

Another person you could ask is Lee Paramore near Quincy, Florida. He has paper work from auctions right after WWII. I saw some of them several years ago, very cool. He had serial numbers and auction prices documented!

Perhaps this helps....Ted Gates

blynch · Post by **blynch** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 8:02 am

Bob, If you don't want to search through north Georgia, you might try Lloyd White, he's got all of Berg's original books (I'm sure this is public knowledge).....he is one of the originals and a CLASS ACT......

Keith Buckley · Post by **Keith Buckley** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 9:53 am

It may be public information, but I was not aware that Lloyd had Bergs books. As recently as 2 years ago I was told someone else had them, and I am still trying to get a copy...

Is this the list of Hood numbers, Serial numbers, engine numbers, and delivery dates?

wcdowdle · Post by **wcdowdle** » Mon Nov 14, 2005 3:02 pm

Keith, I think you are on to something with Lloyd. I discussed the sale of these protos with Lloyd and told him the paper work was still there in the file cabinets. I looked at them but it would have taken a couple of days to sort out paid invoices, receivables, titles, items puchased on surplus sales. Berg had a copy of a check framed on the wall from Sears for alot of $$. Berg was supplying Sears jeep parts for years in the60s and early 70s and sent alot to the Phillipines. Berg was the original king of jeeps!!!!!!!!! Ken Hakes bought all the prototype jeep parts from Bergs.

Bob N · Post by **Bob N** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 2:29 pm

Blynch are you the Blynch from Tenn? If you are drop me a line, please. Wesley M Phillippi told me to contact you. If it's not you, my appologies.

Joshua Sayre · Post by **Joshua Sayre** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:16 pm

lets find those records i have nothing to do on the weekends at college, haha. Are these records still in chicago?

Bob N · Post by **Bob N** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:34 am

Can you be more specific? The first bantam had a round nose and round fenders...the next 70 had a round nose and "square" fenders like those in the picture you linked too. The "production" Bantams had a flat nose and square fenders.

So what I was interested and perhaps others with real money, is what happened to the round noses that were sold to Berg and then subsequently sold. We can see only two and we know where a third is (a museum - Heinz, I believe)...what about the other 67 (and of course the pilot rumored to have been cannabilized after being wrecked)?

68427vette · Post by **68427vette** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:55 am

Interesting comment about " real money", but no comment.
I was just wondering about what this pretained to, i am uneducated on this matter, and wanted to know a bit more. Always looking for more information, about historical items.
i have over 60 WWII trucks and an additional 50+ more other non military, so money is NOT Factor. just wanted more info. not ill lated comments. jc

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Whatever became of the Bantam Round Nose BRCs?

Whatever became of the Bantam Round Nose BRCs?

Re: Whatever became of the Bantam Round Nose BRCs?

bergs

Re: are these a pair?

interesting

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