From wheels to weapons

A large fleet of commercial vehicles in the 0.75- to three-ton payload range had been brought into service in anticipation of hostilities with Germany during the late 1930s, these being used for both the transportation of motorised infantry and more general transport and logistical work. There was still a widespread shortage of vehicles though, which became more acute when the Army was mobilised for war.

During WWII, the British Army underwent a complete transformation as the number of its vehicles grew from 40,000 to 1.5 million. These vehicles ranged from tanks and giant transporters to staff cars, ‘Tilly’ jeeps, scout cars and mobile offices. To satisfy the considerable and urgent demand for these vehicles, the British motor industry (with some support from the USA) rapidly switched production to assist in the war effort.

In the UK (and Continental Europe) no private cars, commercial trucks or automotive parts were made for personal use during WWII, with fuel strictly rationed and non-essential car owners’ vehicles decommissioned. The British automotive sector quickly reorganised its production facilities to produce everything from tin helmets, jerry-cans and weapons, to tanks and aircraft.

One style of British vehicle in particular became an essential tool in the UK’s armoury, the ‘Tilly’ light utility car. Faced with a lack of basic functional vehicles, the Ministry of Supply coordinated with the major British car manufacturers to produce military utility versions of their existing mid-size saloon cars, with the front end from the B-pillar forwards retained, but the rear bodywork swapped for a simple pick-up load bed.

Most of these utilitarian Tilly cars were based on the existing late-1930 10hp saloon models, made by the leading British car makers Austin, Morris, Hillman and Standard, plus the Ford and Vauxhall American subsidiaries. The resultant simple and cheap mass-produced Tillies could be used for almost any military purpose, although these were ultimately usurped by the purpose-built American Jeep later during WWII.

Throughout WWII, British vehicle makers, large and small, played key roles supporting the war effort, from the large motor manufacturers such as Austin, Morris and the Rootes Group, through to luxury car makers like Daimler and Rolls-Royce, plus a raft of component manufacturers such as Dunlop, SU, Smiths and Solex. All of these played a vital part of the supply chain, not just producing motor vehicles, but also aircraft, tank parts and guns, with the main car and commercial vehicle makers of the era contributing in the following ways;

AEC: Better known as a double-decker bus maker, AEC built the Matador and Marshall heavy duty trucks for the war effort.

Alvis: Warwickshire-based luxury car maker Alvis carried out war production of aircraft engines (as sub-contractor to Rolls-Royce), plus other aircraft equipment and armoured cars in its ‘shadow’ factories.

Aston Martin: The small sport car maker produced vital aircraft components during WWII.

Austin: One of Britain’s leading vehicle producers, Austin made ‘Tilly’ utility vehicles and two-ton trucks, many of which were used as ambulances and troop carriers. Austin also made essential components for Bristol Mercury aircraft engines and assembled more than 5,000 aircraft (including Lancaster Bombers and Horsa gliders) at its large Longbridge facilities, as well as its Cofton Hackett shadow factory. Austin also produced over 500,000 tin helmets, 600,000 jerry-cans and around 44,000 mines and depth charges, as well as a host of other essential military supplies.

Crossley: The Manchester car and bus maker produced a quad three-ton lorry, alongside major vehicle production for the RAF.

Daimler: The luxury car maker (by Royal Appointment) built more than 6,000 Dingo four-wheel-drive scout cars, plus almost 3,000 larger Daimler Armoured Cars, armed with a two-pounder gun. Daimler also produced more than 10 million aircraft parts during the war, in addition to tank components, including epicyclic gearboxes for around 2,500 Crusader, Cavalier and Covenanter tanks. It also made 74,000 Bren guns and numerous aircraft components. These included 50,800 Bristol radial aero-engines – Mercury, Hercules and Pegasus – plus propeller shafts for Rolls-Royce aero-engines and 14,356 gun-turrets for bombers, including their Browning machine guns.

Ford: Ahead of WWII, Ford’s Dagenham factory was the largest car plant in both Britain and mainland Europe. During WWII, Ford’s Dagenham plant made 360,000 vehicles, plus a second factory in Manchester produced 34,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines for more than 40 military aircraft, famously including the Supermarine Spitfire. Ford Motors British war time production was mainly centered on War Office lorries, code named WOT1 to WOT6, ranging from three-ton cargo trucks, down to command and staff cars. In Nazi Germany, Ford’s Cologne-based factory built a wide variety of weapons to attack Britain and its Allies, causing something of a moral dilemma for the American motoring parent company.

Guy Motors: The Wolverhampton truck maker made the Quad Ant artillery tractor. Guy also designed a welded armoured vehicle which was produced in large numbers by Rootes luxury marque, Humber.

Leyland: The North West lorry builder developed and produced a mobile machinery and stores truck which was also adapted as a recovery vehicle.

Morris: Lord Nuffield, the founder of Morris Motors, was close to the British Government and was developing various tanks and aircraft well before war was officially declared. Morris and other Nuffield Group car companies, including MG, Riley and Wolseley, had many factories producing vehicles, including the Morris 4x4 gun carriage and 10HP Tilly. Wolseley produced a range of armoured carriers, and Morris made a variety of tanks, beginning with the Cruiser. In addition, the main Morris plant in Oxford assembled aircraft engines, repaired damaged Spitfires, produced gun barrels, scout cars, amphibious DUKWs, plus the Morris Commercial C8 FAT (Field Artillery Tractor), commonly known as the Quad.

Rootes Group: Through its Hillman, Humber and Karrier marques, Rootes made  the Humber staff car (as famously used by Field Marshall ‘Monty’), scout car and armoured car, the Humber 8cwt 4x4 field ambulance, the Hillman 10HP Tilly and Karrier four-wheel-drive three-ton truck.

Rover: Respectable car maker Rover built Bristol Hercules aircraft engines during WWII, as well as Bristol Merlin connecting rods, valves, pistons, spring and other gear. Immediately post-war, Rover went on to develop the celebrated Land Rover off-roader, with early examples made with Birmabright, due to a surplus left over from Spitfire aircraft production at the near-by Castle Bromwich plant.

Scammel: The London heavy commercial vehicle maker made Pioneer recovery trucks and tank transporters during WWII, plus smaller ‘mechanical horses’ to undertake essential depot work.

Standard: Family car maker Standard built 1,100 Mosquito aircraft at its Canley factory. It also turned out Airspeed Oxfords, Bristol Mercury VIII engines and cylinders, Bristol Beaufighter fuselages, Beaverette light armoured cars and its 10HP and 12HP-based Tilly utility vehicle.

Vauxhall: General Motors UK division produced 3-ton trucks, adapted to many uses, in Luton, as well as the Churchill tank (as used in ‘Operation Goodwood’ in the June-August 1944 Normandy campaign). Vauxhall also designed inflatable decoy trucks and string and canvas decoy aircraft. It made tooling for the Hercules aircraft engine too, and assisted in the development of the Mosquito, Lancaster and Halifax aircraft. The GM subsidiary also worked on mines, torpedoes, radio location equipment and bombs.

With the USA not joining WWII until early 1942, American new vehicle production continued unabated until February of that year. All notable US vehicle manufacturing factories then rapidly converting to military-only production of munitions, tanks, trucks and aircraft, with Willys, Ford and Bantam churning out thousands of ‘war hero’ Jeep 4x4s. By December, Detroit had become the USA’s ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ and didn't resume civilian vehicle production until the war ended 75-years ago, as with the UK.

Immediately post-war, in the UK steel was only available to British businesses that exported at least 75 per cent of their production by 1947. This, coupled with the inevitably limited competition from war-torn Continental Europe, and with strong demand for new vehicles, resulted in British vehicle exports reaching record levels, with the UK becoming the world's largest motor vehicle exporter.

In 1937 the UK provided 15 per cent of world vehicle exports, for example. By 1950 however, 75 per cent of British passenger car production and 60 per cent of its commercial vehicles were sold overseas, the UK providing a whooping 52 per cent of the world's exported vehicles overall, making it the second largest car producing nation on the planet, after the USA.

Today, 75 years on, Great Britain is the seventh largest maker of passenger cars, with the USA now sixth, behind China (the biggest), Japan, Germany, India and South Korea. Much has changed over the last 75 years.