What bus is this?

[rrau]

This photo was shot by a German soldier in Finish Lappland sometime during spring 1942 and summer 1944. I have tried to identify the bus manufacturer and model, but have so far failed. Anyone who can help me out here?

Rune

[davidb]

The radiator looks Ford/Fordson-ish.

[Ian]

I thought that!

[G-CPTN]

Originally Posted by davidb

The radiator looks Ford/Fordson-ish.

My initial reaction, too!
What presence did Ford have in Germany?

Until 27 January 1950 all Ford's European operations other than in the USSR were run from Dagenham.
The earliest presence of the Ford Motor Company in Germany was a parts operation set up in Hamburg in 1912. It was not until 1925 that an assembly plant was constructed in Berlin where Model T trucks were made from imported parts.
In 1931 production moved to a new plant in Cologne on a site made available by the mayor of the city, Konrad Adenauer and from that time an increasing proportion of the Ford vehicles sold in Germany were also made in Germany rather than being imported.
With the outbreak of war, car production continued at first with the Taunus being made until 1942 but increasingly military production took over, building trucks and armed personnel carriers for the German armed forces. Most notably was the V3000 V-8 truck series.

From Wiki.

Ford V3000:- http://www.9thsspanzer.com/Images/Ph...uck2004-01.jpg

[davidb]

From CF Klapper's British Lorries, 1900-1945:

http://i1111.photobucket.com/albums/...7/DSCI0343.jpg

[G-CPTN]

1935 Ford bus:- http://media.photobucket.com/image/1...rdschbus35.jpg

[Ian]

So Rune I think we can safely say it is a Ford. Also welcome to the forum.

[rrau]

Thank you all, it is great to get expert help on this topic! I had previously checked out the Ford as a possibility, but obviously the newer versions 1937-39, which has a quite different radiator look. Great to have an ID on that bus.

I continue with an other bus, from same source and same place. The photo is a bit dark, but the bus is still quite visible. The radiator is covered, but the shape should give some ideas about the manufacturer. Though the key information is the lion on the top of the radiator, which I also have made larger on a separate scann. I have looked around on the net and consulted various books about trucks and buses, but so far I have failed to find this lion anywhere. Any suggestions?

Rune

[davidb]

Wild guess: Scania-Vabis?

http://rpmedia.ask.com/ts?u=/wikiped...Truck_1950.jpg

[G-CPTN]

I would say that the bus is of German or Austrian origin (based on the script on the destination blind).

Someone needs to have a breakthrough with that lion emblem . . .

Not Saurer (Swiss) or Henschel as far as I can tell (and not Mercedes Benz).