Photo question.

[windhund116]

Found this photo in old reference book. Bundesarchiv photo of Hannes Trautloft and his Bf109F in Russia. Dog appeared to be sitting on a 1940 Ford convertible. Interesting scenario.

 

[michaelmaltby]

... probably captured in France

 

[cammerjeff]

Remember they started selling 1940 models in August or September of 1939.

I agree probably captured in France of the Low Countries in 1940.

 

[Airframes]

Or made by Ford Germany ...............

 

[Token]

Although it can be hard to tell year by body lines, the same body was used for several years, those tail lights are 1940 for sure.

The WL prefix on the license plate makes it a Wehrmacht-Luft.

Ford did maintain a pretty good relationship with Germany right up until the invasion of Poland. Ford Germany was not renamed Forde-Werke until 1939. I think Ford Germany made versions of several US designed cars until pretty late also. Wasn't the Ford Germany model V8-81 this same body style? However, this has to be a US made 1940 Ford because the ones made outside the US still had external standing headlights, which would be visible over the top of the drivers side front fender in this picture.

T!

 

[windhund116]

So this Ford was prolly not made in Germany, but imported from the US? This would need to happen after the Invasion of Poland and start of WW2.

 

[special ed]

1939-1940 Fords used common body with headlights in front fenders.

 

[Token]

So this Ford was prolly not made in Germany, but imported from the US? This would need to happen after the Invasion of Poland and start of WW2.

Below is my interpretation of how this car may have come to that point in its life.

I would say for sure not made in Germany. Although I think Ford Germany did produce a model with the same basic body (but not 1940 models) I do not think they used those chevron tail lights ever, and I know they had external headlights, where the American version the same year had faired in headlights (headlights built into the fender, rather than protruding above the fender).

Basically this is a 1940 Ford model 01A Convertible Coupe. The 1939 model 91A had very similar body lines but not those tail lights. The 1938 model 81A (which was produced under license in Germany) also had very similar body lines, but the German version did not fair the headlights into the fender.

So imported for sure. The question is, imported to Germany, imported to someplace else and then shipped to Germany, or captured after it had been imported to someplace that was later occupied?

Germany was under blockade in 39-40. But materials still came into Germany via various routes. For example, through Russia. The US was neutral, and some US companies (notably including Ford) still shipped materials to Germany, even during the blockade. Ford USA was known to have worked reasonably closely with Ford Germany, in fact had majority control of the company, and it is not inconceivable that they managed to get a few vehicles in, as examples and such. Ford USA remained in near day to day communications with Ford Germany until September 1939, and remained in less close communications right up until the fall of France, although the last American to attend a board meeting was in April of 1938. In 1939 the German government took control of many foreign companies, but Ford USA remained nominally in control of Ford Germany until rather later, communications between Ford USA and Ford Germany ended by November, 1941.

Ford SAF (France) built license copies of various US models, but not the numbers, or diversity in models, that Ford Germany built, and I don't think Ford SAF built any US based models after 1936 or so. Ford SAF did import American models, but the import tariffs on them were very high, so there were never a lot of them imported.

In general, early Fords built in Europe tended to be the same vehicles as those built in the States (Model T's, A's, etc), but from the early 1930's Ford in Europe tended to make truck models that were similar / identical to US truck models, car models that used the same basic body designs with other differences (motors, interiors, trims, etc), and wholly different Euro specific models.

The car in the picture was almost certainly built in the US, that is near 100%, it certainly was not built in Germany as passenger car production was halted before that model was introduced.

It is faintly possible it could have made its way directly to Germany (via Russia or some other source) for some reason, but normal auto imports had ceased at least 18 months before that car could have been made, so that is unlikely.

It was most likely captured after being imported to some nation Germany invaded after that model started production. The model started production and deportation in late 1939, and the picture was from some time (probably summer) in 1942. Denmark, Norway, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Yugoslavia, Greece, all are possibilities. The car could have come to Germany after Hungary, Slovakia, or Romania joined the Axis powers. The car could have come to Germany via Italy or in German support of Italian actions in North Africa.

T!

 

[windhund116]

Nice summary. I believe that Jg54 was assigned to Army Group North, in Spring 1942. Near Leningrad Front.

Will try to find specifics on location (air field) of that photos.

 

[Snautzer01]

Or made by Ford Germany ...............