Wish I had the cash!

Just as an interesting aside, Easyriders magazine carried a feature on an M20 years ago. It had been "enlisted" in the Wehrmacht in WW2, complete with plaques in German for maintenance info. TP's etc. Looked to be a civilian model, can't remember the details now. Maybe something they found on the beach at Dunkirk!
DD

a huge amount of equipment was abandoned on the Dunkirk beaches, the Wehrmacht made extensive use of captured British vehicles. A motorcycle was small change in comparison. Most of the motorcycles lost at Dunkirk were requisitioned pre-war models or machines made to pre-war spec pending award of contract specifications.

There was also extensive use of captured vehicles made by both sides in the North African campaign. British forces particularly valued BMW motorcycles and Mercedes staff cars ( not least because it meant that officers not entitled to a car could run one ) while the Germans had a high opinion of the BSA and Vickers Scout cars.

there are numerous accounts of US commanders ( especially Patton ) taking quite ruthless measures during the 1944-5 campaign, to clear out unauthorised vehicles from divisional columns, often pushing them off the road and torching them or smashing the engines with hammers.

Just a comment on that bumble-bee UL...it is very nice...maybe too clean (needs heavy miles)

That rig seems to have all the goodies....but I see no ride control...

Do you figure it is an intentional omission? Would a '46 bob job have been run without, as a preference?

I think it's just missing, I doubt if it's a deliberate omission for styling reasons

reply fom VMCC

"The BSA factory records stop at 1942 (WM20 69699). We do have some cards which detail various deliveries of machines to the military during WW2.

From these cards I can tell you this BSA was part of contact no S7218 ordered 10 August 1944, to be delivered at 1,500 per month, starting May 1945 “to be made suitable for the Tropics”. There are more details on the card but they are details of the batch rather than this specific machine."

so, I would guess your machine was an early member of that batch. Unlike the US government, the British government did not immediately cancel all war contracts, but few later ones were honoured in full. The 1944 contract date would mean a 1944 production number regardless of actual date of manufacture. It appears to have a UK MOD registration dating from not before 1947, so I would guess it was issued to Home Forces and subsequently disposed of as surplus to a dealer in Canada or the US.

Thanks very much for digging out the info. Much appreciated. That's a lot more than I ever knew before. I guess it led a sheltered life, never having to go to war!
Thanks,
Dick

the US government arbitrarily cancelled Lend Lease arrangements shortly after the war, seemingly with little understanding of what this did and didn't mean. Britain also had various military and political aims and commitments which the US either didn't support, or had no interest in, culminating in the stab-in-the-back at Suez; the principal reason that the French would never subsequently trust NATO, or any other organisation perceived to be under US dominance.

One immediate consequence was that US-supplied equipment due for issue was immediately withdrawn for return, and any US equipment in use was withdrawn for sale to raise cash and support home manufacturers.

your M20 was probably originally ordered for the build-up for the aborted invasion of the Japanese mainland, issued to Home Forces and subsequently disposed of overseas, due to home market demand for these machines being oversupplied by the late 1940s - partly due to the introduction of the BSA ohv B31 and B33 models, which were never exported in any great numbers.

H'mm, the ugly American again rears his ugly head... I'd read over the years that even early on, circa the Atlantic Charter, Roosevelt had no wish to support the continuance of the British Empire after the war. However, I hadn't ever read up on Suez. It was just something I vaguely remember in the papers as a 9yr old. Just took a couple quick looks on the web, seems big oil, anti Semites, all had a hand in American policy at that time. Interesting, but I guess not surprising. We wanted the British out in the Mid east oil countries, so our oil industries could have more their way it seems.
As for the French, my, and I think many American's, take on them was that they were feeling snubbed that "American" had supplanted French as the international language as one star rose and the other fell. They were just sore losers, so to speak. Obviously, the news we got over the years was somewhat slanted
Not trying to start any political wars here, just commenting on how the same events can take on entirely different meanings depending on your geopolitical location. Thanks for sharing your side of the story. Knowledge beats ignorance every time.
Dick
And all a long way from a single measly M20's life story...

[Pa]

Glad you folks are leaving out the political content. I'll bet you all this though..... if one was to collect, a school history text book, from every nation on earth, one would find.... not one of them.... would tell any story of history, the same. Dates and places would be correct. Issues and answers would vary considerably. And all of those history text books would claim to be accurate. Here on this forum, we all come from different walks of life. We are different nationalities, different races, different genders. Motorcycles are what brings us together. We gladly share our knowledge and passion for the two wheeled machines. We help and are helped. Most of us are proud of our heritage, nationality, race, gender, nation. And we all should be ! Most of us have no say, whatsoever, in our personal nations policies. But here ?????? We can be whom we really are !! There is good reason for keeping political content off of this forum. It ruffles feathers. It insults. It steps on toes. THUS.... No political anything ! Pa

My wrist has duly been slapped.
You're right Pa, History being another hobby, I got weak.
DD

I've worked in the US on occasion, worked with Americans more often, and I've seen US domestic coverage of international affairs...... I don't understand American politics.

on the other hand, they have taken the Duchess Fergiana off our hands, have kept Maggie from doing any more harm in her dotage and will ( hopefully ) bankroll Phoney Tony's absence from the scene giving motivational speeches for a good many years, so I suppose we should be grateful for small mercies. Even if the President's wife did cuddle the Queen.. 'er Maj ( Gawd bless 'Er ) is a game old bird and she's put up with a lot worse in her time.

as for the French, who knows why they do what they do, we certainly don't.. but a nation who gave the world Asterix, Rene Artois, Tin Tin and Inspector Clouseau can't be all bad

[Pa]

Wasn't pointing any fingers at anyone in particular. Just stating the truth. Glad the two of you understand this. Now to go digest some really good eats. Toffee with a bit of tea on the side, maybe a salad with French or Italian dressing, A batch of fried perrogies, some sweet and sour pork, a dish of saurkraut, pizza, kentucky fried chicken, taco, yeah buddy !!!! It's all GOOD ! To bad the damn leaderships are not like us !

Brit...

I'm American, working and living in German.......And I don't understand American Politics........

But I would like to see one thing ......

Get rid of the "Political Double Talk/Diplomatical Language"...

How about some plain talk?

Got a problem with a country??

Don't send 1900 envoys to visit them and talk a bunch of garbage that isn't doing nothing but waste time.

Call the offending/agravating leader......

Tell them straight......Knock off your bullsh!t......or we are going to come and kick your a$$ back to the path that the rest of the world is considering the right one to be on.

George

[Pa]

See why no politics !!! Now even George is getting heated ! It takes a hot spark to ignite George. Damn Georgians ! Their worse than the Buckeyes !! tell ya what.....lets fight over whose farts stink the worst ! IT AIN"T MINE ! OK...I started the fart feud. Bring it on ya little stinkers ! Or don't your shit stink too sometimes ? Oh crap !!! I just tested a fart and it turned out to be a .........................got to go wipe now.

George