Class 135 Crash Truck - Steel Soldiers::Military Vehicles Supersite

milfireguy · 09-11-2008, 19:52

Found these former Classified photos today at the National Archives while doing research on the Class 530 Army fire truck. Rig is a 1943 Chev-Oren crash truck, USA 507361.

jasonjc · 09-11-2008, 20:06

Any good info on the 530's. I know some of us here have them. And I'm trying to get another one. Are you getting info for a book maybe???

milfireguy · 09-11-2008, 20:42

I am doing research on the original Class 530 manufactured in 1945. This would be the granddaddy of the 530A, 530B and 530C. Seems 24 of these trucks were produced on the GMC 2 1/2 ton, 6x6 chassis. Information from the Corps of Engineers records from the era indicates the contract for the fire body was awarded to "McCabe-Powers Auto Body Company in St. Louis. McCabe-Powers also built truck bodies and trailers for the Army during the war including moble photo labs and shoe repair trailers. Information in Army TM 9-2800, Oct 47 indicates the the Class 530 body was constructed by General Detroit, while the C of E records say different. There were also an unknown number of Class 530s built by the Central Fire Equipment Co. around 1950, but I have been unable to locate records for those trucks. As far as a book, I would like to do something in the future. I have a data base of Army fire apparatus from 1932-1950 with some 8000 entries covering the 10,000 fire trucks built by and for the Army during that period.