ABSTRACT
Prospective buyers of vehicles had to apply to the Ministry of Munitions stating very precisely the make and model they wished to buy and the purpose for which it was required. The Ministry then supplied lists to the manufacturers in which every applicant was given a serial number and a priority rating, and the manufacturer supplied the vehicles to the applicants strictly in conformity with that. In the event America saved the situation but Britain had to get down to making its own and by the middle of the war about 2000 a week were being produced domestically. A rather similar story applied to cast-steel wheels which were imported from Belgium. Not only were the vehicles provided on time but they were accompanied by drivers, five mechanics, a couple of wheelwrights, a couple of boilermakers, and a cook. The American vehicles were left-hand drive and American manufacturers were not particularly interested in adapting their models to the British market.
