Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Skip the text and check out the photos of these long-since-abandoned motors

RJ

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2256470/Haunting-pictures-Belgian-car-graveyard-US-soldiers-hid-beautiful-vintage-motors-WWII.html
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[peter scott]

Sad piccies. As you imply the text is misleading at best and probably just plain wrong.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[stuchamp]

eeeeek...........3 of them are Studes!!

[V8 Nutter]

The text is probably totally wrong, although American service men stationed in the U.K. had to pay to take their cars back home. Cars left behind were supposed to be sold to officially recognised dealers who would pay all the taxes and import duty. That didn't always happen in the 50's and 60's. Cars were often left on the bases and were sold off privately the new owners registered them quite often without paying tax.

Most of the major American car companies had assembly plants in Belgium, where European spec cars were built from kits. I believe the last official Studebaker dealer in the world was in Belgium, sellingspares long after the Studebaker company had folded

[Roger-hatchy]

Did you read the article about the waterlogged Bentley
Evidently the owner has a 1940 Land rover, must be woth a fortune

[Penman]

Hi

[Peter_L]

The Chatillon Scrapyard.

As several forum members have said, the "story" behind these cars was quite possibly wrong. What is really unfortunate is the fact that the incorrect text repeats itself across several websites and news reports.

By the time many of these photos were taken, the size of the scrapyard had been reduced to perhaps less than 1/4 of its original size. By the end of 2011 only a few remnants remained.

Although most of these vehicles were once owned by U.S military personnel, the connection with WWII is somewhat misleading.

US forces had a huge presence in Europe after WWII, but in 1966, after France had quit Nato, General De Gaulle asked them to leave France, immediately !.

The US introduced Operation Freloc. "Fast Removal and Relocation" and by 1967 they were gone.

The numbers, men and materials, were enormous and the operation was at times chaotic.

Although a significant number of personnel and equipment was moved to Germany, there was also shipment of both, back to England and the U.S.

Although I have been unable to find exact references to motor vehicles, a report, (link below) does mention the inadequate handling of personal effects. It is likely that hundreds, if not thousands of private vehicles were left behind at French bases.

Whatever was left behind became the de facto property of either the French Government or the first man through then gates.

Based on what I know of the military leaving bases in places such as Aden, it is more than likely that the vehicles were rendered useless by their previous owners, before being removed to their last resting place by a scrap dealer in Chatillon.

When photographs of the cars started to appear on the internet it is not difficult to imagine that the number of visitors to the site would have increased, after which a combination of environmental watchdogs and the town council forced a clean up.

As yet I have not been able to contact any U.S veterans who were part of the "Freloc Operation".

http://www.gao.gov/assets/190/188705.pdf

For additional US Government information. Search "Freloc France"

Although the vehicles have now been lost, it is thanks to a few intrepid car fanatics and photographers that at least the images remain. Perhaps this post and the enquiries that I have made in the UK, Europe and the U.S will bring forth additional information.

peterhlawford at gmail dot com