GENERAL MOTORS 1943 “FOX” RETURNS TO OSHAWA ON 80th ANNIVERSARY OF DEPLOYMENT
(This video is a combination of a four part series posted on our Social Media channels)
The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum is pleased to announce that it has acquired an exceptionally rare Second World War vehicle that was produced by General Motors of Canada in 1943, at the Oshawa Assembly plant.
Get up close and inside this rare Canadian built vehicle.
During the Second World War; Canada produced over 800,000 military vehicles for the Allies, most of which were deployed to Europe for use with Commonwealth forces. The General Motors of Canada FOX Armoured Reconnaissance Car (GM FOX) was based on an earlier British Humber Armoured Car, but adapted to a Canadian Military Pattern truck (CMP) chassis and built with weapons and components available in North America. With a total war time production of 1506, it saw operations in Italy, the UK, North Africa, North-West Europe and India. Most notably deployed with the Canadian Forces fighting in Italy from 1943-1944. There are only seven known complete examples of this Canadian built-vehicle across the globe.
This particular vehicle was built in September 1943 in Oshawa and deployed to Italy. It would have been used as an Armoured Reconnaissance vehicle on the front lines of the conflict. After the war it was given by the Canadian Government to the Italian Air force, where it was used as a security vehicle to defend aerodromes until its retirement in the 1950s. A private collector found the hull of the vehicle and meticulously restored at the CRCS onlus Museum in Tricesimo Italy, where it had been on display until it was put up for sale earlier this year.
The GM FOX was purchased for the Museum with the generous support of The Dunkley Charitable Foundation. It will be revealed to the public in a special ceremony on Saturday 23 September, returning to Oshawa where it was built in September 1943 for Canadians to learn from and enjoy exactly 80 years after it was deployed to Europe during the Second World War.
Most of Canada’s Second World War vehicles never returned home after the conflict; being gifted to many nations around the world. Examples of these vehicles that were actually deployed to the theatre of war are rare in North America. This 1943 General Motors FOX is an important artifact that tells the story of Canada’s wartime production, the ingenuity and productivity of our “home front” and our Nation’s contributions to one of history’s most pivotal conflicts. It is fitting that it will be returned to the city, where it was built 80 years ago, and be displayed here to tell that story for generations to come.
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