New Airfix Austin K2/Y Ambulance scheme update
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
As explained in the Spitfire F Mk.XVIII update blog posted simultaneously with this second blog for this weekend, our next subject is the latest project update from our new 1/35th scale Austin K2/Y Ambulance tooling, a slightly unusual, yet totally fascinating addition to our ever growing 1/35th scale military vehicle range. This latest update allows us to share the several scheme options which will be available with the first release from this tooling, including one which mirrors a famous movie prop and another which was the star of an official photoshoot with our beloved Queen Elizabeth, not long after her eighteenth birthday.
As we have split the updates into their individual blogs this week, if you would like to quickly access the Spitfire built sample update, please just use this link to be taken straight there.
Military vehicle by Royal appointment
After turning eighteen, our Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service and was pictured in front of a pristine Austin K2/Y Ambulance.
As far as modellers are concerned, scale military vehicles have been staple modelling subject matter for a great many years now and the announcement of our new 1/35th scale kit range at the beginning of 2019 provided Airfix fans with a mature and rather extensive range of kits to select from. With new models added with successive range launches, the latest new tooling addition to this range may have come as something of a surprize to many military modellers, however, this classic vehicle had every right to be included in this range, even though it can’t claim to have heavy armour protection or the most powerful main gun.
With the First World War underlining the necessity for modern, mechanized warfare, the ability to effectively supply modern, armies with the huge amounts of fuel, ammunition, food and other commodities they would consume was crucial to the success of any military campaign and as the speed of war increased, so these supply lines began to lengthen. With horse drawn transportation still carrying a heavy burden during the Great War and even during the early stages of WWII, it became clear that effective motor transport would need to be introduced immediately, if armies were to be kept supplied. To this end, during WWII, vast numbers of supply vehicles were pressed into military service, initially simply taking existing utility truck designs and re-purposing them for military use. In addition to this, modern warfare would inevitably lead to casualties, both military and civilian, and the need to transport the injured from the scene of a battle or incident to a treatment station was yet another pressing mobility need - once again, existing truck designs would, in the main, have to adapt to this important new role. If you were sending men into battle, you also had to at least provide them with the reassurance that if they needed medical attention, it would be available quickly and efficiently.
With gathering war clouds looming large, the British Government were only too aware that their existing force of fire engines and casualty evacuation vehicles was sadly lacking and immediately set about a programme of huge expansion on this area. ‘Encouraging’ the Austin Motor Company to return to the production of trucks in support of this programme, Austin would manufacture their ‘series one’ range, which included the K2 (20-cwt) and K3 (30-cwt) vehicles, rugged and reliable commercial vehicles with few frills, but a reputation for effectiveness. Using the existing chassis and adapted cab arrangement, they easily made the transition to military service and would therefore go on to become hard working general supply trucks, fire appliances with a multitude of uses and ambulances for use both on the home front and increasingly, on battlefields across Europe and the Mediterranean.
One of the most famous vehicles of its type, the Austin K2/Y Ambulance was used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout WWII, both in the combat zones of the world and on the home front and was the perfect combination of existing automotive technologies and specially designed body shells to perform specific tasks. The vehicle utilised Austin’s two tonne K2 chassis, with its six cylinder 3462cc overhead valve petrol engine developing a reliable 63hp, which translated to a top speed of somewhere between 50 and 60 mph. The speedometer indicated a maximum speed of 80mph, but that was more than a little optimistic and with a full load of fuel and passengers, it was more likely to be half that figure.
A military ambulance for all theatres
First seen in our previous Austin K2/Y Ambulance blog update, this stunning new model tooling will be a much-loved addition to our growing 1/35th scale Military Vehicles range.
We have extensively covered the history of this famous vehicle in a previous blog, in addition to featuring both exclusive images of the test frames produced from our newly tooled 1/35th scale model representation of it and a full test kit build, so we won’t be covering that same ground here. If you would like to reacquaint yourself with these details, please use this Austin K2/Y Ambulance link to access that particular blog. For the purposes of this update, we are going to be looking at the FOUR scheme options which will accompany the initial release of this highly anticipated new kit.
The Austin K2 ambulance was born out of the civilian K30 truck, constructed in response to their Longbridge plant’s extensive support of the ongoing war effort, with would eventually result in 13,102 such vehicles produced between 1940 and 1945. When these vehicles emerged from the manufacturing plant, they were all finished in a standard British Army olive drab scheme, however, many hundreds would benefit from future repaint to suit the operating environments in which they were required to perform. Reliable and hardworking, many of these vehicles would survive the war and following service disposal, go on to be used commercially in a variety of different manners. Unfortunately, by the nature of the work they were required to do, few received much TLC from their owners and were basically required to work until they were no longer capable of doing so.
A Field Ambulance Unit was basically a mobile medical unit of the Royal Army Medical Corps and intended to serve with infantry divisions during the Second World War. Instilling a feeling of reassurance in the troops heading for combat, these units could be used to treat anything from general sickness and accidents, to the much more serious combat related injuries which were a result of conflict. Initially, a casualty might be received by a field aid station, where basic first aid could be administered. If injuries proved to be more significant, the casualty would be passed to the care of the Motor Ambulance Convoy, who would then transport multiple casualties onwards to better equipped medical facilities behind the lines, before returning to the front to await another group of casualties in need of their services.
The formation of these units adopted a pretty rigid structure, something which was followed closely until the ambulances reached their active combat deployments - this is where things were often required a little more flexibility. As combat became more intense, this kind of essential mobile support could be required across a wide area and whilst units maintained their reporting structure, they were regularly attached to different units, as and when operational requirement demanded. In addition to combat zones, these units would have to provide mobile medical support for training units and troop concentrations at home, in addition to providing back up to the civilian population at home.
Scheme B - Austin K2/Y Ambulance, British Army, North Africa, 1940.
The hostile environment of the deserts of North Africa would witness some of the most savage fighting of the entire war, lasting for over three years from early June 1940. Initially, this fighting was between British and Italian forces, with the vast expanses of desert and the ebb and flow of combat gains and retreats placing a heavy burden on the machinery of war and the men having to operate it. In this punishing environment, the robust qualities of the Austin K2/Y ambulance really did prove to be invaluable, a hardworking vehicle which required a minimum of maintenance and was always ready to do its essential duty. One feature of the vehicle which proved to be particularly noteworthy were the ambulance’s tyres, with the compound used giving these units incredible durability and the ability to operate in both on and off-road situations. Indeed, the K2/Y was equipped with a bespoke tyre inflation unit, but these proved to be virtually redundant due to the quality of tyres used.
Another interesting K2/Y ambulance feature is the fact that each and every one of these vehicles was painted in British Army olive drab when they left the Austin factory, but could receive additional paint if their intended operational deployment required it. The most dramatic presentation differences came on vehicles destined for desert use and of these, the application of the Caunter or ‘Dazzle’ scheme was definitely the most distinctive. Devised for desert use only, the Caunter scheme was a disruptive paint pattern intended to break up the profile of the vehicle and was one which had been in development with the War Office before the start of the war. Several different permutations were considered, with this particular variation being the most distinctive and the one which actually made it onto British vehicles. With painting instructions and paint stocks supplied to units training for desert deployment, the Caunter scheme adopted a three colour design and straight lines, which must have required the use of paint masking and making the process quite challenging.
Developed by a 4th Armoured Brigade commander, this scheme appears to have taken inspiration from the ‘Dazzle schemes’ applied to warships, modified exclusively for desert use and intended to create false shadows, disguising the vehicle wearing the scheme from enemy gunners looking to target it. Trials of the scheme took place in Egypt in May 1940 by the 7th Armoured Division and whilst the exact colour combinations used are still the subject of some debate, it does appear that whilst it was initially used quite extensively, it proved to be less successful than anticipated. By the middle of the following year, most vehicles operating in a desert environment would be finished in a single overall khaki/linen colour.
The cab roof of this ambulance features highly visible alternate red and white stripes, which were presumably added to make the vehicle clearly visible from the air, hopefully identifying it as a casualty evacuation vehicle and therefore making it exempt from attack. With the ambulances’ chassis being of wood and fabric construction, both driver and passengers would have been hoping that enemy forces honoured the neutrality of medical services and didn’t fire upon them.
Scheme C - Austin K2/Y Ambulance, British Army, Alexandria, Egypt, 1942.
Although sharing the same battlefields as some of the world’s most devastatingly effective tanks and artillery pieces, this soft skinned military vehicle may not have featured armament of any kind, but was just as important as any armoured fighting vehicle found in any combat zone. In the desert configuration featured here, this particular Austin K2/Y ambulance closely resembles one of the most famous British military vehicles of the Second World War and one which would become a star of the silver screen in its own right.
In the 1958 film ‘Ice Cold in Alex’, a team from the RASC Motor Ambulance Company in Tobruk became separated from the rest of their convoy, in the scramble to escape before the German Afrika Korps arrived. With German reconnaissance units everywhere, the group and their trusty Austin K2/Y ambulance named ‘Katy’ crossed the desert alone, in an attempt to reach the relative safety of British lines, experiencing many fascinating adventures on the way. Underlining the rugged reputation of this distinctive vehicle, ‘Katy’ successfully transported her crew across the desert and to a promised date with an ice cold beer in an Alexandria bar. The film introduced this wartime ambulance to the British public, instantly transforming it into one of the Second World War’s most famous military vehicles in the process.
The film proved to be a huge success and brought the impressive qualities of this unassuming vehicle to a huge worldwide audience and with each TV showing of this wartime classic, a new generation of admirers discover the qualities if this widely used ambulance. Again featuring the linen colour synonymous with British Army desert operations, the colour would start to take on a much lighter shade almost immediately, due to the bleaching power of the unrelenting sun.
Just as impactful as its film appearance, the Austin K2/Y Ambulance could also boast Royal connections, with this ubiquitous vehicle type having been driven and maintained by Her Majesty the Queen during her wartime ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service) service. The then HRH Princess Elizabeth was pictured looking extremely smart in uniform and standing in front of a pristine example of this classic vehicle at the beginning of April 1945, underlining the fact that the K2 Ambulance was as important on the Home Front as it was on the world’s battlefields.
Her Majesty The Queen began her long-standing relationship with Britain’s armed forces when the then Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS), the women’s branch of the British Army, after turning eighteen in 1945. Becoming the first female member of the Royal Family to join the Armed Services as a full-time active member, the Princess began her training as a mechanic in March 1945, undertaking a driving and vehicle maintenance course at Aldershot, qualifying the following month. The national press at the time celebrated her as the ‘Princess Auto Mechanic’, however, her father insisted that his rather determined daughter not be given a special honorary rank during her time in the Army. She started as a second subaltern in the ATS and was later promoted to the rank of Junior Commander, the equivalent of Captain.
It is interesting to note that during her time in the ATS, she would spend most of her time at the training facility, particularly as this allowed her to return home to Buckingham Palace each evening, rather than having to stay within the ‘functional’ confines of the camp. In reality, this would presumably have been a significant security risk for all concerned, so a daily commute seemed to be the most sensible option. During her time in the ATS, the future Queen learned to drive and maintain a variety of military vehicles, including the ubiquitous Austin K2/Y Ambulance which proved so important to Britain’s war effort.
Rather than this being a publicity stunt, the future Queen’s service in the ATS highlighted the valuable and potentially quite dangerous work undertaken by many thousands of women during the Second World War. It is reported that 335 ATS women were to tragically lose their lives during military service, with many hundreds more suffering injury.
Earning an enviable wartime reputation, the Austin K2/Y Ambulance would see service well into the 1960s and once demobbed, many would go on to find new civilian homes and use as anything from delivery vans to temporary homes. Underlining its importance as a military vehicle, many K2/Y ambulances have become the subject of meticulous and expensive restoration projects over recent years and they are always viewed with genuine affection wherever they appear. Restored examples are always in demand at D-Day and VE-Day commemorations, where these magnificent vehicles are just as popular as the tanks and half-tracks they share the billing with. With some 13,102 vehicles produced, the remaining restored examples serve to preserve the legacy of an iconic vehicle which shared the worlds battlefields with the armoured vehicles we more readily associate with warfare.
The four schemes above certainly highlight this appealing new kit as a valuable addition to our growing 1/35th scale Military Vehicle range and how it is now fast approaching its initial release date. With just the new box artwork and fully finished model samples to bring our readers now, we can all look forward to adding this really interesting new model to their build schedules later in the year, although which of the four schemes to choose to finish the model might prove something of a selection challenge.
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