Fender seats

Tractor seat fixed to a truck fender, samples.
Photos by Alan Ranger.
Additional photos to the book: Camera on No. 24 OPEL BLITZ,
ISBN: 978-83-65958-97-6
by Alan Ranger.
The Borgward Truck Type B3000S/0 was a vehicle in the 3.5 ton load
class. This truck was manufactured in 1941 by Carl F W Borgward, GnbH
in Bremen, Germany.
The B3000 was produced from 1939 to 1944 and was produced in both
4x2 rear wheel drive (the S Type) and 4x4 all-wheel drive (the A Type) in
total 30,000 B3000’s were produced but the split between 4 and 2 wheel
drive variants is unknown, the truck was produced to fulfil the requirements
of the Schell Production Rationalization Program but was not a favourite
with the troops especially on the eastern front were it was found that in
cold weather the steering became very difficult and its clutch would slip to
the extent it was undriveable, also on cross country journeys it had the bad
habit of its radiator hoses coming off due to excesive vibration. However on
the meteled roads of Western Europe the type had much more success and
was better received.
This surviving example was abandoned in Belgium in Jan 1945 having
run out of fuel later it was recovered and used by
a local farmer until being acquired for restoration
much later. The stamped steel tractor type seat fitted
to the passenger’s side wing/fender was a common
field conversion late in the war fitted to enable
an observer to be seated on the outside of the truck
were he would have a much better 360° view and
be able to see an enemy aircraft on an attack run in
time for the crew to either get out of the truck or
try to hide it under a tree or in between buildings
if that was possible.
The steel seats that were fitted by the troops
themselves were fixed in a number of different ways
some much better than others, this particular seat
is fixed to the wing by a single dome headed bolt
the stamped steel seat its self when manufactured
had 4 stamped depressions around the central fixing
point and these allowed the seat to sit flat and
level on the curved surface of the trucks wing.

The Borgward Truck Type
B3000S/0 The stamped steel seat
seen from above and clearly showing
its fixing points and the 4
stamped depressions that became
the means by which the seat was
levelled on the curved surface of
the trucks wing.

The Borgward Truck Type
B3000S/0, Passengers side wing
seat from the front, note the
head lamp fitting and the width
indicator pole attachment that of
a welded section of tube that the
indicator is slotted into and that
the stamped steel seat is fixed at
an angle however I remember that
I could move the seat around a bit
when I took the shot so this angle
is unlikely to have been as used in
service, lastly note the dome headed
fixing bolt in the centre of the 4
stamped depressions that form feet
to level the seat on the wing

The Borgward Truck Type B3000S/0, Passengers side wing seat from the front right, note the head lamp fitting and the width indicator pole.

The Opel Blitz 3,6 “S” was
a vehicle in the 3.5 ton load
class. This truck was manufactured
in 1943 by Opel Automotive
a division of the American
GM Corporation in Opel’s
Brandenburg plant Germany.
The Opel Blitz was produced
from 1937 and onwards in various
forms well in to the 1950,s,
the Opel Blitz 3.6 was produced
in both 4x2 rear wheel drive (the
S Type) and 4x4 all-wheel drive
(the A Type) and whilst precise
production figures are unknown
it was by far the most produced
truck variant of any of the AXIS
powers during World War 2, the
basic Opel original 3ton spec
was easily able to fulfil the requirements
of the Schell Production
Rationalization Program
and with only a few additions
to militarize the truck, both the
civilian and military types were
much the same. The Opel Blitz 3,6 was very well appreciated by the troops on all theatres of operation and was acclaimed
as the best of the AXIS produced transport vehicals in any class, indeed Opel’s were renowned for their ability
to start in the cold much easier than any other type.
This surviving example is a very rare example indeed, it is actually a truck built on an extended chassis of a 3.6
ton originally produced for busses, Opel produced the chassis, power train and running gear whilst the bus body was
produced by a third party coach works. However as from 1943 by government decree only production of trucks was to
continue to the detriment of all other types the few remaining unfinished buss chasses that remained in Opel’s works
were finished off by Opel as trucks but making use of their extended chassis the load bed was extended as well and
whilst one might think that this was a good thing in practice it only led to encourage the transport strapped Wehrmacht
to over load them and thus reduce their life in service, this example is the only survivor of what must have been
a very limited quantity produced in the first place. As with the Borgward it was also abandoned in Belgium in 1945
and use by locals until acquired for restoration in the late 1960’s
The stamped steel seat on this Opel is of much better construction than that seen on the Borgward but as always
it was an addition both produced and added to the truck by the unit whose troops operated the truck in service. The
seat has had a back frame welded to it that once had a padded back rest attached, it’s two hole fixing location is still
visible, the seat itself is welded to a pole that is in turn welded to a triangular base plate that has been bolted on to the
trucks steel wing/fender.

A closer view of the seat from the side with a better view of the triangle base plate mounted to the wing.

The Opel Blitz 3,6 “S” wing/fender seat seen from behind showing detail of the back rest mount and its welded construction.

The Opel Blitz 3,6 “S” wing/
fender seat seen from below and
behind showing the seat mounting
pole has been welded to a
circular mounting pad that has in
turn been welded to the stamped
steel seat.

The Opel Blitz 3,6 “S” wing/
fender seat seen from below and
behind showing the seat back
support section attachment weld
to the stamped steel seat and the
“T” shaped back rest support.

The Opel Blitz 3,6 “S” wing/
fender seat seen from above and
in front, showing us the stamped
steel seat to good effect and
the weld marks of the circular
mounting plate under the steel
seat, and seen very clearly here
are the two mounting holes in
the back support “T” for attaching
a padded back rest to.