The Bedford QLD lorry was the most common British-made 4x4 truck produced, with over 52,000 supplied to the British Forces between 1941 and 1945. Many of these later continued in service with the British Army in Cyprus, Korea and Malaya. The first Bedford QL trucks rolled off the assembly line at Vauxhall's Luton factory early in 1941. They were powered by the reliable GM 3 1/2-litre six-cylinder petrol engine.

Pictured here is a QLD supply truck that was attached to the British 7th Armored Brigade ("The Desert Rats") when it was conducting operations in Lybia during 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 5.5 inches
Width: 2 inches

Release Date: December 2003

Historical Account: The movement of fuel, artillery, ammunition, supplies and personnel became a pivotal role in the successes and failure of the North African campaign. Chiefly, the restrictions of supply lines on the Germans and the excellent work of the Allied troops to keep theirs open was a major influence on the eventual Allied victory. Amongst the array of transporters and carriers available was the Bedford QL lorry, and its variants worked particularly well in the desert and several versions were made specifically for this arena. The Bedford Model QL truck was a product of General Motors British Vauxhall Motors Lts. of Luton, England. It was designed in 1939-40 to meet a War Office specification for a 3-ton 4x4 truck chassis that would form the basis for a variety of vehicle types. It saw use on all fronts, including North Africa where it saw plenty of action in Lybia and the Western Desert. The legend of the Desert Rats (7th Armoured Division) began with the destruction of the Italian 10th Army in 1940. When Rommel arrived in Lybia with his Afrika Korps, the ebb and flow of desert warfare pitted the two great forces against each other. As part of the 8th Army under Montgomery, the Desert Rats played a key role in the crucial battle at El Alamein, which forced the Afrika Korps into retreat.