WWII: British WD Warflat, 50-Ton Heavy Flatcar
Lend-Lease Delivery to Russia
The British WD Warflat, 50-Ton Heavy Flatcar
Iran was occupied in August 1941 by both British and Soviet forces. This combined occupation led to a "back-door" method of Britain and the USA to extend Lend-Lease deliveries indirectly to Russia, while saving face at home.
At the time, the state of Iranian State Railway rolling stock was at best in rather poor condition if it existed at all. Not counting passenger cars, he British found 1,998 pieces of rolling stock. Of these, 924 were boxcars, 457 were low-side gondolas, 87 were freight cars, 295 were tank cars, 170 were ballast cars, and 65 were rail cars.
In their first year of the occupation, the British imported 891 additional cars of which 50 of them were 50-ton WD Warflats. Likewise, 1,990 heavy warflats were shipped in from the USA to bring the total to 4,779 rolling stock count up to freight cars, still a number considered altogether insufficient to handle the Russia-aid target.
Also provided where 250 Warflats with a payload of 45 tons. These were built upon 2 MoS orders by Metropolitan-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham in the years 1940, 1941 and 1942. All these eventually found their way to Russia.
The Warflat is shown above and below is carrying two Canadian 17-ton »Valentine VI« Infantry tanks, securely fixed by wooden logs and chains and with their turret turned round to six o'clock.