During World War II with the ever-present concern of any enemy attack by air came the development of the Emergency Defense Pumper. The fear was that the “enemy” would use incendiary bombs in much like the way they did in the “Battle of Britain”. One of the lessons that were learned in England was that the standard size apparatus or “appliances” as they would put it, were unable to maneuver through the streets after an air raid due to the large amount of debris and destruction.

So what was developed was a “Trailer Pump” that was built by many fire truck manufactures of the time. Most were built to the same specifications, so they all looked the same no matter who the maker was. Most of the trailers had 500 gpm pumps that were driven by a Ford V 8 gasoline engine. Most were also equipped with 2 lengths of hard suction and about 500’ of 2 ½.

There would be thousand of these units built and distributed across the country to both municipal and industrial fire departments. The majority of them that went to municipal departments were to be manned by members of the Civil Defense and would be place in “strategic” locations through out the community when a certain “alert level” was reached.

The ones that went to industrial department would be manned by members of the on site department, or in some cases the in house fire brigade.

So now that “history lesson” is out of the way…there is no reason for you to ask John “What the #@#% is that a picture of???”

So here are some pictures of some “Blitz Buggies” some are from my collection, some I took, some from the QFD History By Lt. Bob Mood, and some are from the collection of Chief Thomas Gorman.

The above photo is of one of Quincy's Blitz Buggies. Auxiliary Unit No. 20 was one of 8 1942 Maxim 500 gpm pumps delivered to the City of Quincy. The following is from the QFD History…On a “Yellow Alert” the 8 units would be deployed to there predetermined locations. Hose 1 took Unit 15 to the Gas Company on Bracket Street. Hose 2 took Unit 16 to Olson’s garage in Squantum. Fire Alarm Truck No. 1 took Unit 17 to Gerous Garage on Safford Street. The Panel Tool Truck took Unit 18 to The Lincoln Oil Co. The FWD truck took Unit 19 to Nicastros Garage on Garfield Street. Fire Alarm Truck No. 2 took Unit 20 to the Lincoln Filling Station. The Fire Dept. Supply Truck took Unit 21 to Quincy Hospital on Whitwell Street.

The Public Works truck took Unit 22 to Hodgkinsons Farm in Germantown. All of the towing piece were to load up with 500’ of hose the off-duty man power would be recalled along with 150 auxiliary force who were to report to their designated emergency areas.

The above is a photo of some members of the Quincy Auxiliary Fire Dept. drilling with one of the 1942 Maxim Blitz Buggies.

The above is from The History Of The QFD and is a Maxim that went to Boston.

The above is of a 1942 Howe Blitz Buggies that saw service in Newport News, VA. And is now privately owned. It was at the SPAAMFAA muster in Syracuse when I took this and the following photos and I also saw it at the SPAMFA muster in Lakehurst, NJ.

After the War, the Quincy Blitz Buggies were found to be very useful in “Dewatering Operations”… AKA pumping a 400’x 600’, 400’ deep quarry out so that “something” or “someone” could be recovered. They would be placed on to a float and started up. As the water level would get lower more hose would be added. Other pumps would be added along the sidewall of the quarry as the water got lower and lower.

Some of the Quincy Blitz Buggies were still in one of the DPW garages up until the early 1990’s. One that belonged to the Fore River Ship Yard was still around the yard until the mid 90’s, long after the MWRA took the yard over from General Dynamics.

So the Quarries are now filled in. The Auxiliary Fire Dept. is gone. The DPW has more than the "DPW Truck" now. And there hasn't been a "Farm" down Germantown for along long long time.

When I asked the owner of the Newport News trailer why he picked his trailer for a restoration project he told me, “I don't have a big garage so I got something that would fit in the one I had.” So if any of you out there what to have a “Fire Truck” but don't have any place to keep it…. you might want to keep an eye out for a “Blitz Buggy”

So if your from the Northeast, the next time you go by a cranberry bog you might want to take a closer look, it could be one of the Blitz Buggies pumping the water.