Dodge
WC – Story
(in brief)
Dodge WC
series ¾ - ton (4x4) und 1 ½
-ton (6x6)
is
a pure war vehicle, built by the US, and was in
action in every theater of World War II in Europe, Africa and Far East. Its development based on the huge experience of
the Dodge Company, who already had
built a great amount of small trucks and pick-up's since WW I.
Those
war-versions of course have been built very sturdy to match their future
rough
missions. Many of those vehicles have been delivered also to allies at that
time, as UK, Canada, Australia and the former Soviet Union. In total, 297'288
vehicles of the WC series have been built by Dodge Corporation from 1942 to 1945. This
number comes from the Dodge WC-"Bible" written by Emile Becker and
Guy Dentzer. Therefore, Dodge WC belongs to the most built vehicles during WW II,
together with the legendary Jeeps MB and the CCKW-353
GMC trucks. "WC", by the way, is the abbreviation of "weapon
carrier", what is already pointing at its various possible applications. Most
versions were built as troop- or ammunition transporters in "pick-up-style", initially for 10
soldiers, later on also three-axle versions (1 ½
ton)
for 14 soldiers. There were also many other types, but all using the same
technical basis, such as Ambulances,
Command-Cars, Officers-Cars, Radio-Cars as well as Repair- and Maintenance
vehicles. In addition, we see armed vehicles, equipped with machine guns,
anti-aircraft-guns, multiple rocket launchers, mortars etc. It's a fact,
that Dodge WC played a major role in the liberation of Europe from
National Socialism, starting by D-Day in Normandy, June 6th 1944, until the
final victory over Germany in May 1945. Dodge WC vehicles often have been
used by renowned Army Commanders e.g General Eisenhower, later President of
the United States, George S. Patton, the reckless tank-general and even
occasionally by the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. Today's
Queen Elizabeth II served her country during WW II, then a young princess, as a driver and
mechanic for Dodge WC Ambulances.
After
the end of WW II in Europe, in May 1945, it wasn't worth for the United
States, to ship back all those hundreds of thousands of military-vehicles from
Europe to the US. Therefore, they have been sold to allied and neutral armies
in great amount as so-called "Surplus"-vehicles. Most European
armies were only poorly motorized by that time, only the German Army had a
considerable motorization extent, but "Wehrmacht" was already
defeated by that time and most of its vehicles were destroyed. Therefore,
many Dodge WC came to the armies of France, Holland, Austria, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Belgium and of course to the Swiss Army. There, they
continued their duty in a pretty peaceful way until to the end of the
seventies. Many Dodge WC's have also been rebuilt as fire-brigade vehicles or
wreckers, because new production of such vehicles only started slowly after the
war in Europe. When finding such vehicles today, what is a very rare chance,
in the backyard of a garage or overgrown by thorn bushes, those will be pulled
out merciless and restored to their original state.
When
those WWII-built vehicles were taken out of service by most armies in the
seventies, a huge enthusiasts scene grew quickly, buying
such vehicles in considerable number at auctions and
restoring them most accurate to their original state, to preserve them for an interested posterity. It is a fact, that the
antique military vehicles scene includes the greatest number of historic vehicles in many
countries in Europe.
Technical
Data:
Dodge WC-52
Length:
4.47 m
Width:
2.10 m
Height
:
2.15m
Body:
Pick-Up
Total
Weight:
3.1 tons
Net
Weight:
2.3 tons
Payload: 0.8 tons
Seats:
Front
2, rear 8
Engine:
Dodge T214 6-Cylinder Gasoline, 3.8 Litres Engine size, Oil capacity 5
Litres, water cooled, 17 Litres.
Performance: 92
HP at 3200 rpm
Transmission: 4
gears, first gear very low ratio for off-road use, gears non-synchronized
Drive:
Rear wheel, shiftable front-wheel-drive, no differential lock
Elektric:
6V, radio vehicles 12 V
Brakes:
4-wheel drum brakes, hydraulic, handbrake on propeller shaft
Tires
:
9.00 x 16 inch military tyres NDT (Non Directional
Tires)
Tank
capacity: 115
Litres gasoline
Consumption: 22 – 25 Liter/100 km
on
road, depends on driving
Max
speed:
80 km/h
Fording:
0.8 m water depth
Winch:
mechanic, traction 2.5
tons
August 2012 / RSt
|