📌 1943 WC-52 Truck, Cargo, 3⁄4-ton, 4x4, Dodge Weapons Carrier, Old Buckenham Airshow.
The G-502, WC-51 and WC-52 Truck, Cargo, 3⁄4-ton, 4x4, Weapons Carrier (T-214 - from early 1942) had largely redesigned bodies and frames, compared to their ½-ton, 1940–1941 forebears, yet retained mechanically as much as possible, improving what was necessary, while maintaining supply, logistics, and training continuity. The design was now blatantly more jeep-like, with a much shorter, lower, wider, versatile, open cab pickup body. The hood became flat and horizontal, and the windshield could now also be folded forward, flat on it. With the top and bows down, the WC-51 and WC-52 followed the low-profile design doctrine of the time. Engine and drive-train were almost completely carried over from the T-215 ½-tons, except for the uprated, wider track axles 5 ft 4 3⁄4 in, which were now 18 in closer together, for 8 ft 2in wheelbase.
The WC-51 and WC-52 could be fitted with an optional M24A1 machine gun mount, or other devices. The M24A1 mount bolted across the front of the bed, and could carry the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, the M1919 Browning machine gun, or the M2 Browning machine gun. Lack of a winch gave the WC-51 a 10 in shorter front overhang, and thus a better approach angle. The WC-52 not only differed from the WC-51 by having a power take-off driven Braden MU‑2 7,500 lb capacity winch on the front bumper, but to accommodate it, the WC-52 was actually built on its own, longer frame. With about every third unit carrying a winch, these were thus rarely ever retrofitted.
Almost three quarters of Dodge's 255,195 total 3⁄4‑ton, G-502, WC series production, were built as WC-51 and WC-52, cargo, troops and weapon carriers. 123,541 were built without winch as the WC-51, and 59,114 with a front winch as WC-52, for a total of 182,655 units. When adding the 5,380 WC-55, M6 Gun Motor Carriages, that were later downgraded back to WC-52 specification, it brings the total number to over 188,000 of these models. Although nearly a quarter of that (44,229) were passed on to allies, mostly through Lend-Lease, once the 1939 U.S. Army reorganization from 8‑man to 12‑man (rifle) squads got tied more closely into troop-car procurement, Dodge received orders for a similar amount (43,224 built) of the stretched, 12‑troop (one squad) capacity, WC-62 and WC-63, 11⁄2‑ton, 6x6 trucks.
A substantial amount, almost a quarter of all the 3⁄4‑ton Weapons Carriers (a total of 44,229 WC-51 and WC-52 trucks) were provided through Lend-Lease to various Allies:-
▪︎24,902 to the Soviet Union, who used some to pull their ZiS-3 76-mm anti-tank guns.
▪︎10,884 to Great Britain
▪︎3,711 to China
▪︎3,495 to the Free French Forces
▪︎954 to Brazil
▪︎204 to other Latin American countries.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS -
▪︎Type: 1⁄2-ton / 3⁄4-ton 4x4 truck / 11⁄2-ton 6x6 truck
▪︎Place of Origin: Warren Truck Assembly, Michigan, United States
Conflicts: World War Two / Korean War / Various post 1945 conflicts
▪︎Manufacturer: Dodge / Fargo
▪︎Produced: 1940 to 1945
▪︎Number Built: Total = 382,350 excluding variants consisting of: 1⁄2-ton 4x2 models = 1,542 units / All 4x4 Models = ~337,600 units – across: ≈82,390 1⁄2-ton units (1940 to 1942) and 255,195 3⁄4-ton units (1942 to 1945) 11⁄2-ton 6x6 Models 43,224 units
▪︎Variants: D8A 1⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941, Canada) = 3,000 units / D3/4 APT 3⁄4-ton, 4x4 (1945, Canada) = 11,750 units / VF-401 – VF-407 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1940) = 6,472 units / T-203B 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941) = 1,500 units / WF-32 - G-618 11⁄2-ton, 4x2 (1942 to 1944, Iran) = 9,600 units
SPECIFICATIONS (WC-51 / WC-52) -
▪︎Mass: 5,250 lb empty / 5,550 lb with winch
▪︎Length: 13 ft 10 7⁄8 in / 14 ft 8 1⁄2 in with winch
▪︎Width: 16 ft 10 3⁄4 in
▪︎Height: 6 ft 9 7⁄8 in
▪︎Engine: Dodge T-214, 92 hp
▪︎Payload Capacity: 1,500 lb
▪︎Transmission: 4 speed × 1 range
▪︎Suspension: Live beam axles on leaf springs
▪︎Ground Clearance: 10 in
▪︎Fuel Capacity: 30 U.S gallons
▪︎Operational Range: 240 miles
▪︎Maximum Speed: 55 mph.
Information sourced from - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_WC_series
📌 1943 WC-52 Truck, Cargo, 3⁄4-ton, 4x4, Dodge Weapons Carrier, Old Buckenham Airshow.
The G-502, WC-51 and WC-52 Truck, Cargo, 3⁄4-ton, 4x4, Weapons Carrier (T-214 - from early 1942) had largely redesigned bodies and frames, compared to their ½-ton, 1940–1941 forebears, yet retained mechanically as much as possible, improving what was necessary, while maintaining supply, logistics, and training continuity. The design was now blatantly more jeep-like, with a much shorter, lower, wider, versatile, open cab pickup body. The hood became flat and horizontal, and the windshield could now also be folded forward, flat on it. With the top and bows down, the WC-51 and WC-52 followed the low-profile design doctrine of the time. Engine and drive-train were almost completely carried over from the T-215 ½-tons, except for the uprated, wider track axles 5 ft 4 3⁄4 in, which were now 18 in closer together, for 8 ft 2in wheelbase.
The WC-51 and WC-52 could be fitted with an optional M24A1 machine gun mount, or other devices. The M24A1 mount bolted across the front of the bed, and could carry the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, the M1919 Browning machine gun, or the M2 Browning machine gun. Lack of a winch gave the WC-51 a 10 in shorter front overhang, and thus a better approach angle. The WC-52 not only differed from the WC-51 by having a power take-off driven Braden MU‑2 7,500 lb capacity winch on the front bumper, but to accommodate it, the WC-52 was actually built on its own, longer frame. With about every third unit carrying a winch, these were thus rarely ever retrofitted.
Almost three quarters of Dodge's 255,195 total 3⁄4‑ton, G-502, WC series production, were built as WC-51 and WC-52, cargo, troops and weapon carriers. 123,541 were built without winch as the WC-51, and 59,114 with a front winch as WC-52, for a total of 182,655 units. When adding the 5,380 WC-55, M6 Gun Motor Carriages, that were later downgraded back to WC-52 specification, it brings the total number to over 188,000 of these models. Although nearly a quarter of that (44,229) were passed on to allies, mostly through Lend-Lease, once the 1939 U.S. Army reorganization from 8‑man to 12‑man (rifle) squads got tied more closely into troop-car procurement, Dodge received orders for a similar amount (43,224 built) of the stretched, 12‑troop (one squad) capacity, WC-62 and WC-63, 11⁄2‑ton, 6x6 trucks.
A substantial amount, almost a quarter of all the 3⁄4‑ton Weapons Carriers (a total of 44,229 WC-51 and WC-52 trucks) were provided through Lend-Lease to various Allies:-
▪︎24,902 to the Soviet Union, who used some to pull their ZiS-3 76-mm anti-tank guns.
▪︎10,884 to Great Britain
▪︎3,711 to China
▪︎3,495 to the Free French Forces
▪︎954 to Brazil
▪︎204 to other Latin American countries.
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS -
▪︎Type: 1⁄2-ton / 3⁄4-ton 4x4 truck / 11⁄2-ton 6x6 truck
▪︎Place of Origin: Warren Truck Assembly, Michigan, United States
Conflicts: World War Two / Korean War / Various post 1945 conflicts
▪︎Manufacturer: Dodge / Fargo
▪︎Produced: 1940 to 1945
▪︎Number Built: Total = 382,350 excluding variants consisting of: 1⁄2-ton 4x2 models = 1,542 units / All 4x4 Models = ~337,600 units – across: ≈82,390 1⁄2-ton units (1940 to 1942) and 255,195 3⁄4-ton units (1942 to 1945) 11⁄2-ton 6x6 Models 43,224 units
▪︎Variants: D8A 1⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941, Canada) = 3,000 units / D3/4 APT 3⁄4-ton, 4x4 (1945, Canada) = 11,750 units / VF-401 – VF-407 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1940) = 6,472 units / T-203B 11⁄2-ton, 4x4 (1941) = 1,500 units / WF-32 - G-618 11⁄2-ton, 4x2 (1942 to 1944, Iran) = 9,600 units
SPECIFICATIONS (WC-51 / WC-52) -
▪︎Mass: 5,250 lb empty / 5,550 lb with winch
▪︎Length: 13 ft 10 7⁄8 in / 14 ft 8 1⁄2 in with winch
▪︎Width: 16 ft 10 3⁄4 in
▪︎Height: 6 ft 9 7⁄8 in
▪︎Engine: Dodge T-214, 92 hp
▪︎Payload Capacity: 1,500 lb
▪︎Transmission: 4 speed × 1 range
▪︎Suspension: Live beam axles on leaf springs
▪︎Ground Clearance: 10 in
▪︎Fuel Capacity: 30 U.S gallons
▪︎Operational Range: 240 miles
▪︎Maximum Speed: 55 mph.
Information sourced from - en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_WC_series