Truck- G-508 (CCKW), 2.5 Ton 6x6 Multi-purpose Transport Truck, Camp Dodge, Iowa Gold Star Military Museum
The General Motors Corporation's CCKW, also known as G-508 was manufactured in large numbers for the U. S. Army between 1941 and 1945. The 2.5 ton 6x6 truck, predominantly used as a cargo vehicle, served in World War II and the Korean War. They formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they crossed Europe. The CCKW remained in active U. S. service until the mid-1960s. The M35 series trucks were introduced in the 1950s, and eventually, became the the U. S. Army's standard 2.5-ton, 6x6 cargo truck.
Black Americans: During World War II the Red Ball Express drivers were predominantly Black-American soldiers assigned to the Quartermaster Corps. Because they were primarily relegated to non-combat roles they were available to serve as drivers. It is estimated that approximately 75 percent of the truck drivers were Black-Americans. They carried critical supplies to American divisions that were racing across Western Europe in pursuit of retreating German forces. When the Red Ball Express ended Nov. 16, 1944, truckers had delivered 412,193 tons of gas, oil, lubricants, ammunition, food, and other essentials. (Source: U. S. Army Reserves website, "Red Ball Express: Keeping the Wheels of War Turning" by Jennifer Friend.)
Truck- G-508 (CCKW), 2.5 Ton 6x6 Multi-purpose Transport Truck, Camp Dodge, Iowa Gold Star Military Museum
The General Motors Corporation's CCKW, also known as G-508 was manufactured in large numbers for the U. S. Army between 1941 and 1945. The 2.5 ton 6x6 truck, predominantly used as a cargo vehicle, served in World War II and the Korean War. They formed the backbone of the famed Red Ball Express that kept Allied armies supplied as they crossed Europe. The CCKW remained in active U. S. service until the mid-1960s. The M35 series trucks were introduced in the 1950s, and eventually, became the the U. S. Army's standard 2.5-ton, 6x6 cargo truck.
Black Americans: During World War II the Red Ball Express drivers were predominantly Black-American soldiers assigned to the Quartermaster Corps. Because they were primarily relegated to non-combat roles they were available to serve as drivers. It is estimated that approximately 75 percent of the truck drivers were Black-Americans. They carried critical supplies to American divisions that were racing across Western Europe in pursuit of retreating German forces. When the Red Ball Express ended Nov. 16, 1944, truckers had delivered 412,193 tons of gas, oil, lubricants, ammunition, food, and other essentials. (Source: U. S. Army Reserves website, "Red Ball Express: Keeping the Wheels of War Turning" by Jennifer Friend.)