Dodge WC series

This article is about the World War II Dodge VC-, VF-, WC- and WF-models. For the Dodge 'Job-Rated' trucks (1939–1947), that included civilian VC-, VF-, WC- and WF-models, on which these military trucks were based, see Dodge T-, V-, W-Series. For the civilian post-War variant, see Dodge Power Wagon.

Dodge WC series
The most produced variants in the range were the 3⁄4-ton, 4×4, WC-51 and WC-52 Weapons Carriers – shown a WC-51: short front bumper, without winch.
Type1⁄2-ton, 3⁄4-ton 4×4 truck
11⁄2-ton 6×6 truck
Place of originWarren Truck Assembly, Michigan, United States
Service history
WarsWorld War II
Korean War
Various post 1945 conflicts
Production history
ManufacturerDodge / Fargo, assembled at Lynch Road Assembly, Hamtramck, MI
Produced1940–1945
No. builtTotal: ≈382,350 excl. variants
Consisting of:
1⁄2-ton 4×2 models
1,542 units
All 4×4 Models
~337,600 units – across:
~82,390 1⁄2-ton units (1940–1942) [1][2] [nb 1][nb 2] and
255,195 3⁄4-ton units (1942–1945)
11⁄2-ton 6×6 Models
43,224 units [4][5]
VariantsD8A  1⁄2-ton, 4×4 (1941, Canada) – 3,000 units [6]
D3/4 APT   3⁄4-ton, 4×4 (1945, Canada) – 11,750 units [6]
VF-401 – VF-407  11⁄2-ton, 4×4 (1940) – 6,472 units [7][8]
T-203B  11⁄2-ton, 4×4 (1941) – 1,500 units
WF-32 / G-618   11⁄2-ton, 4×2 (1942–1944, Iran) – 9,600 units
Specifications (WC-51 / WC-52[9])
Mass5,250 lb (2,380 kg) empty
(5,550 lb (2,520 kg) with winch)
Length166+7⁄8 in (424 cm)
(176+1⁄2 in (448 cm) with winch)
Width82+3⁄4 in (210 cm)
Height81+7⁄8 in (208 cm)
EngineDodge T-214
92 hp (69 kW)
Payload capacity1,500 pounds (680 kg)
Transmission4 speed × 1 range
SuspensionLive beam axles on leaf springs
Ground clearance10+23⁄32 in (27.2 cm)
Fuel capacity30 US gal (114 L)
Operational
range
240 mi (386 km)
Maximum speed 55 mph (89 km/h)
The "Ben Hur" 1-ton, 2-wheel cargo-trailer was frequently mated to the WC series trucks.

The Dodge WC series (nicknamed "Beeps"[nb 3]) is a prolific range of light 4WD and medium 6WD military utility trucks, produced by Chrysler under the Dodge and Fargo marques during World War II.[nb 4] Together with the 1⁄4-ton jeeps produced by Willys and Ford, the Dodge 1⁄2‑ton G-505 and 3⁄4‑ton G-502 trucks made up nearly all of the light 4WD trucks supplied to the U.S. military in WWII – with Dodge contributing some 337,500 4WD units[nb 5] (over half as many as the jeep).[11][5][nb 6]

Contrary to the versatility of the highly standardized jeep, which was mostly achieved through field modification, the Dodge WC‑series came in many different, purpose-built, but mechanically uniform variants from the factory, much akin to the later family of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles. The WC series evolved out of, and was part of a more extended family of trucks, with great mechanical parts commonality, that included open- and closed-cab cargo, troops and weapons carriers, (radio) command, and reconnaissance cars, ambulances, carry-alls, panel vans, and mobile telephone installation and (emergency) field workshop trucks.

The Dodge WC series were essentially built in two generations. From 1940 to early 1942, almost 82,400 of the 1⁄2‑ton 4x4 Dodge trucks were built — initially called the VC series, but the great majority, from 1941, in the WC series, and in more variants.[10][14][2] Contrary to what Dodge's nomenclature suggested, the 1941 WC models were a direct evolution of the 1940 VC models, retaining the U.S. Army's G-505 Ordnance Corps Supply Catalog number.

For 1942, the trucks bodies and chassis were largely redesigned – heavier frames and drivetrains uprated them to carry 3⁄4‑tons off-road. And widening their tracks, while greatly shortening the wheelbase on the main models, plus lowering the bodies' center of gravity, gave them a much more square stance, with a much better break-over angle and side-slope stability. The trucks thus became the shorter G-502, 3⁄4‑ton, 4×4 truck (Dodge), and from 1943 also the longer, stretched G-507, 11⁄2‑ton, 6x6 personnel and cargo truck (Dodge) — all while retaining Dodge WC model codes. Although the 3⁄4‑tons improvements meant substantial design changes, they did retain some 80% interchangeable components and service parts with the 1⁄2‑ton models[14] — a vital Army requirement, for field maintenance and operability of the trucks.[15]

Dodge was the U.S. Army's main supplier of 1⁄2‑ton trucks, and its sole supplier of both 3⁄4‑ton trucks and 11⁄2‑ton 6x6 trucks in World War II.[5] With over a quarter million units built through August 1945, the G-502 3⁄4‑tons were the most common variants in the WC‑series.[5]
After the war, Dodge developed the 3⁄4-ton WC‑series into the civilian 4×4 Dodge Power Wagon; and in 1951, the WCs were replaced by the very similar 3⁄4‑ton 4x4 Dodge M-series vehicles .

Though the majority of Dodges built were 'Weapons Carriers', "WC" was not abbreviated from this, but a regular Dodge model code – initially "W" for 1941, and "C" for a nominal half-ton payload rating.[nb 7] However, the "WC" model code was simply retained after 1941 — for both the 3⁄4-ton, as well as the 11⁄2‑ton rated 6x6 Dodges.[14]
All in all, not counting mechanically related variants, the WC series alone involved 52 model versions (thirty 1⁄2‑ton 4×4, eight 1⁄2‑ton 4×2, twelve 3⁄4‑ton 4×4, and two 11⁄2‑ton 6×6 models). Creating vehicles of a common platform in such a variety of designs, with payloads ranging from 1⁄2‑ton to 11⁄2‑tons, had no equal in its time, and is seen as an extraordinary feat of the WWII American auto industry.[17]

  1. ^ SNL G-657 Master Parts List (1943), p. XX–XXII.
  2. ^ a b Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel (1945), pp. 55–58.
  3. ^ Serial Number Guide – Dodge Trucks Built for the U.S. Government (1946), Page 24 & 25.
  4. ^ Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel (1945), p. 66.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference HydeArsenal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference T21236 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference T137Moparts24 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference DoyleG506 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "TM 9 808 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4". US Dept. of the Army. 31 January 1944. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  10. ^ a b Bishop, Chris (2002). The Encyclopedia of Weapons of World War II. Sterling Publishing. pp. 105–106. ISBN 9781586637620. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  11. ^ a b Summary Report – Tank-Automotive Materiel (1945), pp. 19, 58, 64.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Doyle2011p205 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Thomson, Harry C.; Mayo, Lida (2003). The Ordnance Department: procurement and supply. Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, U.S. Army (Originally published: 1960, Washington, D.C., Office of the Chief of Military History, Dept. of the Army). p. 269/270.
  14. ^ a b c "Truck, 1/2 ton, 4x4, Dodge WC (G505)". Olive-drab.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  15. ^ Norris, John (2020). Logistics in World War II: 1939–1945. Barnsley, England: Pen and Sword Military. p. 192. ISBN 978-1473859159. One of the truly outstanding features of Dodge designs was the high degree of interchangeability in parts. Spares could fit many vehicles which facilitated maintenance.
  16. ^ Vehicle line Dodge APT
  17. ^ Kochnev, Evgeny (13 October 2019). "Lend-lizovskiye "tri chetverti"_ o takikh mashinakh v Krasnoy armii i ne mechtali" Ленд-лизовские «три четверти»_ о таких машинах в Красной армии и не мечтали ["Three Quarters" from the USA: Lend-Lease Dodge WC in the Red Army]. KOLESA.ru. Automotive magazine (in Russian). Retrieved 4 February 2021.


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