Studebaker WW2 history
 

Very interesting read!
Thanks for sharing! :thup2:

Did International and GMC manufacture US6 trucks? -page 8.

Mike

As far as I know REO was the only other maker. Inter and GMC had their own 6x6 and 6x4 trucks to build.

Thanks Richard, that's what I thought.

Mike

more
 

More Studebaker military history
https://idaoffice.org/posts/military...of-studebaker/

The thesis has some holes in it for sure .

"In the early years of the war, most of the US6s were shipped to the Allies in Europe." I thought that US6 trucks are rare in Europe these days with few ever going to the Allies in Europe ? Does anybody know more.



AND "Once the United States had entered the war, the US6 was used on all fronts." Not true, no US6 trucks were used in the SWPA as far as I know . The Australian US6 deliveries were very late in the war they and were stored away until the early 1960s .

The thesis states " In March of 1941 Studebaker started its official war production after signing a contract with the United States government to build US6 trucks. Three months later, the company was rolling out the first of these newly designed cargo vehicles."

But the Military victories of Studebaker article states "The production of the US6 series began in January 1942, and by the end of the year, Studebaker produced 4,000 cars a month."

The US6 was supplied Lend Lease to UK and Russia. The reason there are few left in Europe is that on disposal they were worked to death in civilian use afterwards.
I recall some good articles in the MVPA Army Motors magazine years ago saying how the US6 was not the standard cargo truck for US Forces during WW2 and that the only main use was on the building of the Alaska Highway.

To be factual, Soviet Russia WAS an Ally, and IS (partially) in Europe. The majority of US6 production went to the Soviets, and for we all know, there are possibly vast quantities in still in store.

None used in North Africa or Italy, either.

They were used on the Ledo road in Burma as well.

Here is a great site with lots of photos including Europe.
http://panzerserra.blogspot.com/2018...-6x4-case.html

more
 

In the thesis, I found this sentence to be rather confusing "As the M-29 was being tested Studebaker engineers found that the maneuverability of the Weasel in the water was subpar. " because in the previous paragraphs he doesn't state that the Weasel was intended to be amphibious vehicle from it's original concept. He initially implies that the Weasel was intended to be a efficient in snow conditions but mentions nothing about it as being a amphibious vehicle.

more
 

That is true but there were many CMPs and CCKWs that were flogged to death as well and restored examples of these trucks seem to be far more numerous attendees at MV rallies in Europe compared to US6 trucks that are rarely seen . I guess that in Europe relatively few US6 were supplied to Allied forces that were outside of the USSR sphere of control.

I believe that Bart V wrote a short piece in W&T, mentioning a US6 that appeared at a European rally but the chaps driving it thought the petrol was too expensive and the truck was not moved from its parking spot ! Think they were from the Czech Republic.

Argentina buy in 1947 CCKW and US6 trucks
Attachment 123045
http://www.militariarg.com/uploads/4...55055_orig.jpg

Some surviving...
Attachment 123046
http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/2083/IMG_20482.JPG

1978
 

The US6 on a club trip many years ago, in original condition, not restored, at the time, it was owned by MLU member Dave M . Here in Australia, these US6 were sold at disposals auctions in the early 1970s , some with less than 10,000 miles of use. I recall seeing the US6 that Bert B at Yarra Junction had stored in his shed, it was more or less in new condition, Bert said he purchased it at the Tottenham disposal auctions.

U toob
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE_xIEWIoYE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kA5rymh6_c&t=492s

Red army parade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCWVM5bUZmE

I believe the US6 came into existence because General Motors could not meet the demand for the CCKW and was unwilling to go into a close relationship with another maker for parallel production of the vehicle as Ford and Willys did with the Jeep.
Many parts were interchangeable between the split diff GMC and the US6 with the biggest difference being the power plant. The US6 using a Hercules JXD 6 cylinder side valve 320 cubic inch engine whilst the GMC used an in-house 6 cylinder overhead valve 270 cubic inch unit.
A total mystery to me is why both trucks used a similar overdrive transmissions which was then cancelled out by an under drive transfer case. A similar result could be achieved using significantly fewer parts with transmission and transfer case straight through in top and high range.

David

Dave

Maybe they already had the 5 speed overdrive in general production for their civilian trucks and did not want to reinvent the wheel.

The transfer case was an add-on bit to a standard rig so why not use that to achieve the desired gear ratios for military use creating the least work and expense..

Lang

Seat covers
 

I bought a set of NOS US6 seat covers at Auto Surplus, Mitcham, they had a large amount of US6 stuff. I also got a main wiring loom and cut it up for my jeep project .

Colin on the counter told me they were considering scrapping their US6 stock or selling it to the Israel govt. He said they had purchased US6 trucks from the Russians. I also bought new headlights , removed the mounts and fitted Dodge mounts to the US6 headlight bodies.

The NOS parts were packed with shredded WW2 newspapers. They had hundreds of NOS tailights and the WW2 trico wiper motors 2 in a box, 5 bucks a box. Boxes full of early CMP rubber tailights $2 per light this was early 1980s. I still have some NOS wiper arm kits I bought there , the new parts were finished in at least 3 different shades of WW2 era factory applied OD green .

Here’s a Studebaker tractor in use with the RAF towing a Queen Mary trailer.

Very unusual!

Attachment 125852

A 6x4, too.


David Doyle is about to release his tome on the Studebaker. Should be an interesting and comprehensive read if his DUKW book is anything to go by.


Mike