Thread: Dodge WC54
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Old 29-04-04, 11:42
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gordon gordon is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Central Scotland
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Default Thanks Geoff...

... for moving my post to where it should have been.

These images are all nice trucks. they all appear to be standard WC 54 trucks mechanically, right down to the rear step on the last one, so I suppose it was a question of using whatever was available for the purposes you wanted.

During the war most of the weapons carriers would have been up the sharp end till they were 'used up' and any casulaties reconditioned into the same service. Ambulances had weatherproof full metal shells and would have been easier to radio-screen, though it's worth noting that even the modest radio used in the WC 42 meant it needed a roof fan for cooling purposes.

At least the WC 54 had an oversized heater, which probably made it even more desirable for the job. Rear suspension was tweaked for a more comfortable ride at the expense of ultimate capacity, but then radio gear isn't as heavy as a load of ammunition. They could easily have made a radio version of the WC 53 Carryall, but since the Carryall was in itself outfitted for radio not much point. I do consider that the WC 53 would have been a lot more useful with conventional van doors instead of the transom tailgate / liftgate, particularly for radio use.

Gordon
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