You know that:
- Dodge was founded by two brothers in 1900 as an automotive parts factory.
- Over time, Dodge produced almost everything the nascent automotive industry of the time needed, and so in 1914 the founders decided that since Dodge was already making all the parts, they might as well assemble the cars themselves.
- The United States Army was supplied with vehicles by more than 120 manufacturers, which put an unbearable strain on the logistics of spare parts and making repairs, so the command decided to put out a competition for universal vehicles with a uniform base.
- The competition was won by Chrysler in 1940, and one of its brands, Dodge, successfully offered its WC car.
- When Dodge began mass production of cars for the Army, it had to completely discontinue assembly of civilian vehicles.
- The WC series cars were produced in a total of 14 variants. The Command Vehicle was available with or without a winch.
- The most produced version was the WC-56, which was used for communications and reconnaissance, and also primarily as a staff vehicle for senior officers.
- Special equipment included a map mounting panel, a folding roof and a removable canvas door extension.
- In total, more than 28,600 of the WC-56 version were produced between 1942 and 1944.
- If you wanted to buy this vehicle in mint condition today as a vintage vehicle, you'd have to prepare for a price tag of up to $80,000.
Technical parameters:
- Dimensions: length 4.22 m, width 2.00 m and height 2.07 m (With roof)
- weight 2 420 kg
- payload 800 kg
- power unit 6-cylinder Dodge T-214 engine with 69 kW
- maximum speed 89 km/h
- fuel tank capacity 57 l
- range 387 km
- crew driver + 3 persons
General Dwight D. Eisenhower:
"In the first days after the Normandy landings, the army lacked everything. When we intercepted a call from an advance unit asking for more grenades, I sent my driver to deliver the 'eggs'. I meant grenades, but he delivered a chicken egg in a wooden crate lined with straw. To this day, I have not been able to find out where the hell that boy got fresh eggs amidst all the confusion."
Assembly Instructions
