- Dodge WC54
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Dodge WC54/WC64 
Manufacturer Dodge Predecessor Dodge WC-27, G505, 1/2-Ton 4x4 Successor Dodge M43
M37 ¾Ton truck seriesBody style Coachbuilt, steel sheet. Engine Gasoline, six-cylinder side valve, 230 cubic inches. Transmission Four speed forward, one reverse, part-time 4x4 Wheelbase 98 in.
114 in.
121 in.Length 194.5 in. Width 78 in. Height 90 in. Curb weight 2,680 kilograms (5,900 lb) The Dodge WC54 3/4 Ton, supply catalog designation G502, was a WC series 4x4 light truck developed during World War II which served as the main ambulance vehicle used by the US army from 1942 to 1945, with some used as late as 1953 during the Korean War by the U.S. Army Medical Corps, and others serving as late as the 1960s in the armies of some European countries. At times, several were also used by the US Signal Corps as radio vans.
Contents
Design and production
U.S. Signal Corps vehicle
The WC54 was designed to replace the WC9, WC18 and the WC27 Truck, 1/2 ton, 4x4 Dodge Ambulance (G505).[1] Based on the 3/4 Ton "Beep" Dodge chassis, it featured a longer wheelbase and adjusted suspension to make its ride softer. The closed sheet-metal body was made by Wayne Body works. It had room for a driver and four to seven patients plus a medic. If the fold-away bunk stretchers were used, four patients could be transported lying down.[2] Because of its intended role, the WC54 featured a large matrix cab heater fitted on the firewall, providing comfort for patients and crew. It was fitted with a foldaway step to its rear to allow easier access for stretcher bearers and injured personnel. Early models featured a stuck out fuel filler cap which was changed to a recessed one in the later model, a modification that was retrofitted to some early model trucks.
Between 1942 and 1945, total production of the 3/4 ton WC-series T214 was 255,173. Of these, 22,857 were ambulances. The vehicles were supplied under US government contracts W398-QM-11420 (850 examples), W398-QM-11422 (9945 examples), DAW398-QM-448 (16 examples), W398-QM-13596 (410 examples) and W374-ORD-2864 (11,636 examples).[2]
Virtually unchanged throughout its life, apart from minor technical tweaks, it was later turned into a knockdown version, known as WC64, to allow larger quantities to be shipped at the same time. Only 3,500 were made between the beginning of 1945 and the end of the war.[3]
In popular culture
As the WC54 was the main ambulance in use by US Armed Forces in World War II, it is featured in a large amount of war films and can be seen in the following:
- In the M*A*S*H TV series, used by the fictional 4077 MASH. At the end of filming in 1982, the set, including vehicles, was left at the 20th Century Fox Ranch in Malibu Creek State Park, Malibu, California, where the show was shot. A fire destroyed the tents and buildings, leaving only a WC54 and a CJ Jeep hulk which can still be found there.[1]
- In the 1998 film The Thin Red Line.[4]
- In the 1965 film Battle of the Bulge[5]
- In the 2001 series Band of Brothers[6]
- In the 1990 film Memphis Belle[6]
- In the 1970 film Patton.[6]
Operators
- U.S. Army Medical Corps and US Signal Corps
- Greek Army and Greek Air Force
- Austrian Army
Images
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WC54s lined up for delivery.
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Restored ambulance
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Ambulance at entrance to Pier 5, waiting for debarkation of wounded American soldiers from Tunisia.
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Hellenic Air Force ambulance.
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Training for the removal of wounded, Greenville, South Carolina, July 1943.
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Awaiting shipment from the Dodge factory, April 1943.
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Final inspection at the Dodge plant.
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WC54 being backed into an LST at the start of Operation Overlord.
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WC54 in a convoy through devastated Saint Lo.
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D-Day landings: WC54 in the left foreground.
See also
- Dodge
- Dodge WC series
- List of Dodge automobiles
- Dodge M37
- Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle
- Light Utility Vehicle
- G-numbers (G502)
- Combat medic
- History of the ambulance
- Austin K2
References
- TM 9-2800 Standard Military Motor Vehicles. dated 1 sept. 1943
- TM 9-2800 Military vehicles dated oct. 1947
- TM 9-808 3/4-ton Dodge truck dated Jan. 1944
- SNL G502
- SNL G657 Dodge master parts book
- Classic Military Vehicles (magazine). "Dodge WC54 Ambulance." Classic Military Vehicles Number 4, September 2001. Cudham, Kent, UK: Kelsey Publishing Limited.
- Classic Military Vehicles (magazine). "Dodge WC54 Ambulance." Classic Military Vehicles Number 11, April 2002.Cudham, Kent, UK: Kelsey Publishing Limited.
- ^ a b http://www.olive-drab.com/idphoto/id_photos_wc54.php
- ^ a b http://www.dodgewc54.com/
- ^ http://www.pinodesign.nl/dodge/history.htm
- ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_49539-Dodge-WC-54-T214-1942.html
- ^ http://imcdb.org/vehicle_40077-Dodge-WC-54.html
- ^ a b c http://imcdb.org/vehicles_make-Dodge_model-WC+54.html
External links
Categories:- Dodge vehicles
- World War II vehicles of the United States
- Motor vehicles manufactured in the United States
- Military Light Utility Vehicle
- Ambulances
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