The Second World War is very often called the "war of engines", in which technology played a key role. As a rule, aviation and armored vehicles are in the foreground, but cars made no less contribution to the Victory cause. Reliable provision of the Red Army with road transport played an important role in the preparation and conduct of military operations of the Great Patriotic War.
The automobile units of the Red Army were widely involved in ensuring the maneuver of the troops. During the Great Patriotic War, in all combat operations, cars served as the main vehicles for the delivery and evacuation of personnel, military equipment and weapons, various military cargo, as well as towing trailers and semi-trailers. Despite the heroism of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army, German troops managed to capture a significant part of the western regions of the Soviet Union in a matter of months. At the cost of huge losses, Soviet troops were able to stop the Wehrmacht offensive. In these battles, the Red Army lost a huge number of cars and other military equipment. At the same time, due to the evacuation of factories to the eastern regions of the country in the fall of 1941, the production of cars in the USSR was practically paralyzed, and only in the spring of 1942 it resumed, but on a limited scale. It was during this most difficult period (autumn 1941 - winter 1942) that the supply of weapons and military equipment began, first under a mutual assistance agreement with Great Britain, and then from the United States under the Lend-Lease program.
On October 1, 1941, the first protocol was signed under the Lend-Lease program, which opened the way for the supply of American weapons and military equipment to the USSR. At the end of the year, the first convoy with American cars arrived, and in 1942, mass deliveries of cars began through Iran.
Some of the cars arrived in finished form through the ports of the North and the Far East, as well as from the south - through the Soviet-Iranian border, and the cars went on their own. The other part was assembled from imported parts at the Gorky Automobile Plant and the Moscow Plant named after I. JV Stalin, where 119,600 cars were assembled during the war years.
Since 1942, most of the American and Canadian cars have been supplied to the Red Army. In total, the USSR during the years of the Great Patriotic War received 429,612 vehicles under the Lend-Lease program, that is, more than twice as many cars and tractors than were manufactured by the Soviet auto industry during the war years (out of 205,000 vehicles produced by Soviet factories since June 22, 1941 on May 9, 1945, the Red Army received a total of 150,400 vehicles). Within the framework of allied deliveries under Lend-Lease, about 50 models of 25 automobile firms (not counting manufacturers of various parts and assemblies) were supplied to the USSR. Of this number, more than a third of the deliveries (more than 152,000 vehicles) came from the Studebaker US 6 truck, which by the end of the war became the main truck of the Red Army. Also, the Soviet Union received 50 501 Willys MB and Ford GPW command vehicles during the four years of the war. Of the special-purpose vehicles, it should be noted the Ford GPA amphibians, which were attached as part of special battalions to tank armies for reconnaissance operations when crossing water obstacles, and the GMC DUKW 353, used mainly by engineering units when arranging crossings. There were significantly fewer cars of other models, and some were sent in single copies.
It should be borne in mind that allied supplies were very unevenly distributed over the years of the war, and the main supply of imported vehicles fell mainly in the final period of the war, therefore, domestic cars prevailed in the car park of the Red Army in the first two, most difficult years of the war. One of the prerequisites for the successful conduct of offensive operations of the Red Army in 1943-1945 was the saturation of its units with imported equipment, which helped to solve the problems of providing artillery with means of mechanical traction and ensuring the mobility of tank and mechanized units. If in 1943 the number of imported cars in the Red Army's car park was 5.4%, in 1944 it was 19%, then on May 1, 1945 the total number of cars in the Red Army reached 664,500, among them 58.1% were domestic. 32.8% - imported, 9.1% - trophy.
Without belittling the heroism of the soldiers, we can say that the war was also won by a military vehicle, as simple as possible and adapted to mass production. In total, over 101 million tons of various cargoes were transported by the automobile units of the Red Army during the years of the Great Patriotic War (which amounted to about half of military traffic by rail), and its total freight turnover amounted to 3.5 billion tons / kilometers.
Willys MV
During the Second World War in the United States, due to a strong reduction in the production of civilian models, the production of cars for the armed forces increased sharply. In addition to trucks, light four-wheel drive vehicles were required for military operations. In May 1940, the US Army Armaments Directorate organized a competition for the development and supply of light army command and reconnaissance four-wheel drive vehicles with a carrying capacity of ¼ ton. They were developed by three American car manufacturers Ford Motor Co, Willys-Overland Inc and American Bantam Car Company.
Preliminary tests of all three cars Bantam, Willys and Ford, carried out in November - December 1940, showed clear advantages of the model presented by Willys, both in terms of dynamics, as well as in cross-country ability and reliability. More powerful than the competition at 60 liters. with., the engine was very successful.
Based on the tests carried out, the military could not choose a winner, but formulated the next, now final, requirements: the maximum weight was limited to 997.8 kg, the maximum speed was up to 88.5 km / h, the minimum sustained speed was 4.8 km / h, depth ford overcome 457 mm. The car was required to take a 45 ° slope and hold on a side slope of 35 °. The US Congress allocated funds to order 1,500 cars for each of the three firms. At the beginning of 1941, Willys significantly redesigned the appearance and body of its all-terrain vehicle, which received the production mark MA (Military model "A").
From June to the end of 1941, the company produced 1500 Willys MA, and in August of the same year, the final improved version of the vehicle was created - MV (Military model "B"), which fully met all the requirements of the military, although its length increased by 82.5 mm. width - by 25.4 mm, and the mass increased by 131.5 kg. Tests conducted on competing vehicles have shown clear advantages for the Willys. Therefore, based on the test results, the military technical commission issued a large order to Willys-Overland Inc. The expected demand of the American army for these cars was so great that they decided to involve another company in their production. The choice again fell on the firm Ford Motor Co with its colossal industrial and technical potential.
Already on November 16, 1941, an agreement was reached on the production of light all-terrain vehicles Ford GPW (general purpose Willys) and at the Ford plant in Toledo. During the Second World War, the daily output at the Willys plant was 400 cars. The engines, semi-finished cylinder blocks and pistons were supplied by Pontiac Motor Works, and other parts were supplied by other companies.
The energetic organizational and technical activity characteristic of Henry Ford made it possible at the beginning of 1942 to launch the mass production of these machines, which almost did not differ from the MV. In total, 628,245 Willys vehicles were manufactured in the USA from 1941 to 1945, of which 350,349 Willys MB and 277,896 Ford GPWs. Only a small part of these cars remained in the United States - the bulk was sent to the European theaters of military operations.
Having entered the Allied forces of the anti-Hitler coalition in increasing numbers since 1942, the Willys car quickly gained great popularity on all fronts of the Second World War. He could equally well be a high-speed artillery tractor, carry a radio station and communications officers, be an ambulance, and even be used in battle as a "cart" with a 12, 7-mm machine gun mount. Through the efforts of the crew, the car could be pulled out of the mud using special handrails on the body.
Great Britain received the largest number of allied jeeps - 104,430. The Soviet Union received 50,501 Willys MB and Ford GPW vehicles under Lend-Lease before the end of World War II, and 9,736 vehicles were delivered to France. liza from the summer of 1942 and immediately found effective use, primarily as command vehicles and artillery tractors of 45-mm anti-tank guns. Moreover, in the USSR, some of the jeeps came in a semi-disassembled state in the form of car sets, and they were assembled at plant number 79 in Kolomna.
Normal operation of the "Willis" engine was possible only on gasoline with an octane rating of at least 66. The use of low-quality grades of gasoline and oils in the Red Army, as well as a low service culture led to a sharp reduction in its service life, at the front sometimes - up to 15,000 kilometers … In addition, the American jeep did not have such a safety margin as our GAZ-67 car. For example, in difficult road conditions, it sometimes broke axle shafts, springs and even frames. Nevertheless, Soviet soldiers and commanders fell in love with the Willys for its excellent driving characteristics. In the USSR, 1/4-ton army all-wheel drive multipurpose vehicles Willys MV and their variant - Ford GPW arrived equipped with army single-axle Bantam BT 3 car trailers designed for towing.
After the end of World War II, most of the "Willis" were returned to the United States, and the cars that remained in the Soviet Union were used for a long time in the Soviet army and the national economy.
Dodge 3/4
During World War II, the US automotive industry produced 3,200,436 army vehicles, and about 320,000 of them (that is, every tenth) belonged to the so-called "weapon carriers" - WC (weapon carriers) - the American designation for the class of light all-wheel drive trucks. intended for the transportation of personnel, weapons, instruments and tools and other equipment, as well as adapted for the installation of machine guns or small-caliber anti-tank or anti-aircraft guns on them.
In 1939, the American automobile company Chrysler (which produced cars under the Dodge brand) began serial construction of a heavy off-road all-wheel drive Dodge VC-1 4 x4 formula with a front axle drive disconnected through a transfer case. The Dodge VC-1 was a version of the civilian 1-ton truck with a simplified five-seater body that had cutouts instead of doors. The six-cylinder engine produced 79 hp. with. In the cargo version, the carrying capacity was only 500 kg, however, the suspension and axles were strengthened taking into account the possibility of driving over rough terrain.
In 1940, the car was modernized - the wings and cladding were simplified, a closed cab and a more powerful engine were re-installed. This family was designed as vehicles - "weapons carriers", in connection with which it received the designation "WC" (from WC-1 to WC-11). During 1941, new engines (up to 92 hp) were installed on these cars and the bodies were once again reworked, as a result of which the Dodge family of cars was replenished with models WC-12 - WC-20; WC-21 - WC-27 and WC-40 - WC-43. However, all of them had a significant drawback - a narrower track of the front wheels inherited from the commercial model and standard 750-16 tires, which reduced the vehicle's cross-country ability. And only in 1942 it was finally possible to develop the design of a multipurpose army cargo-passenger vehicle. Compared to its predecessors, it became lower and wider, the track of the front and rear wheels was the same, and the carrying capacity was increased to 750 kg.
Army Dodge WC vehicles are by design and design typical of the American automobile industry during World War II. They were distinguished by manufacturability in mass production and repair, sufficient reliability and maneuverability, a high degree of standardization and unification, and a strictly functional appearance. In the design of these vehicles, the aggregates and assemblies of Dodge trucks of the WF series were used to the maximum - the engine, clutch, four-speed gearbox, steering gear and, to a large extent, the brake system. The entire family of all-wheel drive two-axle army vehicles "Dodge" WC with a carrying capacity of 750 kg was built on almost identical chassis of two modifications - with or without a winch. Different bodies were mounted on the same chassis as a separate module.
At the head car plant, a standard chassis was made, and the body was assembled by specialized bodywork firms. At the same time, the frames, transmission and suspension of these vehicles have been redesigned. The wheels of the car, instead of the previously used standard disks with narrow tires, were disc, with a split rim, designed for wide-profile tires of size 9.00-16. The result is a very successful small four-wheel drive semi-truck. Initially intended for transporting a squad of infantrymen or calculating a gun, it soon became a universal vehicle in all branches of the armed forces, especially since, along with the basic model, its command and staff, closed ambulance, reconnaissance and a number of other modifications soon appeared. In total, over 253,000 Dodge multipurpose vehicles were produced.
Along with the US armed forces, these vehicles were widely used in the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition allies. So, 19621 Dodge cars of all modifications under Lend-Lease were delivered to the USSR. In the Red Army, these cars, which received the designation "Dodge" 3/4, having begun their service as tractors for divisional anti-tank guns, as they arrived, were increasingly used in all branches of the military. They were used as reconnaissance vehicles, vehicles for escorting military columns and command vehicles; radio stations and anti-aircraft machine guns were installed in their bodies. Red Army drivers love Dodge cars "three-quarters" for their power, speed and stability, even on bad roads.
In the same 1942, on the basis of a standard two-axle cargo-passenger all-wheel drive vehicle "Dodge", three-axle all-wheel drive vehicles with a carrying capacity of 1.5 tons with a wheelbase of 3700 mm and an open all-metal body were created for use as artillery tractors. Their main task was to transport 57 mm M1 anti-tank guns and light 105 mm M3 howitzers, although they could also be used to transport an infantry squad of 10 soldiers with standard weapons.
A powerful carburetor, in-line, six-cylinder, low-valve engine with excellent traction at low revs, gear ratios of the reduction gear and axle reducers turned the three-axle Dodge into a tractor capable of towing loads weighing up to 6 tons and allowed to achieve outstanding cross-country ability. The low center of gravity provided an enviable roll-over resistance. In addition, the car could be quickly disguised by removing the awning and folding the windshield over the hood. After that, he was no longer visible in the tall grass.
In 1944-1945, about 300 American all-wheel drive Dodge WC-62 cars were delivered to the USSR under Lend-Lease. On the fronts, they were used as artillery tractors, in particular, they transported the latest 100-mm anti-tank guns BS-3 of the 1944 model at that time.
GMC CCKW-353
In 1940, in the United States, the classes of army vehicles were defined, including the main one - a multifunctional 2.5-ton three-axle all-wheel drive truck. Due to various delays, their production began only a year later. The most delicious order - equipping the ground forces with three-axle trucks - went to General Motors Co, which developed a sample of a 2.5-ton truck with a 4.2-liter engine, which became the basis for a new army truck.
In October 1940, GMC began small-scale production of the first generation of the CCKWX-352 bonneted army truck with a closed two-seater all-metal angular cab, simplified oval stamped fenders, a flat radiator, headlamp grilles and a short wheelbase, most suitable for production in wartime. It was equipped with a new in-line 6-cylinder overhead valve gasoline engine with a capacity of 91 hp. with. Mass production of these cars began in January 1941. Until February 1941, 13,200 vehicles were assembled, which were the first to enter the US Army and the UK under Lend-Lease.
However, the production of CCKWX-352 cars reached full capacity only when, in February 1941, the Chicago company Yellow Truck & Coach Mfg, which specialized in the production of heavy buses, belonged to the GMC concern, was connected to it. It was this company that mastered the serial production of three-axle 2, 5-ton trucks of the most famous series CCKW-352/353 (6 x6) of the second generation.
The CCKW-352/353 also used the base 4, 4-liter 91-horsepower engine, but on a number of later release cars its power reached 94 hp. with. In the roof of closed all-metal cabins, there was usually an observation hatch, and brackets with a turret for a large-caliber anti-aircraft machine gun were mounted on parts of the cars above the cockpit. However, the order for cars of this type turned out to be so large and urgent that it exceeded the capabilities of this small enterprise many times over. Therefore, it was decided to transfer part of the military order to other companies. It was then that the need arose to connect the Studebaker Corp of America to the production of army trucks. Subsequently, the CCKW-352/353 trucks were constantly improved, and by 1945 they were already produced in the sixth series.
Since 1943, these cars began to use an open cab with a soft top, side protective tarpaulin aprons with celluloid windows or semicircular recesses in fixed side metal fences instead of conventional doors, the bodies were simplified wooden bodies with extended lattice sides. In 1944, the bodies were produced combined with a wooden floor and non-folding metal sides.
To increase cross-country ability on soft soils, on snow or sand, the front wheels of CCKW cars were equipped with a gable tire, while removable tracks were mounted on the rear wheels. In addition, the base machines were produced in gas generator, northern and tropical versions with additional hinged canisters.
Along with trucks in the basic design with an onboard platform and an awning, the US armed forces and their allies in the anti-Hitler coalition in 1942-1945 received numerous standard vans for various purposes, mounted on the CCKW-352/353 chassis. The number of only standardized inhabited fully closed elongated wood-metal vans with side barred windows reached 20 types. They housed marching specialized workshops with stationary and portable equipment for the repair of various military vehicles and armored vehicles in the field. Power supply for machines, tools and lighting devices was carried out from its own generating station or from external current sources. For storage and transportation of spare parts and materials, simplified blind warehouse vans without windows were used.
A special range was made up of shortened bodies for the signal troops. The habitable version with three side windows, reliable sound insulation and noise immunity was intended for the installation of headquarters and radio stations. They also housed medical centers, surgical rooms, generating stations and powerful lighting equipment. On the chassis of CCKW-352/353 vehicles, various engineering and construction dump trucks with steel bodies from Heille were mounted with rear or side unloading; tanks for the delivery of water or fuel with a capacity of up to 2600 liters; tankers with pumping equipment and dispensing equipment; auto degassers; natural water treatment plants and even garbage trucks.
Simple army or airfield fire trucks on the chassis of CCKW-352/353 vehicles were usually equipped with open bodies of different manufacturers, tanks with a capacity of 1500-2000 liters of water and pumps of middle or rear location. For the installation of army cranes, special chassis with a single cabin were produced, and special open vehicles with crane systems were used to transport and reload powerful aerial bombs or torpedoes. Various machine-gun and cannon anti-aircraft installations were also mounted on the chassis of SSKW vehicles, including automatic 40-mm Bofors M1 anti-aircraft guns.
In total, 562,750 CCKW-352/353 vehicles were manufactured in the USA from February 1941 to August 1, 1945. The main consumers of CCKW-352/353 vehicles were the American, Canadian and British ground forces, as well as the US Air Force and Navy, which fought in the Pacific theater of operations, in northern Africa and southern Italy. During the Second World War, these vehicles under Lend-Lease also entered the countries of the British Commonwealth, mainly Australia, New Zealand and India.
In the USSR in 1942-1945, 5992 2, 5-ton army all-wheel drive trucks GMC CCKW-352/353, as well as 5975 of their chassis, were received from the United States under Lend-Lease in 1942-1945. In addition, part of the chassis of the GMC CCKW-352/353 vehicles were used by the Red Army guards mortar units as a base for the installation of M-13 multiple launch rocket systems.
