4. Military Vehicle History and Research

In depth articles explore the history of military tanks, trucks, tanks, and other wheeled or tracked vehicles. 

Period color image of a Marine Ontos in the field
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

Development of the G-288 M50 Ontos

Willys Jeep MB Army Day Parade Texas USA 1942.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

View a GALLERY of WWII Willys Slat Grille MB Jeeps

A left side view of an Air Force R-2A rescue vehicle.
3. Half to Three Quarter Ton Vehicles (Mules, WCs, M37s, etc.)

This military Dodge M56-based "Truck, Fire, Airplane, Forcible Entry, Type R-2" is a different kind of "Lil’ Red Express."

M706 commando when displayed at the Fort Snelling Military Museum
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando Armored Vehicle

JM Graf Jeepred
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

This MP claimed, "During WWII, it wasn't always an 'almighty Jeep'"

As WWII wound down, it was not uncommon for GIs to spend their spare time hot-rodding their Jeeps. This one was photographed in Berlin in 1946.
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

GI Jeep Tale: A WWII Willys Jeep with a Ford V-8

Frontline Feature

MLT SPOT FOR SALECROP
Frontline Feature

UP FRONT AND CENTER!

This Spot Reaches More than 10,000 people a day.

Crew of B-17G Fortress “I’ll Get By” arrive at their airplane by Jeep ay RAF Horham, Suffolk, England, UK; 1944
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

B-17 Crew member used his Jeep to keep his tail out of the fire.

Cartoon drawing of the flying Jeep and chaplain of CVE 78
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

The WWII Navy Chaplain who could "fly"

The Series Five trucks had a very business-like front end. A whiffle tree is affixed to the chisel-shaped front bumper, and the two spares, as well as the torch set are visible through the windshield. While this particular truck is equipped with a ring mount and .50 caliber machine gun, this was not always the case.
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

The Proving Ground: WWII Ward La France and Kenworth M1 and M1A1 Wreckers

DSC_0018
6. Military Vehicle Show and Rally Reports

Military Vehicles Magazine celebrates 2021, the "Year of the Military Ford"

Fig 4
5. Two and a Half Ton Military Vehicles (CCKW, M135, M211, M35, etc.)

International M-5-6 and M-5H-6 Trucks in WWII

Ford 21C pick-up owned by John Chatham.
MV 101: Military Vehicle Hobby Info

What's that in the motorpool? It's awash in color

This 1965 short-bed, step-side, half-ton Ford displayed at the Arizona Military Vehicle Collector Show inspired me. It was painted in Navy gray. Apparently not all military vehicles have to be olive drab!
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

Military vehicles of a Different Color

MRC-87 USMC Forward Air Control Jeep
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

1954 MRC-87 USMC Forward Air Control Radio Jeep

M62 of the 587th Eng Co., ca 1959
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

M62 5-ton Wrecker: Historic photos of the US Army's "heavy hooker"

DSC_0337
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

The G-758 Military M170 Frontline Ambulance

This is the Holden Jeep in its original form. Faintly visible through the glass is a Stokes basket. Special canvas cab covers were created for the Holden Jeeps, which contributed to their boxy looks.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Photo-History of the WWII USMC Holden Jeep Ambulance

DSC_0011red
4. 1 to 2-ton Vehicles (M715s,CUCVs, HMMWVs, GTBs, G-506s, etc.)

HMMWVs in the Hobby Part I: Have you considered your own surplus HUMVEE?

ALGIERS,ALGERIA - AUGUST 1943: A view as an US Air Force pilot looks out his window during take off, flying from Algiers to Tunis, Tunisia. Jeep sports lusterless blue registration numbers.
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

These rare WWII photos show Army and Navy vehicles in original color

Ambulances
7. Books and Videos-Military Vehicles

New book examines US WWII Ambulances and Medical Vehicles

Scott finished the replica in 2012. Action Graphics prepared decals for all of the lettering and markings on the truck.
3. Half to Three Quarter Ton Vehicles (Mules, WCs, M37s, etc.)

Recreating a Vietnam Dodge M37 "Gun Truck"

Willys MA Jeep
Military Vehicles by Type

What's in the WWII US Motorpool?

jeep14
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Hot-Rodding Surplus WWII Jeeps

Screen grab showing the driver's compartment of the submerged DUKW.
8. Amphibious Military Vehicles

U.S. Army DUKW found 67 years later

US2278450-drawings-page-2
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Byron Jones’ Jeep

The M151 was the standard Army utility vehicle when this photo was taken at Fort Bragg in September 1969. This vehicle is equipped with a VRC-46 radio system.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

M151 ‘MUTT’ in Action: Vietnam through the Cold War

This April 9, 1941, photograph shows the pilot M2 during testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Notice the Firestone tread pattern tires on the front axle. Photographic evidence suggests that only the initial production vehicles had this tread pattern, which was soon supplanted by the chevron tread pattern tires, which in turn were replaced by non-directional tread pattern tires.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

The Proving Ground : White Half Tracks

3/4 view along the left hand side of the Morris LRC MkII showing the large run-flat tyres ideal for cross-country work. The good ground clearance is also evident.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

Morris Light Recon Car

Beyond the inherent dangers of operating a soft-skinned vehicle in a combat environment, gunners in particular are vulnerable to snipers, IED blasts, and roll-overs due to their exposed position. In response to these problems, the Up-armored Humvee has been developed, which offers protection against most small arms fire, shrapnel and anti-personnel mines.
4. 1 to 2-ton Vehicles (M715s,CUCVs, HMMWVs, GTBs, G-506s, etc.)

In Combat With HMMWVs

It was Harold’s boyhood dream to have a military Jeep. At 89, he has enjoyed my Jeep for many decades.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Don’t Tell His Wife!

Soviet MT-55 at the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr in Dresden, Germany. During the 1960s, US forces had captured one of these in Vietnam. They sent it to the home of the Corps of Engineers at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, for “reverse engineering.”
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

The Engineer Bridge-Launcher Incident

Ray Splinter bought his Dodge WC-43 in 1949. He didn’t buy it to restore, but rather, to use it for a work and hunting truck. He has driven the Dodge for more than half a century.
3. Half to Three Quarter Ton Vehicles (Mules, WCs, M37s, etc.)

My WWII Dodge WC-43: Reliable service for more than a half-century

Combat Engineers inspecting recently captured Soviet copy of American dozer in the A Shau Valley. Note M48 tank and the defoliated trees in the background. Photo courtesy Engineer Magazine, July-Sept 2007. Engineer Museum, Ft Leonard Wood. Used with permission.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

Not a CAT D7

Vietnam veteran, Sp4 David Flinn, 591st Engineers, left us with this photographic record of his unit’s activities in the A Shau Valley. While not professional shots, they provide a unique look into the daily activities of combat engineers. Here, Dave photographed this staging area that shows, right to left, an M123 10-ton tractor attached to M15A1 40-ton trailer, M37 3/4-ton truck, unidentified apparatus on wheels, batch concrete mixer on wheels, and unidentified.
Photographs and Ephemera

Operations into the A Shau Valley, 1968-69

Right side, restored Dodge D15
3. Half to Three Quarter Ton Vehicles (Mules, WCs, M37s, etc.)

Restoring a WWII Canadian Dodge D15 of the Royal Army Service Corps

Brown served in the Second Recon. Platoon of the 656th Tank Destroyer Bn.
Photographs and Ephemera

Favorite Find: Remembering 'Pap'

A unique armored Humvee domestically modified in the Ukraine. It has BRDM-esque window covers and vision blocks.
9. Modern Military Vehicle News

From the Frontlines

Front view, G-506 Chevrolet truck
4. 1 to 2-ton Vehicles (M715s,CUCVs, HMMWVs, GTBs, G-506s, etc.)

WWII 1942 G-506 (G71017) Chevrolet 1-1/2-ton 4x4 Truck

“Miss Joyce,” an M52A1 photographed near Bien Hoa, 1972.
Photographs and Ephemera

Photo Album

1942 Ford GPW
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Pricing Update: WW2 Ford GPW & Willys MB 1/4-Ton Jeep

The Soviet Union had a relatively standardized military vehicle fleet at the outbreak of World War Two and the invasion by Germany, consisting mainly of GAZ and ZIS vehicles. These trucks were inexpensive to produce, and simple to operate and maintain.
4. Military Vehicle History and Research

Military Ambulances of WWII

Photo - H&H Classics
Auction News

'Barn Find' 1936 Bentley with ties to war hero that bombed Hitler sold after 30 years hidden away

Around 1951, the Bonak family acquired GPW 186956. This photo shows Mike Bonak and his father in the Jeep around 1972.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

G.I. Jeep Tales

Famous Bougainville photo isn't what it seems.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

WW2 Sherman Photo Unraveled – 754th Tank Bn in Action

Although not originally designed or intended for use as an ambulance, the jeep’s small size, low profile, and capabilities in rough terrain made it an ideal vehicle for evacuating wounded soldiers from front-line combat areas.
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Jeeps that served as military ambulances

Barksdale Field, LA, summer 1941. Private (later Sergeant) Louis Sigrist with his newly arrived ride, a 1941 Dodge Army Air Corps Ambulance.
Photographs and Ephemera

WWII Recollections and Photos from a "Grim Reaper" Medic

Designed by the neutral nation of Sweden, the M/40 was first tank in the world to be fitted with torsion bar suspension. The driver could operate the vehicle with his head out and armored vision blocks allowed him to drive with the hatch closed.
7. Tanks, Armor, and Tracked Military Vehicles

Untested in battle—but certainly capable

The rare “blackout” Studebaker Champion conveys an important story of World War II — that of the Civilian Defense
3. Half to Three Quarter Ton Vehicles (Mules, WCs, M37s, etc.)

WWII 1942 Studebaker Chicago Civilian Defense Automobile

Photo by Jeff Symanski
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

Military Vehicle Spotlight: M54A2 Five-Ton Cargo Truck

Image placeholder title
2. Quarter Ton Military Vehicles (Jeeps, etc.)

Coors and Chewing Gum: Keeping the Village Jeep Running

G-513 Federal 94x43 tractor and trailer restored by Kevin Kronlund.
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

A closer look at the WWII Federal Tractor 94x43

Pair of WWII Wreckers
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

Military Vehicle Spotlight: WW2 Four-Ton Diamond T Wrecker

1943 Dodge WC56 posing for 2009 Christmas Card following the MVPA Lincoln Highway Convoy during which she traveled 5300 miles. Mark, Sundi, and Gunnar Sigrist – Gunnar is currently on active duty with the USMC.
Photographs and Ephemera

‘Olive Drab’ Christmas

Image placeholder title
5. Two and a Half Ton Military Vehicles (CCKW, M135, M211, M35, etc.)

Military Vehicle Spotlight: M1078A1 Light Medium Tactical Vehicle

Image placeholder title
6. Wheeled Military Vehicles Larger than 2-1/2-tons

Military Vehicle Spotlight: Four-ton Diamond T Cargo Truck

Convoy during a rest break some place in the western sector of Germany.
Photographs and Ephemera

Original Service